Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis Found Guilty in Tupac Shakur Murder

Nearly 30 years after the murder of Tupac Shakur, a Las Vegas jury has delivered a historic verdict in one of the most infamous unsolved cases in music history.

Duane “Keffe D” Davis has been found guilty of first degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon in connection with the 1996 drive by shooting that killed Shakur.

Davis, 63, is the first person ever convicted in connection with the rapper’s death.

The verdict came Monday following a weeks long trial and only a few hours of jury deliberations. Davis was accused of orchestrating the attack that ultimately resulted in Shakur’s death, despite prosecutors not alleging that Davis himself fired the fatal shots.

Prosecutors argued that Davis helped organize the shooting as retaliation following a confrontation at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas earlier that night.

Gary Reyes/Oakland Tribune Staff Archives/MediaNews Group/Bay Area News via Getty Images

Shakur and members of his entourage had been involved in a physical altercation with Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, Davis’ nephew, after attending a Mike Tyson boxing match.

Later that evening, Shakur was riding in a BMW driven by Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight when a white Cadillac pulled alongside their vehicle near the Las Vegas Strip.

Someone inside the Cadillac opened fire.

Duane Davis stands in the courtroom before closing arguments in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Monday. Steve Marcus/Reuters

Shakur was struck multiple times, while Knight was also wounded. Shakur died from his injuries six days later on September 13, 1996. He was just 25 years old.

The identity of the person who actually fired the shots has remained one of the biggest questions surrounding the case. Prosecutors did not need to prove Davis was the shooter, arguing instead that his alleged role in organizing and facilitating the attack made him criminally responsible for the murder.

A major part of the prosecution’s case came from Davis himself.

Over the years, Davis publicly discussed his presence inside the Cadillac and details surrounding the shooting in interviews and his 2019 memoir, Compton Street Legend. Prosecutors used those statements to argue that Davis had repeatedly admitted his involvement in the events leading to Shakur’s death.

Davis’ defense argued that those accounts were exaggerated or fabricated and pointed to the lack of physical and forensic evidence connecting him to the shooting.

The jury ultimately sided with prosecutors.

Tupac Shakur

The conviction represents a stunning conclusion to a case that remained officially unsolved for decades and generated countless theories, documentaries, books and investigations.

Shakur remains one of the most influential artists in hip hop history. Despite his death at only 25, his music and cultural influence have continued for generations, with songs including California Love, Changes, Dear Mama and Hail Maryremaining among the most recognizable tracks of his career.

Davis now faces the possibility of life in prison.

For Tupac Shakur’s family, friends and millions of fans around the world, the verdict marks the first criminal conviction in a case that has remained unanswered for nearly three decades.