An ex-street gang leader accused of orchestrating the drive-by shooting death of hip-hop star Tupac Shakur three decades ago in Las Vegas was convicted of murder on Monday (August 31) for his role in a long-unsolved crime that silenced one of rap music's most influential voices.

A jury in Clark County, Nevada, deliberated for nearly three hours before finding Duane "Keffe D" Davis, 63, guilty of a single count of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon, capping an 11-day trial in a downtown Las Vegas courtroom. Davis will face a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole at his sentencing on October 13.

Davis told the judge "he plans to appeal this matter." Several people in the gallery wiped away tears and hugged a prosecutor as the court adjourned.

Representatives of the Clark County District Attorney's Office and Davis' lawyer did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

1. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CLERK READING VERDICT FINDING EX-GANG LEADER, DUANE "KEFFE D" DAVIS, GUILTY IN TUPAC KILLING CASE (SOUNDBITE PARTIALLY OVERLAID WITH SHOTS OF DAVIS AND HIS ATTORNEY MICHAEL SANFT STANDING):

"The verdict reads as follows. We, the jury in the book entitled case, find the defendant, Duane Kip Davis, as follows: Count one murder with the use of a deadly weapon. Guilty of first degree murder with use of a deadly weapon. Date of this 31st date of August 2026. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, is this your verdict? As read. So say you one. So say you all."

JURY: "Yes."

"Either party you desire to have the jury pulled."

"Yes, sir."

"Okay. Please pull."

2. DAVIS SITTING WITH SANFT IN COURT

3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PROSECUTOR, BINU PALAL, SAYING (SOUNDBITE BEGINS OVER SHOT OF DAVIS SITTING AT DEFENSE TABLE)

"For nearly 18 years, Duane Davis has told the police, television, books, YouTube interviewers, anybody that will listen, he is responsible for the murder of Tupac Shakur. Tell him you hear him. Find him guilty."

4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) DEFENSE ATTORNEY, MICHAEL SANFT, SAYING (SOUNDBITE BEGINS OVER PHOTO FROM CRIME SCENE ON THE MONITOR)

"The evidence alone on this would indicate to you that Mr. Davis is not telling you the truth. Or in the alternative, he's not telling you a fact. He's telling you fiction as to how this all goes down on the night of September 7th, 1996.”

5. JUDGE CARLI KIERNY SITTING AT BENCH

6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) DEFENSE ATTORNEY, MICHAEL SANFT, SAYING (SOUNDBITE CONTINUES OVER SHOT OF DAVIS AND BLACK SCREEN READING (English): "Not guilty")

"And what facts do you have to show that that man was even in Las Vegas on the night of the shooting of Tupac Shakur? Or in the vehicle? When you go back and deliberate we are confident we're going to come back with a verdict of 'not guilty' for Mr. Davis. Because it's the only verdict that makes sense in this case."

7. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PROSECUTOR, BINU PALAL, SAYING (SOUNDBITE BEGINS OVER SHOT OF DAVIS SITTING AT DEFENSE TABLE):

"And Duane Davis, in the culture of gangs, could not let that stand. So what did he do? He acquired a firearm, got his group together, and went hunting for Mr. Shakur and Mr. Knight. They went to Club 662, they didn't find them. They go to a liquor store, decided to have some drinks. Then, in happenstance, they happen to run into Tupac and Suge Knight, going the opposite way on Flamingo. And in that moment, a decision was made. Not to keep going, but to make a u-turn, turn around, pass a gun, and shoot into Tupac and Suge's car, killing Tupac Shakur."

8. DAVIS SITTING IN COURT

9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PROSECUTOR, BINU PALAL, SAYING (SOUNDBITE CONTINUES OVER SHOT OF DAVIS):

"So, when you have the shot caller, sitting shotgun, as shots are fired, there can be no doubt that Mr. Davis is liable for that murder, is responsible for that murder, and frankly, coordinated that murder."

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, UNITED STATES (AUGUST 17, 2026) (LAW AND CRIME - Access all)

10. DAVIS WALKING INTO COURTROOM

11. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PROSECUTOR, BINU PALAL, SAYING (SOUNDBITE PARTIALLY OVERLAID WITH PICTURE OF TUPAC SHAKUR AND RUNS OVER SECURITY VIDEO OF SCUFFLE IN MGM GRAND HOTEL):

"And then after the fight, Tupac Shakur, Suge Knight and the people that are here with, they leave. And among his group is Trayvon Lane. And that is why this fight occurs. Trayvon Lane and the Death Row (Records) group sees Orlando Anderson standing by himself, and they decide to attack him in retribution for what happened at the Lakewood Mall. You'll see Orlando Anderson's on the bottom of that group. You see security coming trying to break this up. And then you'll see Tupac Shakur, Suge Knight, Trayvon Lane and that group exit the MGM Grand."

12. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PROSECUTOR, BINU PALAL, SAYING (SOUNDBITE RUNS OVER SECURITY VIDEO OF GROUP LEAVING MGM GRAND HOTEL AND PRESENTATION SHOWING ORGANIZATION OF CAR THAT ALLEGEDLY SHOT TUPAC):

"Mr. Shakur, Mr. Knight and his group, leave the MGM Grand. Duane Davis decides he is going to organize a retaliation, that this beating cannot go unanswered. Then he runs into a person named Zip Martin. Remember the Zip Martin that was a connection with Bad Boy Entertainment from New York. And Zip Martin tells him that he has a gun and that he can come help him out. And Duane Davis himself, Keefe D, is in the front passenger side. And this is how Duane Davis explains the murder of Tupac Shakur."

13. DAVIS LISTENING TO AUDIO PROSECUTION SAYS IS DAVIS TALKING ABOUT THE MURDER IN A SECRETLY-RECORDED INTERVIEW WITH A 2008 FEDERAL TASK FORCE INVESTIGATING MURDER OF RAPPER NOTORIOUS B.I.G.

14. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PROSECUTOR, BINU PALAL, SAYING (SOUNDBITE BEGINS OVER SHOT OF DEFENSE LAWYER, MICHAEL SANFT):

"Duane Davis has repeatedly told us, over and over again, about the anger he felt, and his own role in the revenge drive-by shooting of Tupac Shakur. And now, nearly 30 years later, we're going to ask you to finally hold Duane Davis accountable. Thank you."

15. (SOUNDBITE) (English) DEFENSE LAWYER, MICHAEL SANFT, SAYING (SOUNDBITE CONTINUES OVER BLACK SCREEN READING (English): "Fact vs Fiction" AND "Bullshit" AND DAVIS IN COURT):

"There's no evidence at all that that man was even at the fight. When we look at fact versus fiction, really, at the end of the day, what you're going to hear from witnesses that will testify to this is that Keffe D was known to do this. That's the testimony you're going to hear in this case. That's what you going to hear about that man right there. And so you have to ask yourself the question: If I just say things, is that going to end up being one of those things where I'm going to be handed up for a murder by just repeating that fiction? I keep repeating that? The answer is no. You have to corroborate everything I say in order for it to be true. Otherwise, it's just that. And at the end of all the time we spend together, what you're going to find is, is that the state cannot prove to you beyond reasonable doubt the claim that Keffe had anything to do with a first degree murder with use of a deadly weapon."

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, UNITED STATES (AUGUST 18, 2026) (LAW AND CRIME - Access all)

16. DAVIS IN COURTROOM

17. (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF SECURITY AT CLUB 662 AT TIME OF MURDER, JAMES "MOB JAMES" MCDONALD, SAYING (SOUNDBITE PARTIALLY OVERLAID WITH SANFT AND DAVIS):

"I knew everybody that was there."

SANFT: "Okay, like who?"

"(ADDRESSING DAVIS) "Talk to your lawyer, man, this dude is tripping. (ADDRESSING SANFT) I'm not going to explain that, I can't answer that. I don't, and what I explained to them, I don't want to send him to prison, even though we don't like each other. I don't want to send you to prison."

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, UNITED STATES (AUGUST 20, 2026) (LAW AND CRIME - Access all)

18. AUDIO AND WRITTEN TRANSCRIPTION OF A 2008 INTERVIEW BETWEEN DUANE DAVIS AND LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT DETECTIVES DARYN DUPREE AND GREG KADING, TRANSCRIPTION READING (English):

"KADING: Which ones... which of those four is it when you talk to him (rapper Sean Combs) about murdering Tupac?

DAVIS: It was really about both of them, yea either one of them. It was, uh, AL-l."

KADING: Tupac and, Tupac and Suge, you mean?

DAVIS: Yeah."