Nearly three decades after the murder of rap legend Tupac Shakur, a jury has convicted Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 63, of first-degree murder for orchestrating the 1996 drive-by shooting.
The verdict was delivered on Monday, August 31, bringing the roughly two-week trial to a close.
Davis is the first and only person to face criminal charges in the killing of the 25-year-old music icon.
Prosecutors argued Davis was the “shot-caller” who ordered the attack as revenge for a casino lobby brawl earlier on September 7, 1996. The fight involved Shakur, his entourage, and Davis’ nephew.
Davis is not accused of pulling the trigger. Instead, the case against him relied heavily on his own past statements.
Weeks of testimony centered on previous interviews and public comments where Davis described details of the shooting and his alleged role in planning it.
Shakur was shot multiple times in a drive-by on the Las Vegas Strip and died six days later. The case had remained unsolved for 28 years until Davis was indicted last year.
The conviction marks a major breakthrough in one of hip-hop’s most notorious unsolved murders.
Sentencing is expected in the coming weeks.
