Las Vegas attorney Michael Sanft, who represented Duane “Keffe D” Davis in the Tupac Shakur murder case, has died at 55. He was found dead at his home, KTNV reported on November 6.
The Clark County Coroner’s Office has not released an official cause or manner of death. Sources cited by ABC News told KTNV that Sanft’s death appears to have resulted from a medical episode and that there were no signs of foul play. That assessment is preliminary; it is not a coroner’s finding.
Homicide investigators are examining the scene because the death is high profile, KTNV reported. Their involvement does not mean police have classified Sanft’s death as a homicide. Investigators planned to review cameras and other evidence while the circumstances are established.
Sanft took Davis’s case pro bono. Davis was found guilty in August of orchestrating Shakur’s 1996 murder. Sanft had challenged the prosecution’s case and argued that Davis’s public confessions were unreliable, according to KTNV. He also represented former Las Vegas councilwoman Michele Fiore before withdrawing from her federal fraud case.
Sanft was a trial attorney at SOS Injury Lawyers in Las Vegas. His firm biography described his work for clients and local charitable causes.
The coroner’s findings are pending. We will update this article if officials release further information.
Image credit: Michael Sanft: Steve Marcus / Las Vegas Sun via AP, Pool. Header graphic: Wick Worldwide.