San Diego-raised lawyer who defended Tupac murder suspect found dead

Michael Sanft, a defense attorney who represented Duane “Keffe D” Davis in the Tupac Shakur murder trial, has died, according to ktiv.com reporting from Las Vegas sources. The Clark County coroner’s office confirmed Sanft’s death but has not released the cause or manner of death.

Sanft was 55 years old and had moved to San Diego at age 12 before attending BYU-Hawaii, ktiv.com noted. He worked as the lead trial attorney at SOS Injury Lawyers and had tried over 150 cases to jury verdict, including arguing before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Sanft represented Davis pro bono during the trial in Las Vegas, where Davis was found guilty in August. After the verdict, Sanft expressed no regrets about his defense strategy and described the trial team as the best possible, according to an interview cited by ktiv.com.

Attorney Mike Troiano described Sanft as an honest and talented lawyer well respected by jurors and peers. Davis’ defense team has filed a notice of appeal on October 30, indicating plans to challenge the conviction, ktiv.com reported.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department referred inquiries about Sanft’s death to the coroner’s office, which has yet to release further details.