MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
The man found guilty of orchestrating the 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur has been sentenced to at least four decades in prison. Steve Futterman reports from Las Vegas.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "CALIFORNIA LOVE")
2PAC: (Singing) California love.
STEVE FUTTERMAN, BYLINE: In 1996, Tupac Shakur was at the peak of his fame. A dominant figure in the music charts, his massive hit double album featured what remains his most well-known song, "California Love."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "CALIFORNIA LOVE")
2PAC: (Singing) California knows how to party.
FUTTERMAN: On September 7, it all came to an end. Shakur was shot near the Las Vegas Strip in a gang revenge drive-by shooting.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: All right, we are on record in State v. Davis C377.
FUTTERMAN: Yesterday, 30 years later, the man found guilty in August, former Southern California gang leader Duane Davis, received a sentence of 40 years to life. Judge Carli Kierny also gave Davis a verbal dressing down.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
CARLI KIERNY: You don't get to take a man from his family. You don't get to take his very life, his whole future from him and just walk away from it. The world never forgot about him and his death, and neither did Las Vegas. Took us 30 years, but at this time, you are going to face justice for what you did on September 7, 1996.
FUTTERMAN: The judge could have sentenced Davis to life in prison, but this punishment may not be much different. Under Nevada law, the 63-year-old Davis would be more than 100 before he's eligible for parole. Prior to announcing the sentence, the court heard emotional victim impact statements from Shakur's family, including his sister, Sekyiwa.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
SEKYIWA SHAKUR: We lost something. The whole - our whole generation lost something huge.
FUTTERMAN: She also talked about depression and suicide attempts.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
SHAKUR: I was the little sister that just wanted to be with my brother. I just wanted to be with my brother. I want to go. I want to go with you. I want to go. Why can't I go?
FUTTERMAN: For three decades, Shakur's killing was one of the great unsolved murder mysteries. Even today, there is a small undercurrent of conspiracy theorists who continue to suggest others in the violent 1990s hip-hop movement were involved.
For NPR News, I'm Steve Futterman in Las Vegas.
(SOUNDBITE OF 2PAC SONG, "HAIL MARY") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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