Michael Sanft, the lawyer who represented Tupac Shakur’s convicted killer Duane “Keffe D” Davis, has been found dead in Las Vegas just days after filing an appeal in the high-profile murder case.
The body of Sanft, 55, was discovered inside his Las Vegas home Friday morning, his friend Michael Sloan told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The cause and manner of death remain pending, and authorities have released no additional details. Police said Sanft’s death does not appear to be suspicious, according to the outlet.
Sanft’s death came one week after he filed a notice of appeal challenging Davis’ murder conviction on Oct. 30, according to court records obtained by Fox 5 Vegas.
Davis, 63, was sentenced to 40 years to life in prison on Oct. 13 after a jury convicted him of first-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon for his role in the 1996 killing of the rap superstar.
Shakur, 25, was shot four times in a drive-by attack in Las Vegas in September 1996. He died in a hospital six days later.
Davis was convicted of masterminding Shakur’s murder after acknowledging his involvement while attempting to avoid potential charges in 2008. He had repeatedly boasted about his role in the killing and later claimed responsibility for the shooting in his 2019 memoir.
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Davis’ nephew, Orlando Anderson, had been beaten by Shakur inside the MGM Grand casino on the Las Vegas Strip just hours before the fatal shooting. Anderson was identified as the person who fired the shots, while Davis allegedly organized the ambush.
Davis is the first person to be charged in connection with Shakur’s murder. Anderson was killed in a shootout two years after the rapper’s death.
Sanft, a prominent Nevada defense attorney who represented Davis pro bono, maintained that he and his legal team had done everything possible during the trial.
“We had the best team possible in this case, from the motion practice work on this appeal to our investigator to our firm here at SOS Injury. We all did our part. I don’t see what I could’ve done differently,” Sanft told FOX5 after the verdict.
He also recalled a conversation with Davis after the jury delivered its decision.
“He had reminded me this is phase one. Because I was upset with the verdict, I was very disappointed in the jury. Mr. Davis was the one who said, ‘Don’t worry about it, man, this is the first phase,’ and I said, ‘I understand, I hate to lose,’” Sanft said.
Sanft is survived by two children.
