The former Los Angeles gang leader convicted of murdering rap legend Tupac Shakur has been sentenced to at least 40 years behind bars, nearly three decades after the fatal shooting.
Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 63, was handed a sentence of 40 years to life in a Las Vegas courtroom after being found guilty of first-degree murder in August.
Davis had previously spoken publicly about his involvement in the 1996 killing, making claims in books and interviews before denying responsibility when the case reached trial.
Judge Carli Kierny delivered a stern message as she sentenced the former gang leader.
“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 Shaker,” Judge Carli Kierny told a Las Vegas court as she handed down the 40-years-to-life sentence.
Shakur was fatally shot in September 1996 while sitting in the passenger seat of an SUV driven by record executive Marion “Suge” Knight.
The rapper’s death became one of the most infamous unsolved murders in American music history, with investigators spending decades trying to establish who was responsible.
A breakthrough finally came in 2023 when Davis was arrested and accused of supplying the firearm used in the deadly drive-by shooting.
His arrest brought renewed attention to a case that had remained unresolved for almost 30 years.
Davis had repeatedly claimed over the years that he played a role in the killing, with those public statements ultimately prompting authorities to revisit the investigation.
However, he disputed his involvement when he faced prosecution.
Shakur’s murder sent shockwaves through the music industry and intensified scrutiny of the violence associated with the American hip-hop scene during the 1990s.
His death also became closely associated with the bitter East Coast and West Coast rap rivalry that dominated the genre at the time.
Widely regarded as one of hip-hop’s most influential figures, Shakur was among the industry’s biggest commercial successes before his life was cut short.
The sentencing marks a major development in a murder case that has captivated music fans and investigators for three decades.
With Reuters