Man convicted of orchestrating Tupac Shakur killing awaits life sentence

Duane “Keffe D” Davis, a former South Side Compton Crips leader, was convicted in August of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon for his involvement in the 1996 Las Vegas shooting that killed 25-year-old rapper Tupac Shakur. The jury reached a guilty verdict after nine days of testimony and three hours of deliberation, relying on Davis’s own admissions to police and documentary crews that he arranged the attack and provided the gun used.

Prosecutors argued the murder stemmed from a rivalry between the South Side Compton Crips and Mob Piru, while the defense pointed to the absence of physical evidence and portrayed Davis as a self-serving liar. Davis, who is 63, said he will appeal the conviction. Sentencing has not yet occurred, but he faces life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Shakur’s family, including siblings Maurice “Mopreme” Shakur and Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur, are expected to speak at the upcoming sentencing hearing.