Source: BBC
Former gang leader Duane “Keffe D” Davis has been sentenced to at least 40 years in prison for orchestrating the 1996 murder of American rapper Tupac Shakur.
Davis, 63, was found guilty in September of one count of murder with a deadly weapon over Shakur’s death in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996. He has indicated that he will appeal the conviction.
Prosecutors argued that although Davis did not fire the fatal shots himself, he organised the group responsible for the killing. In his memoir, Davis admitted providing the gun used in the crime.
During Tuesday’s sentencing hearing, prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo said Davis had spent years publicly boasting about his role in the murder, which he described as having “wide-ranging effects upon the world”.
Shakur’s sister, Sekyiwa Shakur, told the court that her brother’s death had devastated their family and cut short his ambitions to improve the lives of people in his community.
“The loss of Tupac, for a long time, crippled my family,” she said.
She urged the judge to impose the maximum sentence, telling Davis he would have time in prison to “contemplate what you’ve done to the world, not just to me”.
Shakur’s brother, Maurice Shakur, also appealed for the longest possible sentence.
When asked by Judge Carli Kierny whether he had anything to say before sentencing, Davis replied: “I’m good. I’m gonna appeal this case for sure.”
The judge said Davis could not take away another person’s life and future without facing the consequences, adding that the world had never forgotten Shakur or his death.
Davis’ conviction marks the first in a murder case that remained unsolved for decades and drew sustained attention from hip-hop fans.
A key part of the prosecution’s case was Davis’ own statements, in which he repeatedly acknowledged being inside the white Cadillac from which the shots were fired. He also spoke to authorities about his role in Shakur’s killing during a secret police interview in 2008 connected to the investigation into the murder of fellow rapper Christopher Wallace, known as The Notorious B.I.G., who was killed months after Shakur.
