Duane Davis guilty of Tupac Shakur murder

Duane “Keffe D” Davis, a 63-year-old former Los Angeles gang member, has been found guilty of murdering rap icon Tupac Shakur in 1996. A Las Vegas jury delivered the first-degree murder verdict on Monday after just a few hours of deliberation, according to a report by Al Jazeera.

Davis addressed Judge Carli Kierny after the verdict was announced, stating his intention to appeal. He faces a possible sentence of life in prison without parole.

The 1996 Shooting

The one-time leader of the South Side Compton Crips was accused of ordering the September 7, 1996 killing. Prosecutors said the motive stemmed from a confrontation hours earlier at a Las Vegas casino, where members of Shakur's entourage had beaten Davis's nephew.

“Duane Davis, in the culture of gangs, could not let that stand,” prosecutor Binu Palal said during closing arguments. “So what did he do? He acquired a firearm, got his group together and went hunting for Mr Shakur.”

Shakur, who was in the city for a Mike Tyson heavyweight fight, was shot about two hours after the casino incident. A gunman in a white Cadillac pulled up at a red light alongside the BMW where the rapper was a front-seat passenger. Prosecutors alleged Davis handed the gun to someone in the Cadillac's back seat and ordered the shooting. Shakur died six days later at age 25.

The driver of the BMW, Death Row Records cofounder Marion “Suge” Knight, was wounded in the attack. Davis is the only person who was in the Cadillac that evening who is still alive.

A Case Revived by a Book

The investigation into Shakur’s murder stalled for decades due to a lack of evidence. The case was revived when Davis’s memoirs, Compton Street Legend, were published in 2019.

Davis had repeatedly boasted of involvement in the murder over the years, in interviews with law enforcement and media, and in his autobiography. He later backtracked and pleaded not guilty to the murder charge. During the trial, prosecutor Binu Palal played clips from Davis's various alleged confessions as part of his closing arguments.

Defence attorney Michael Sanft characterised his client's statements as fiction. “You’re reading a book that is fiction and not fact,” Sanft told the jury. “But the state wants you to believe that this is somehow a confession, that he was there and present at the time of the shooting.” Sanft argued there was no evidence implicating Davis other than his own words.

Prior to the trial, Davis's lawyers unsuccessfully tried to prevent the book and remarks from a 2008 police interview from being introduced as evidence.

A Notorious Cold Case Closes

The killing of Shakur, also known as 2Pac, had been one of the United States' most notorious cold cases, sparking endless speculation among music fans. Davis is the only person ever charged in connection with the shooting. The case's resolution is a stark reminder of how long-standing investigations, much like tracking a team's performance over a season in our stats section, can finally yield a result.

Shakur was a key figure in the hip-hop rivalry between East Coast and West Coast artists in the 1990s. Known for hits like “California Love” and “All Eyez on Me”, he was raised in Harlem and Baltimore but became an emblem of California hip-hop after signing with Los Angeles-based Death Row Records. He was the son of a Black Panther member. His legacy continues to be debated, similar to how fans analyze a club's historical standings.

Sentencing for Duane Davis is scheduled for October 13.