How conviction of Duane Davis could help crack unsolved murder of Notorious B.I.G.

The breakthrough in finally solving the Shakur case largely came down to one thing – Davis’ own words.

Through documentaries with the media, his own memoir, podcasts and even a secret police interview – he acknowledged his role in Shakur’s death. Davis said he tossed a firearm in the backseat and his nephew, Orlando Anderson, used the gun to fatally shoot Shakur as they pulled up alongside his vehicle in Las Vegas on 7 September, 1996.

Anderson was shot dead in 1998, having denied killing Shakur.

During the trial, there were no eye-witnesses to place Davis as being in the car, no murder weapon presented, no video or photo evidence. His defence team went as far as to argue there wasn’t even proof that he was in Las Vegas that night.

Rahmani said it was a difficult case to prosecute. He noted the rumours and speculation surrounding Davis were nothing new and had been around for decades – but the decision to charge him and go to trial was an “uphill climb” – a gutsy move – for prosecutors.

“Look, when you’re a prosecutor, you’re expected to win every time. They made a difficult decision to charge a case that a lot of people thought might be a loser,” he explained. “And they got justice, where other people didn’t even bother trying.”

Davis’ attorney Michael Sanft asked the jury to consider “what facts do you have?” He urged the panel, before they decided their guilty verdict, to discredit his client as a liar who told tales to sell books and make money.

“There’s no proof,” he argued to the jury.

The moment the guilty verdict was read in court, Shakur’s family burst into emotion. Some cried and wiped tears with tissues. Others hugged and held hands – one family member even embraced one of the prosecutors in the case.