Duane Davis sentenced to 40 years to life for Tupac Shakur's murder

Duane “Keffe D” Davis was sentenced Tuesday in Las Vegas to 40 years to life in prison for orchestrating the murder of rapper Tupac Shakur. Davis, 63, was convicted in August of first-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon. He is the only person ever charged in Shakur's death. [ 2 , 7 , 9 ]

Judge Carli Kierny said Davis would receive credit for time already served. CNN reported that the credit amounts to 731 days. Prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo argued that Davis deserved the maximum possible sentence, saying he had tried to profit from the killing. Davis' lawyer, Michael Sanft, said he plans to appeal the verdict and argued that prosecutors waited too long to bring the case. [ 2 , 7 , 10 ]

Shakur's family attended the sentencing hearing. His sister, Sekyiwa, described the emotional and mental impact of his death on the family and said she had been hospitalized multiple times for depression, suicidal ideation and trauma. His brother, Maurice, also spoke about the impact of the killing on the family and Shakur's fans. [ 8 ]

Shakur was in the passenger seat of a black BMW with Marion “Suge” Knight on the night of September 7, 1996, when a white Cadillac pulled alongside at a red light in Las Vegas and shots were fired. Shakur was shot multiple times and died six days later. Knight survived. [ 2 , 6 ]

Davis, a former leader of the South Side Compton Crips, later discussed his role in interviews and a 2019 memoir. Prosecutors relied on his accounts of the killing during the trial. They argued that he orchestrated the attack and supplied the gun after Shakur and others beat Davis' nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, earlier that night. [ 2 , 4 , 6 ]