Duane “Keffe D” Davis received 40 years to life in prison for orchestrating Tupac Shakur’s 1996 murder.
Judge Carli Kierny imposed the sentence in Las Vegas on October 13, 2026, three decades after the shooting that killed the 25-year-old rapper. A jury convicted Davis, 63, of first-degree murder on August 31.
Davis remains the only person charged and convicted in Shakur’s killing. He received credit for 731 days already served, according to CNN’s reporting on the sentencing.
Judge Addresses the Lasting Loss
Before announcing the sentence, Kierny rejected the idea that the passage of time erased Davis’ responsibility.
“You don’t get to take a man from his family,” she said.
The hearing also gave Shakur’s relatives an opportunity to describe how his death continued to affect their lives.
His sister, Sekyiwa Shakur, spoke about losing a brother who offered protection and support. She described the grief that followed her into parenthood.
“Both of my children were raised in my grief,” she told the court.
Shakur’s stepbrother, Maurice “Mopreme” Shakur, described the family milestones the rapper never experienced, including watching his nieces and nephews grow up.
Prosecutors Said Davis Organized the Shooting
The prosecution did not argue that Davis fired the shots. Instead, it said the former Southside Compton Crips leader organized the attack in retaliation for a confrontation at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Earlier on September 7, 1996, Shakur and members of his entourage fought with Davis’ nephew, Orlando Anderson. Prosecutors said Davis then helped arrange the shooting.
Shakur was riding with Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight when someone opened fire on their vehicle near the Las Vegas Strip. The rapper died in a hospital six days later, on September 13.
Davis’ Public Statements Became Evidence
For years, investigators struggled to build a prosecutable case. No murder weapon was recovered, and witnesses were reluctant to cooperate.
Davis later discussed his involvement in interviews and a 2019 memoir. Those accounts, along with statements he made to investigators, became central to the prosecution’s case.
Kierny allowed jurors to hear evidence from his memoir and earlier police interviews. The jury returned its guilty verdict after less than three hours of deliberations.
Davis Plans to Appeal
Davis has said he intends to challenge his conviction, according to ABC News Australia’s report.
His arrest in 2023 brought the long-running investigation into court. The sentence now establishes his punishment, while the planned appeal could bring further scrutiny of the conviction.
For Shakur’s family, the hearing centered not only on the criminal case but also on the brother and relative they lost at 25, and the decades they have lived without him.