Court sentences killer of Tupac, 30 years after rappers killing

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

The 63-year-old was convicted on Monday after a jury deliberated for only a few hours, bringing a major development to one of the most closely watched murder cases in hip-hop history.

“Count one, murder with use of a deadly weapon, guilty of first-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon,” the jury foreperson announced in court.

Davis, who faces a possible sentence of life imprisonment without parole, told Judge Carli Kierny after the verdict that he intended to appeal the conviction.

Prosecutors accused Davis, a former leader of the South Side Compton Crips, of orchestrating the September 7, 1996 shooting after his nephew was involved in a confrontation with members of Shakur’s entourage at a Las Vegas casino.

During closing arguments, prosecutor Binu Palal told the jury that Davis had obtained a firearm, assembled members of his gang and went looking for Shakur.

Shakur, popularly known as 2Pac, had been in Las Vegas to watch a heavyweight boxing match involving Mike Tyson.

About two hours after the casino confrontation, a white Cadillac pulled alongside the BMW carrying Shakur and Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight at a traffic light.

Gunmen opened fire on the vehicle, striking Shakur, who was sitting in the front passenger seat. The rapper died from his injuries six days later at the age of 25.

According to prosecutors, Davis handed the weapon to an individual in the back seat of the Cadillac and instructed the person to shoot Shakur.

Davis is the only surviving occupant of the Cadillac from that night. Knight was also wounded in the shooting.

The murder remained unsolved for decades and became one of the most prominent cold cases in American music history, generating years of speculation among fans and investigators over the identity and motive of the killers.

Davis was eventually charged in connection with the killing, making him the only person formally prosecuted for Shakur’s murder.

Duane Davis (C) and his attorney Michael Sanft are led back to a courtroom to hear his sentencing date after a jury found Davis guilty in the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur, at Clark County District Court at the Regional Justice Centre in Las Vegas, Nevada, on August 31, 2026. Duane Davis, a former Los Angeles gang member, was found guilty on August 31 by a Las Vegas court of the 1996 murder of rapper Tupac Shakur. Thirty years after the rap legend’s death at a Las Vegas casino, the jury found Davis, 63, guilty of murder after just a few hours of deliberation.

Confessions Became Key Evidence

The case gained renewed attention after Davis published his memoir, Compton Street Legend, in 2019.

Over the years, Davis had made several statements claiming involvement in the events surrounding Shakur’s killing, including comments to law enforcement and the media.

He later retracted those claims and pleaded not guilty to the murder charge.

During closing arguments, prosecutors played recordings of statements attributed to Davis, presenting them as evidence of his involvement.

His defence lawyer, Michael Sanft, however, argued that Davis’ statements were fabricated and were partly intended to generate publicity for his book.

“You’re reading a book that is fiction and not fact,” Sanft told the jury, arguing that there was no evidence connecting his client to the murder apart from his own statements.

Davis’ lawyers had previously attempted to prevent prosecutors from introducing his memoir and a 2008 police interview as evidence, but their efforts were unsuccessful.

Tupac’s Legacy

Shakur was a central figure in the intense East Coast-West Coast rivalry that dominated American hip-hop during the 1990s.

The rapper, who was raised in Harlem and Baltimore before becoming one of the defining voices of West Coast hip-hop, joined Los Angeles-based Death Row Records and released several highly successful albums.

His best-known songs include California Love and All Eyez on Me.

His death at 25 turned him into one of the most enduring figures in popular music, while the mystery surrounding his murder continued to fuel documentaries, books and public speculation for decades.

Davis is scheduled to be sentenced on October 13.

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