2Pac Murder Suspect Keefe D Found Guilty in Jail Fight by Las Vegas Jury

Former gang member from Compton and suspected leader of rapper Tupac Shakur’s 1996 murder, Duane “Keefe D” Davis, was convicted by a Las Vegas jury on April 11, 2025, of his involvement in a prison brawl. The fight, which occurred in the Clark County Detention Center late last year, presents further legal wrinkle as Davis waits for his long-postponed murder trial in one of the most infamous cases of music history.

It occurred on Dec. 23, 2024, between Davis, 61, and fellow inmate Rochlon Hamilton, 53. Footage from the surveillance cameras revealed that the two men were involved in what officials characterized as “mutual combat“—grappling, punching, and Davis putting Hamilton in a headlock before corrections staffers used pepper spray to intervene.

Davis was subsequently accused of two crimes: battery by a prisoner and challenge to fight. Both offenses have a possible total prison sentence of 12 years.

Davis entered a not-guilty plea, maintaining that he had acted in self-defense. At trial, his defense team argued that Hamilton had lain in wait for him and had no option but to defend himself. Prosecutors painted a different scene. Prosecutors elicited evidence through recordings of phone calls made from the jail in which Davis apparently gloated about the altercation, implying that the fight had perhaps occurred intentionally or, if not, could have been prevented.

The panel of judges was not convinced by Davis’s claim of self-defense and found him guilty on both charges. Sentencing has been set for May 27, 2025.

This new conviction is independent of the long-awaited trial Davis has pending for his involvement in the assassination of Tupac Shakur almost thirty years ago. Davis, authorities say, played a part in setting up the fatal drive-by shooting that killed Shakur in Las Vegas on September 13, 1996. Although a suspect for a long time, Davis was not arrested until September of 2023.

Originally scheduled for March 2025, Davis’s trial on murder charges has now been delayed until February 9, 2026. His lawyers had successfully pleaded for an extra time allowance in which they could gather evidence and interview possible witnesses that may be able to verify his assertion that he was not in Las Vegas when the murder occurred. Davis’ defense has also entailed a contentious assertion: that he had federal immunity because of earlier interviews admitting involvement in Tupac’s murder. Davis had made public statements regarding the case numerous times before, such as in a 2019 memoir and a series of media interviews.

But Judge Carli Kierny disagreed with this argument and held that there was no valid legal agreement for Davis’ protection from prosecution. The court held that everything Davis said regarding the murder had been given voluntarily and without legal protection, potentially for publicity or for financial reward.

Davis waits for his murder trial from behind bars, where he sits without bail. His attorneys have expressed concern for his health, citing serious medical conditions, among them cancer. Davis has taken blood thinner medication, which subjects him to a higher degree of internal bleeding and injury complication risks—a fact his attorneys pointed out during the proceedings in the jailhouse fight.

They contend the detention facility isn’t giving appropriate medical attention, a factor that will likely be included in upcoming appeals or sentencing.

With his guilty plea on the record, Duane “Keefe D” Davis risks facing further prison time before his trial for Tupac Shakur’s murder starts. Legal analysts indicate that this new turn of events may complicate his defense in his impending trial by presenting an image of a man already guilty of violence in prison.