A Las Vegas jury has found former gang leader Duane “Keffe D” Davis guilty of orchestrating the murder of legendary American rapper Tupac Shakur, nearly 30 years after the hip-hop star was killed.
The 63-year-old Davis was convicted on Monday of murder with the use of a deadly weapon following nine days of testimony. Jurors reportedly reached the verdict in less than three hours.
Davis, a former leader of the South Side Compton Crips gang, is the only person ever charged in connection with Shakur’s 1996 killing.
Shakur was shot in a drive-by attack in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996, while travelling in a BMW with Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight. He died six days later in hospital at the age of 25.
Prosecutors told the court that Davis obtained a firearm and went looking for Shakur and Knight after Davis’ nephew was beaten during a confrontation earlier that night.
In his closing argument, Clark County Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal said Davis’ accounts of the shooting had changed over the years, but argued that one key detail remained consistent: Davis repeatedly acknowledged being inside the white Cadillac from which the shots were fired.
Davis is the sole surviving member of the four men prosecutors allege were inside the Cadillac during the attack. The man prosecutors said initially supplied the murder weapon has also died.
Authorities had suspected Davis of involvement in Shakur’s murder for years but lacked sufficient evidence to charge him.
The case gained momentum after Davis publicly discussed his alleged role in media interviews and a memoir. Recordings of his secret meetings with investigators also became a major part of the prosecution’s evidence.
Shakur, widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in hip-hop, was also an actor and activist. He sold more than 75 million records worldwide, including millions of albums released after his death.
Davis, who pleaded not guilty to the charge, told the judge that he intends to appeal the verdict.
He could face a life sentence in prison.
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