Duane Keffe D Davis sentenced to 40 years to life for Tupac Shakur murder Duane Keffe D Davis, 63, was sentenced Tuesday to 40 years to life in prison for orchestrating the 1996 drive-by shooting of Tupac Shakur near the Las Vegas Strip. He is the only person ever charged in the rapper's death. Duane Keffe D Davis was sentenced Tuesday to 40 years to life in prison for orchestrating the murder of rap icon Tupac Shakur, who was gunned down off the Las Vegas Strip over 30 years ago. Davis, 63, was convicted in August of first-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon. A former leader of the South Side Compton Crips, Davis stared blankly at Judge Carli Kierny as she imposed a penalty that, even with credit for time served, won't see him eligible for parole until he's at least 100.You don't get to take a man from his family, you don't get to take his very life, his whole future from him and just walk away from it, especially when that man is Tupac Shakur, Kierny said. The world never forgot about him and his death and neither did Las Vegas. Davis, whose lawyer said he will appeal his conviction, is the only person ever charged in Shakur's death.Davis Sentenced to 40 Years Life for Tupac MurderProsecutor Marc DiGiacomo said Tuesday that whatever sentence the court imposes, Davis is guaranteed to die behind bars. It is not just about losing a family member, DiGiacomo said as Shakur sister Sekyiwa Set Shakur nodded her head in the audience. The killing, rooted in a long-running gang feud, had gone unsolved for decades - captivating the public and tormenting Shakur's loved ones - until Davis started bragging about it in interviews and a memoir.Davis was charged after giving interviews and publishing a tell-all memoir in 2019 detailing what he said was his role in the infamous shooting. DiGiacomo said Davis was trying to profit off a killing that he committed, and for that he does not deserve the minimum sentence. In my mind he deserves the maximum possible sentence, DiGiacomo said. Davis spoke briefly in court, telling Judge Carli Kierny he wants items back that police took from his house, including his pictures.Asked if there was anything else he wanted to say, Davis said: No I am good. Davis lawyer, Michael Sanft, said he plans to appeal the verdict. Sanft said prosecutors waited too long to bring the case. On the night of Sept. 7, 1996, Shakur was in the passenger seat of a black BMW with music mogul Marion Suge Knight when a white Cadillac pulled up at a red light, and shots erupted.Shakur was shot multiple times and died six days later, while Knight survived. Shakur is considered one of the most influential and versatile rappers of all time and had a burgeoning film career as an actor at the time of his death. His legend has only grown since. His songs still resonate among fans with themes of hardship, love and Black struggles.Family Reflects on Tupac Life and LegacyShakur's sister, Sekyiwa Set Shakur, said it was hard listening over and over again to Davis describe how he hunted and killed her brother, cutting him down at age 25, just as his popularity as a musician and actor was peaking. Gentle and kind, Shakur was his family's protector, she said.Had he survived injuries that included the loss of a lung, he would have left rapping behind and delved into activism, treading the path of luminaries like Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., and perhaps even politics, she said. This man's life mattered, Sekyiwa Shakur said as family members cried in the audience. Shakur's brother, Maurice Mopreme Shakur, said the killing has been devastating, heartbreaking and sad for him, his family and Shakur's fans.The family is expected to speak at the sentencing. In his memoir, Davis explained how Shakur and his entourage beat up Davis nephew hours before the shooting in Las Vegas. He said he sought retaliation, and that he was in the passenger seat of the Cadillac and passed the gun to the backseat, where shots were fired. Davis had spoken to detectives years before but avoided prosecution because of an agreement he made with law enforcement.During the weekslong trial, prosecutors relied on Davis own statements he made to law enforcement and documentarians. They argued Davis orchestrated the shooting and provided the gun used in Shakur death, which was the result of a rivalry between the South Side Compton Crips and Mob Piru. Davis defense attorney pointed to a lack of physical evidence that connected his client to the 30-year-old crime, and he portrayed Davis as a liar who was trying to make money.Jury Deliberates and Convicts Davis After TrialAfter nine days of hearing testimony in August, the jury deliberated for three hours before turning over the guilty verdict. Following the verdict, prosecutor Binu Palal said that to many people, Shakur was an icon or an idea, but to the family, Tupac Shakur was a brother, a son, a cousin, a loved person ripped from them 30 years ago. Palal said the family had to sit through years of Davis bragging about killing someone they loved.They loved that man. And the arrogance that Mr. Davis had in expressing his joy in killing that man ultimately was his undoing, Palal said. One Shakur fan, rapper Din Lil Therapy Malone, said justice is halfway done and wants to see other people charged. I've been grieving for 30 years plus, he said at the courthouse Tuesday.I still got a frog in my throat from crying. The three other people allegedly in the Cadillac with Davis have died. They included Davis nephew, Orlando Baby Lane Anderson, whom Davis said was the one who pulled the trigger. Prosecutors say they have insufficient evidence to charge anyone else.Combs Role and Additional Charges ConsideredSean Diddy Combs and his alleged role were brought up often throughout the trial. Witnesses testified Combs used members of the South Side Compton Crips for security for Bad Boy Records. In his book and public statements, Davis alleged Combs offered him money to kill Shakur and Knight. Combs, who is serving a four-year prison sentence after being convicted of prostitution-related offenses, has repeatedly denied any involvement in the death of Shakur.Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson has said his office does not believe it has sufficient evidence to charge anyone else. But like any other case, if we come into more information, more evidence, we can always consider filing additional charges, he said following the guilty verdict. But today, we do not believe that is the appropriate move to make.