By Zuko Komisa

- Duane “Keffe D” Davis has been found guilty of first degree murder for ordering the 1996 hit on Tupac Shakur.
- The 63-year-old former gang leader faces life in prison without parole, with sentencing scheduled for October 13.
- A Las Vegas jury reached the verdict after prosecutors used Davis’s own memoirs and past confessions as key evidence.
A Las Vegas court has convicted former Los Angeles gang leader Duane “Keffe D” Davis of first-degree murder for the 1996 killing of hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur.
Three decades after the fatal shooting, the jury needed just a few hours of deliberation to deliver their verdict.
“Count one, murder with use of a deadly weapon, guilty of first-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon.”
Prosecutors proved that Davis, a former South Side Compton Crip, orchestrated the drive-by shooting in retaliation after his nephew was assaulted by Shakur’s entourage at a Las Vegas casino.
Davis acquired the firearm and directed the gunman inside a white Cadillac to open fire on the vehicle carrying Shakur and Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight.
The long-unsolved murder case gained fresh momentum in 2019 following the publication of Davis’s autobiography, Compton Street Legend, in which he repeatedly bragged about his involvement.
Although defence attorneys argued the book was merely embellished fiction, prosecutors successfully presented clips of his past confessions to secure the conviction. Davis, who remains the only person ever charged over the shooting, confirmed his intention to appeal.
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