Duane “Keffe D” Davis has been sentenced to 40 years to life in prison for orchestrating the murder of rapper Tupac Shakur in a drive-by shooting rooted in a long-running gang feud.
Davis, 63, was convicted of first-degree murder and the use of a deadly weapon in late August.
He is the only person ever charged in Shakur’s death.
Shakur was the victim of a drive-by shooting off the Las Vegas Strip in September 1996. He died days later at age 25 as his popularity was peaking.
At Davis’s age, he’s likely to spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo said at the courtroom in Nevada that whatever sentence the court imposes, Davis is “guaranteed to die” behind bars.
“It’s not just about losing a family member,” Mr DiGiacomo said, as Shakur’s sister Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur nodded her head.
The rapper’s killing went unsolved for years until Davis, a former leader of the South Side Compton Crips, gave interviews and wrote about his role in the shooting in his 2019 tell-all memoir.
Mr DiGiacomo said Davis was trying to profit from a killing that he committed, and for that he does not deserve the minimum sentence.
“In my mind he deserves the maximum possible sentence,” Mr 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’ lawyer Michael Sanft said he plans to appeal against the verdict, saying that prosecutors waited too long to bring the case.
On the night of September 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, before shots were fired.
Shakur was shot multiple times and died six days later, while Knight survived.
The victim 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. His legend has only grown since.
In his memoir, Davis explained how Shakur and his entourage beat up Davis’ 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 back seat, where shots were fired. Davis had spoken to detectives years before, but avoided prosecution because of an agreement he made with law enforcement.
During his trial, prosecutors relied on Davis’ own statements he made to law enforcement and documentarians.
They argued Davis orchestrated the shooting and provided the gun used in Shakur’s death, which was the result of a rivalry between the South Side Compton Crips and Mob Piru.
Davis’ defence lawyer pointed to a lack of physical evidence that connected his client to the 30-year-old crime, and he portrayed Davis as a liar who was trying to make money.
After nine days of hearing testimony in August, the jury deliberated for three hours before delivering the guilty verdict.
Shakur’s family spoke at the sentencing, including his 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”.
Mr Palal said the family had to sit through years of Davis “bragging about killing someone they loved”.
“They loved that man. And the arrogance that Mr Davis had in expressing his joy in killing that man ultimately was his undoing,” Mr Palal said.
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’ nephew Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, who Davis said was the one who pulled the trigger – have died.
Sean “Diddy” Combs and his alleged role were brought up often throughout the trial. Witnesses testified Combs used members of the South Side Compton Crips as security for Bad Boy Records.
In his book and public statements, Davis alleged Combs offered him money to kill Shakur and Knight.
Combs, who is serving a four-year prison sentence after being convicted of prostitution-related offences, has repeatedly denied any involvement in the death of Shakur.
Clark County district attorney Steve Wolfson has said his office does not 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.”
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