A 30-year wait for justice in Tupac’s killing ends with a murder conviction in under 3 hours

After decades of speculation, Duane "Keffe D" Davis, a former gang leader, has been found guilty of orchestrating the 1996 murder of rap icon Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas. A jury reached the verdict in less than three hours following a weekslong trial, bringing a measure of resolution to the high-profile case that has remained unsolved for nearly 30 years.

Prosecutors successfully argued that Davis, identified as a former leader of the South Side Compton Crips, orchestrated the fatal shooting as an act of revenge. The motive stemmed from an earlier altercation where Shakur and others had assaulted Davis's nephew. A significant part of the prosecution's case relied on Davis's own admissions, made in interviews and a 2019 memoir, where he placed himself in the white Cadillac from which the shots were fired.

Davis, 63, was convicted of murder with a deadly weapon and faces a potential life sentence. He is scheduled for sentencing on October 13 and has indicated his intention to appeal the conviction. This marks the first conviction in Shakur's killing, a case that has captivated the public and hip-hop fans for decades.