How long will ex-gangster spend behind bars for Tupac's murder?
What's the story
Duane "Keffe D" Davis, the former gang leader convicted of orchestrating Tupac Shakur's murder, has been sentenced to a minimum of 40 years in prison. The jury found him guilty in late August on one count of murder with a deadly weapon for the rap icon's death in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996. Davis has announced plans to appeal the verdict.
Case background
Davis was accused of being the mastermind behind Shakur's murder
Davis, 63, was accused by prosecutors of being the mastermind behind Shakur's murder, even though he didn't pull the trigger.
He confessed in his memoir to supplying the gun used in the crime.
The case was a breakthrough in a nearly 30-year-old cold case that has fascinated hip-hop enthusiasts.
During Tuesday's sentencing hearing, prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo said Davis spent years "publicly grandstanding" about his involvement in Shakur's death, which "had wide-ranging effects upon the world."
Victim's impact
Sekyiwa and Maurice Shakur asked for the longest sentence
Shakur's sister, Sekyiwa Shakur, and brother Maurice Shakur both asked for the longest possible sentence during the hearing.
Sekyiwa said, "The loss of Tupac, for a long time, crippled my family." She added that her brother had hoped to help his local community.
Before handing down the sentence, Judge Carli Kierny told him: "You don't get to take a man from his family."
"Especially when that man is Tupac Shakur."
Evidence
His own statements were crucial to the case against him
Davis's own statements were crucial to the case against him.
He had confessed to being in the white Cadillac from which the fatal shots were fired.
In a 2008 police interview about fellow rapper Notorious B.I.G.'s death, he disclosed his involvement in Shakur's murder in return for immunity from prosecution.
However, his 2019 memoir Compton Street Legend and subsequent media interviews nullified this agreement, allowing prosecutors to use his police interview as evidence during trial.
Legacy
Shakur was only 25 years old when he was killed
Shakur was 25 years old and at the peak of his career when he was killed. He has sold over 75 million records worldwide.
For three decades, his murder was one of America's most notorious cold cases, until Davis's conviction last month.
Throughout the trial, Davis's defense team argued that his statements were mere fiction - bravado and exaggeration meant to sell books and make money.