Former gang leader gets 40 years in prison for 1996 murder of rapper Tupac Shakur | Crime News

A former gang leader accused of masterminding the 1996 drive-by shooting of hip-hop star Tupac Shakur has been sentenced to 40 years to life in prison.

Tuesday’s sentencing brought to an end a 30-year unsolved case that shook the golden age of rap in the United States.

In August, Duane “Keffe D” Davis, former leader of the South Side Compton Crips, was convicted of first-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon.

Davis, 63, is the only person charged in the death of Shakur, who died at the height of his fame at age 25.

Judge Carli Kierny announced Davis’ sentence at a hearing in Las Vegas, Nevada, where she reprimanded him for the murder.

“You can’t take a man away from his family, you can’t take away his life, his whole future and just walk away from him, especially when that man is Tupac Shakur,” Kierny said. “The world never forgot him or his death, and neither did Las Vegas.”

During the hearing, prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo said that whatever sentence the court imposes, Davis was “guaranteed to die” behind bars.

For nearly three decades, Shakur’s death remained one of the music industry’s most notorious unsolved mysteries, sparking endless debate about who did it and why.

Davis had long been a suspect, but investigators lacked evidence to pursue charges.

The investigative impasse broke out after Davis publicly bragged about his involvement in media interviews. He also recounted his role in the murder in his 2019 memoir, Legend of Compton Street.

Previously, Davis entered into a bid agreement in 2008 with federal law enforcement agents, granting him limited immunity for statements he made privately to investigators.

But by repeating his statements outside of his meetings with investigators, prosecutors said Davis effectively voided the deal’s protections.

DiGiacomo said Davis was trying to profit from a murder he committed and for that he deserved the highest sentence possible.

Shakur was in Las Vegas for a Mike Tyson heavyweight fight on the night of September 7, 1996, when he was shot.

Investigators said the shooting happened about two hours after a confrontation between Davis’ nephew, Orlando Anderson, and Shakur’s entourage.

In his memoir, Davis accuses Shakur and his friends of molesting his nephew. He explained that he then tried to fight back and admitted to having handed the murder weapon to two alleged accomplices, sitting in the back seat of a white Cadillac, who then fired the fatal shots.

Shakur was in the passenger seat of a black BMW, stopped at a red light, when his vehicle was shot at. He died six days later.

Davis is the only person who was in the Cadillac that night who is still alive.

Members of Shakur’s family spoke at the sentencing, including his siblings Maurice “Mopreme” Shakur and Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur.

“This man’s life mattered,” Sekyiwa Shakur told the court, while his brother called the killing “devastating, heartbreaking and sad.”

Following the verdict, Assistant District Attorney Binu Palal described the Shakur family as having to endure years of Davis “bragging about killing someone he loved.”

“They loved this man. And the arrogance with which Mr. Davis expressed his joy in killing this man was ultimately his undoing,” Palal said.

The former gang leader briefly addressed the court Tuesday, asking the judge to order the return of property seized from his home, including personal photographs.

When asked by the judge if he wanted to make additional statements, Davis declined, saying, “No, that’s fine.” He added that he would “definitely appeal this case.”