A major legal battle surrounding one of hip-hop’s most talked-about cases has taken another unexpected turn. Michael Sanft and Duane “Keffe D” Davis have been at the center of a high-profile courtroom fight. Now, an unfortunate recent development has raised new questions about what comes next in the case.
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Lawyer Michael Sanft Found Dead Inside Las Vegas Home
According to reports, Michael Sanft, the 55-year-old Las Vegas defense attorney who represented Davis in his trial for the 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur, was found dead inside his Las Vegas home on Friday morning, November 6. His friend, Michael Sloan, confirmed the discovery to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Sanft’s cause and manner of death remain pending, and authorities have not released additional details. Police reportedly said his death does not appear to be suspicious.
Sanft Filed Appeal Days Before His Unexpected Death
The news comes just days after Sanft filed a notice of appeal on October 30, challenging Davis’ murder conviction. Davis, 63, was sentenced to 40 years to life in prison on October 13 after a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon for his role in the September 1996 killing of Shakur. The rapper was just 25 years old when he was shot four times in a drive-by attack in Las Vegas. He died six days later.
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Prosecutors argued that Davis orchestrated the shooting following an altercation between Shakur and his nephew, Orlando Anderson, at the MGM Grand casino hours before the deadly attack. Davis had previously discussed his involvement in the shooting, including in a 2008 interview with investigators and his 2019 memoir. Anderson, who prosecutors identified as the gunman, was killed in a separate shootout in 1998. Davis was the first person charged in connection with Shakur’s murder.
Sanft Stood By Davis’ Defense Until The End
Sanft, a prominent Nevada defense attorney, represented Davis pro bono throughout the trial and stood by his legal team’s work following the guilty verdict. Speaking with FOX5 after the jury’s decision, he said, “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.” He also recalled Davis encouraging him to look beyond the verdict, telling him, “Don’t worry about it, man, this is the first phase.” Sanft’s passing leaves another significant development in an already lengthy legal saga, as Davis’ appeal moves forward. Sanft is survived by his two children.
