Tupac Killer Duane Davis Sentenced to 40 Years To Life in Prison for Murdering Rap Icon

Duane "Keffe D" Davis, convicted of orchestrating the 1996 murder of rap icon Tupac Shakur, was sentenced to 40 years to life in prison on Tuesday (Oct. 13). Davis, 63, was found guilty in August of masterminding the Las Vegas drive-by shooting that took the life of the iconic rapper at the age of 25. Prosecutors claim that the former Los Angeles gang leader ordered the killing in retaliation for an incident where Shakur's entourage had beaten up Davis' nephew earlier that night, as part of an ongoing gang feud that intersected with the East Coast-West Coast hip-hop rivalry.

Judge Carli Kierny told Davis, as Shakur's family watched, that the world "never forgot about Tupac" and that he must pay for his killing. Shakur's sister Sekyiwa testified about the emotional and mental strain the death had caused her family over the past 30 years. Davis' defense argued that his own statements about the crime were fabricated for notoriety, but the jury found him guilty in just a few hours of deliberation after hearing testimony from 24 witnesses and more than eight hours of recordings.

Prosecutors urged the judge to impose the maximum possible sentence, describing Davis' actions as causing "a uniquely painful situation for this family."