Tupac Shakur murder: Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis maintains innocence after conviction

Duane “Keffe D” Davis says he is an innocent man, days after a Las Vegas jury convicted him of first-degree murder in connection with Tupac Shakur's killing. In his first interview since the verdict, Davis accused police officers, prosecutors and other witnesses of lying about him during the trial.

“I’m innocent, man. They got an innocent man sitting in jail,” Davis told The Hollywood Reporter, according to Rolling Stone. The 63-year-old was convicted on Aug. 31 after jurors deliberated for nearly three hours following an 11-day trial. He remains in custody and is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 13. He faces up to life in prison without parole.

Prosecutors did not claim that Davis fired the shots that killed Shakur. Instead, they argued that he orchestrated the attack, obtained the gun and helped his group carry out the shooting in retaliation for an earlier altercation involving Shakur and Davis' nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, at the MGM Grand. Nevada law allows people who help facilitate a murder to face criminal responsibility.

The prosecution relied heavily on Davis' previous accounts, including interviews, discussions with investigators and his 2019 memoir, Compton Street Legend. Davis now says he did not write or review the book. He also said he took part in another interview shown at trial because he wanted to make money and believed earlier statements to authorities were protected.

His defense argued that he had exaggerated or invented stories about his role for money and notoriety. Lawyer Michael Sanft said prosecutors lacked physical or documentary evidence placing Davis inside the Cadillac used in the shooting. Davis did not testify, saying his lawyer advised him that taking the stand could affect a future appeal. Sanft has confirmed that the defense intends to appeal, citing concerns about evidence admitted at trial and the time jurors spent reviewing the case. Shakur was shot on Sept. 7, 1996, near the Las Vegas Strip and died six days later at age 25.

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I’m innocent, man. They got an innocent man sitting in jail.