A Las Vegas jury has found former gang leader Duane "Keffe D” Davis guilty of murder in the 1996 killing of American rap icon Tupac Shakur, marking the first conviction in a cold case that has captivated the hip-hop world for nearly three decades.

Davis, 63, was convicted of murder with the use of a deadly weapon after jurors deliberated for three hours following a trial that lasted approximately two weeks. He faces a possible life sentence.

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Shakur was shot in a drive-by attack in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996, shortly after attending a boxing match. The rapper died from his injuries several days later at the age of 25.

Prosecutors argued that Davis was motivated by revenge after his nephew, Orlando Anderson, was assaulted by Shakur and members of his Death Row Records entourage at the MGM Grand casino earlier that night.

Prosecutor Binu Palal told jurors that Davis "went hunting” for Shakur and Death Row co-founder Marion "Suge” Knight following the altercation.

Although Davis was not accused of firing the fatal shots, prosecutors relied on Nevada's felony murder law, which allows a person to be convicted of murder for participating in a crime that results in a killing, even if they did not pull the trigger. During the trial, jurors heard Davis tell detectives that Anderson had fired the shots.

A significant part of the prosecution's case rested on Davis's own statements about the killing. He discussed the shooting with investigators, in media interviews and in his 2019 memoir, Compton Street Legend, repeatedly placing himself inside the Cadillac used in the attack.

His public accounts of the shooting became central to the case, while the court ruled that his police interview could be used as evidence against him.

The defence, however, challenged the credibility of those statements. Defence attorney Michael Sanft argued that there was no evidence, beyond Davis's own accounts, placing him in Las Vegas or inside the vehicle on the night of the shooting.

Sanft also maintained that Davis had exaggerated his involvement in the killing to gain notoriety and make money from interviews and book sales.

Davis was arrested in September 2023 and remained in custody throughout the trial. Following the verdict, he told the judge that he intended to appeal.

Shakur's killing had remained unsolved for decades, becoming one of the most notorious cases in music history. The murder was widely associated with the bitter rivalry between rival Los Angeles gangs and the feud between the Death Row and Bad Boy record labels during the 1990s.

One of the most influential and commercially successful rappers of his generation, Shakur was gunned down at the height of his career. Nearly 30 years later, Davis's conviction marks a major development in the long-running pursuit of justice for the hip-hop legend.