*Michael Sanft, the Las Vegas defense attorney who represented Duane “Keffe D” Davis in the Tupac Shakur murder trial, has died, according to FOX5 Las Vegas.
Sanft was reported dead Thursday night, November 5, and authorities have not publicly established his cause of death.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that Sanft was found at home Friday morning, citing a close friend.
His passing comes just weeks after Davis received a sentence of 40 years to life in prison for his role in the 1996 killing of the legendary rapper.
The development raises questions about the next stage of Davis’s legal fight, with his defense team having already initiated an appeal.
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Michael Sanft Defended Keffe D in Tupac Murder Trial
Sanft represented Davis pro bono during the high-profile proceedings, which ended with an August 31 guilty verdict nearly three decades after Shakur was fatally shot in Las Vegas.
Davis, 63, was sentenced October 13 after being convicted of first-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon.
Following the verdict, Sanft expressed disappointment but maintained that his legal team had done everything possible to defend his client.
In an interview with FOX5, Sanft said he would not have approached the case differently, apart from wishing he could have better anticipated the jury’s thinking.
He also recalled a conversation with Davis immediately after the verdict.
According to Sanft, Davis remained composed and reminded his attorney that the conviction represented only the first phase of their legal battle.
What Happens to Keffe D’s Appeal?
Davis’s defense team filed a notice of appeal on October 30, just one week before Sanft’s death.
Although the appeal process can continue with replacement counsel, it remains unclear who will assume responsibility for Davis’s legal representation.
Sanft was lead trial attorney at SOS Injury Lawyers, where his professional biography credited him with trying more than 150 cases to jury verdict.
His friend Michael Sloan, a Clark County District Court marshal, remembered Sanft as one of his closest friends and praised his character in comments to the Review-Journal.
The circumstances surrounding Sanft’s death remain under investigation, with no verified evidence connecting his passing to the Tupac murder case.
As Davis challenges his conviction, the loss of his trial attorney introduces another complication in a case that has occupied hip-hop history for 30 years.
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