Duane “Keffe D” Davis has been sentenced to 40 years to life in prison for the 1996 murder of hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur, following a court hearing in Las Vegas on October 13, per hiphophero.com.
Nevada District Court Judge Carli Kierny handed down the sentence, addressing Davis directly in court and stating that he would finally face justice for his actions on September 7, 1996.
Judge Kierny rejected the defendant’s conduct, noting that three decades after the crime, the city of Las Vegas and the world had not forgotten Shakur.
When invited to address the court prior to sentencing, Davis asked for the return of personal items seized from his home, including photographs, before adding that he intended to appeal the conviction.
The victim’s sister, Sekyiwa Shakur, delivered an emotional victim impact statement during the proceedings. She reflected on the loss of her brother’s potential and artistic vision, telling the court that an entire generation had suffered as a result of his death. She added that anyone who commits such a crime deserves the maximum penalty.
Tupac Shakur was fatally shot in a drive-by attack in Las Vegas in September 1996, a landmark case that remained unsolved for nearly 30 years before law enforcement officials secured Davis’s conviction.