A Nevada judge sentenced Duane Davis to 40 years to life for orchestrating the 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur.
The big picture: Duane "Keffe D" Davis, 63, received 40 years to life in prison Tuesday for orchestrating the Las Vegas drive-by shooting that killed rapper and actor Tupac Shakur.
- A jury convicted Davis in August of first-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon. Even with credit for time served, the sentence makes him ineligible for parole until he is at least 100, AP reported.
- Judge Carli Kierny told Davis that the world and Las Vegas had not forgotten Shakur, who was 25 when he was shot near the Strip in September 1996.
The backstory: The killing grew from a long-running gang feud and remained unsolved for decades. Prosecutors built the case after Davis described his role in interviews and a 2019 memoir.
- Davis, a former leader of the South Side Compton Crips, is the only person ever charged in Shakur's death. His lawyer said he will appeal the conviction.
What they're saying: "This man's life mattered," Shakur's sister, Sekyiwa Shakur, told the court. She said her brother would have moved from music into activism and possibly politics had he survived.
Why it matters: The sentence closes the trial phase of one of American music's longest-running murder mysteries, while an appeal means the legal case can continue more than 30 years after the shooting.
