Michael Sanft, the Las Vegas attorney who represented Duane “Keffe D” Davis in the high-profile Tupac Shakur murder case, has died. FOX5 Las Vegas reported that Sanft was found at his home on Nov. 5. Authorities have not publicly released a cause of death.
Sanft’s death comes less than a month after Davis was sentenced to 40 years to life in prison for his role in the 1996 killing of Shakur. The conviction closed one of hip-hop’s longest-running unsolved cases, nearly three decades after the rap icon was fatally shot in Las Vegas.
Davis, 63, was found guilty on Aug. 31 of first-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon and was sentenced Oct. 13. His legal team has already begun the appeals process, raising questions about how Sanft’s death could affect future proceedings.
Sanft represented Davis pro bono throughout the closely watched case.
The circumstances surrounding Sanft’s death have not been publicly disclosed.