Though I don't think we've covered it here at Hot Air, you may have heard that there has been a trial taking place for the 1996 murder of rapper Tupac Shakur. The person on trial is Duane "Keffe D" Davis, a former gang leader. Today he was found guilty of the crime, though it seems he didn't pull the trigger. Nevertheless, the jury didn't spend long deliberating.
The man accused of orchestrating rapper Tupac Shakur’s killing in 1996 has been found guilty of first-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon in the Las Vegas slaying nearly 30 years ago.
For nearly two weeks, Clark County prosecutors argued that Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 63, was a former “shotcaller” for the South Side Compton Crips in Los Angeles and that he sought revenge on Shakur after the beloved rapper attacked his nephew.
Following Monday’s verdict, district Judge Carli Kierny ordered Davis to remain in jail until his Oct. 13 sentencing...
Davis was not charged with pulling the fatal trigger, but under Nevada law, someone who helps another person commit murder can be convicted of the crime.
Apparently, Davis was convicted after putting himself in the car with the shooter. Everyone else in the car at the time is dead now.
For years, nobody had been charged in the rapper's death until Davis began making public statements, saying he was in the Cadillac and gave the gun to others in the backseat. Davis described the shooting as an act of retaliation after Knight and Shakur's entourage beat up Davis' nephew hours before the shooting...
Davis is the only person still alive among the four men prosecutors say were in the Cadillac. The man who prosecutors say originally gave the gun to Davis is also dead.
The defense argued that prosecutors had no proof Davis was there except his own statements but prosecutors responded his statements were enough.
Davis' defense attorney, Michael Sanft, challenged jurors to identify evidence outside Davis' own statements that placed him in Las Vegas or inside the Cadillac on the night Shakur was shot. He pointed to the absence of surveillance footage, phone records and other evidence putting Davis there.
"They have nothing in this case that says that man was here in Las Vegas on Sept. 7, 1996," Sanft said, pointing toward Davis...
[Deputy District Attorney Binu] Palal told jurors that if they believe Davis' statements, they do not have to be independently corroborated with additional evidence...
"Who fired is not the question," Palal said. Prosecutors haven't argued that Davis pulled the trigger, but instead that he was criminally responsible because he provided the gun and ordered the attack.
Why would he start talking about this in the first place? Apparently he wanted the attention.
For 30 years, the drive-by shooting of Mr. Shakur went unresolved in criminal court, turning into fodder for true-crime enthusiasts and conspiracy theorists.
The case was revived after Mr. Davis began speaking publicly about the killing, handing prosecutors evidence on which to charge him. In podcast interviews and a 2019 memoir, he described himself as having played a central role in the shooting, though he said one of his associates pulled the trigger.
Davis is now facing life in prison at his sentencing but has already said he plans to appeal. And he may have some solid grounds for the appeal. Part of the case against him comes from a recording of a meeting he had to discuss a proffer agreement. He was specifically told at that meeting that nothing he said could be used against him. So we may need to wait a while to see if this verdict holds up on appeal.
Editor’s Note: The American people overwhelmingly support President Trump’s law and order agenda.
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