Duane 'Keffe D' Davis sentenced to 40 years to life for 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur
A Las Vegas judge on Tuesday, 13 October 2026, sentenced Duane 'Keffe D' Davis to 40 years to life in prison for ordering the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur. Davis's lawyer said the defence will appeal.
Sentence handed down
A Las Vegas judge on Tuesday, 13 October 2026, sentenced Duane 'Keffe D' Davis to 40 years to life in prison for orchestrating the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur. Davis, 63, had been found guilty on 31 August of first-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon. The judge imposed 20 years to life on the murder count and a further 20 years to life for the deadly weapon enhancement. Davis had been facing a maximum of life in prison without parole. Before the sentence was handed down, prosecutors argued that he had earned the maximum, pointing to a history of criminal activity. Davis's lawyer, Michael Sanft, said the defence would appeal the decision.
Judge's remarks
Judge Carli Kierny addressed Davis directly while members of Shakur's family looked on. She said the world had never forgotten the rapper and that it had taken 30 years for Davis to face justice for what he did on 7 September 1996. The sentence followed testimony from relatives about the harm the killing had caused them.
You don't get to take a man from his family, you don't get to take his very life, his whole future from him and just walk away from it.
Family testimony
Sekyiwa Shakur, the rapper's sister, told the court that the loss had crippled her family emotionally and mentally for a long time. Speaking in court, she said:
That day, the loss of Tupac, for a long time, crippled my entire family emotionally and mentally.
She also said she misses her brother. Maurice 'Mopreme' Shakur asked the court for the longest possible sentence. Davis was seen rolling his eyes during the family's remarks.
How the case reached court
Shakur was shot in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas on 7 September 1996, after a Mike Tyson boxing match, and he died six days later on 13 September. Police questioned people at the time but made no arrests. Prosecutors unveiled a murder indictment against Davis, a former Crips gang leader, in September 2023. They said he ordered the killing in revenge after Shakur's entourage beat up his nephew that night, part of a gang dispute that overlapped with the East Coast-West Coast rivalry. Much of their case rested on Davis's own words, including a 2019 memoir and podcast interviews, which his lawyers argued were boasting that could not be backed by other evidence.
- Shakur shot in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas
- Shakur dies of his wounds, aged 25
- Prosecutors unveil a murder indictment against Davis
- Davis found guilty of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon
- Judge sentences Davis to 40 years to life
Appeal and next steps
Davis has insisted he is innocent since his 2023 arrest. He told the court he is appealing 'for sure' and disputed not being credited for time already served, citing an incident with another inmate. He stayed silent when the sentence was read out. Davis is the only person ever charged in the killing, and his lawyer has said the appeal will go ahead.