'Legendary Rapper' 2Pac's Killer Found Guilty After 30 Years... Family Sheds Tears

The murderer of 2Pac (Tupac Shakur), a legendary figure in 1990s U.S. hip-hop, has been found guilty after 30 years.

The Associated Press and CNN reported on the 31st (local time) that a jury at the Clark County District Court in Nevada unanimously found Duane "Keefe D" Davis, 63, guilty of first-degree murder in connection with 2Pac's death.

Consequently, Davis faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

His sentencing is scheduled for October 13.

2Pac, who was beloved as a symbol of West Coast hip-hop, was shot and killed on a Las Vegas street on September 7, 1996.

The case remained an unsolved cold case for about 30 years as neither the killer nor the motive for the shooting was identified.

Davis, the leader of the Los Angeles gang Southside Compton Crips, had long been considered a prime suspect, but concrete evidence was lacking.

However, when Davis published a memoir in 2019, he confessed that he had ordered 2Pac's murder and provided the firearm.

According to the memoir, after his nephew Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson was assaulted by 2Pac's entourage, Davis pursued them for retaliation, and when 2Pac leaned out of a vehicle, he handed the gun to someone in the back seat.

The vehicle reportedly carried his nephew Anderson, Deandre "Freaky Smith" Smith, and Terry "Bubble Up" Brown, all of whom have since passed away.

Nevada law allows individuals to be prosecuted for murder if they participated in a crime even if they did not pull the trigger themselves, leading to Davis's guilty verdict.

Davis argued that his memoir was not entirely true and that parts were exaggerated to boost book sales, but the jury rejected this claim.

Prosecutors pointed out that statements in which Davis described 2Pac's murder—drawn from police interrogation transcripts, his memoir, and media interviews—were credible.

Upon the delivery of the guilty verdict, 2Pac's family members embraced one another and wept.

The trial drew immense attention for solving the mystery behind the murder of 2Pac, a legendary figure in American hip-hop.

Davis's defense team indicated plans to appeal.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.