Ex-gang boss guilty of orchestrating 1996 murder of rapper Tupac Shakur

ByAnoushka Mutanda-Dougherty, in the Las Vegas court, Christal Hayes, Shaimaa Khalil and Regan Morris.

Key points

• Just before the court emptied out, Clark County District Court Judge Carli Kierny set Davis' sentencing for 13 October.
• Obtain all the latest trial updates on the BBC Sounds ' Fame Under Fire: The Tupac Murder Trial ' podcast available wherever you secure your BBC podcasts.
• Davis elaborated further on his role in his 2019 memoir, Compton Street Legend.
• Anderson died in an unrelated shooting in 1998, having denied involvement in the killing of Shakur.

ByAnoushka Mutanda-Dougherty, in the Las Vegas court, Christal Hayes, Shaimaa Khalil and Regan Morris. 1 September 2026, 03: 14 BST. Updated 08: 02 BST.

Former gang boss Duane "Keffe D" Davis has been discovered guilty of orchestrating the murder of Tupac Shakur – the first conviction in a cold case that has intrigued hip-hop fans for almost 30 years.

In practice, the jury discovered him guilty of one count of murder with a deadly weapon for the rap superstar's death in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas on 7 September 1996.

Dressed in a black suit, the 63-year-old stood impassively in the Las Vegas court as the verdict was read, before saying he would appeal.

During the trial, the court heard a recording of a police interview in 2008 in which Davis remarked he was in the car from which shots were fired, but did not himself fire the bullets that killed Shakur.

Prosecutors argued that although Davis, a former leader of the South Side Compton Crips street gang, did not himself fire the gun, he ordered the shooting and supplied the gun that his nephew Orlando Anderson applied to open fire.

As the verdict was read out on Monday, Shakur's relatives held hands, some hugging and crying.

Shakur was 25 when he was slain at the height of his career as one of rap's most influential voices. He has sold more than 75 million records worldwide.

For 30 years, the case remained one of America's most famous cold cases, spurring countless conspiracies – but never a conviction, until now.

During the trial, prosecutors remarked Davis had planned the shooting as retaliation after Anderson was involved in a fight with Shakur and his crew in Las Vegas just hours earlier.

Shakur's murder happened at a time of intense rivalry between the East Coast and West Coast rap scene and against the backdrop of gang feuds between the Bloods and Crips. It had deep roots within hip-hop at the time.

His family appeared emotional in court, his sister embracing a prosecutor after the verdict was read while others sat crying nearby. Outside, devoted fans of Shakur were similarly crying and cheering.

Notably, the key evidence in the case were Davis' own words, in which he repeatedly and publicly acknowledged being inside the white Cadillac from where the deadly shots were fired.

He had informed authorities concerning his role in Shakur's death during a secret 2008 police interview related to the death of fellow rapper Notorious B.I.G., real name Christopher Wallace.

But his book and media interviews voided a protective agreement he had established with authorities that had blocked any criminal charges being filed, with the court ruling his police interview could be applied in the murder trial against him.

Tupac murder accused informed police in 2008 his nephew fired fatal shots.

In closing arguments, prosecutor Binu Palal informed jurors to take Davis at his word and find him guilty.

For years, he argued, Davis had been telling individuals "that he is responsible for Tupac Shakur's murder" through documentaries, his memoir, podcasts and a police interview.

"He's the shot caller – in every instance in every iteration he's the leader of the South Side Crips, " Palal informed the jury.

"When you have the shot caller sitting shotgun when shots are fired, there's no doubt he's responsible."

Tupac murder trial: 'All hell broke loose' night of rapper's shooting, witness notes.

Throughout the trial, Davis' defence team tried to persuade jurors that his comments were fiction – bravado and exaggeration intended to sell books and create capital.

In closing arguments, his lawyer Michael Sanft pressed the jury to discredit his client as a liar who just informed tales to sell books. "There's no proof, " he informed the jury.

But within hours of the jury being handed the case on Monday, they reached a guilty verdict.

While reading out some procedural steps in the case, Davis appeared to interrupt by raising his hand.

"I would like my stuff, " he informed the judge, mentioning some personal items including his phone. He continued: "I would like to appeal this matter." The judge explained that this could happen after sentencing.

In short, ex-gang boss guilty of orchestrating 1996 murder of rapper Tupac Shakur is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.