Judge Sentences Duane Davis in Tupac Shakur Murder Case

A Las Vegas judge sentenced Duane Davis after he was convicted of first-degree murder in the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur. Davis, 63, faced a possible life sentence without parole after a Clark County jury found him guilty in August.

Judge Carli Kierny, who oversaw the trial, decided Davis' punishment after he waived his right to have a jury recommend a sentence. Prosecutors did not seek the death penalty, according to news3lv.com.

Shakur was shot on Sept. 7, 1996, while sitting in a black BMW driven by music executive Marion "Suge" Knight near the Las Vegas Strip. According to news3lv.com, Shakur died six days later and Knight survived the shooting.

Prosecutors argued Davis helped organize the attack after a fight involving his nephew, Orlando Anderson. They relied on Davis' past interviews, a 2019 memoir, and other public statements, according to ABC News.

"The strength of our case was Mr. Davis," and "all of the interviews and the book-writing and the podcasts and his mouth," said Steve Wolfson, Clark County District Attorney.

Wolfson said prosecutors viewed Davis' own public statements as central evidence in the case. Davis was the only person charged in connection with Shakur's killing, while Anderson died in a gang shootout in 1998.

"I beat the streets, I beat the Feds, and I beat cancer. Now, he's trying to beat 12 of you... Mr.

Davis is attempting to escape responsibility for a crime everybody knows he committed, even him... End of the day, hold him accountable for the crime he committed," said Marc DiGiacomo, prosecutor.

DiGiacomo made the remarks during closing arguments, according to ABC News. Prosecutors said Davis did not fire the shots himself but played a role in arranging the drive-by shooting.

Defense attorneys argued there was not enough evidence placing Davis in Las Vegas that night or proving he was involved in the vehicle used in the attack. They said his statements about the killing were fabricated for financial gain.

"The danger in this case has always been, just because we say something, is it true?" said Michael Sanft, Davis' lawyer.

Davis was arrested in September 2023 and charged with murder with the use of a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang, according to ABC News. He has remained in custody and previously pleaded not guilty.

A 12-person Clark County jury reached a unanimous guilty verdict after less than three hours of deliberation, according to ABC News. Davis said after the verdict that he planned to appeal.