Duane Davis, the former Crips leader found guilty in the 1996 murder of rapper Tupac Shakur, was sentenced Tuesday to 40 years to life in prison.
Davis, 63, was convicted in August of first-degree murder involving the use of a deadly weapon. Clark County District Court Judge Carli Kierny handed down the sentence in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“The world never forgot about him and his death,” Kierny said of the influential rapper.
During the hearing, Tupac’s siblings, Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur and Maurice Shakur, delivered emotional impact statements. Sekyiwa described the night her brother was killed as “a night of hunting and murdering.”
“He was my shining star — my prince,” Sekyiwa said.
Maurice said Tupac never had the opportunity to receive a trial, describing his brother’s death as devastating for both the family and the rapper’s millions of fans.
Sekyiwa urged the judge to impose the harshest possible punishment, saying Davis should be held accountable for the pain inflicted on her family and the world.
Through tears, she remembered Tupac as her protector and said she had been forced to spend the past three decades without the safety and support he provided.
Duane Davis, 63, was sentenced Tuesday to 40 years to life in prison
Tupac Shakur was 25 when he was killed on September 7, 1996
Tupac’s sister, Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur, made an emotional plea for the maximum sentence during the hearing
Sekyiwa said her brother’s death had “crippled [her] family emotionally.” She also revealed that she had been hospitalized several times for depression, suicidal ideation, trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Davis watched the testimony from court in shackles and prison clothing. He remained expressionless as Tupac’s sister became overcome with emotion while discussing the killing.
“Both of my children were raised in my grief, so they have trust issues, abandonment issues, relationship issues,” Sekyiwa said.
She pointed out that Tupac was murdered shortly after turning 25 and asked the judge to consider how the world might have changed had he lived.
Sekyiwa also honored her brother’s creative work, saying he had developed manifestos and held ambitions to become an advocate.
She likened Tupac to figures including Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, asking the court to imagine what might have been lost if either had been killed before reaching the age of 26.
“I miss my brother. I miss the scars on his head. I miss the way he ate. I miss his recipe for barbecue chicken. I miss his laugh. He was sloppy with his laugh. So full, so big,” she said through tears.
“I was the little sister that just wanted to be with her brother.”
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Davis received the maximum sentence in Clark County District Court and sat stone-faced as the judge sentenced him to 40 years to life
Sekyiwa broke down in tears when discussing the emotional impact her brother’s death has had on her and her family
Maurice Shakur, Tupac’s brother, said his brother was never given a trial, calling Tupac’s death ‘devastating’ for his family and pop culture
Before Davis was handed his sentence, Prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo said he would be ‘guaranteed to die’ behind bars.
DiGiacomo argued that Shakur’s death meant more than just the killing of a family member, adding that Davis was trying to profit off the killing.
Prosecutors argued Davis planned the strike after Shakur’s entourage attacked his nephew, Orlando ‘Baby Lane’ Anderson, a few hours earlier at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas following a Mike Tyson fight.
Davis then allegedly supplied the weapon and set in motion the shooting that killed the hip-hop icon, but did not pull the trigger.
The prosecution pointed to a 2008 agreement Davis reached with federal investigators who were looking into the death of Christopher Wallace, aka Biggie Smalls.
Davis was approached about the murder of Wallace, but instead talked about the Shakur shooting.
He had allegedly believed the deal, called a proffer, offered him immunity, but was not shielded from any future prosecution on state murder charges.
The final piece of the puzzle came when Davis published his memoir, Compton Street Legend, in 2019.
He described in the book how he played a role in Shakur’s murder, which led to a renewed investigation into the 1996 killing.
Tupac was killed in a drive-by shooting. He was sitting next to Suge Knight before shots rang out. The rapper was photographed above just minutes before his death
Davis recalled in his memoir how Shakur and his entourage beat his nephew up hours before the drive-by shooting.
He claimed that the alleged assault motivated the shooting, writing that he was in the passenger seat of the Cadillac and passed the gun to the backseat before shots were fired.
Davis is the only person ever charged in the killing. The three other passengers of the Cadillac have died.
Davis’s attorneys argued during the trial that there was a lack of physical evidence that connected him to the killing.
After nine days of testimony, the jury deliberated for three hours and returned a guilty verdict. The defense now plans to appeal.