A jury in Clark County, Nevada, has found 63-year-old Duane "Keffe D" Davis guilty of organizing the murder of hip-hop artist Tupac Shakur, according to a report by ABC News.
The criminal trial in Las Vegas concluded after jury members deliberated for less than three hours. The judicial panel found Davis guilty of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon.
Following the guilty verdict, the 63-year-old defendant faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Davis did not admit guilt during the legal proceedings.
Jury verdict and potential sentencing
Clark County is the most populous county in Nevada, encompassing the city of Las Vegas where state district court trials are conducted. Under Nevada state law, a criminal conviction for first-degree murder with a deadly weapon carries the most severe statutory penalties in the state judicial system, up to remaining in prison for life.
The court verdict resolves charges stemming from the fatal attack on Shakur, who received multiple gunshot wounds in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996. Assailants shot the hip-hop artist from a passing car, and he died several days later in a hospital.
Shooting of Tupac Shakur and allegations
Shakur was one of the most prominent and influential figures in 1990s American hip-hop music, gaining worldwide recognition for his rap recordings and cultural impact. The drive-by shooting in Las Vegas remained an unresolved high-profile case in the music industry for nearly three decades.
It was previously reported that Duane "Keffe D" Davis had named American musician and producer Sean Combs as the person who ordered the murder of Shakur. Combs has recorded and produced music for decades under the well-known pseudonyms P. Diddy and Puff Daddy.
Combs is a major music mogul who built Bad Boy Entertainment into a prominent hip-hop record label during the 1990s music era. ABC News reported that the 63-year-old Davis now faces up to life imprisonment following the guilty verdict delivered by the Clark County jury.
