Jury finds former gang leader guilty of murdering Tupac Shakur

A jury in Las Vegas has brought a decades-old murder case to a verdict, finding former gang leader Duane “Keffe D” Davis guilty in the drive-by killing of Tupac Shakur.

The 12-person jury reached its unanimous verdict after nearly three hours of deliberation. Davis, 63, was convicted of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon, a charge that can carry life in prison without parole. He told the judge he planned to appeal. Several people in the gallery wiped away tears and hugged a prosecutor as the court adjourned.

Prosecutors accused Davis of leading a group that sought revenge after Shakur and his entourage beat Davis’ nephew at a Las Vegas casino on Sept. 7, 1996. In recorded conversations played during the trial, Davis described his anger over the incident.

Davis said he and three other men, including his nephew, searched for Shakur and record executive Marion “Suge” Knight in a white Cadillac. He said he passed a gun into the back seat and that one of the two men there opened fire when they found Knight and Shakur’s car. Prosecutors did not name the shooter, and the other three men in the vehicle have since died. Nevada law allows prosecutors to charge Davis with murder even if he did not fire the weapon.

Police said they had suspected Davis for years but lacked enough evidence to charge him until he discussed the episode in media appearances and a memoir. His lawyer argued that Davis’ statements reflected bravado and lacked independent corroboration.

Davis led the Southside Compton Crips, which feuded with the Mob Piru, a rival street gang associated with Shakur and Death Row Records. Shakur’s killing became a defining moment in rap history and intensified hip-hop’s violent public image during the peak of gangsta rap.

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He plans to appeal this matter.