Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 63, has been found guilty of first-degree murder in connection with the 1996 killing of rap legend Tupac Shakur.
A jury delivered the verdict on Monday, August 31, following a trial that lasted about two weeks and concluded nearly three decades after Shakur was fatally shot in a drive-by attack in Las Vegas.
Davis, a former gang member, is the only person to have faced criminal charges over Shakur’s killing. Prosecutors relied heavily on his past interviews and public comments about the shooting during the trial.
Although Davis was not accused of firing the shots that killed Shakur at the age of 25, prosecutors described him as the person who organised the attack.
According to the prosecution, the shooting was carried out as retaliation for a confrontation at a casino earlier on the night of September 7, 1996. The incident involved Shakur, members of his entourage and Davis’ nephew.
Shakur, one of the most influential figures in hip-hop history, died from his injuries six days after he was shot. His death has remained one of the most high-profile unsolved cases in music history until Davis was charged in 2023.
