Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis Guilty of Orchestrating Tupac Shakur’s 1996 Murder

A jury in Las Vegas found Duane “Keffe D” Davis guilty of first-degree murder on Monday, September 1, 2026, for orchestrating the 1996 drive-by shooting that killed rapper Tupac Shakur. Davis, 63, is the only person ever criminally charged in Shakur’s killing, and the verdict marks the first conviction obtained in the case nearly three decades after the rapper’s death.

Judge Carli Kierny ordered Davis held without bail as he awaits sentencing on October 13, 2026, when he faces a potential term of up to life in prison.

• Davis, 63, was convicted after a trial that lasted roughly two weeks before a panel of 10 women and six men.
• Jurors heard from about two dozen prosecution witnesses and three defense witnesses.
• Deliberations lasted less than three hours, including an hour-long lunch break, before the guilty verdict was returned.
• Sentencing for Davis is scheduled for October 13, 2026.

What Happened the Night Tupac Shakur Was Killed

Shakur was riding in a BMW driven by Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight on September 7, 1996, when a white Cadillac pulled up beside them at a red light near the Las Vegas Strip and gunfire broke out. Shakur was struck multiple times and died six days later at age 25; Knight was not hurt.

Prosecutors told jurors the ambush was retaliation for a brawl earlier that same night inside the MGM Grand casino, a confrontation involving Shakur’s entourage and Davis’s nephew.

How Prosecutors Argued the Killing Was Planned

Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal told the jury that Davis obtained a firearm and “went hunting” for Shakur and Knight, arguing the shooting was calculated rather than a spur-of-the-moment act. Palal pointed to accounts that the group first searched for Shakur before eventually finding him and making a U-turn near the Strip, telling the jury, “It’s a plan, not an impulse.”

Much of the state’s case leaned on Davis’s own past statements rather than physical evidence. That material included police interviews, a covertly recorded 2008 proffer session, his 2019 memoir, and later public remarks he made in a BET docuseries and on the shows The Art of Dialogue and VladTV. In the 2008 police interview played for the jury, Davis said he supplied the gun and that his nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, fired the fatal shots; the other men who were in the Cadillac that night have all since died.

Davis’s Defense Attorney Plans to Appeal

Attorney Michael Sanft, who joined Davis’s defense four months before trial, told jurors during closing arguments that his client’s recorded statements amounted to “braggadocio” designed to sell books and interviews rather than a truthful confession. He also argued no physical evidence tied Davis to the Cadillac used in the shooting.

Sanft said he intends to appeal, criticizing both the brevity of jury deliberations and the judge’s decision to admit Davis’s 2008 and 2009 police statements along with testimony tied to the unsolved killing of Christopher “Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace. “My problem with it, I believe in the trials that I have done, if a jury is not out for at least three or four hours, it doesn’t go well for the defense,” Sanft said, adding that jurors appeared to have “already made up their mind” before fully weighing the evidence. Sanft said he still believes in Davis’s innocence and is representing him without pay going forward.

Tupac Shakur’s Family Responds to the Verdict

Shakur’s relatives issued a statement calling themselves “elated and relieved” by the outcome and thanking jurors for their attention to the evidence. “While this verdict is decades in the making, this is not the end of the story,” the family said, adding that “Tupac’s legacy and impact on the world lives on and we will continue to do everything we can to keep his spirit alive.”

Shakur’s sister, Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur, was in the courtroom for the verdict, grew emotional afterward, and embraced members of the prosecution team.

More Info

• Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis found guilty in Tupac Shakur murder trial | nbclosangeles.com
• Former Gang Leader Is Found Guilty of Orchestrating Tupac Shakur’s Killing | nytimes.com
• “Keffe D” Davis found guilty of orchestrating Tupac Shakur’s 1996 murder | miamitimesonline.com
• He Investigated Tupac’s Murder. Keffe D’s Verdict ‘Feels Like Vindication’ | rollingstone.com
• Defense attorney: Jury did not take enough time reviewing evidence in Tupac Shakur murder trial | fox5vegas.com
• Tupac Shakur’s Family Reacts to Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis’ Murder Conviction: ‘This Is Not the End of the Story’ | billboard.com