Keffe D found guilty of Tupac Shakur murder after 30-year

Nearly three decades after Tupac Shakur was fatally shot in Las Vegas, a Nevada jury has convicted former gang leader Duane “Keffe D” Davis of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon in the killing of the hip-hop star.

Davis, 63, was found guilty on Monday after jurors deliberated for less than three hours, becoming the first person convicted in connection with Shakur’s 1996 murder.

He faces the possibility of life in prison without parole, with sentencing scheduled for Oct. 13. Davis has said he plans to appeal.

Prosecutors argued that Davis organised the drive-by shooting but did not pull the trigger.

They said the attack was retaliation after Shakur and members of Death Row Records assaulted Davis’ nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, during a confrontation at the MGM Grand earlier on Sept. 7, 1996.

The evidence against Davis relied heavily on his own accounts.

Prosecutors presented interviews he gave to law enforcement and media outlets, as well as his 2019 memoir, Compton Street Legend. 

Davis had described being in the front passenger seat of a white Cadillac and passing a firearm into the back seat before the vehicle pulled alongside the BMW carrying Shakur.

The identity of the person who fired the fatal shots was never established in court.

Prosecutors have linked Anderson to the shooting, but he was killed in 1998 and was never charged.

Davis’ defence argued that his statements were exaggerated or fictionalised to promote his book and enhance his reputation.

His attorney, Michael Sanft, also challenged the investigation and questioned the reliability of the prosecution’s evidence.

• The night Tupac was shot

Shakur was in Las Vegas to attend the heavyweight boxing fight between Mike Tyson and Bruce Seldon at the MGM Grand.

After the fight, Shakur and members of his entourage became involved in a fight with Anderson, a member of the South Side Compton Crips.

Later that night, Shakur was travelling in a BMW driven by Death Row Records boss Marion “Suge” Knight.

At about 11:15 p.m., a white Cadillac pulled alongside the BMW at a red light near East Flamingo Road and Koval Lane and opened fire. 

Shakur was struck several times, while Knight was grazed by a bullet.

Shakur was taken to University Medical Center and underwent emergency treatment.

Despite initially showing signs of improvement, his condition deteriorated.

On Sept. 13, six days after the shooting, Tupac Amaru Shakur died from his injuries at the age of 25.

• Who was Tupac?

Born Lesane Parish Crooks in New York on June 16, 1971, Shakur became one of the most influential figures in hip-hop.

He was a rapper, songwriter, actor, poet and activist whose music frequently addressed poverty, racism, violence and life in America's inner cities.

His recording career lasted only about five years, but he sold more than 75 million records worldwide.

Albums including All Eyez on Me and Greatest Hits achieved diamond certification, while his acting career included films such as Juice, Poetic Justice and Above the Rim.

His death became one of the defining mysteries of 1990s popular culture.

Monday’s conviction brings the first criminal verdict in the case, nearly 30 years after the shooting.

Photos