Guilty verdict in 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur

The jury has reached a verdict in the trial of Duane "Keffe D" Davis , the man accused of orchestrating the killing of rapper Tupac Shakur on a Las Vegas night nearly 30 years ago.

Davis, 63, is charged with murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang in Shakur's death. He had pleaded not guilty , but if convicted, he faces life in prison.

Prosecutors had argued that Davis' own words prove he orchestrated the drive-by shooting, and Davis' attorney countered there was no evidence placing him in Las Vegas that night in 1996.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal told jurors in closing arguments that Davis acquired a gun and "went hunting" for Shakur and Death Row Records co-founder Marion "Suge" Knight after they beat up Davis' nephew earlier that night.

Palal acknowledged that Davis' accounts of the killing evolved over the years but argued those differences reflected Davis' changing motivations and efforts to protect himself. One critical detail, he said, remained consistent: Davis repeatedly placed himself inside a white Cadillac from which the shots were fired.

Davis' defense attorney, Michael Sanft, challenged jurors to identify evidence outside Davis' own statements that placed him in Las Vegas or inside the Cadillac on the night Shakur was shot. He pointed to the absence of surveillance footage, phone records and other evidence putting Davis there.

"They have nothing in this case that says that man was here in Las Vegas on Sept. 7, 1996," Sanft said, pointing toward Davis.