40 years in prison for defendant in Tupac trial

The main defendant in the murder trial of rap icon Tupac Shakur has been sentenced to 40 years in prison. Judge Carlin Kierny announced the sentence in Las Vegas, Nevada, around six weeks after a jury returned a guilty verdict.

The jury in the trial, which lasted several weeks, considered it proven that Davis was the mastermind behind the rapper's death. Davis, who appeared in court in handcuffs, said along with his attorney that he would appeal.

Tupac Shakur shot dead at 25

Tupac Shakur was one of the most influential and successful rappers of the 1990s and is still considered a defining figure in hip-hop today. The musician known for hits like "California Love" and "Changes" sold millions of records worldwide. The then 25-year-old rapper was shot in a car in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996 and died in the hospital six days later.

Davis was not accused in the trial of shooting Shakur himself. The public prosecutor saw the former leader of the South Side Compton Crips street gang as the mastermind of the deadly attack in the vicinity of rival groups.

According to the prosecution, Davis organized the retaliation and obtained the weapon. Under Nevada state law, someone who aids others in the crime can also be convicted of murder.

Difficult evidence

For a long time there was not enough evidence to bring the case to court. In the end, Davis' own words, among other things, helped the investigation further, the police said. Davis had spoken publicly several times about being in the white Cadillac from which the shots were fired at Shakur. He stated in interviews and in his autobiography that he was the only inmate still alive. His nephew fired the fatal shots, he said during an interrogation in 2008.

In order to refute these statements, defense attorney Michael Sanft portrayed his client as a liar and braggart in the trial. He invented many things to capitalize on it. There was no physical evidence in the trial that Davis was actually at the crime scene.

Davis was arrested in Las Vegas in 2023 and charged with, among other things, murder with use of a deadly weapon. He pleaded not guilty.