Reuters and Courthouse News Service report that a Clark County jury convicted Duane “Keffe D” Davis of first-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon in Tupac Shakur’s 1996 killing. The August 31 verdict establishes Davis’s guilt at trial, nearly 30 years after Shakur was fatally shot in Las Vegas.
Key Facts
- Nevada state court: Reuters reported that jurors returned the guilty verdict after deliberating for nearly three hours.
- Current status: Davis has been convicted but has not yet been sentenced.
- Next proceeding: Reuters and ABC News reported that sentencing is scheduled for October 13, 2026.
- Possible appeal: Davis said in court that he intended to appeal, but that statement does not establish that an appeal has been filed.
What the jury decided
The conviction followed a trial in the Eighth Judicial District Court before Judge Carli Kierny. The official case number is C-23-377407-1, according to an electronically filed grand-jury transcript.
Reuters reported that prosecutors presented Davis as an organizer who acquired a gun and passed it to the back seat of a Cadillac. Their theory did not require the jury to find that Davis personally fired the shots.
The verdict resolves guilt at the trial level. It does not determine Davis’s sentence or resolve any future challenge to the conviction.
What the defense argued
Davis pleaded not guilty and disputed the prosecution’s account throughout the trial. Reuters reported that defense lawyer Michael Sanft called Davis’s earlier accounts fictional and said they could not be corroborated.
Courthouse News Service reported that Sanft also argued there was no proof placing Davis in Las Vegas when Shakur was shot. Those arguments did not persuade the jury.
Other issues after the verdict
Courthouse News Service reported that prosecutors chose not to pursue the separate gang-enhancement phase. That report does not establish the entry of a filed order formally dismissing the enhancement.
ABC News reported that Shakur’s family described itself as relieved by the verdict. The family’s reaction reflects its response to the outcome and is not evidence of the disputed conduct.
What happens next
Reuters reported that Davis told the judge he planned to appeal. A stated intention to appeal is different from a filed appeal.
An earlier Nevada Supreme Court proceeding does not concern this verdict. The Nevada appellate case-management page identifies it as a pretrial mandamus case that closed in November 2025.
Sentencing remains the next reported court event on October 13.
Sources
- Reuters: Jury finds ex-gang leader guilty of murder in Tupac case
- Courthouse News Service: Las Vegas jury convicts Duane Davis in Tupac Shakur murder
- ABC News: Jury finds Duane Davis guilty in murder of Tupac Shakur
- Copy of electronically filed grand-jury transcript hosted by Scripps
- Nevada appellate case-management page: Case 91041
- Supreme Court of Nevada: Order denying mandamus petition
