Michael Sanft attorney, who represented Duane “Keffe D” Davis in the Tupac Shakur murder trial, died in Las Vegas at 55. The Clark County Coroner’s Office said the death was reported on Thursday night and confirmed on Friday, while a cause and manner of death remained pending.
Mike Troiano said, “Mike was a genuinely honest humble and good human being. I’m in total shock by this news, as is the legal community as a whole. An extremely talented trial lawyer who jurors and his peers loved.” Sanft had been Davis’ lawyer during the case that ended with a guilty verdict in August, and a notice of appeal was filed on Friday, October 30.
Sanft and Davis
Sanft represented Davis pro bono during the trial in Las Vegas. After the verdict, he spoke about the defense effort and said, “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 also said, “We were just sitting there taking in the moment,” and added, “He had reminded me this is phase one.” In the same post-verdict remarks, he said, “Because I was upset with the verdict, I was very disappointed in the jury. Mr. Davis was the one who said, don’t worry about it, man, this is the first phase, and I said, I understand, I hate to lose.”
Michael Sanft career
According to his website, Sanft moved to San Diego at age 12 and later attended BYU-Hawaii. He served as the lead trial attorney at SOS Injury Lawyers, tried over 150 cases to jury verdict, and argued before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department referred inquiries to the coroner’s office. Sanft’s death leaves Davis’ defense without one of the lawyers who had already been working through the appeal process after the August verdict.
Clark County coroner
The coroner’s office said the death was under review, with the cause and manner still pending. That leaves the legal team facing an appeal record that is already in motion, while the most basic question surrounding Sanft’s death remains unanswered.
