Last updated: November 5, 2026. The image above is an illustration, not evidence from the case.
The Tupac trial ended with a conviction. On August 31, 2026, a Las Vegas jury found Duane “Keffe D” Davis guilty of murder with a deadly weapon in the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur. On October 13, 2026, Judge Carli Kierny sentenced him to 40 years to life in prison. His lawyer has said he plans to appeal.
Latest Update on the Tupac Case
- September 7, 1996: Shakur was shot in a car with Suge Knight in Las Vegas. He died six days later.
- 2023: Davis was arrested in connection with the shooting. He pleaded not guilty.
- August 2026: The trial took place in Las Vegas.
- August 31, 2026: The jury returned its verdict after deliberating for less than three hours, according to NPR.
- October 13, 2026: Davis was sentenced to 40 years to life. Prosecutors did not seek the death penalty.
Who Is Duane “Keffe D” Davis?
Davis, whose nickname is also spelled “Keefe D”, was 63 at the time of the verdict. For years he spoke publicly about the night of the shooting, including in his 2019 memoir, Compton Street Legend, and in interviews. Prosecutors said he repeatedly placed himself inside the white Cadillac from which the shots were fired.
Prosecutors did not argue that Davis fired the gun. They argued that he got the weapon and called for the shooting as a gang leader whom younger men in the car would obey.
What the Jail Calls Showed at the Trial
Ahead of the trial, reports said prosecutors had recordings of phone calls Davis made from jail. CNN reported that prosecutors aired jail call recordings of Davis speaking. In one 2023 recording, he says, “They’re trying to use my words against me.”
The calls were one part of a case built largely on Davis’s own words. According to CNN, jurors also heard:
- almost eight hours of recorded statements from 2008, 2009 and 2017
- material from his memoir and YouTube interviews
- testimony from law enforcement and from witnesses who were ordered to testify
- evidence from a 2023 search of his home, which turned up old articles and a magazine about Shakur
What the Defense Said
Defense attorney Michael Sanft told jurors there was no physical evidence tying Davis to the shooting. He called the book and Davis’s statements “dramatized bravado” meant to make money, NPR reported. Sanft has also argued that prosecutors waited too long to bring the case.
Missing Physical Evidence
The age of the case was a major issue. CNN reported that prosecutors had no physical evidence placing Davis at the scene. Prosecutors told jurors that evidence from the 1990s differs from what police collect today, according to PBS NewsHour. They also argued that jurors who believed Davis’s statements did not need independent evidence to back them up.
FAQ
Who is Keffe D?
Duane “Keffe D” Davis is the man convicted of murder in the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur. His 2019 memoir is called Compton Street Legend.
Did Keffe D shoot Tupac?
Prosecutors did not claim he pulled the trigger. They argued he was responsible because he provided the gun and ordered the attack.
What are the jail tapes?
They are recorded phone calls Davis made from jail. CNN reported that prosecutors aired them at the trial.
What sentence did he get?
A judge sentenced him to 40 years to life in prison on October 13, 2026.
Is the Tupac case over?
Davis’s lawyer has said he plans to appeal. We will update this story if that changes the outcome.
Update and correction: This story was first published in August 2026, before the trial, and has been rewritten to report the verdict and sentence. It combines two earlier stories. An earlier version said the shooting happened on September 13, 1996. The shooting was on September 7, 1996, and Shakur died six days later.
