Jury Convicts Duane Davis in Tupac Murder

LAS VEGAS — A jury found Duane 'Keffe D' Davis, 63, guilty of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon in the 1996 drive-by shooting that killed rapper Tupac Shakur. The verdict marks the first conviction in a case that has remained unsolved for decades.

The jury deliberated for less than three hours before finding Davis guilty. He could be sentenced to life in prison without parole. Prosecutors argued that Davis orchestrated the shooting as retaliation after Shakur and Death Row Records co-founder Marion 'Suge' Knight beat up Davis's nephew earlier that night.

According to Time, prosecutors decided not to pursue a gang enhancement charge due to witness logistics issues. The case hinged largely on Davis's own statements about his involvement in interviews, a 2019 memoir, and police interrogations. Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal told jurors that while Davis's accounts evolved over the years, one detail remained consistent: he repeatedly placed himself inside the white Cadillac from which the fatal shots were fired.

Defense attorney Michael Sanft challenged the prosecution's case, arguing there was no physical evidence or independent witnesses placing Davis in Las Vegas or inside the Cadillac on the night of the shooting. 'They have nothing in this case that says that man was here in Las Vegas on Sept. 7, 1996,' Sanft said during closing arguments.

Shakur was at the height of his career in 1996 after releasing the hit album All Eyez on Me. The rapper had been attending a Mike Tyson fight at the MGM Grand hotel when he was attacked just off the Las Vegas strip alongside Knight. As they waited at a red light, a Cadillac pulled up next to Shakur's vehicle and shot him multiple times. Shakur died days later, at age 25.

The trial brought to light the long-standing rivalry between the South Side Compton Crips and Mob Piru gangs, which were associated with competing record labels Bad Boy Records and Death Row Records. Witnesses testified about the heated gang tensions that contributed to the volatile atmosphere surrounding Shakur's death.

Davis's memoir provided prosecutors with crucial evidence. In it, he described his involvement in the hit, detailing how he obtained a gun with the intent to confront Knight and Shakur after his nephew was beaten. Prosecutors argued that Davis's decision to write the book ultimately led to the trial.

The defense unsuccessfully sought to have the memoir excluded from the trial, arguing it had been exaggerated for personal gain. Sanft claimed Davis fabricated parts of his story in a 2008 interview with Los Angeles police and federal authorities as part of their investigation into the 1997 slaying of rapper Christopher Wallace, also known as Biggie Smalls.

Despite the defense's arguments, the jury found Davis guilty. The judge has set sentencing for October 13. Davis told the judge he plans to appeal this matter.