By Jadyn Buccilli
Staff Writer
After three decades of searching for the man behind famous rapper Tupac Shakur’s death, the world finally has an answer. BBC reports that the verdict, which was read on Aug. 31, states that former gang boss Duane “Keffe D” Davis was proven guilty of organizing the murder.
Shakur was a hip-hop artist whose music spanned through the 1990s. His music was and still is admired by fans of the genre. Unfortunately, his career and his life were cut short during a drive-by shooting on Sept. 7, 1996 at the age of 25.
Davis, although being the man charged with the murder of Shakur, did not actively fire his weapon on the day of the crime. He was, according to the prosecution, mainly responsible for ordering the shooting, along with supplying a gun to his nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson.
Anderson, along with his uncle, was allegedly a member of the South Side Compton Crips in California. He denied being involved with the murder of Shakur when accused in the years following his death. Anderson was killed in an unrelated drive-by shooting in 1998.
Interestingly enough, the evidence that was used against Davis during his trial was his own words. Another famous rapper, Christopher Wallace, also known as Biggie Smalls or Notorious B.I.G., was also murdered just a few months after Shakur. Wallace’s murder was also a mystery, and Davis was questioned by the police about his sudden death.
In 2008 and 2009, Davis was interviewed by the Los Angeles Police Department. Though he had no information on Wallace’s death, he openly admitted that he had been in the white Cadillac from which Shakur was shot. Though this was used as evidence in the case, Davis admitted this at the time because he was promised that he would not be prosecuted for what he said during the interview, according to Biography.com.
Davis admitted his crime to more than just the police. Under the agreement that he would not be prosecuted, he was also interviewed by the media for years before the case. He even wrote a memoir, “Compton Street Legend,” that went into detail about how he contributed to the drive-by.
While there is finally a clear verdict after 30 years, there are some questions that have been unanswered. In the secret police interview recorded in 2008 concerning the murders of Wallace and Shakur, Davis also claimed that Sean Combs, more commonly known as “Diddy,” gave orders to Davis to kill Shakur.
Combs, who was the founder of Bad Boy Records, allegedly proposed a prize of $1 million for the death of Shakur and Marion “Surge” Knight. For decades, hip-hop fans have constantly theorized that Combs was responsible for the drive-by. While Combs denied this claim and was not prosecuted for the murder, having a witness that was directly involved with the crime has once again resurfaced questions amongst fans. Combs is currently in prison for sex trafficking, though he has not been found guilty for this particular case.
Davis will have his sentencing on Oct. 13, in which attorney Steven Wolfson predicts that he will face a minimum of 40 years in prison for his crimes. Only time will tell if more information gets covered in this case when the sentencing comes.
