Ex-gang leader Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis found guilty of orchestrating Tupac Shakur’s 1996 slaying

On Monday, a Las Vegas court found Duane Keffe D Davis, a 63-year-old former gang member from Los Angeles, guilty of the 1996 murder of rapper Tupac Shakur. After just a few hours of deliberation, the jury convicted Davis of first-degree murder involving the use of a deadly weapon. Facing a potential life sentence without parole, Davis stated his intention to appeal the verdict.

The alleged victim, Shakur, was shot in a Las Vegas casino after his nephew was beaten by members of Shakur's entourage. According to prosecutors, Davis acquired a firearm, assembled a gang, and ordered the attack on Shakur, who was riding in a BMW alongside Death Row Records co-founder Marion Suge Knight. A white Cadillac pulled up alongside the BMW during a red light and a gunman in the back seat allegedly shot Shakur, who died six days later.

Davis, who leads one of several rival gangs that dominated Los Angeles in the 1990s, is the only person charged with Shakur's murder, following a decades-long investigation that stalled due to insufficient evidence. The case gained renewed attention when Davis published his memoirs in 2019. During the trial, Davis made multiple claims about his involvement in Shakur's murder, which his defense attorney characterized as fiction and lies.

Prosecutors presented clips from Davis's alleged confessions as evidence, while his defense team argued that his statements were lies designed to promote his book.