A Las Vegas jury on Monday, August 31, found Duane "Keffe D" Davis guilty of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon for the 1996 killing of rap icon Tupac Shakur. The verdict, delivered in Nevada's Clark County court, marks the first conviction in a high-profile case that remained unsolved for nearly 30 years.
Davis, a 63-year-old former South Side Compton Crips gang leader, was convicted of orchestrating the drive-by shooting. Prosecutors argued that Davis served as the on-the-ground, on-site commander of the effort to kill the musician, seeking revenge after Shakur was involved in a fight with Davis's nephew, Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson. While not believed to have fired the deadly shots himself, Davis is the only person still alive who was in the car at the time.
The 12-person jury reached their unanimous decision after less than three hours of deliberation. During the trial, prosecutors cited portions of Davis's disavowed memoir and noted that the defendant had gone on an interview tour discussing his role in the shooting. Under Nevada law, Davis was held criminally responsible for helping another person commit murder.
The conviction brings a measure of resolution to a case that has gripped hip-hop fans and sparked decades of speculation and conspiracy theories. Davis now faces a possible sentence of life in prison and has stated in court that he intends to appeal the ruling.