The man accused of orchestrating rapper Tupac Shakur’s killing was convicted Monday of first-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon in the 1996 Las Vegas slaying.
Following a nearly two-week trial, jurors unanimously found Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 63, guilty of the murder that for nearly 30 years has gripped rap fans, true-crime experts and conspiracy theorists alike.
Clark County prosecutors had argued that Davis was a “shotcaller” for the South Side Compton Crips in Los Angeles and that he sought revenge on Shakur after he attacked Davis’ nephew.
Davis was not accused of pulling the trigger, but under Nevada law, someone who helps another person commit murder can be convicted of the crime. Davis is the only person alive who rode in the same car as the shooter 30 years ago, prosecutors said.
Davis, dressed in all black, stood silently next to his counsel as the verdict was read. He took a seat, hands clasped on the table in front of him, as the jurors were polled one by one, each affirming the guilty verdict.
Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur, Tupac’s sister, cried and reached back to a person behind her. Davis’ son covered his face with one hand, The Associated Press reported.
District Judge Carli Kierny ordered Davis, who faces a life sentence, to remain in jail until his Oct. 13 sentencing. Davis indicated he intends to file an appeal.
Shakur, who was 25 when he died, was revered as one of the most influential rappers of all time and continues to bring in new generations of listeners.
The prosecution said Monday that the state would dismiss the gang enhancement part of the charge because of witness logistics.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal said in his closing statement that Davis “went hunting” for Shakur and Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight after they were spotted at the MGM Grand Hotel beating up Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, also known as the “prince” of Compton in California because of his relationship to Davis.
Jurors watched grainy VHS security video and heard multiple former law enforcement officers testify about the fight that broke out a few hours before Shakur and Knight were wounded in a drive-by shooting.
Knight survived his injuries, but Shakur died six days later.
In 2008, Davis entered into an agreement with federal investigators who were looking into the death of Marion Wallace, the rapper known as Notorious B.I.G.
Davis believed the deal, called a proffer, gave him immunity, but he was not shielded from future prosecution if he confessed to being involved in Shakur’s murder.
Because of the proffer, Davis described details of Shakur’s killing that only a witness could provide, Bilal said. They included the positions of people inside the car in the drive-by shooting and previous gang fights that culminated in Shakur’s death.
Davis’ 2019 memoir, “Compton Street Legend,” was the final piece of evidence needed to convict him, Bilal said. In the book, Davis writes that he played a role in Shakur’s murder, and its publication prompted a renewed investigation into Shakur’s killing.
“For nearly 18 years, Duane Davis has told the police, television, books, YouTube interviewers, anybody that will listen,” Bilal said in his closing statement. “He has told you he is responsible for the murder of Tupac Shakur. Tell him you hear him. Find him guilty.”
Defense attorney Michael Sanft argued that Davis fabricated or embellished his accounts of the killing for money and notoriety and that investigators failed to independently corroborate his claims.
During his closing, Sanft repeatedly pointed to a lack of physical evidence that could place his client at the crime scene. Detectives never found records — including receipts, phone logs or photos — that proved Davis was in Las Vegas at the same time as Shakur or that he provided the gun used to kill him.
Retired Las Vegas homicide detective Dan Long, the defense’s final witness, testified that he tried unsuccessfully to verify several details Davis provided during a 2009 police interview, Sanft argued.
“When you think about Mr. Davis’ statements, they all conflict,” Sanft said in his closing statement. “They conflict with the book, and they conflict with the past. And the only thing that we have is that we can agree on is that Tupac Shakur was shot and killed on Sept. 7, 1996, in Las Vegas, Nevada.”
Shakur’s killing triggered a decadeslong investigation that took Las Vegas investigators from the Strip to Compton, near Los Angeles, where rival gangs were embroiled in a violent war that erupted immediately after Shakur was shot.
Uncooperative witnesses and conflicting statements made it difficult for police to draw a straight line from Las Vegas to Compton, where everyone associated with the shooting lived, officials testified.
Las Vegas detectives traveled to Southern California a dozen times and were continually stymied by unreliable informants and a culture of silence, former law enforcement officers testified.
“I think it made the case more difficult, and I think the 30 years made the case more difficult, as well,” Sanft told reporters last week.
