Guilty
Duane "Keffe D" Davis, a former Los Angeles gang leader, was found guilty on Monday by a Las Vegas court of the 1996 murder of chart-topping rapper Tupac Shakur. Thirty years after the rap legend's death, the jury found Davis, 63, guilty of murder after just a few hours of deliberation.
"Count one, murder with use of a deadly weapon, guilty of first-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon," the foreperson of the jury announced to the court. Davis, who faces possible life in prison without parole, addressed Judge Carli Kierny after the verdict and stated his intention to appeal.
The one-time leader of the South Side Compton Crips was accused of ordering the September 7, 1996 killing after his own nephew had been beaten by members of Shakur's entourage at a Las Vegas casino. "Duane Davis, in the culture of gangs, could not let that stand," prosecutor Binu Palal said. "So what did he do? He acquired a firearm, got his group together, and went hunting for Mr Shakur."
30-year cold case
Shakur was shot by a gunman in a white Cadillac that pulled up at a red light alongside the BMW in which the rapper was riding. According to prosecutors, Davis handed the gun to someone in the back seat and ordered the shooting. Shakur died six days later. Davis is the only person who was in the Cadillac that evening who is still alive.
The investigation sputtered for decades but was revived when Davis's memoirs were published in 2019. In his book "Compton Street Legend," Davis recounted being in the front seat and handing a pistol to those in the back, though he does not say who opened fire. He has repeatedly boasted of involvement over the years, in interviews with law enforcement, media, and in his autobiography. His attorney characterized the confessions as fiction and lies partly designed to promote his book.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 13.