LAS VEGAS — Nearly 30 years after Tupac Shakur was gunned down on a Las Vegas street, a jury has convicted the only person ever charged in his killing.
Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 63, was found guilty Monday of first-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang. Jurors reached their verdict after about three hours of deliberations.
The conviction marks an extraordinary turn in a case that remained unsolved for decades and became one of the most infamous killings in music history.
Davis did not fire the shots that killed Shakur, according to prosecutors. Instead, they argued he orchestrated the retaliatory attack and supplied the gun used in the September 1996 shooting.
Under Nevada law, a person can be convicted of murder for aiding another person in committing the crime.
Shakur was 25 when he died.
Tupac Shakur murder conviction follows decades of questions
Shakur was riding in a BMW driven by Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight on Sept. 7, 1996. A white Cadillac pulled alongside them near the Las Vegas Strip and someone inside opened fire.
Shakur was struck multiple times and died six days later, on Sept. 13. Knight was wounded but survived.
Hours before the shooting, Shakur, Knight and others had attacked Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson inside the MGM Grand. Anderson was Davis’ nephew.
Prosecutors argued that Davis acquired a gun after the fight and led a search for Shakur and Knight.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal told jurors during closing arguments that Davis and the others “went hunting” for the two men.
The prosecution relied heavily on Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis’ own words.
Over the years, Davis described being inside the Cadillac in interviews, recorded conversations with investigators and his 2019 memoir, Compton Street Legend. Prosecutors argued that while portions of his accounts changed, his placement inside the vehicle remained consistent.
“The core facts remain. The material facts remain,” Palal told jurors.
Palal also rejected the defense argument that Davis invented or embellished his story to make money.
“It is an entirely different proposition to be profiting from a murder,” Palal said during closing arguments. “And that is what Mr. Davis is doing.”
Defense argued prosecutors lacked physical evidence
Davis’ attorney, Michael Sanft, built much of the defense around what investigators did not have.
The defense argued prosecutors lacked physical evidence independently placing Davis inside the Cadillac when Shakur was shot. Investigators did not produce phone records or surveillance footage establishing his presence at the shooting.
A former Las Vegas homicide detective testified during the trial that he believed portions of Davis’ account but could not independently verify that Davis participated in the shooting.
Sanft argued that Davis’ public statements amounted to braggadocio and that his memoir blurred fact and fiction.
The jury ultimately rejected that argument.
Prosecutors did not have to prove Davis pulled the trigger. Their case centered on the allegation that he helped plan the retaliation and supplied the weapon.
The identity of the person who actually fired the shots remains unresolved publicly. The three other men authorities say were inside the Cadillac have since died.
An emotional verdict for Shakur’s family
The verdict brought visible emotion inside the courtroom.
Shakur’s sister, Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur, cried and reached toward someone seated behind her after jurors announced their decision. Davis’ son covered his face with one hand, according to courtroom reporting.
Davis raised a fist as he left the courtroom.
For Shakur’s family, the verdict comes after decades of waiting for someone to be held criminally responsible.
Davis had long been known to investigators. Yet he was not arrested until Sept. 29, 2023, more than 27 years after the shooting. A Clark County grand jury indicted him on a murder charge after Las Vegas police revived their investigation.
Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis’ arrest came years after he began publicly discussing the shooting.
That decision ultimately became central to the case against him.
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Shakur’s influence stretched far beyond music
Shakur’s killing at 25 cut short the career of an artist whose influence extended well beyond hip-hop.
The son of Black Panther activist Afeni Shakur, Tupac frequently used his music to confront poverty, racism, police violence and the pressures facing Black communities. His catalog included both deeply political work and songs examining vulnerability, violence and survival.
His influence has endured across generations. In the decades since his death, Shakur has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and remained a cultural reference point for artists, activists and fans.
The criminal case surrounding his death endured almost as long.
Davis became the first person charged in 2023 and is now the first person convicted.
Nearly three decades after Shakur’s death, a Nevada jury has finally assigned criminal responsibility for the attack—even as one of the case’s oldest questions remains unanswered: who pulled the trigger?
