Duane 'Keffe D' Davis convicted of the 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur

A Las Vegas jury has found 63-year-old Duane "Keffe D" Davis guilty of first-degree murder in the 1996 killing of hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur. The verdict, reached after three hours of deliberations following a weeks-long trial, marks the conclusion of one of the most famous cold cases in American music history. Davis, a former leader of the South Side Compton Crips, was the only person ever charged in connection with the crime.

The prosecution successfully argued that Davis acted as a "shot caller" who orchestrated the revenge attack after a brawl involving his nephew. On the night of September 7, 1996, in Las Vegas, the 25-year-old rapper was shot while riding in a car with Death Row Records co-founder Marion "Suge" Knight. Prosecutors relied heavily on Davis’s own public admissions regarding his role in the planning and execution of the shooting.

Davis, who maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings, has announced his intention to appeal the verdict. The conviction for first-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon carries a potential sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. While this verdict provides a legal resolution to the decades-old mystery, the legal process will continue as the defense moves to challenge the jury's decision.