Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis found guilty of Tupac Shakur murder

Nearly 30 years after the murder of Tupac Shakur sent shockwaves through the music world, Duane “Keffe D” Davis has been found guilty of first-degree murder over the rapper’s 1996 killing.

The Nevada jury returned its verdict after less than three hours of deliberations, bringing a long-awaited conclusion to one of music’s most notorious unsolved killings.

Jury reaches verdict

Prosecutors alleged Davis helped organise the drive-by shooting in retaliation for an earlier altercation involving Shakur, his entourage and Davis’s nephew, Orlando Anderson.

The prosecution argued Davis obtained the gun used in the shooting and was inside the white Cadillac from which the shots were fired.

The case relied heavily on statements Davis made over several years, including in interviews, conversations with investigators and his 2019 memoir, Compton Street Legend.

His defence argued those accounts were exaggerated and not supported by sufficient physical evidence.

Under Nevada law, a person can be convicted of murder for aiding or encouraging the crime without being the person who fired the fatal shots.

Shakur killed in Las Vegas

Shakur was shot while sitting in a car at a red light near the Las Vegas Strip on September 7, 1996.

The 25-year-old rapper was travelling with Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight when a white Cadillac pulled alongside their vehicle, and shots were fired.

Shakur died from his injuries six days later.

The case remained unsolved for decades before Davis was arrested and charged in September 2023.

Davis now faces a possible life sentence.