Michael Sanft, the Las Vegas attorney who represented convicted Tupac Shakur killer Duane “Keffe D” Davis, was found dead at his home just days after filing an appeal in the high-profile murder case.
Sanft, 55, was discovered inside his Las Vegas residence Friday morning, his friend Michael Sloan told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The cause and manner of death were still pending, and authorities have released few additional details. Police told the outlet that the death did not appear to be suspicious.
Sanft’s death came about a 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 in connection with Shakur’s 1996 killing.
Shakur, 25, was shot four times during a drive-by attack in Las Vegas in September 1996. He died at a hospital six days later.
Prosecutors said Davis masterminded the killing after he acknowledged his involvement while attempting to avoid potential charges in 2008. He had also repeatedly claimed a role in the rapper’s death, including in his 2019 memoir.
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Davis’ nephew, Orlando Anderson, had been involved in a fight with Shakur inside the MGM Grand casino on the Las Vegas Strip just hours before the shooting. Anderson was identified as the gunman, while Davis was accused of organizing the ambush.
Davis is the first person 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, said he and his legal team had done everything possible during the trial and continued to stand by their work.
“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 described a conversation he had with Davis after the jury returned 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.