The Man Who Bragged About Killing Tupac Is Now a Convicted Murderer
Duane “Keffe D” Davis has been found guilty of first-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon in the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur.
A Clark County jury in Las Vegas reached the verdict Monday after deliberating for less than three hours, following a trial that stretched nearly two weeks.
Trending Now!!:
Davis, 63, is a former leader of the South Side Compton Crips street gang. Prosecutors argued he orchestrated Shakur’s killing after the rapper and Death Row Records co-founder Suge Knight beat up his nephew earlier that night.
He was not accused of firing the fatal shots, but Nevada law allows a conviction for murder against someone who helps another person commit the crime. Prosecutors said Davis is the only person still alive who rode in the car the shooter used.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal told jurors that Davis had spent years admitting his role in interviews, television appearances, a memoir and YouTube videos. In closing arguments, Palal urged the jury to take him at his word and convict him. Defense attorney Michael Sanft pushed back, arguing the case lacked solid evidence and that acquittal was “the only verdict that makes sense in this case.”
The jury also heard testimony from James “Mob James” McDonald, a former Death Row Records security associate who described the atmosphere among rival camps at the time as “a gang war.” Prosecutors additionally pointed to a scrapbook Davis kept containing articles about Shakur, calling it further evidence of his involvement.
Shortly before the verdict, prosecutors dismissed the gang enhancement portion of the charge due to witness logistics, leaving the jury to decide on the murder charge with the deadly weapon enhancement alone.
Davis stood in black next to his attorney as the verdict was read and remained composed while jurors were polled individually.
Afterward, he raised a fist as he was led from the courtroom and told the judge he intended to appeal, also asking for his belongings to be returned. In the gallery, Shakur’s sister, Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur, cried and reached for someone seated behind her. Davis’ son, Duane Davis Jr., covered his face during the reading of the verdict.
District Judge Carli Kierny ordered Davis held without bail until his sentencing, scheduled for October 13. He faces a possible sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Shakur was 25 when he was killed in a drive-by shooting on the Las Vegas Strip on September 7, 1996. He remains one of the most influential figures in hip hop history, and his music continues to draw new generations of listeners three decades later.
The verdict arrives just weeks before the 30th anniversary of his death. It marks the first conviction secured in a case that had gone unresolved for nearly thirty years, drawing sustained attention from fans, investigators and conspiracy theorists alike.
