The highly publicized 2Pac murder trial has officially come to an end. Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 63, who was accused of orchestrating the deadly 1996 drive-by shooting, has been found guilty. He now faces a possible life sentence in prison.
A Las Vegas jury found Davis guilty of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon, with the intent to promote, further, or assist a criminal gang. The jury reportedly reached its verdict after around three hours of deliberation.
CNN reported that members of Shakur’s family appeared emotional in the courtroom, with his sister, Sekyiwa, reportedly seen quietly crying.
2Pac was shot multiple times during a drive-by shooting in Paradise, Nevada, in September 1996. He died days later at the age of 25.
In the decades since 2Pac’s death, the shooting—which targeted a vehicle driven by Death Row Records co-founder Suge Knight—has remained under intense media scrutiny. Speculation has continued for years over exactly what happened on the night of Sept. 7.
Davis was arrested and charged in 2023. He was accused not of personally pulling the trigger, but of allegedly handing a gun to an associate sitting in the back seat of their vehicle and directing him to shoot.
According to prosecutors, the shooting was allegedly carried out as revenge after Tupac assaulted Keffe D’s nephew, Orlando Anderson, just hours earlier.
Over the years, Davis had made several statements appearing to take responsibility for his role in the shooting, including during a 2009 proffer agreement with law enforcement, in interviews—including appearances on VladTV—and in his memoir. His defense team, however, argued that the statements made in his interviews and book were purely for “entertainment purposes” and were not factual.
Ahead of the trial verdict, a 1995 interview with 2Pac resurfaced through CNN. In the clip, the six-time Grammy nominee spoke optimistically about his future and his plans to continue making an impact on culture.
“Let’s start part two of 2Pac’s life,” he said at the time. “I’m only 24. You know, the world has just begun.”
Davis is scheduled to be sentenced on October 13 and will remain in custody without bond until then.
