American Attorney Michael Sanft Dies at 55

American attorney Michael Sanft, who represented Duane Keith "Keffe D" Davis in the murder trial of legendary rapper Tupac Shakur, has died at the age of 55. Sanft was reportedly found dead in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Friday, November 6. The cause of his death had not been disclosed as of the time of reporting. Sanft was a prominent Nevada-based lawyer who recently represented Davis, 63, in connection with the 1996 killing of Shakur.

Davis was convicted in August of first-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon over his role in the rapper's fatal shooting. He was subsequently sentenced in October to 40 years to life in prison, becoming the first person convicted in connection with Shakur's murder. Sanft planned to challenge the conviction, expressing disappointment with the jury's decision but maintaining that his legal team intended to appeal.

Following the guilty verdict, Sanft filed a notice of appeal on October 30, signalling the beginning of efforts to overturn the verdict. Sanft said his legal team had done everything possible throughout the trial. "We had the best team possible in this case, from the motion practice work on this appeal to our investigator to our firm here at SOS Injury. We all did our part. I don't see what I could've done differently," he said.

Sanft also recalled discussing the next stage of the legal battle with Davis, who encouraged him to see the verdict as only the beginning of a longer process. Sanft said Davis had reminded him that the conviction represented the first phase of the case, despite his personal disappointment with the jury's decision. "I understand, I hate to lose," the lawyer said, recounting their conversation.

According to his biography on the website of his law firm, SOS Injury Lawyers, Sanft grew up on the island of Tonga before relocating with his family to San Diego, California, at the age of 12. He later served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and attended BYU-Hawaii, where he performed at the Polynesian Cultural Center.

Shakur, widely known as 2Pac, was fatally shot in a drive-by attack in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996. The rapper was travelling in a car with Death Row Records founder Suge Knight when a white Cadillac pulled alongside their vehicle and opened fire. Shakur sustained multiple gunshot wounds and died six days later, on September 13, 1996, at the age of 25.

The death of Sanft comes shortly after he filed an appeal challenging the conviction of his high-profile client, leaving the case and its legal proceedings in the spotlight. At the time of his death, Sanft was serving as the lead trial attorney at SOS Injury Lawyers, having handled more than 150 cases throughout his career.

Key points

• Michael Sanft, US attorney who defended Tupac's killer, dies at 55
• Sanft's death comes after filing appeal in high-profile case
• Davis convicted of first-degree murder in Tupac Shakur's 1996 killing