14 October,2026 09:01 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Duane Davis, Tupac Shakur. Pics via X
Nearly three decades after rapper Tupac Shakur was shot dead in Las Vegas, former gang leader Duane Davis aka Keffe D has been convicted of orchestrating the killing. Subsequently, he has been sentenced to spend at least 40 years in prison before being considered for release.
On Mon63-year-old Duane Davis, was sentenced to 40 years to life after being convicted of first-degree murder earlier in August. Notably, the sentence marks a major development in one of the most publicised murder cases in American music history. The case had remained unsolved for nearly 30 years before Davis was arrested in 2023.
Davis reportedly has 731 days of credit for time already served toward his sentence. Davis is a former leader of the Southside Compton Crips gang. He was found guilty of first-degree murder on August 31 for orchestrating the 1996 killing of the rapper near the Las Vegas Strip.
Notably, Davis remains the only person ever charged in the death of Shakur.
During the hearing, Shakur's sister, Sekyiwa 'Set' Shakur, told the court about the loss her family has carried for nearly three decades. "This man's life mattered," she told the court as family members broke down.
Tupac's brother, Maurice 'Mopreme' Shakur, also opened up about the family's pain, as he described the killing as devastating and heartbreaking for relatives and fans.
"For three years, I've heard you say some variation of the same thing ⦠âYeah, I was involved in this. But I'm different. I've moved on. I got out of Compton. I'm a grandfather now,'" Judge Carli Kierny said during the hearing as she delivered the sentence.
"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," Kierny added.
Tupac Shakur was shot in a drive-by attack near the Las Vegas Strip on September 7, 1996. The rapper was reportedly riding in a black BMW with music executive Marion Knight when a white Cadillac pulled up at a traffic light and opened fire. Knight managed to survive, but Tupac died six days later.
