A former gang leader, Duane “Keffe D” Davis, has been sentenced to 40 years to life in prison for his role in the 1996 drive-by shooting death of hip-hop star Tupac Shakur. The sentencing on Tuesday in Las Vegas, Nevada, brings a close to a 30-year investigation into one of the music industry's most enduring cold cases.

Shakur, who was 25 and at the height of his fame, died after being shot multiple times in Las Vegas. His murder has remained a subject of intense speculation and debate for decades, becoming one of rap music's most notorious unsolved mysteries.

In August, Davis, 63, was found guilty of first-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon. He is the only individual charged in connection with Shakur's death. Judge Carli Kierny presided over the sentencing, emphasizing the gravity of the crime and the lasting impact of Shakur's loss.

Prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo stated that regardless of the sentence, Davis is expected to die in prison. The prosecution argued that Davis sought to profit from the killing, a factor that influenced their request for the maximum sentence. Davis had previously made public statements and written about his involvement, including in his 2019 memoir, "Compton Street Legend."

Investigators had long considered Davis a suspect but lacked sufficient evidence for an indictment until his public admissions. Davis had entered into a proffer agreement with federal law enforcement in 2008, which offered him limited immunity for statements made privately. However, by repeating these accounts publicly, prosecutors contended that he voided the protections of that agreement.

The shooting occurred on September 7, 1996, shortly after Shakur and his entourage were involved in an altercation with Davis's nephew, Orlando Anderson, following a boxing match. Davis claimed in his memoir that the confrontation led him to seek retaliation.

Davis admitted to handing a firearm to two individuals in the backseat of a white Cadillac, who then fired shots at Shakur's vehicle as it was stopped at a red light. Shakur was a passenger in a black BMW at the time of the attack.

The resolution of this case marks a significant moment in the history of hip-hop and criminal investigations, finally providing a judicial conclusion to a crime that has captivated and haunted the public imagination for nearly three decades.