Duane 'Keffe D' Davis has been found guilty of plotting the drive-by shooting that killed Tupac Shakur in 1996. Davis, 63, was convicted on Monday of a single count of murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang in Shakur's killing. He faces the possibility of life imprisonment. During the court proceedings, Sekyiwa 'Set' Shakur, Tupac's sister, was seen crying as the verdict was announced.
Prosecutors argued that Davis planned the attack in retaliation for an earlier incident where Shakur's entourage assaulted his nephew, Orlando 'Baby Lane' Anderson, at the MGM Grand. Davis allegedly provided the weapon and orchestrated the shooting that resulted in Shakur's death, although he did not fire the gun himself.
Evidence presented included a 2008 agreement Davis made with federal investigators regarding the death of rapper Biggie Smalls, which he believed granted him immunity. However, prosecutors contended that his confessions regarding Shakur's murder were not protected from prosecution. They highlighted Davis's detailed accounts of the murder, which included specifics that only a witness could know, such as the positioning of individuals in the vehicle used during the attack.
Davis's memoir, 'Compton Street Legend,' published in 2019, was also cited as a significant factor in the renewed investigation into Shakur's murder. In closing arguments, Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal described how Davis acquired a .40-caliber handgun and sought out Shakur and Death Row Records co-founder Marion 'Suge' Knight.
Defense attorney Michael Sanft challenged the prosecution's case, arguing that there was no concrete evidence placing Davis in Las Vegas at the time of the shooting. He claimed that Davis fabricated his story to avoid a life sentence for drug dealing and later used it to promote his memoir.
The jury, consisting of 16 members, heard testimony from 24 prosecution witnesses and three defense witnesses over nine days. Shakur was shot on September 7, 1996, and died six days later. Davis is the only surviving individual among the four men prosecutors allege were in the Cadillac involved in the shooting.
The prosecution argued that Davis was criminally responsible for the murder due to his role in providing the gun and orchestrating the attack. They asserted that the shooting was premeditated, as evidenced by testimonies and Davis's own accounts of searching for Shakur prior to the incident.
Sentencing for Davis is scheduled for October 13, and he has indicated plans to appeal the verdict.