Former gang leader convicted in Tupac Shakur murder

LAS VEGAS (AFP) — Former Los Angeles gang leader Duane “Keffe D” Davis was found guilty Monday of murdering rapper Tupac Shakur in 1996, three decades after the hip-hop star’s death.

The 63-year-old Davis was convicted of first-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon after a jury deliberated for several hours. He faces possible life in prison without parole and plans to appeal.

Prosecutors said Davis ordered the shooting after his nephew was beaten by members of Shakur’s entourage at a Las Vegas casino.

“Duane Davis, in the culture of gangs, could not let that stand,” prosecutor Binu Palal said.

Shakur was shot 7 September 1996, while riding in a BMW with Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight. He died six days later at age 25.

Davis, the only surviving person who was in the Cadillac used in the shooting, had repeatedly described his involvement in interviews and his 2019 memoir but later pleaded not guilty.

Sentencing is set for 13 October.