Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis Sentenced to 40 Years to Life for Tupac Shakur’s Murder

Duane “Keffe D” Davis has been sentenced to 40 years to life in prison for his role in the 1996 murder of rapper Tupac Shakur. A Las Vegas judge handed down the sentence on Tuesday, 13 October 2026, nearly 30 years after the shooting that killed the 25-year-old artist.

Davis, 63, was convicted of first-degree murder in August after prosecutors argued that he helped organise the attack and supplied the firearm used in the shooting. He is the only person to have been charged in connection with Shakur’s death.

During sentencing, Judge Carli Kierny addressed Davis directly, saying: “You don’t get to take a man from his family … and just walk away from it, especially Tupac Shakur. The world never forgot about him and his death, and neither did Las Vegas.”

Photo: AP/John Locher, Pool

Davis said he would appeal the conviction. His lawyer, Michael Sanft, had challenged the prosecution’s case, arguing that Davis’ accounts of the killing were exaggerated and that the evidence did not independently establish his involvement.

Shakur’s sister, Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur, and half-brother, Mopreme Shakur, addressed the court during the sentencing proceedings. Sekyiwa described the emotional damage her brother’s death had caused the family, while Mopreme spoke about the future Shakur never had the opportunity to experience, including raising children and watching his nieces and nephews grow up.

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On 7 September 1996, Shakur was travelling in a black BMW driven by Marion “Suge” Knight, co-founder of Death Row Records, after attending a Mike Tyson boxing match in Las Vegas.

Earlier that evening, Shakur and members of his entourage had been involved in a physical altercation with Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, Davis’ nephew, at the MGM Grand hotel. Prosecutors argued that the confrontation prompted a retaliatory attack.

Photo: AP/John Locher, Pool

According to the prosecution, Davis and three other men were in a white Cadillac that pulled alongside Shakur and Knight’s BMW at an intersection. The occupants opened fire, hitting Shakur multiple times. Knight survived, but Shakur died in hospital six days later, on 13 September.

Prosecutors argued that Davis helped arrange the shooting and passed a firearm to an associate in the Cadillac. They did not identify him as the gunman.

The investigation gained renewed momentum after Davis spoke publicly about the killing. In a 2008 interview with law enforcement, he described being in the Cadillac and passing a gun to someone in the back seat. He also discussed the incident in interviews and his 2019 memoir, Compton Street Legend.

Photo: AP/John Locher, Pool

Prosecutors used his statements to support their case, while the defence argued that he had made claims to attract attention and earn money. Davis was arrested in September 2023 after investigators revisited the case. His conviction marked the first successful prosecution in Shakur’s murder.

Shakur remains an influential figure in hip-hop, with music addressing racial inequality, poverty and family struggles. His posthumous induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017 recognised his contribution to music.

Davis’ sentence marks a major development in a case that remained unresolved for decades. His planned appeal means the legal proceedings may continue.