Former Gang Leader Found Guilty of Tupac Shakur Murder

After nearly three decades, the murder of Tupac Shakur has produced a conviction. A Las Vegas jury unanimously found former gang leader Duane "Keffe D" Davis guilty of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon.

Shakur was shot several times from a passing vehicle in Las Vegas on Sept. 7, 1996. He died from his injuries several days later, aged 25. He had been one of rap's most commercially successful and influential artists.

The 12-member jury reached its decision after almost three hours of deliberation. Davis faces a possible sentence of life in prison without parole. His expression did not change when the verdict was read, and police escorted him from the courtroom. Davis told the judge he intended to appeal.

Prosecutors accused Davis of leading a group that set out to kill Shakur in retaliation for an assault on Davis's nephew. Davis denied responsibility. Police had long suspected him, but prosecutors said his public media appearances and memoir, along with recordings of secret meetings with investigators, provided the main evidence needed to bring charges.

The prosecution played hours of recorded conversations in which Davis described becoming enraged after Shakur and his entourage assaulted his nephew at a Las Vegas casino. Davis said he and three other men, including his nephew, went looking for Shakur and record executive Marion "Suge" Knight in a white Cadillac. He said he handed a gun to the back seat, and that another passenger opened fire when they found Knight and Shakur's car.

Prosecutors did not identify the shooter, and the other three men in the vehicle have since died. Under Nevada law, Davis could be convicted of murder even if he did not pull the trigger. His lawyer argued that Davis's remarks were only boasting and could not be independently confirmed. Davis had been a leading figure in the Southside Compton Crips, which was in conflict with the Mob Piru gang, linked to Shakur and his Death Row Records label.