Tupac case takes another turn as Keffe D’s appeal moves ahead without the lawyer who defended him
Michael Sanft, the Las Vegas lawyer who defended Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis, has been found dead at 55 after an appeal was filed.
The case around Tupac Shakur’s killing has taken another unexpected turn. Michael Sanft, the defence lawyer who represented Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis at the trial that ended in a murder conviction, has been found dead in Las Vegas.
Sanft was 55. He was found dead at his home in Las Vegas, and the Clark County coroner’s office had not released a cause of death. Police were reported to be treating the death as not suspicious.
His death comes days after an appeal was filed in Davis’ case. That means the man convicted over Tupac’s 1996 killing is now expected to continue that appeal with different legal representation.
Sanft had been Davis’ lawyer during the recent trial that ended with a jury finding Davis guilty of murdering Shakur. The verdict brought a 40 year prison sentence. Prosecutors argued that Davis was involved in the drive-by shooting and was the mastermind behind the murder, even though they said he did not fire the shots himself.
What Sanft argued during the trial
During the case, Sanft challenged the prosecution’s evidence, including recordings that appeared to contain admissions from his client. He argued that if the state of Nevada needed to lean on that kind of material to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt, it had a serious problem.
He also said prosecutors had previously been selective about whether phone calls mattered to them, describing an attitude of not needing them.
At the same time, Sanft did not fully defend every decision Davis had made outside court. He said he did not agree with his client writing a book that included claims about Tupac’s death, or with Davis giving a run of interviews on the subject. Even so, he made clear he was backing his client and wanted to do the best job he could in trying to win the case.
A prosecutor’s tribute
After news of Sanft’s death, prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo spoke about the loss despite having faced him in court. He called Sanft one of Las Vegas’ top defence attorneys and said the city had lost a good lawyer. He also said he had lost a friend.
For Davis, the immediate change is clear. He had indicated he would appeal the conviction, but that process will now continue without the lawyer who defended him at trial.
