Former Los Angeles gang member Duane “Keffe D” Davis has been found guilty of the 1996 murder of American rapper Tupac Shakur by a Las Vegas court.
The 63-year-old was convicted of first-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon after a jury deliberated for only a few hours. He faces a possible life sentence without parole and has indicated that he will appeal.
Prosecutors accused Davis, a former leader of the South Side Compton Crips, of organising the shooting after his nephew was involved in a confrontation with members of Shakur’s entourage at a Las Vegas casino.
Shakur was shot on September 7, 1996, while riding in a BMW driven by Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight. A white Cadillac pulled alongside the vehicle at a traffic light and gunfire was directed at Shakur, who died six days later at the age of 25. Knight was wounded.
Prosecutors alleged that Davis obtained the firearm, assembled his group and handed the weapon to a passenger in the Cadillac, directing the person to shoot Shakur. Davis was the only person in the Cadillac who was still alive and was ultimately the only individual charged in connection with the killing.
The case remained unsolved for decades before being revived following the publication of Davis’s 2019 memoir, Compton Street Legend. He had previously made statements claiming involvement in Shakur’s death but later retracted them and pleaded not guilty.
His defence argued that the statements were fictional and made partly to promote his book, insisting there was no evidence linking him to the murder beyond his own claims.
Shakur, popularly known as 2Pac, was one of hip-hop’s biggest stars, known for hits including “California Love” and “All Eyez on Me.” His murder became one of America’s most prominent cold cases.
Davis is scheduled to be sentenced on October 13.
