Former gang boss Duane “Keffe D” Davis has been sentenced to at least 40 years in prison for orchestrating the murder of Tupac Shakur.
A jury found Davis, 63, guilty in September of one count of murder with a deadly weapon for the rap superstar’s death in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas on 7 September 1996. He has said he will appeal the verdict.
Prosecutors argued that although Davis did not fire the gun himself, he was the ringleader of the group that committed the murder. He admitted in his memoir that he had provided the gun used in the crime.
Davis’ conviction was the first in a cold case that has intrigued hip-hop fans for nearly 30 years.
Prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo argued during Tuesday’s sentencing hearing that Davis spent years “publicly grandstanding” and bragging about his role on Shakur’s death, which he said, “had wide-ranging effects upon the world”.
Shakur’s sister, Sekyiwa Shakur, told the court: “The loss of Tupac, for a long time, crippled my family.”
“He had so much promise, intentions for a better world,” she said, adding that her brother had hoped to help his local community.
Sekyiwa Shakur asked the judge to give Davis the maximum sentence, telling Davis he will sit in prison and “contemplate what you’ve done to the world, not just to me”.
