A sentence of at least 40 years
Judge Carli Kierny sentenced Duane 'Keffe D' Davis, 63, on Tuesday, 13 October 2026, in a Las Vegas courtroom. Davis, a former leader of a Los Angeles gang, will serve at least 40 years before he can first apply for parole, with no guarantee that release will follow. Spanish-language LaSexta reported two consecutive terms of 20 years to life, one for murder and one for use of a deadly weapon, while other accounts describe the term as 40 years to life. The judge said the time Davis has already spent in custody since his 2023 arrest will be deducted from the sentence. Davis appeared in handcuffs and a blue prison uniform, and LaSexta reported that he showed no emotion when the sentence was read.
Verdict and the defence
A jury found Davis guilty in August of murder with a deadly weapon, committed to promote or assist a criminal gang. Davis had been arrested in Las Vegas in 2023 and charged with murder and other offences, and he pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors did not accuse him of firing the shots; they argued he organised the attack as part of a dispute between rival gangs and supplied the murder weapon. Davis has repeatedly said, in interviews and in his memoir, that he was inside the white Cadillac from which the bullets were fired, and that he was its only surviving occupant. In 2008 he told investigators that his nephew fired the fatal shots. His lawyer, Michael Sanft, argued that Davis invented those stories to make money, and no physical evidence placed him at the scene.
The 1996 killing
Tupac Shakur was shot on 7 September 1996 while the car he was in was stopped at a red light in Las Vegas. He died six days later in hospital, aged 25. For decades the case went unsolved, and the rivalry between West Coast and East Coast rap was long cited as a likely motive. At trial, the prosecution tied the attack to a personal grievance: Davis allegedly wanted revenge after members of Shakur's entourage beat his nephew at a casino hours earlier. Shakur was travelling with Marion 'Suge' Knight, the head of Death Row Records, when another car pulled up beside them at the light. Police said Davis's own statements helped investigators make progress after years without a breakthrough.
- Shakur shot in a car stopped at a red light in Las Vegas
- Davis tells investigators his nephew fired the fatal shots
- Davis arrested in Las Vegas and later charged with murder
- Jury convicts Davis of murder with a deadly weapon
- Judge sentences Davis to at least 40 years; he says he will appeal
Family speaks in court
Sekyiwa Shakur, the rapper's sister and 51 years old according to DIE WELT, addressed the court, at times in tears, about the loss of her brother. She described him as a shining star and an icon who had set out to protect his family and improve the world, and she asked the judge for the maximum penalty. Mopreme Shakur, a stepbrother of the rapper, also spoke, describing the loss as devastating for the family and for fans worldwide. The prosecution had asked for life without parole, and the sentence fell short of that. Davis used his only turn to speak to ask for the return of his belongings, including photographs investigators had taken from his home.
Appeal and what follows
Davis and his lawyer both said they would appeal the decision. HotNews, citing the DPA news agency, reported that the sentence came about six weeks after the jury verdict. Davis cannot apply for parole before 40 years have passed, and the remainder of his life could be spent in prison. The appeal process is now the next step in a case that stayed unresolved for nearly three decades.