Duane “Keffe D” Davis has been found guilty of orchestrating the murder of rapper Tupac Shakur, bringing the first conviction in a case that remained unsolved for almost 30 years.
A jury in Las Vegas convicted the 63-year-old on Monday, August 31, 2026, of murder with the use of a deadly weapon. Jurors reached their decision in less than three hours after a week-long trial.
Davis was not accused of firing the shots himself. Prosecutors argued that he supplied the gun and directed the attack after Shakur and Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight were involved in a fight with Davis’s nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, earlier that night.
The Tupac Shakur murder verdict
Chief deputy district attorney Binu Palal told the court that Davis and the other men in a white Cadillac had searched for Shakur before pulling alongside the BMW in which the rapper and Knight were travelling.
The prosecution’s case relied heavily on statements Davis had made over the years, including a 2008 interview played to jurors, later interviews and his 2019 memoir, Compton Street Legend. In those accounts, Davis repeatedly placed himself in the Cadillac and said he had handed a gun to men in the back seat.
Prosecutors said the details of Davis’s story had changed, but that its central elements remained consistent. A gang expert also described him as a senior “shot caller” whose authority would have meant younger members did not open fire without his approval.
Defence lawyer Michael Sanft argued there was no independent evidence placing Davis in Las Vegas or inside the Cadillac on the night of the shooting. He highlighted the absence of surveillance footage, phone records and other records linking his client directly to the attack.
Under Nevada law, a person who assists another in committing murder can be convicted of the same crime. Davis is the only surviving member of the four-man group prosecutors say was in the Cadillac.
Shakur was shot at a red light near the Las Vegas Strip on September 7, 1996, after attending a boxing match where Mike Tyson defeated Bruce Seldon. He died six days later, while Knight survived with minor injuries.
The case remained dormant for years before Davis’s public comments revived the investigation. Police arrested him in 2023 after a grand jury indictment, following renewed attention generated by his interviews and memoir.
Shakur’s sister, Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur, cried and embraced prosecutors after the verdict was read. Davis’s son covered his face with one hand in the courtroom.
Davis was ordered to remain in custody without bail and told the judge he intended to appeal. He could face life in prison when sentenced.
