Duane “Keffe D” Davis has been found guilty of orchestrating Tupac Shakur’s 1996 murder, bringing a nearly 30-year-old mystery to a close.
Following a 2-week trial, a 12-person jury reached the verdict Monday, August 31, after less than three hours of deliberation, according to the Associated Press.
Davis, 63, was convicted of murder with the use of a deadly weapon in connection with the drive-by shooting that killed Shakur at the height of his career.
Shakur was shot in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996, while riding in a BMW driven by Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight.
During the trial, which was live-streamed, prosecutors argued that the attack was retaliation for an earlier confrontation at the MGM Grand, where Shakur and his entourage were involved in a fight with Davis’ nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson.
Davis was riding in the white Cadillac from which the shots were fired, alongside Anderson and two other men. Prosecutors did not accuse Davis of pulling the trigger, but alleged that he organised the killing and supplied the firearm.
Shakur died from his injuries six days later, on September 13, 1996. The case remained unsolved for decades until Davis was arrested in September 2023.
His 2019 memoir, Compton Street Legend, and past interviews became key pieces of the prosecution’s case. Davis’ attorney Michael Sanft, however, dismissed his previous claims as “bulls***” in his opening statements.
Davis plans to appeal. His sentencing is scheduled for October 13.
