Archive · 1 Sep 2026
Duane Davis Found Guilty in Tupac Shakur Murder Case
A jury found Duane Davis guilty of killing rapper Tupac Shakur.
The shooting happened in Las Vegas in 1996.
A white Cadillac stopped beside Shakur’s vehicle, and someone fired gunshots.
Shakur died six days later from his injuries.
Prosecutors said Davis was in the Cadillac and helped organize the attack.
They said the attack was retaliation after Shakur and Marion “Suge” Knight fought Davis’s nephew.
Davis said he was not responsible for ordering the shooting.
His lawyers argued that there was no proof he planned or directed it.
The jury reached its decision in less than three hours, and Davis is likely to receive a life sentence.
A Las Vegas jury found Duane “Keffe D” Davis guilty of murdering Tupac Shakur in 1996.
The 63-year-old former Los Angeles gang member was convicted after less than three hours of deliberation.
Prosecutors said Davis ordered the attack after Shakur and Marion “Suge” Knight assaulted his nephew.
Davis acknowledged being in the white Cadillac involved but denied ordering or planning the shooting.
Shakur was shot at a Las Vegas traffic signal on September 7, 1996, and died six days later.
- Who
- Duane “Keffe D” Davis, a former Los Angeles gang member, was found guilty in the killing of rapper Tupac Shakur.
- What
- Davis was convicted of murder with a deadly weapon in connection with Shakur’s 1996 shooting.
- When
- The verdict was delivered on Monday; Shakur was shot on September 7, 1996, and died six days later.
- Where
- The verdict was delivered in a Las Vegas court, and the shooting occurred in Las Vegas.
- Why
- Prosecutors said the shooting was retaliation for Davis’s nephew being assaulted by Shakur and Marion “Suge” Knight earlier that night.
Defense Position
Prosecution Case
Davis’s role in the shooting
Defense Position
Davis denied the charges, and defense attorney Michael Sanft argued there was no evidence that Davis ordered or planned the shooting.
Prosecution Case
Prosecutors said Davis obtained a gun, went looking for Shakur and Knight, and ordered the attack from the white Cadillac.
Evidence connecting Davis to the attack
Defense Position
The defense questioned whether any evidence showed Davis ordered a shooting before or after the attack.
Prosecution Case
Prosecutors said Davis repeatedly placed himself in the Cadillac and had publicly said he gave the gun to people in the back seat.
- Defendant
- Duane “Keffe D” Davis
- Victim
- Tupac Shakur, also known as 2Pac
- Verdict
- Guilty of murder with a deadly weapon
- Defendant’s age
- 63
- Jury deliberation
- Less than three hours
- Trial evidence
- At least 24 prosecution witnesses and three defense witnesses testified over nine days
- Potential sentence
- Davis is likely to be sentenced to life in prison
