Former gang boss Duane “Keffe D” Davis has been found guilty of orchestrating the murder of Tupac Shakur – the first conviction in a cold case that has intrigued hip-hop fans for nearly 30 years.
The jury found him guilty of one count of murder with a deadly weapon for the rap superstar’s death in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas on 7 September 1996.
Dressed in a black suit, the 63-year-old stood impassively in the Las Vegas court as the verdict was read, before saying he would appeal.
During the trial, the court heard a recording of a police interview in 2008 in which Davis said he was in the car from which shots were fired, but did not himself fire the bullets that killed Shakur.
Prosecutors argued that although Davis, a former leader of the South Side Compton Crips street gang, did not himself fire the gun, he ordered the shooting and supplied the gun that his nephew Orlando Anderson used to open fire.
Anderson died in an unrelated shooting in 2008, having denied involvement in the killing of Shakur.
As the verdict was read out on Monday, Shakur’s relatives held hands, some hugging and crying.
Shakur was 25 when he was slain at the height of his career as one of rap’s most influential voices. He has sold more than 75 million records worldwide.
For 30 years, the case remained one of America’s most famous cold cases, spurring countless conspiracies – but never a conviction, until now. During the trial, prosecutors said Davis had planned the shooting as retaliation after Anderson was involved in a fight with Shakur and his crew in Las Vegas just hours earlier.
Shakur’s murder happened at a time of intense rivalry between the East Coast and West Coast rap scene and amid gang feuds between the Bloods and Crips, which had deep roots within hip-hop at the time.
His family appeared emotional in court, his sister embracing a prosecutor after the verdict was read while others sat crying nearby.
Outside, devoted fans of Shakur were similarly crying and cheering. The key evidence in the case were Davis’ own words, in which he repeatedly and publicly acknowledged being inside the white Cadillac from where the deadly shots were fired. He had told authorities about his role in Shakur’s death during a secret 2008 police interview related to the death of fellow rapper Notorious B.I.G., real name Christopher Wallace.
Davis elaborated further on his role in his 2019 memoir, Compton Street Legend.
But his book and media interviews voided a protective agreement he had established with authorities that had blocked any criminal charges being filed, with the court ruling his police interview could be used in the murder trial against him.
Tupac murder accused told police in 2008 his nephew fired fatal shots
In closing arguments, prosecutor Binu Palal told jurors to take Davis at his word and find him guilty.
For years, he argued, Davis had been telling people “that he is responsible for Tupac Shakur’s murder” through documentaries, his memoir, podcasts and a police interview.
“He’s the shot caller – in every instance in every iteration he’s the leader of the South Side Crips,” Palal told the jury.
“When you have the shot caller sitting shotgun when shots are fired, there’s no doubt he’s responsible.” Tupac murder trial: ‘All hell broke loose’ night of rapper’s shooting, witness says
Throughout the trial, Davis’ defence team tried to persuade jurors that his comments were fiction – bravado and exaggeration intended to sell books and make money.
In closing arguments, his lawyer Michael Sanft urged the jury to discredit his client as a liar who just told tales to sell books.
“There’s no proof,” he told the jury.
But within hours of the jury being handed the case on Monday, they reached a guilty verdict.
Just before the court emptied out, Clark County District Court Judge Carli Kierny set Davis’ sentencing for 13 October.
While reading out some procedural steps in the case, Davis appeared to interrupt by raising his hand. “I would like my stuff,” he told the judge, mentioning some personal items including his phone.
He continued: “I would like to appeal this matter.”
The judge explained that this could happen after sentencing.
