Thirty 30 years after Tupac Shakur was fatally shot in Las Vegas, the first person convicted in connection with his killing is set to be sentenced.
On August 31, a Nevada jury convicted Duane "Keffe D" Davis, 63, of first-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon. Prosecutors argued that the former South Side Compton Crips leader orchestrated the September 1996 attack and supplied the gun, although they did not accuse him of firing the fatal shots.
Davis faces the possibility of life in prison when he is sentenced on October 13. He said after the verdict that he plans to appeal.
The conviction marked a major development in a case that had remained unresolved for decades and gripped hip-hop fans around the world.
Newsweek reached out to Davis’ attorney, Michael Sanft, by email on Monday for statement.
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Davis is scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday after jurors convicted him of first-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon in Shakur's killing.
The jury deliberated for less than three hours following a trial in which 24 prosecution witnesses and three defense witnesses testified over nine days. Prosecutors decided not to pursue a gang enhancement, citing "witness logistics."
Prosecutors did not accuse Davis of firing the fatal shots. Instead, they argued that he orchestrated the retaliatory attack and supplied the gun after Shakur and others beat Davis' nephew, Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson, at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas earlier that night.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal told jurors during closing arguments that Davis acquired a gun and "went hunting" for Shakur and Death Row Records co-founder Marion "Suge" Knight after the confrontation.
Davis' accounts of the shooting became a central part of the prosecution's case. Prosecutors highlighted statements he made to police, documentary filmmakers and others, along with his 2019 memoir, Compton Street Legend.
Prosecutors said he repeatedly placed himself inside the white Cadillac from which the shots were fired and said in interviews that he handed the gun to people in the back seat.
Sanft argued that Davis' public accounts were unreliable and designed to make money while emphasizing the lack of physical evidence connecting his client to the shooting.
Davis has been held without bond following his conviction. After the verdict, he told the court that he wanted to appeal the verdict.
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What to Remember About Keffe D's Trial
The trial focused heavily on Davis' own words and whether jurors should believe the accounts of the killing that he had given over the years.
Prosecutors said it was unlikely anyone would have been charged had Davis not written about the killing and discussed it in interviews. His 2019 memoir and previous police and media interviews became central evidence at trial.
Jurors heard clips from Davis' previous interviews and recorded jail calls. In one call after his 2023 arrest, Davis complained that authorities were trying to use his statements against him.
Jurors were also shown a YouTube clip in which he promoted his book as offering the "real truth."
Robert Ladd, a former Compton gang detective, testified that Davis was a high-ranking "shot caller" whose authority meant younger gang members would not have opened fire with him present unless he permitted it.
The defense, meanwhile, sought to undermine Davis' previous statements. Sanft argued that they were inconsistent and amounted to "fiction" while maintaining that prosecutors lacked physical evidence tying Davis to the crime scene.
Prosecutors also pointed to evidence beyond those statements.
During the trial, jurors heard testimony about the rivalry between the Crips and Mob Piru, while receipts placed Anderson and others in Las Vegas and surveillance footage showed the MGM Grand attack on Anderson.
Jurors ultimately found Davis guilty of first-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon after deliberating for less than three hours.
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What to Remember About Tupac Shakur's 1996 Murder
Shakur was 25 when he was shot in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996.
Earlier that night, Shakur and Knight had watched boxing champion Mike Tyson knock out Bruce Seldon. After the fight, Shakur and others were involved in the attack on Anderson.
Shakur later left in a black BMW driven by Knight and was headed to a nightclub where he was scheduled to perform. When their vehicle stopped at a red light near the Las Vegas Strip, a white Cadillac pulled alongside and gunfire erupted.
Shakur was shot multiple times and died six days later. Knight was wounded but survived.
For years, nobody was charged in Shakur's death. The case drew renewed attention after Davis began speaking publicly about his involvement and published Compton Street Legend in 2019.
Davis was arrested in 2023 and became the first person charged and convicted in connection with Shakur's killing. Prosecutors did not accuse him of firing the fatal shots but argued that he orchestrated the attack and supplied the gun.
His October 13 sentencing comes almost exactly three decades after Shakur's death, with Davis facing the possibility of life in prison and saying he intends to appeal his conviction.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Jenna deJong and Dave Siminoff.