Ex-gang leader found guilty in 1996 murder of rapper Tupac Shakur

An ex-street gang leader accused of orchestrating the drive-by shooting death of hip-hop star Tupac Shakur three decades ago in Las Vegas was convicted of murder on Monday for his role in a long-unsolved crime that silenced one of rap music’s most influential voices.

A jury in Clark County, Nevada, ‌deliberated for nearly three hours before finding Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 63, guilty of a single count of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon, capping an 11-day trial in a downtown Las Vegas courtroom. Davis will face a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole at his sentencing on October 13.

Davis told the judge “he plans to appeal this matter”. Several people in the gallery wiped away tears and hugged a prosecutor as the court adjourned.

Binu Palal of the Clark County District Attorney’s Office told jurors that under the code of respect in street gangs, Davis could not ‌let the beating of his nephew slide.

“So what did he do? He acquired a firearm, got his group together, and went hunting for Mr Shakur,” Palal said.

Police say they long suspected Davis but did not have ‌enough evidence to charge him until he went public with his story in media appearances and a memoir, which, along with ⁠tapes of his secret meetings with investigators, ⁠make up most of the prosecution’s case.