Duane “Keefe D” Davis, a former gang leader convicted in connection with the 1996 killing of American rapper Tupac Shakur, has been sentenced to 40 years to life in prison by a court in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Davis, 63, was convicted of first-degree murder in August over his role in organising the drive-by shooting that killed the hip-hop star nearly three decades ago.
The sentence was delivered on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, by Judge Carli Kierny, who stressed the gravity of the crime and the prolonged wait for justice.
Addressing Davis during the sentencing, Kierny said he had no right to take away Shakur’s life and deprive his family of the future they could have shared with him.
Prosecutors had urged the court to impose the maximum sentence, arguing that Davis had repeatedly sought to profit from his connection to the killing over the years.
Prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo maintained that Davis’s actions and what he described as a lack of remorse justified the lengthy prison term.
However, Davis’s defence lawyer, Michael Sanft, had asked the court to impose a 40-year sentence and confirmed that the defence intended to appeal the conviction.
Before the sentence was announced, Shakur’s sister, Sekyiwa Shakur, and brother, Maurice, addressed the court, describing the lasting emotional impact of the rapper’s death on their family.
Sekyiwa spoke about the pain of losing her brother and the difficulties the family had endured during the nearly 30 years since his death. She also described the personal toll of the tragedy, including mental health struggles and hospitalisations.
She recalled the everyday moments she missed most, including her brother’s laughter, his cooking and simply having him around.
Shakur, widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in hip-hop history, was shot in a drive-by attack in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996. He died six days later, aged 25.
His killing remained unsolved for decades before Davis was arrested in 2023 and charged in connection with the case.
The sentence marks a major development in one of hip-hop’s most closely followed murder cases, which has continued to attract public attention because of Shakur’s enduring influence on music and popular culture.
