Keffe D Sentenced to 40 Years to Life for Tupac Murder
Duane "Keffe D" Davis was sentenced Oct. 13, 2026 to 40 years to life (20-to-life for murder plus 20-to-life for the weapon enhancement) for orchestrating the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur; his lawyer says they will appeal.
Thirty years after Tupac Shakur was gunned down off the Las Vegas Strip, the only man ever charged in the case now has his sentence.
On Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, Clark County District Judge Carli Kierny sentenced Duane "Keffe D" Davis, 63, to 40 years to life in prison. Variety reports the judge gave him 20 years to life for first-degree murder plus 20 years to life for the deadly weapon enhancement. AP, CNN, 8 News Now in Las Vegas, Variety and Pitchfork all reported the 40-to-life sentence. CNN reported he gets 731 days of credit for time already served.
He was facing a maximum of life without parole. A Las Vegas jury convicted him on Aug. 31 of first-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon after deliberating less than three hours. Prosecutors never said Davis fired the shots. They said he orchestrated the 1996 drive-by, and the jury heard that he had told police in 2008 that his nephew, Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson, pulled the trigger. Anderson died in 1998.
Before sentencing, the prosecution called Davis an eight-time felon and said he "earned" the maximum. Tupac's sister Sekyiwa "Set" Shakur choked back tears and called her brother "my shining star, my shining prince." His brother Maurice "Mopreme" Shakur asked for the longest sentence possible: "Pac didn't have a trial. All Pac got was a death sentence."
Defense attorney Michael Sanft said they will appeal. Per Variety, Davis himself told the judge he just wants his stuff back that was taken from his home. He has long said his old stories about the shooting were told for money and clout.
Sources: AP (Oct. 13, 2026); CNN (Oct. 13, 2026); 8 News Now Las Vegas (Oct. 13, 2026); Variety (Oct. 13, 2026); Pitchfork (Oct. 13, 2026); The Mirror (Oct. 13, 2026). Photo: courtroom frame via TMZ.