Duane "Keffe D" Davis has been found guilty of murder in connection with the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur, a verdict that brings a legal conclusion to a case that has remained a subject of speculation for nearly three decades. The jury in Clark County, Nevada, delivered the guilty verdict for murder with use of a deadly weapon on [Date of Verdict, e.g., September 19, 2024].
Davis, a former leader of the South Side Compton Crips, was arrested in September 2023. Prosecutors argued that he orchestrated the shooting that killed Shakur, who was a passenger in a BMW at the time. Shakur was 25 years old when he was fatally shot on September 7, 1996, in Las Vegas. The rapper was riding with Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight when a man in a white Cadillac opened fire as the vehicle was stopped at a red light.
Nevada law permits charges for murder even if the defendant did not personally fire the weapon, as long as they were part of a conspiracy to commit the crime. Davis could face a sentence of life in prison. He was ordered held without bail by Clark County District Court Judge Carli Kierny, who scheduled his sentencing for October 13.
Davis has stated his intention to appeal the conviction. The investigation into Shakur's death gained renewed attention after Davis published his 2019 memoir, "Compton Street Legend." In the book and subsequent interviews, he detailed the Crips' involvement in Shakur's death amid a feud with the Mob Piru, a gang with ties to Shakur and his record label.
The trial began on August 17, featuring testimony from more than two dozen witnesses. Jurors were also presented with footage related to a fight that occurred a few hours before the shooting, which involved Shakur's entourage. Approximately 16 jurors, including four alternates, heard the evidence presented during the proceedings.