Keffe D Sentenced to at Least 40 Years in Prison for Tupac Shakur Murder

Former gang leader Duane “Keffe D” Davis has been sentenced to at least 40 years in prison for his role in the 1996 murder of American rap star Tupac Shakur. A jury found the 63-year-old guilty of one count of murder with a deadly weapon over the fatal drive-by shooting in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996. Davis has said he intends to appeal the verdict.

Prosecutors argued that Davis organised the killing even though he did not fire the gun himself. They described him as the leader of the group responsible for the attack and pointed to his own public statements about the case. In his memoir, Compton Street Legend, Davis acknowledged providing the gun used in the killing.

During Tuesday’s sentencing hearing, prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo said Davis had spent years publicly discussing his alleged role in Shakur’s death. He also highlighted the far-reaching impact of the killing, which has remained one of the most closely watched unsolved cases in hip-hop history for nearly three decades.

Shakur’s sister, Sekyiwa Shakur, addressed the court and described the lasting pain the family had experienced since the rapper’s death. She said the loss had deeply affected their lives and recalled her brother’s ambitions to create a better world and support his community. She urged the judge to impose the maximum sentence.

Shakur’s brother, Maurice Shakur, also appealed for the longest possible prison term. Before announcing the sentence, Judge Carli Kierny told Davis that he could not take away another person’s life and future and simply walk away from the consequences. The judge also noted that Shakur’s death had not been forgotten by the world.

A key part of the prosecution’s case involved Davis’s own statements. According to the report, he repeatedly acknowledged being inside the white Cadillac from which the fatal shots were fired. He had previously discussed his involvement during a secret police interview in 2008, conducted in connection with the investigation into the killing of fellow rapper Notorious B.I.G., whose real name was Christopher Wallace.

Davis later expanded on his account in his 2019 memoir and subsequent media interviews. A protective agreement had initially prevented criminal charges based on information he provided to authorities, but prosecutors argued that his later public statements invalidated that protection. A judge subsequently allowed the police interview to be used during the murder trial.

Davis’s defence team argued that his claims about the killing were exaggerated or fictional statements made to promote his book and make money. Prosecutors, however, maintained that he had ordered the shooting and supplied the weapon allegedly used by his nephew, Orlando Anderson, to open fire. Anderson, who denied involvement in Shakur’s murder, died in an unrelated shooting in 1998. Shakur was 25 when he died and had sold more than 75 million records worldwide, leaving a lasting influence on hip-hop.