Duane Davis found guilty of murdering Tupac Shakur

A Las Vegas jury on Monday found former Los Angeles gang member Duane “Keffe D” Davis guilty of the 1996 murder of the rapper Tupac Shakur.

Verdict after a short deliberation

The jury returned the verdict after just a few hours of deliberation. The jury foreperson announced,

“Count one, murder with use of a deadly weapon, guilty of first-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon,”

and the court recorded Davis, 63, as guilty.

Accusations and motive presented at trial

Prosecutors told the court that Davis, a one-time leader of the South Side Compton Crips, had ordered the killing after his nephew was beaten by members of Shakur’s entourage at a Las Vegas casino. Prosecutor Binu Palal said,

“Duane Davis, in the culture of gangs, could not let that stand,”

and argued,

“So what did he do? He acquired a firearm, got his group together, and went hunting for Mr Shakur.”

How the shooting unfolded, according to prosecutors

Prosecutors said Tupac Shakur was shot about two hours after the casino confrontation when a white Cadillac pulled up alongside the BMW carrying Shakur as a passenger. They said Davis handed a gun to someone in the back seat of the Cadillac and ordered that person to shoot Shakur, who died six days later. The driver of the BMW, Marion “Suge” Knight, was wounded.

Evidence and defence

The case was revived after publication of Davis’s memoirs in 2019. Prosecutors played clips of Davis’s alleged confessions from interviews and his autobiography, Compton Street Legend, during closing arguments. Davis has made statements over the years about his involvement, but has pleaded not guilty and later backtracked. His defence attorney, Michael Sanft, told jurors,

“You’re reading a book that is fiction and not fact,”

and argued that Davis’s statements were not reliable.

Unique status in the case and next steps

Davis is the only person to be charged in connection with Shakur’s shooting and is the only person who was in the Cadillac that evening who is still alive, according to the prosecution. After the verdict was announced, Davis addressed Judge Carli Kierny and stated his intention to appeal. He faces possible life in prison without parole. Sentencing is scheduled for October 13.

Who was Tupac Shakur?

Tupac Shakur, also known as 2Pac, was 25 when he was shot. He was a chart-topping rapper known for songs such as “California Love” and “All Eyez on Me” and was associated with Los Angeles-based Death Row Records during the East Coast–West Coast hip-hop rivalry of the 1990s.