Duane 'Keffe D' Davis found guilty in murder of Tupac Shakur nearly 30 years after rapper's death
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA: Duane “Keffe D” Davis was found guilty of murdering Tupac Shakur after being charged in 2023 with one count of murder involving the use of a deadly weapon and intent to promote, further, or assist a criminal gang.
The jury reached the guilty verdict nearly 30 years after Shakur was fatally shot in Las Vegas in September 1996, bringing a long-running case to a conclusion.
Duane 'Keffe D' Davis’ connection to Tupac Shakur’s killing
Shakur was riding with record producer Marion “Suge” Knight in Las Vegas when a car opened fire at a red light, leaving the 'Changes' rapper with four gunshot wounds that claimed his life several days later at age 25, while Knight was grazed by a bullet but survived.
In 2018, Knight was sentenced to 28 years in prison for unrelated charges. Davis discussed the shooting in his 2019 memoir, 'Compton Street Legend', where he wrote about obtaining a gun with the intent to hunt down Shakur and acknowledged being in the passenger seat during the shooting, according to Chief Deputy District Attorney Marc DiGiacomo during a 2023 press conference.
Police alleged the memoir and Davis’ press interviews provided evidence that he was a gang leader who directed the group responsible for the attack.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Jason Johansson said Davis entered a white Cadillac with Terrence Brown, DeAndre Smith and Orlando Anderson after obtaining a gun. According to Johansson, he later took the gun and provided it to the passengers in the rear of the vehicle.
Davis later told authorities that he had misrepresented the account to sell books and accused his co-author Yusef Jah of adding false details, according to CNN. Jah previously told investigators that he wrote the book based on conversations with Davis and admitted he had “ad-libbed” certain parts, according to The New York Times.
Davis pleaded not guilty when the trial began August 10, while the other suspects named by police were already deceased.
Duane 'Keffe D' Davis’ defense during the Tupac Shakur trial
On August 17, prosecutors presented their case, accusing Davis of orchestrating Shakur’s killing as “an act of revenge.” The prosecution, led by Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal, pointed jurors to Davis’ “secret 2008 interview,” public statements, interviews, and his 2019 memoir, 'Compton Street Legend'.
“In this world, silence means survival,” Palal told jurors, adding, “The one person who has had a hard time being silent is Duane Davis.” Defense attorney Michael Sanft portrayed Davis as a storyteller whose claims could not be trusted.
Sanft, while discussing Davis’ statements, argued that he had never been charged over those claims because authorities considered his accounts unreliable.
On August 18, graphic autopsy photographs of Shakur were shown to jurors as forensic pathologist Dr Lisa Gavin detailed his fatal injuries and the medical efforts to save him. Gavin reviewed Shakur’s case file and autopsy report because the medical examiner who originally performed the autopsy had died. The rap legend's family members left the courtroom while the photographs were displayed.
Court transcripts also showed prosecutors played a 2009 recording in which Davis said Orlando Anderson “got to shooting” at Shakur and acknowledged expecting payment from Sean “Diddy” Combs, who has repeatedly denied involvement and has never been charged.
