Key facts
- Duane 'Keffe D' Davis has been found guilty of orchestrating the 1996 murder of rapper Tupac Shakur.
- The conviction is the first in the nearly 30-year-old cold case.
- Davis was found guilty of one count of murder with a deadly weapon.
- Prosecutors stated Davis ordered the shooting and supplied the gun used by his nephew, Orlando Anderson.
- Davis's own public statements and writings were key evidence against him.
- Sentencing is scheduled for October 13.
Former gang boss Duane 'Keffe D' Davis has been found guilty of orchestrating the murder of rapper Tupac Shakur in a Las Vegas drive-by shooting on September 7, 1996. The conviction marks the first in a cold case that has captivated hip-hop fans for nearly three decades.
Prosecutors argued that although Davis, a former leader of the South Side Compton Crips, did not fire the fatal shots, he ordered the murder and supplied the weapon. The shooting was presented as retaliation for a fight involving his nephew, Orlando Anderson, and Shakur's crew hours earlier.
Key evidence against Davis included his own public admissions in documentaries, his memoir 'Compton Street Legend,' podcasts, and a 2008 police interview. These statements, prosecutors contended, made him responsible as the 'shot caller.'
Davis's defense team attempted to portray him as a fabricator, suggesting his comments were mere bravado to sell books and gain notoriety. They urged the jury to disregard his statements as unreliable.
Despite the defense's arguments, the jury reached a guilty verdict within hours of deliberations. Shakur's relatives expressed emotion in the courtroom following the verdict. Davis, who stood impassively during the reading, stated his intention to appeal and requested personal items, including his phone, before his sentencing on October 13.