Las Vegas defense attorney Michael Sanft, who represented Duane "Keffe D" Davis during the Tupac Shakur murder trial, has died, according to sources cited by FOX5. Sanft was reported dead Thursday night in Las Vegas, though details surrounding his death remain limited. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the Clark County Coroner’s Office have not yet provided additional information.
Sanft served as lead trial attorney at SOS Injury Lawyers, where his biography notes he tried more than 150 cases to jury verdict and argued before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. He represented Davis pro bono during the trial that ended in August with a guilty verdict. Afterward, Sanft told FOX5 he would not have done anything differently, saying, "Maybe if I had a psychic sitting next to me to help discern who should be on the jury."
He praised his team’s work from motion practice through appeal preparation. Sanft also recounted a conversation with Davis after the verdict: "We were just sitting there taking in the moment... 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."
Davis’ defense team had planned to appeal the conviction. This is a developing story.
Sources: FOX5 Vegas
Original reporting: 8 News Now →
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