Ex-gang boss sentenced to 40 years for orchestrating Tupac Shakur's murder

What the report says

Former gang boss Duane “Keffe D” Davis has been sentenced to 40 years in prison in connection with the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur, BBC World News reported. The sentencing follows a jury verdict in September finding Davis guilty of one count of murder with a deadly weapon in the Las Vegas drive-by shooting that left Shakur dead on 7 September 1996.

Prosecutors said Davis did not fire the gun but acted as the organizer of the attack and provided the weapon used in the crime. The BBC said his own statements were central to the case, including public remarks in which he described being in the white Cadillac from which the shots were fired. He had also discussed aspects of the killing in a memoir and later media interviews, which prosecutors used after a judge allowed a prior police interview to be admitted at trial.

Davis has said he will appeal. His conviction is notable because it is the first in a long-running cold case that has drawn intense attention from hip-hop fans and investigators for nearly three decades. Shakur was 25 at the time of his death and was one of rap’s most influential figures. The BBC noted that the prosecution also linked the case to alleged gang involvement, while the defense argued Davis had exaggerated his role for publicity.