Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis Found Guilty of Orchestrating Tupac Shakur’s Murder After 30 Years

Nearly 30 years after Tupac Shakur was killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, Duane “Keffe D” Davis has been convicted in connection with the rapper’s murder.

On 31 August, a Las Vegas jury found Davis guilty of first-degree murder in Shakur’s 1996 killing. Davis, 63, is the only person to have been charged in the case and is now the first to be convicted. Prosecutors did not accuse him of pulling the trigger. They argued that he helped organise the attack, obtained the firearm and handed it to those who carried out the shooting.

Photo: Marcus/REUTERS

The verdict followed less than three hours of jury deliberations after a weeks-long trial. Davis had pleaded not guilty. His defence argued that he had exaggerated or fabricated parts of his accounts over the years, particularly when discussing the killing publicly and promoting his memoir, Compton Street Legend. His lawyers also questioned the lack of independent evidence placing him in the Cadillac from which the shots were fired.

The events that led to the shooting began earlier that evening. Shakur was in Las Vegas with Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight for Mike Tyson’s fight against Bruce Seldon at the MGM Grand. After the fight, Shakur and members of his entourage confronted Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, Davis’ nephew and a member of the South Side Compton Crips. Anderson was beaten during the confrontation.

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Prosecutors said the incident prompted a retaliation against Shakur and Knight. They argued that Davis and other gang members went looking for them after the fight.

Later that night, Shakur was sitting in the passenger seat of a BMW driven by Knight when a white Cadillac pulled alongside them at a red light. Someone inside the Cadillac opened fire. Shakur was hit four times, while Knight was also wounded.

Shakur was taken to hospital and died six days later, on 13 September 1996. He was 25.

Photo: REUTERS

A key part of the prosecution’s case was Davis’ own public account of the killing. He had discussed the shooting for years before his arrest in 2023, giving investigators, filmmakers and journalists accounts of what happened. Prosecutors argued that his statements amounted to admissions that he had helped organise the retaliation and supplied the gun.

Davis’ lawyers disputed that interpretation. They argued that his accounts had changed over time and that he had exaggerated his involvement for attention and financial gain. The defence also challenged the prosecution’s reliance on Davis’ statements and argued that they were not enough to prove he was responsible for the murder.

Photo: AP

The case had remained unresolved for decades, during which Shakur’s death became the subject of numerous theories. Some centred on the rivalry between Death Row Records and Bad Boy Records, while others suggested involvement by figures in the music industry. None of those theories resulted in criminal charges against the people they implicated.

Davis’ conviction is based on the evidence presented at trial and does not establish the wider theories that have circulated about Shakur’s death. Prosecutors argued specifically that the shooting was retaliation for the confrontation involving Anderson and that Davis helped arrange the attack.

The conviction also does not identify a convicted shooter. Anderson, whom prosecutors have identified as the person who fired the shots, was killed in Compton in 1998. The other men prosecutors alleged were involved have also died.

Photo: REUTERS

Davis remains in custody and faces a possible life sentence. His lawyer has said he plans to appeal. He is due to be sentenced on 13 October.

Shakur’s family reacted in court after the verdict. His sister, Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur, cried and embraced members of the prosecution team.

The conviction marks the first time someone has been held criminally responsible for Shakur’s death. For a case that remained open for almost three decades, the verdict finally establishes a legal finding against one of the people prosecutors said helped organise the attack.