Nearly three decades after the drive-by shooting that killed hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur, the only person ever charged in the case has been sentenced. Duane "Keffe D" Davis, 63, was ordered to serve 40 years to life in prison by a Las Vegas court on Tuesday, October 13, for orchestrating the 1996 murder.
Eighth Judicial District Court Judge Carli Kierny imposed the sentence after a jury had found Davis guilty on August 31 of one count of first-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon, following a little more than three hours of deliberation.
A cold case cracked by the defendant's own words
Shakur, 25, was shot on September 7, 1996, while riding in the passenger seat of a BMW on the Las Vegas Strip, and died in hospital six days later. The killing stood as one of America's most notorious unsolved murders for decades, stoking the era's East Coast–West Coast hip-hop feud.
Prosecutors argued that Davis, a former leader of the South Side Compton Crips street gang, ordered the shooting as retaliation after a brawl earlier that night at the MGM Grand casino, during which members of Shakur's entourage beat his nephew. They said Davis supplied the weapon and handed it to a man in the back seat of a Cadillac to fire at Shakur.
The question of who actually pulled the trigger has never been conclusively decided. The case turned when Davis began describing his role publicly — in interviews and his 2019 tell-all memoir — and after he had earlier disclosed his involvement to authorities during a confidential 2008 police interview connected to the investigation into the killing of rapper Notorious B.I.G.
At sentencing, prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo argued Davis had tried to profit from the killing and deserved the maximum sentence. Shakur's younger sister, Sekyiwa Shakur, gave tearful testimony about her brother's legacy. Judge Kierny told Davis that the world had never forgotten Shakur, and that 30 years later he would face justice. Davis spoke only briefly and offered no further statement; his lawyer said he plans to appeal the conviction.
Sources:
Tupac trial – Duane 'Keffe D' Davis sentenced to 40 years to life for murder — USA Today
Ex-gang leader sentenced to 40 years to life in prison for Tupac Shakur murder — The Hindu
Eighth Judicial District Court Judge Carli Kierny imposed the sentence after a jury had found Davis guilty on August 31 of one count of first-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon, following a little more than three hours of deliberation.
A cold case cracked by the defendant's own words
Shakur, 25, was shot on September 7, 1996, while riding in the passenger seat of a BMW on the Las Vegas Strip, and died in hospital six days later. The killing stood as one of America's most notorious unsolved murders for decades, stoking the era's East Coast–West Coast hip-hop feud.
Prosecutors argued that Davis, a former leader of the South Side Compton Crips street gang, ordered the shooting as retaliation after a brawl earlier that night at the MGM Grand casino, during which members of Shakur's entourage beat his nephew. They said Davis supplied the weapon and handed it to a man in the back seat of a Cadillac to fire at Shakur.
The question of who actually pulled the trigger has never been conclusively decided. The case turned when Davis began describing his role publicly — in interviews and his 2019 tell-all memoir — and after he had earlier disclosed his involvement to authorities during a confidential 2008 police interview connected to the investigation into the killing of rapper Notorious B.I.G.
At sentencing, prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo argued Davis had tried to profit from the killing and deserved the maximum sentence. Shakur's younger sister, Sekyiwa Shakur, gave tearful testimony about her brother's legacy. Judge Kierny told Davis that the world had never forgotten Shakur, and that 30 years later he would face justice. Davis spoke only briefly and offered no further statement; his lawyer said he plans to appeal the conviction.
Sources:
Tupac trial – Duane 'Keffe D' Davis sentenced to 40 years to life for murder — USA Today
Ex-gang leader sentenced to 40 years to life in prison for Tupac Shakur murder — The Hindu
