Nearly 30 years after Tupac Shakur was killed, a Las Vegas jury has found Duane “Keffe D” Davis, former leader of the South Side Compton Crips, guilty of his murder.
Tupac’s 1996 death in a drive-by shooting has long been one of popular culture’s great mysteries, with no arrests until 2023, when Davis was unexpectedly charged.
The nearly two-week trial centred on Davis’ own words: police interviews and his 2019 memoir, in which he wrote that he had provided the weapon used to kill Tupac, and described Tupac attacking his nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, as the reason for the retaliation. A courtroom clip showed Davis urging people to buy the book for the “real truth” — which prosecutors called a “textbook” admission of guilt.
Davis’ defence argued the claims were bravado meant to sell books, with his own lawyer portraying him as a liar whose stories couldn’t be trusted. Jurors weren’t convinced, returning a guilty verdict in under three hours.
As BBC News North America correspondent Shaimaa Khalil notes, it was ultimately Davis’ own accounts that led to his conviction.
The case may not be over. After the verdict, Davis told the court he intends to appeal.
Source: BBC
