"Not how this works": judge sentences Keefe D Davis for Tupac's murder
Judge Carli Kierny answers Davis's claims that he had moved on, then hands down 40 years to life, three decades after the 1996 shooting.
Why this story? The video opened at a pace of 267,969 views a day, 24 times a normal first day on this channel (11,133).
Duane 'Keefe D' Davis sentenced for Tupac murder, judge tell him the 'world never forgot'
Duane "Keefe D" Davis, 63, stands at the defense table in dark blue jail scrubs while the judge speaks to him from off camera. USA TODAY's short clip from the Las Vegas courtroom is the moment he was sentenced for the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur.
Judge Carli Kierny begins with Davis's own past words. She notes that he has acknowledged being involved while saying he had changed and moved on. "I'm here to tell you that's not how this works, okay?" she says. She speaks of the life and future taken from Shakur, then adds: "Especially when that man is Tupac Shakur. The world never forgot about him and his death, and neither did Las Vegas."
The sentence comes in two parts: 20 years to life for first-degree murder and another consecutive 20 years to life for the deadly weapon enhancement. "The aggregate sentence is 40 years to life," Kierny says. She remands him into custody, calls a recess, and officers lead Davis out of the room.
According to USA TODAY's description, a jury convicted Davis on Aug. 31 after deliberating for a little over three hours. That makes him the first and only person charged and convicted in Shakur's death.
The Short reached about 145,000 views in nine hours, and its comment section filled far faster than a usual first day on the channel. Many commenters return to the same point the judge made: the role his own statements played. USA TODAY also posted a second, separate version of the sentencing news the next day.
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Where next?
- Channel
- USA TODAY
- Subscribers
- 7,590,000 ▲ 10,000 this week
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 9,095,672
- Channel views, pace per day
- 1,834,233 (on a normal day: 1,669,202)
- Video published
- October 13, 2026
- Video views so far
- 145,567 (less than a day online)
- Video views, pace per day
- 267,969
The numbers
A clip of under two minutes drew a news audience many times the channel's usual first day for its Shorts.



