An elderly ex-gang leader was handed a 40-year to life prison term on Tuesday for masterminding the 1996 drive-by shooting of rap legend Tupac Shakur near the Las Vegas Strip. The murder, stemming from a longstanding gang rivalry, remained a mystery for years, captivating the public and haunting Shakur’s family until Duane (Keffe D) Davis spoke out about it in interviews and a memoir. Davis, 63, was found guilty in August of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon.
As a former head of the South Side Compton Crips, Davis maintained a stoic demeanor as Judge Carli Kierny delivered a sentence that, even with credit for time served, would render him ineligible for parole until he reaches around 100 years of age. Davis, the sole individual ever charged in Shakur’s demise, plans to challenge his conviction, as per his attorney.
Shakur’s sister, Sekyiwa (Set) Shakur, expressed the pain of hearing Davis recount how he pursued and killed her brother, robbing him of life at the peak of his career. Describing Shakur as a gentle soul and family guardian, Sekyiwa revealed that had he survived, he would have transitioned to activism and possibly politics, following the footsteps of luminaries like Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.
Maurice (Mopreme) Shakur, the late rapper’s brother, described the impact of the killing as devastating for their family and fans. Davis, who requested personal items taken by the police during a brief court statement, was charged after revealing his involvement in the shooting in a 2019 memoir.
The trial highlighted Davis’ role in orchestrating the shooting, citing his statements to law enforcement and documentarians as evidence. The prosecution argued that Davis facilitated the shooting and provided the weapon that ended Shakur’s life, which was attributed to a feud between the South Side Compton Crips and Mob Piru. Despite the lack of physical evidence linking Davis to the decades-old crime, the jury reached a guilty verdict after nine days of testimony.
The three other individuals reportedly in the Cadillac during the incident, including Davis’ nephew Orlando (Baby Lane) Anderson, have since passed away. Another figure linked to the case is Sean (Diddy) Combs, who allegedly used members of the South Side Compton Crips for security at his label, Bad Boy Records. Davis accused Combs of offering money to kill Shakur and Knight, but Combs, currently serving a prison sentence for unrelated charges, has consistently denied any involvement in Shakur’s death.
The Clark County District Attorney stated that insufficient evidence exists to charge any additional suspects, but left the possibility open for future developments.