Tupac Trial Lawyer Michael Sanft Dies at 55; Coroner Confirms Death as Cause and Manner Remain Pending

Michael Sanft, the Las Vegas lawyer who defended Duane 'Keffe D' Davis in the Tupac Shakur murder case, has died aged 55, the Clark County Coroner's Office has confirmed. His cause and manner of death remain pending.

His death came days after he took the first formal step towards challenging Davis's conviction. Court records show a notice of appeal was filed on 30 October.

A Las Vegas jury found Davis, 63, guilty of first-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon on 31 August. Judge Carli Kierny sentenced him to 40 years to life in prison on 13 October. Davis remains the only person charged in connection with Shakur's 1996 killing.

What Is Known About Michael Sanft's Death

Details remain limited. His friend Michael Sloan, a Clark County District Court marshal, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that Sanft was found at his home on Friday morning.

The Review-Journal also quoted a police spokesperson who said the death did not appear suspicious. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department referred further questions to the coroner's office.

FOX5 Las Vegas reported that Sanft was reported dead on Thursday night, while Sloan told the Review-Journal his body was found on Friday morning. The coroner confirmed his death on Friday but has not disclosed further circumstances.

The Lawyer Behind Davis's Defence and Appeal

Sanft was lead trial attorney at SOS Injury Lawyers and had taken more than 150 cases to a jury verdict, according to his biography. He grew up in Tonga, moved to San Diego at 12 and attended Brigham Young University-Hawaii.

He joined Davis's defence about four months before trial and represented him pro bono. Sanft told FOX5 he had not known who Davis was before taking the case. He planned to challenge pre-trial rulings, including the admission of statements Davis gave investigators in 2008 and 2009.

Shakur was shot on 7 September 1996 while sitting in a BMW driven by music executive Marion 'Suge' Knight at a Las Vegas intersection. A white Cadillac pulled alongside and shots were fired. Shakur, 25, died six days later. Knight was wounded but survived.

Long-Unsolved Killing and Prosecution's Case

The case remained unsolved for decades. Davis later discussed his involvement in interviews and in his 2019 memoir, Compton Street Legend. Prosecutors relied heavily on those statements, arguing Davis helped organise the shooting. The defence said his accounts were inconsistent and made for money and notoriety.

Jurors deliberated for less than three hours before finding Davis guilty. Sanft argued the jury had not properly reviewed the evidence. After the verdict, he spoke to FOX5. 'I don't see what I could've done differently.'

Sanft objected to the admission of Davis's earlier police statements and other evidence. He said the pre-trial decisions disadvantaged the defence.

Appeal in Limbo After Sudden Death

The notice filed on 30 October does not set out the full appeal arguments. It is unclear who will represent Davis next or whether the court timetable will change. No replacement lawyer had been publicly identified in reports available on 6 November.

Marc DiGiacomo, one of the prosecutors in the case, paid tribute to Sanft. He described him as one of Las Vegas's top defence attorneys and said he had lost a friend. 'Las Vegas lost a good lawyer,' DiGiacomo said on Friday.

Sloan remembered Sanft as charismatic and someone who made people feel safe. They travelled by motorcycle to Sturgis, South Dakota, and Key West, Florida. Davis remains in prison.