Celebrity3 min(s) read
Lawyer who represented Tupac Shakur’s killer found dead just days after 'filing appeal'
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The lawyer who represented Tupac Shakur's convicted killer, Duane 'Keffe D' Davis, has been found dead in Las Vegas.
Michael Sanft, 55, represented the former Compton gang boss in court and had filed an appeal in the murder case days ago.
His body was found in his home on the morning of Friday, November 6, according to friend Michael Sloan via the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Police have not yet announced his cause and manner of death, with an investigation ongoing, though officials say his death doesn't appear to be suspicious.
According to Fox 5 Vegas, Sanft had filed a notice of appeal, challenging Davis' conviction on October 30, as per court records.
Decades on from the high-profile murder of Shakur, Davis was handed a 40-year-to-life prison sentence after a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon.
Back in September 1996, Shakur was shot four times in a drive-by attack in Las Vegas, dying in hospital days later as a result of his injuries.
Davis was found guilty of first-degree murder
His role in the shooting was punished on October 13, 2026, following a weeks-long trial that culminated in the jury taking around three hours to deliberate and return the verdict.
Evidence included admissions made by David to law enforcement about a case regarding the death of another rapper, Christopher Wallace, aka Notorious B.I.G., but the main focus was on Davis’ own memoir.
The 2019 book was titled 'Compton Street Legend', and Chief Deputy District Attorney Marc DiGiacomo claimed that without the memoir, he likely wouldn't have been prosecuted.
While it was found that Davis himself didn't fire the fatal shots, prosecutors successfully argued that he orchestrated the attack.
According to Nevada law, anyone who aids or abets a murder can be convicted as a principal actor, so Davis' memoir acted as a confession that solved one of music's biggest and darkest mysteries.
Davis had owned up to it while trying to dodge charges in 2008, even bragging about his role in Shakur's murder while claiming credit for the shooting in the memoir.
When his sentence was read to him, the judge enquired if Davis had any response.
He said: "I'm good. I'm gonna appeal this case for sure.”
It was found that hours before the 'All Eyez On Me' artist's death, Davis’ nephew, Orlando Anderson, had been beaten up by Shakur inside the MGM Grand casino on the Las Vegas Strip.
Anderson was named as the gangster who fired the fatal shots while Davis planned the ambush, though the former gang member is the first person to be charged in connection with the murder.
In 1998, Anderson was killed in a shootout.
Sanft stood by his work for Davis
The well-known Nevada defense attorney represented the Compton gangster pro bono, and said he did everything possible during the trial.
Speaking to FOX5 after the verdict, he stated: “We had the best team possible in this case, from the motion practise 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, who leaves behind two children, also mentioned a conversation with Davis before the 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.’”