Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis Found Guilty of Tupac Shakur’s Murder

Duane Davis looks on during a break during closing arguments in his murder trial, related to the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur, at Clark County District Court at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Aug.

31, 2026. —Steve Marcus—Pool/AFP/Getty Images Thirty years after rapper Tupac Shakur was killed in a Las Vegas drive-by shooting, a former gang leader has been found guilty of orchestrating his death.

A jury in Clark County, Nev., convicted Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 63, ex-head of Los Angeles street gang South Side Compton Crips, of first-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon, following a weekslong trial.

But prosecutors decided not to proceed with part of the charge about gang enhancement—an extra prison sentence added to a conviction when the crime is committed for the benefit of, or in connection with, a criminal gang—citing “witness logistics.” Shakur’s murder in September 1996 at the age of 25 had left so many questions unanswered and has been the subject of conspiracies for years.

But the investigation into his death was revived after Davis published his memoir, Compton Street Legend , in 2019.

In the memoir and during promotions, he outlined the role of the Crips in Shakur’s death.

The Crips were feuding with the Mob Piru, which had ties to Shakur ​and his record label, Death Row Records.

Nevada law allows Davis to be charged with murder even if he did not pull the trigger.

Davis, who was arrested in 2023, could face life in prison.

Clark County District Court Judge Carli Kierny ordered that Davis be held without bail and scheduled his sentencing on Oct.

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The former gang leader, however, said in court that he would appeal the conviction.

How the verdict was reached The trial against Davis began on Aug.

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