Jury finds Duane Davis guilty in 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur

A jury has found Duane “Keffe D” Davis guilty in the killing of rapper Tupac Shakur on a Las Vegas night nearly 30 years ago.

The jury reached its verdict in less than three hours.

Davis, 63, was charged with murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang in Shakur’s death. He had pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors had argued that Davis’ own words prove he orchestrated the drive-by shooting, and Davis’ attorney countered there was no evidence placing him in Las Vegas that night in 1996.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal told jurors in closing arguments that Davis acquired a gun and “went hunting” for Shakur and Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight after they beat up Davis’ nephew earlier that night.

Palal acknowledged that Davis’ accounts of the killing evolved over the years but argued those differences reflected Davis’ changing motivations and efforts to protect himself. One critical detail, he said, remained consistent: Davis repeatedly placed himself inside a white Cadillac from which the shots were fired.

“The core facts remain. The material facts remain,” Palal said.

Davis’ defense attorney, Michael Sanft, challenged jurors to identify evidence outside Davis’ own statements that placed him in Las Vegas or inside the Cadillac on the night Shakur was shot. He pointed to the absence of surveillance footage, phone records and other evidence putting Davis there.

“They have nothing in this case that says that man was here in Las Vegas on Sept. 7, 1996,” Sanft said, pointing toward Davis.

This is a developing story and will be updated.