Tupac’s Family Reacts As Keffe D Gets 40 Years To Life For Murder

Behind Tupac Shakur’s notable music career was a young man who prioritized the well-being of those around him. This was highlighted by his family during a recent emotional sentencing hearing on October 13.

Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 63, received a sentence of 40 years to life in prison from Judge Carli Kierny for first-degree murder with a deadly weapon related to the 1996 killing of the Hip Hop artist in Las Vegas, according to reports.

During the hearing, Tupac’s sister, Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur, and stepbrother, Maurice “Mopreme” Shakur, reflected on the brother they lost and the future he never had the chance to experience.

Sekyiwa Shakur mentioned that Tupac supported at least 17 families early in his career. In her victim impact statement, she described how her brother provided financial assistance to relatives and others long before reaching the height of his success. “He was paying all of the bills, all of the rent, all of the food, clothes for at least — I’ve counted them — 17 different families at the age of 25, and he had started that when he was 17, 18… when he began his career,” she stated, as reported by legal affairs journalist Meghann Cuniff.

She also recalled how Tupac consistently sent money while she was studying in New York. “When I was in New York going to school, [living] separate lives, he sent what he could every single month. He sent me, my aunt $50 a month in the beginning, just to contribute to the household that his sister was living in. To me, that’s an amazing example of a 20-year-old… of a 19-year-old,” she continued.

The impact of Tupac’s passing extended beyond financial support. Sekyiwa discussed the emotional strain his death imposed on her family, including the men who were with him that night. “My son was 6 months when he died,” she shared. “His father, his uncles were in that car procession that night. My younger cousins [were] in that car procession that night… My little brother was in a car procession that night, and none of these men in my family were the same again.”

She added, “That day, the loss of Tupac for a long time crippled my entire family emotionally and mentally. I’ve been hospitalized multiple times for depression, suicidal ideation, and trauma/PTSD… I finally had a child, which meant my son wouldn’t have had to grow up the way the other men in my family did without having an elder man to support them and guide them, and that was taken away.”

Tupac’s stepbrother also spoke about their family’s missed milestones and requested the maximum sentence for Keffe D. Maurice, who grew up alongside Tupac and performed with him in THUG LIFE and the Outlaw Immortalz, expressed in court, “The impact from my brother’s murder has been devastating, heartbreaking, and sad for me, my family, and the nation of Pac fans and loved ones. Pac didn’t get a chance to have any kids. Pac didn’t see his nieces and nephews grow up, and Pac didn’t have a trial. All Pac got was a death sentence. So the longest possible, Your Honor. Thank you,” as shared by Cuniff’s footage.

Keffe D was convicted and sentenced decades after Tupac’s murder. The “California Love” artist was shot on September 7, 1996, while riding with Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight following an altercation involving Davis’ nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, at the MGM Grand. The rapper passed away six days later at the age of 25.

Prosecutors claimed that Davis provided the weapon and directed the attack, although he was not accused of firing the fatal shots. A jury convicted him of first-degree murder on August 31. Davis chose not to address the court when given that opportunity. He remains the only person convicted in the case, according to NBC News.

For Tupac’s family, the sentencing represented a significant development in a case that had remained unresolved for decades, although their statements indicated that no prison sentence could bring back the time they lost with him.