Duane "Keffe D" Davis has been sentenced to at least 40 years in prison for orchestrating the murder of rapper Tupac Shakur. A jury found Davis, 63, guilty in September of one count of murder with a deadly weapon related to Shakur's death in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996. Davis has indicated he will appeal the verdict.
Prosecutors contended that although Davis did not fire the gun himself, he was the ringleader of the group that committed the murder. He admitted in his memoir to providing the gun used in the crime. Davis' conviction marks the first resolution in a cold case that has captivated hip-hop fans for nearly three decades.
During the sentencing hearing, prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo stated that Davis had spent years "publicly grandstanding" about his involvement in Shakur's death, which he claimed had significant effects on the world.
Sekyiwa Shakur, Tupac's sister, addressed the court, expressing that the loss of her brother had a profound impact on her family. She urged the judge to impose the maximum sentence, stating that Davis should reflect on the consequences of his actions. Shakur's brother, Maurice Shakur, also requested the longest possible sentence.
When asked by Judge Carli Kierny if he had any final words, Davis responded, "I'm good. I'm gonna appeal this case for sure." Before delivering the sentence, Kierny remarked, "You don't get to take a man from his family. You don't get to take his very life, his whole future from him, and just walk away from it. Especially when that man is Tupac Shakur. The world never forgot about him and his death."
Key evidence in the case included Davis' own admissions, where he acknowledged being in the white Cadillac from which the shots were fired. In exchange for immunity from prosecution, he had previously discussed his role in Shakur's death during a secret police interview in 2008 related to the murder of fellow rapper Notorious B.I.G., who was killed months after Shakur.
Davis further detailed his involvement in his 2019 memoir, "Compton Street Legend," which led to media attention. However, the content of the book and his interviews negated a protective agreement he had with authorities, allowing his police interview to be used against him in the murder trial.
At the time of his death, Shakur was 25 years old and one of rap's most influential artists, having sold over 75 million records globally. The investigation into his murder remained one of America's most notable cold cases for three decades until Davis' conviction last month. Throughout the trial, Davis' defense team argued that his statements were fictional exaggerations intended for profit, while prosecutors maintained that he orchestrated the shooting and supplied the weapon used by his nephew, Orlando Anderson, who died in a separate shooting in 1998 after denying involvement in Shakur's murder.