Duane ‘Keffe De’ Davis found guilty of first-degree murder for orchestrating Tupac Shakur’s killing in 1996

LAS VEGAS (TCN) -- Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 63, has been found guilty of first-degree murder in connection with the orchestration of rapper Tupac Shakur’s fatal shooting in 1996.

Shakur was shot Sept. 7, 1996, in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was at a red light when bullets were fired from a white Cadillac that had pulled up alongside his car. He died at a hospital six days later. Suge Knight, co-founder of Death Row Records — Shakur’s label — was also injured in the shooting.

Knight and Shakur, who were associated with the Mob Piru gang, had attended a boxing match earlier in the evening at the MGM Grand Arena. Members of a rival gang, the South Side Compton Crips, were also at the match, including Davis and his nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson. Following the match, members of Shakur’s entourage reportedly assaulted Anderson outside an elevator. 

According to Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal, Davis got a gun and “went hunting” for Shakur and Davis following the attack on Anderson, The Associated Press reports. Over the years, Davis’ story about what occurred that night has changed, but he always said he had been inside the white Cadillac when it pulled up alongside the car carrying Shakur and Knight.

Prosecutors said four men were inside the Cadillac on that night, and Davis is the only one still alive, KSTU reports. According to the outlet, someone who helps another person in the commission of a murder can also be found guilty of murder under Nevada law.

Per the AP, prosecutors told the jury at Davis’ trial that while Davis did not physically shoot Shakur, he acted as the “shot caller.” Palal said during closing arguments, “He is responsible of [sic] the murder of Tupac Shakur. … Tell him you hear him. Find him guilty.”

Davis’ defense attorney argued that any public statements made by Davis over the years regarding Shakur’s death were “dramatized bravado” and were meant to make money, according to the AP.

Davis was convicted Aug. 31 on one count of murder with a deadly weapon and faces life in prison, according to the AP. The jury deliberated for about three hours before reaching their verdict.

According to KTSU, Davis has never revealed who pulled the trigger.

MORE: