Duane "Keffe D" Davis, the former gang leader convicted in the murder of rap icon Tupac Shakur, has been sentenced to 40 years to life in prison. The 63-year-old was convicted in August of first-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon, becoming the only person ever charged in Shakur's death.
Prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo said Tuesday that whatever sentence the court imposes, Davis is "guaranteed to die" behind bars. "It's not just about losing a family member," DiGiacomo said as Shakur's sister Sekyiwa "Set" Shakur nodded in the audience.
Case built on Davis's own admissions
The killing went unsolved for years until Davis, a former leader of the South Side Compton Crips, gave interviews and published his role in the shooting in his 2019 tell-all memoir. DiGiacomo said Davis was trying to profit off a killing that he committed, and for that he does not deserve the minimum sentence. "In my mind he deserves the maximum possible sentence," DiGiacomo said.
Davis spoke briefly in court, telling Judge Carli Kierny he wants items back that police took from his house, including his pictures. Asked if there was anything else he wanted to say, Davis said: "No I'm good." Davis's lawyer, Michael Sanft, said he plans to appeal the verdict, arguing prosecutors waited too long to bring the case.
The 1996 shooting
On the night of Sept. 7, 1996, Shakur was in the passenger seat of a black BMW with music mogul Marion "Suge" Knight when a white Cadillac pulled up at a red light, and shots erupted. Shakur was shot multiple times and died six days later, while Knight survived.
Shakur is considered one of the most influential and versatile rappers of all time and had a burgeoning film career as an actor at the time of his death. In his memoir, Davis explained how Shakur and his entourage beat up Davis's nephew hours before the shooting in Las Vegas. He said he sought retaliation, and that he was in the passenger seat of the Cadillac and passed the gun to the backseat, where shots were fired.
Trial and family impact
During the weekslong trial, prosecutors relied on Davis's own statements to law enforcement and documentarians. They argued Davis orchestrated the shooting and provided the gun used in Shakur's death, which resulted from a rivalry between the South Side Compton Crips and Mob Piru. Davis's defense attorney pointed to a lack of physical evidence and portrayed Davis as a liar trying to make money. After nine days of testimony in August, the jury deliberated for three hours before returning the guilty verdict.
Shakur's family spoke at the sentencing, including siblings Maurice "Mopreme" Shakur and Sekyiwa "Set" Shakur. Following the verdict, prosecutor Binu Palal said that to many people, Shakur was an icon or an idea, "but to the family, Tupac Shakur was a brother, a son, a cousin, a loved person ripped from them 30 years ago." Palal said the family had to sit through years of Davis "bragging about killing someone they loved."
No other charges
Davis is the only person to be charged and convicted in the killing of Shakur. The three other people who allegedly were in the Cadillac, including Davis's nephew Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson, have died. Sean "Diddy" Combs was mentioned often during the trial, with witnesses testifying he used members of the South Side Compton Crips for security for Bad Boy Records. Davis alleged Combs offered him money to kill Shakur and Knight. Combs, serving a four-year prison sentence after being convicted of prostitution-related offenses, has repeatedly denied any involvement.
Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson has said his office doesn't believe it has sufficient evidence to charge anyone else. "But like any other case, if we come into more information, more evidence, we can always consider filing additional charges," he said following the guilty verdict. "But today, we don't believe that's the appropriate move to make."
