Jury convicts former gang leader of murdering rap star Tupac Shakur
A jury has convicted Duane 'Keffe D' Davis of orchestrating the 1996 murder of hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur. The verdict follows a weeks-long trial in Las Vegas, marking a significant legal conclusion to a decades-old cold case.
Why it matters
This conviction provides closure to one of the most high-profile unsolved murders in music history and highlights the enduring impact of the case on hip-hop culture.
A jury has found Duane “Keffe D” Davis guilty of orchestrating the 1996 killing of rap star Tupac Shakur , marking the first conviction in a case that has gripped hip-hop fans for decades.
The 63-year-old Davis was convicted on Monday of a single count of murder with a deadly weapon and could be sentenced to life in prison. The jury deliberated for less than three hours after a weeks-long trial in Las Vegas.
After the verdict was read, Shakur’s sister, Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur, cried and hugged the prosecutors.
Davis’s son covered his face with one hand.
Chief deputy district attorney Binu Palal told jurors in closing arguments earlier on Monday that Davis acquired a gun and “went hunting” for Shakur and Death Row Records cofounder Marion “Suge” Knight after the men beat up Davis’s nephew earlier that night.
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