A Las Vegas jury has found Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 63, guilty of arranging the 1996 murder of rapper Tupac Shakur, bringing one of the most notorious unsolved killings in history to a close. Jurors deliberated for less than three hours before delivering the verdict.
The case originates in May 1996 when Davis’ nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, allegedly assaulted Trevon “Tray” Lane, an associate of Death Row Records boss Suge Knight, at a shoe store. On September 7, after a boxing match in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand, Shakur led a retaliatory assault on Anderson that was captured by security cameras, before departing with Knight for a local club.
Seeking retribution on behalf of his nephew, Davis soon “went hunting” for Shakur and Knight, Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal said during the trial’s closing arguments, per AP. Later that evening, Shakur was shot alongside Knight while sitting at a traffic light; the rapper died from his wounds less than a week later.
Davis, who has long been known to investigators, has admitted in interviews and in his 2019 memoir, Compton Street Legend, that he was in the car with Shakur’s shooter but did not pull the trigger. In 2023, he became the first person to be arrested in direct connection with the killing. Davis pleaded not guilty to one count of murder with use of a deadly weapon. Since his arrest, he claimed to have made up his involvement in Shakur’s murder in order to make money. Davis’ sentencing is scheduled for October 13. He faces the possibility of life in prison.