‘Keffe D’ Davis Sentenced to 40 Years to Life for Tupac Shakur’s Murder

Duane “Keffe D” Davis was sentenced Tuesday to 40 years to life in prison for orchestrating the 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur, closing a case that stayed open for nearly three decades, the Associated Press and Rolling Stone reported.

Duane Davis sentencing: what the court decided

Judge Carli Kierny imposed the sentence in Las Vegas, per Rolling Stone. Davis, 63, was convicted of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon on Aug. 31 after a jury deliberated about three hours. The AP says he is the only person ever charged in Shakur’s death. Prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo said Davis is “guaranteed to die” behind bars.

Davis did not testify at trial and has maintained his innocence. Asked if he wanted to speak before sentencing, he said, “I’m going to appeal this case, for sure,” according to Rolling Stone, which cited the AP livestream of the hearing.

What prosecutors said happened

Shakur was shot on Sept. 7, 1996, near the Las Vegas Strip and died six days later at age 25. Prosecutors said Davis orchestrated the drive-by as retaliation for a beating of his nephew, Orlando Anderson, at the MGM Grand hours earlier, per Rolling Stone. Davis’s defense argued that investigators did not prove he was in Las Vegas that night and that his earlier account to police was not reliable.

Shakur’s sister, Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur, gave a victim impact statement. “Our whole generation lost something huge,” she said, according to Rolling Stone.

For more entertainment news today, see our reports on Matchbox Twenty’s 2027 tour and Calvin Harris’s 2027 tour.

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Sources: Associated Press, Rolling Stone. Published Oct. 14, 2026. The featured image is an editorial cartoon, not a photograph.