LAS VEGAS — Michael Sanft, the criminal defense attorney who represented Duane “Keffe D” Davis in the high-profile murder trial of iconic rapper Tupac Shakur, has been found dead. He was 55.
Sanft was discovered inside his Las Vegas home on Friday morning, according to his friend, Michael Sloan. While the sudden passing of the attorney has shocked the legal community, authorities stated that the death does not currently appear to be suspicious. An official cause of death has not yet been released.
The death comes at a critical juncture in the long-running saga of Tupac Shakur’s 1996 murder. Just one week prior to his passing, on October 30, Sanft had officially filed a notice of appeal challenging the first-degree murder conviction of his client, 63-year-old Duane “Keffe D” Davis.
Davis, a former leader of the South Side Compton Crips, was convicted in August of the murder of the legendary rapper, who was just 25 at the time of his death. Davis remains the only person to have ever been charged in the shooting, which occurred on the night of September 7, 1996, when a white Cadillac pulled alongside a black BMW carrying Shakur and music mogul Marion “Suge” Knight. Shakur was struck multiple times and succumbed to his injuries six days later.
For decades, the case remained one of music’s most famous cold cases until Davis himself began discussing his role in the killing in various interviews and his 2019 memoir. During the trial, prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo argued that Davis had sought to profit from the crime, noting that the defendant deserved the maximum possible sentence. At the time of the conviction, DiGiacomo remarked that, regardless of the court’s final sentencing, Davis was “guaranteed to die” behind bars.
During his final court appearance in the proceedings, Davis remained largely detached from the gravity of the sentence, speaking only to request the return of personal items seized by police from his home. When asked if he had anything else to add to the record, Davis simply replied, “No, I’m good.”
Sanft’s death leaves the future of the pending appeal in uncertainty. As a legal advocate for one of the most controversial figures in modern music history, Sanft had spent the recent months navigating a case that attracted global attention and rekindled debates surrounding one of the most influential artists of all time.
Investigators are expected to continue their inquiries into the circumstances of Sanft’s death, though officials have provided no indication of foul play. Further details are expected to be released as the coroner’s report is finalized.
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