Jurors have found Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 63, guilty of first-degree murd£r for orchestrating the de@th of rap legend Tupac Shakur.
The verdict was reached on Monday, August 31, after the roughly two-week trial came to a close three decades after the music icon’s drive-by sho0ting death in Las Vegas.
The decision comes after weeks of testimony that largely focused on past interviews and other comments about the k!lling from Davis, a former gang member who is the only person to ever face criminal charges in the 1996 sho0ting.
Jurors began deliberations Monday afternoon to consider the case against Davis, who faces one count of murder with a de@dly weapon with gang enhancements. The panel of 10 women and six men heard from two dozen witnesses for the prosecution and three for the defense. People& Society
During the delivery of jury instructions Monday, the judge noted that Davis was accused in an indictment alleging an open charge of murd£r. The charge could have included first- or second-degree murder, a decision that was left to the jury.
Now convicted, Davis faces up to life in prison.
Davis isn’t accused of firing the gunsh0ts that killed Shakur at age 25, but prosecutors have portrayed him as a shot-caller who orchestrated the attack as retribution for a casino lobby brawl earlier on the night of Sept. 7, 1996, that involved Shakur, his entourage and Davis’ nephew.
Much of the prosecution’s case focused on the defendant’s own words about the Las Vegas shooting that stunned the hip-hop world. The case remained unsolved for decades before Davis’ public interviews and 2019 memoir helped revive scrutiny of the killing.
Prosecutors revisited those recordings during closing arguments, claiming the case is “drenched in circumstantial evidence.” Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal told jurors that Davis acquired a gun and “went hunting” for Shakur and Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight.
Palal acknowledged Davis’ account changed over the years, but insisted a key element remained the same — Davis placing himself in the Cadillac.
Palal also told jurors the drive-by shooting was planned, suggesting premeditation warranting a conviction on a first-degree murder charge. He pointed to testimony and Davis’ accounts that the group initially searched for Shakur before later spotting him on the road and making a U-turn near the Strip.
“It’s a plan, not an impulse,” Palal said.
Prosecutors also played short clips of Davis’ YouTube interviews, during which he implored viewers to buy his book for what he referred to as “the real truth.” In one clip, Davis shared harsh words about Shakur and the attack at the MGM Grand.
Shakur, who was in Las Vegas for a heavyweight fight between Mike Tyson and Bruce Seldon at the MGM Grand, was riding in a BMW when a white Cadillac pulled up next to it at a red light near the Las Vegas Strip, and gunfire erupted. Shakur was shot multiple times and died six days later. The driver of the BMW, In a 2008 police interview played for jurors, Davis said he provided the gun and his nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, opened fire. The other men in the Cadillac have since died, limiting eyewitness testimony.
“Let’s be clear, Duane Davis did not pull the trigger. But he did plan the shooting in retaliation of the beating of his nephew,” Palal told jurors during opening statements. “Remarkably, you will learn that from Duane Davis himself.
“Now, 30 years later, we’re going to ask you to finally hold Duane Davis accountable.”
Davis’ attorneys have disputed the statements and fought unsuccessfully to get them excluded. Attorney Michael Sanft told jurors his client’s words did not represent the truth.
During the defense’s closing argument, attorney Michael Sanft described his client’s words as braggadocio meant to make money, not the truth. He pointed to a lack of physical evidence placing Davis in the Cadillac with the shooter.
Davis wasn’t previously charged because law enforcement knew that he was “full of crap,” Sanft said earlier in the trial.Knight, survived.
In a 2008 police interview played for jurors, Davis said he provided the gun and his nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, opened fire. The other men in the Cadillac have since died, limiting eyewitness testimony.
“Let’s be clear, Duane Davis did not pull the trigger. But he did plan the shooting in retaliation of the beating of his nephew,” Palal told jurors during opening statements. “Remarkably, you will learn that from Duane Davis himself.
“Now, 30 years later, we’re going to ask you to finally hold Duane Davis accountable.”
Davis’ attorneys have disputed the statements and fought unsuccessfully to get them excluded. Attorney Michael Sanft told jurors his client’s words did not represent the truth.
During the defense’s closing argument, attorney Michael Sanft described his client’s words as braggadocio meant to make money, not the truth. He pointed to a lack of
physical evidence placing Davis in the Cadillac with the shooter.
Davis wasn’t previously charged because law enforcement knew that he was “full of crap,” Sanft said earlier in the trial.