Keffe D sentenced to 40 years to life for murder of Tupac Shakur
Duane 'Keffe D' Davis has been sentenced to 40 years to life in prison for orchestrating the 1996 murder of rapper Tupac Shakur.
Nevada District Court Judge Carli Kierny imposed the sentence, Rolling Stone reported. Davis was 63 at the time of sentencing.
The punishment followed a unanimous verdict from a Las Vegas jury on Aug. 31. Jurors convicted Davis of first-degree murder, the charge used for an intentional and planned killing, after deliberating for three hours.
Prosecutors argued that Davis organised the attack without firing the weapon himself. They presented evidence that he obtained the gun, passed it to the back seat of the car and gave his nephew the signal to open fire. Davis was never accused of firing the shots that killed Shakur, according to Reuters.
Shakur was shot on Sept. 7, 1996, while riding in a car with Marion "Suge" Knight, CNN reported. He was struck multiple times and died six days later, according to AP News. Knight was wounded in the shooting but survived.
The case centred on liability for planning and directing a killing, rather than carrying it out. That distinction mattered at trial. Prosecutors did not need to show that Davis pulled the trigger to seek a murder conviction.
Before the sentence was imposed, Davis addressed the court. He said he plans to appeal the case.
The life term sets a minimum period before any release can be considered. For now, the conviction and sentence stand unless an appeal court rules otherwise.
