DUANE ‘KEFFE D’ DAVIS FOUND GUILTY OF TUPAC SHAKUR’S 1996 MURDER
The verdict marks the first conviction in one of hip-hop’s most notorious cold cases, nearly 30 years after the rapper was killed
Former gang leader Duane “Keffe D” Davis has been found guilty of orchestrating the 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur.
A Las Vegas jury convicted the 63-year-old of murder with a deadly weapon in connection with the drive-by shooting that killed Shakur on September 7, 1996. The rapper was just 25 at the time and at the height of his career.
Prosecutors argued that while Davis did not fire the fatal shots, he ordered the attack and supplied the weaponallegedly used by his nephew, Orlando Anderson. The shooting was said to have been retaliation following an altercation involving Shakur, his crew and Anderson earlier that night.
Davis had repeatedly acknowledged being inside the white Cadillac from which the shots were fired, including during a 2008 police interview and later in his 2019 memoir, Compton Street Legend.
His public comments, interviews and appearances became central to the prosecution’s case, with prosecutors arguing that Davis was the “shot caller” responsible for organising the attack.
The jury returned a guilty verdict within hours of beginning deliberations, marking the first conviction in a case that has fuelled speculation and conspiracy theories for almost three decades.
Davis has said he intends to appeal the verdict. His sentencing is scheduled for October 13.
Shakur remains one of hip-hop’s most influential figures, with more than 75 million records sold worldwide and a legacy that continues to shape rap culture nearly 30 years after his death.
