30 years after drive-by shooting, Duane Davis found guilty of Tupac Shakur's murder

A Las Vegas jury found Duane 'Keffe D' Davis, 63, was convicted on Monday of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon in connection with the drive-by shooting that killed Shakur. The 12-member jury reached its unanimous verdict after deliberating for nearly three hours following a weeks-long trial in Las Vegas.

In Short

• Duane 'Keffe D' Davis found guilty of Tupac Shakur's 1996 murder
• Jury convicted Davis of first-degree murder with deadly weapon
• Davis plans to appeal after sentencing on October 13

A Las Vegas jury has found former gang leader Duane "Keffe D" Davis guilty of orchestrating the 1996 murder of hip-hop legend Tupac Shakur, bringing a nearly three-decade-old mystery to a dramatic close. Davis, 63, was convicted on Monday of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon in connection with the drive-by shooting that killed Shakur. The 12-member jury reached its unanimous verdict after deliberating for nearly three hours following a weeks-long trial in Las Vegas.

Davis had pleaded not guilty to the charge. He faces a potential sentence of life in prison without parole and is scheduled to be sentenced on October 13. He told the judge that he plans to appeal.

Several people in the courtroom gallery wiped away tears and hugged a prosecutor after the verdict was announced.

WHAT HAPPENED THE NIGHT TUPAC WAS SHOT

Shakur, one of the most influential and commercially successful artists in rap history, was shot four times on September 7, 1996, while sitting in a car at a red light in Paradise, Nevada.

A white Cadillac pulled alongside the vehicle, which was being driven by Death Row Records boss Marion "Suge" Knight. Gunfire erupted from the Cadillac, striking Shakur in the chest, arm and thigh. Knight was also grazed in the head.

Shakur died from his injuries six days later at the age of 25.

Prosecutors argued that Davis helped organise the attack as retaliation after Shakur and members of his entourage had beaten up Davis’ nephew, Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson, at a Las Vegas casino earlier that night.

Davis and three other men subsequently travelled in a white Cadillac to look for Shakur and Knight, according to statements Davis made over the years. He said he obtained a gun and passed it towards the back seat before the group encountered Shakur's vehicle.

The prosecution has never identified the person who pulled the trigger. The other three men in the Cadillac have since died. Under Nevada law, Davis could still be convicted of murder despite not being accused of firing the shots.

DAVIS' OWN WORDS BECAME KEY EVIDENCE

The case remained unsolved for decades, with investigators long suspecting Davis but lacking enough evidence to charge him.

That changed after Davis repeatedly discussed his alleged involvement in interviews, documentaries and his 2019 memoir, "Compton Street Legend". Prosecutors also presented recordings of conversations between Davis and investigators as evidence.

In the memoir, Davis described himself as one of the few surviving eyewitnesses to Shakur's killing and detailed how the group set out seeking revenge.

During closing arguments, prosecutor Binu Palal pointed to Davis' repeated public accounts of the shooting.

"For nearly 18 years, Duane Davis has told the police, television, books, YouTube interviewers — anybody that will listen, he has told — he is responsible for the murder of Tupac Shakur," Palal said. "Tell him you hear him — find him guilty."

Davis' lawyer, Michael Sanft, argued that his client's statements amounted to little more than bravado and were not independently supported by sufficient evidence.

"We have to ask ourselves the question really at this particular point: Why are we here 30 years later if Duane Davis had actually confessed — truly confessed?" Sanft said.

A MURDER THAT DEFINED RAP HISTORY

Shakur's killing became one of music's most notorious unsolved crimes and a defining moment in the history of hip-hop.

His death came during an era marked by intense tensions between rival East Coast and West Coast rap scenes, while gang affiliations surrounding artists and record labels added to the culture's increasingly violent image.

Davis was a leader of the Southside Compton Crips, a Los Angeles-area gang that had ties to the conflict involving the Mob Piru faction associated with Shakur and Death Row Records.

Nearly 30 years after the shooting, the guilty verdict now places responsibility for orchestrating the killing on Davis, even though the identity of the gunman remains unresolved. Davis is being held without bail and is expected to appeal the conviction after his sentencing.

- Ends
With inputs from agencies