Former gang leader Duane “Keffe D” Davis has been found guilty in the 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur, marking the first conviction in one of hip-hop’s most infamous cold cases. A Las Vegas jury convicted Davis on August 31 of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon after nearly three hours of deliberation.
Prosecutors argued that Davis did not fire the shots that killed Shakur, but instead helped orchestrate the drive-by attack and supplied the gun. They said the shooting followed a confrontation earlier that night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, where Shakur and members of his entourage were filmed attacking Davis’ nephew, Orlando Anderson. Hours later, prosecutors said, Davis was in the front passenger seat of a white Cadillac when someone inside the car opened fire on Shakur’s BMW near the Las Vegas Strip.
Davis’ own words became central to the case. Prosecutors pointed to his police interview, documentaries, podcasts, and his 2019 memoir ‘Compton Street Legend,’ in which he repeatedly placed himself inside the white Cadillac used in the shooting. His defense team argued those accounts were exaggerated or fictionalized, saying Davis had embellished his role to sell books, gain attention, and build his reputation.
Shakur was 25 when he was shot in a car on September 7, 1996, and died six days later. Davis, 63, said after the verdict that he plans to appeal. His sentencing is set for October 13, and he faces a possible life sentence.
Tupac’s killing has long stood as one of the most talked-about celebrity deaths in modern history. Click through the following gallery to discover more mysterious celebrity deaths that captured public attention.