Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis gets 40 years to life in prison for orchestrating
the murder of Tupac Shakur
[October 14, 2026]
By JESSICA HILL
LAS VEGAS (AP) — An aging ex-gang leader was sentenced Tuesday to 40
years to life in prison for orchestrating the 1996 drive-by shooting of
rap icon Tupac Shakur near the Las Vegas Strip.
The killing, rooted in a long-running gang feud, had gone unsolved for
decades — captivating the public and tormenting Shakur’s loved ones —
until Duane “Keffe D” Davis started bragging about it in interviews and
a memoir.
Davis, 63, was convicted in August of first-degree murder with the use
of a deadly weapon. A former leader of the South Side Compton Crips,
Davis stared blankly at Judge Carli Kierny as she imposed a penalty
that, even with credit for time served, won’t see him eligible for
parole until he’s at least 100.
“You don’t get to take a man from his family, you don’t get to take his
very life, his whole future from him and just walk away from it,
especially when that man is Tupac Shakur,” Kierny said. “The world never
forgot about him and his death and neither did Las Vegas.”
Davis, whose lawyer said he will appeal his conviction, is the only
person ever charged in Shakur’s death. The late rapper’s legend has only
grown in the years since, and his songs continue to resonate with themes
of hardship, love and Black struggles.
Tupac's family describes their loss
Shakur’s sister, Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur, said it was hard listening over
and over again to Davis describe how he hunted and killed her brother,
cutting him down at age 25, just as his popularity as a musician and
actor was peaking.
Gentle and kind, Shakur was his family’s protector, she said. Had he
survived injuries that included the loss of a lung, he would have left
rapping behind and delved into activism, treading the path of luminaries
like Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., and perhaps even politics,
she said.
“This man’s life mattered,” Sekyiwa Shakur said as family members cried
in the audience.
Shakur’s brother, Maurice “Mopreme” Shakur, said the killing has been
“devastating, heartbreaking and sad” for him, his family and Shakur’s
fans.
An unsolved mystery for more than two decades
Davis spoke briefly in court, telling the judge he wanted pictures and
other items that police took from his house. Asked if there was anything
else he wanted to say, Davis said: “No, I’m good.”
Davis was charged after giving interviews and publishing a tell-all
memoir in 2019 detailing what he said was his role in the infamous
shooting.
On the night of Sept. 7, 1996, Shakur was in the passenger seat of a
black BMW with music mogul Marion “Suge” Knight when a white Cadillac
pulled up at a red light. Shots erupted. Shakur was hit multiple times
and died six days later, while Knight survived.
In his memoir, Davis explained he was seeking retaliation for Shakur and
his entourage beating up Davis’ nephew hours before the shooting. He
said he was in the passenger seat of the Cadillac and passed the gun to
the backseat, where shots were fired. Davis spoke to detectives years
before but avoided prosecution because of an agreement he made with law
enforcement.
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Duane Davis, center, arrives for a sentencing hearing after his
murder conviction in the death of rapper Tupac Shakur on Tuesday,
Oct. 13, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher, Pool)
 During the weekslong trial,
prosecutors relied on Davis’ own statements to law enforcement and
documentarians. They argued Davis orchestrated the shooting and
provided the gun used in Shakur’s death, which was the result of a
rivalry between the South Side Compton Crips and Mob Piru. Davis’
defense attorney pointed to a lack of physical evidence that
connected his client to the 30-year-old crime, and he portrayed
Davis as a liar who was trying to make money.
After nine days of hearing testimony in August, the jury deliberated
for three hours before turning over the guilty verdict.
Insufficient evidence to charge anyone else
One Shakur fan, rapper Din “Lil Therapy” Malone, said justice is
“halfway done” and wants to see other people charged.
“I’ve been grieving for 30 years plus,” he said at the courthouse
Tuesday. “I still got a frog in my throat from crying.”
The three other people allegedly in the Cadillac with Davis have
died. They included Davis’ nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson,
whom Davis said was the one who pulled the trigger.
Another name that has come up: Sean “Diddy” Combs. Witnesses
testified at Davis’ trial that the imprisoned music mogul used
members of the South Side Compton Crips for security for his label,
Bad Boy Records.
Davis alleged in his book and public statements that Combs offered
him money to kill Shakur and Knight. Combs, who is serving a
four-year prison sentence after being convicted of
prostitution-related offenses, has repeatedly denied any involvement
in the death of Shakur.
Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson has said his office
doesn’t have enough evidence to charge anyone else. If more
information comes to light, he said, prosecutors can always consider
filing additional charges.
“While no amount of time in prison can bring Tupac back, we hope
this sentencing brings some measure of closure and peace to his
family after nearly 30 years,” Wolfson said in a statement. The
case, he said, “is a reminder that no matter how much time passes,
our commitment to seeking justice never wavers.”
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