The lawyer who represented Tupac Shakur’s convicted killer was found dead in Las Vegas on Friday morning.

The body of Michael Sanft, 55, was discovered inside his Sin City home, just days after he filed an appeal in the murder case.

No further details has been released regarding his cause of death. But according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, police said his death does not appear to be suspicious.

Mr Sanft had defended Duane “Keffe D” Davis, who was ultimately sentenced to 40 years in prison on 13 October after a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder for his role in the murder of the rap icon in 1996.

The 63-year-old remains the only person ever charged over the death of Shakur, who was killed at the peak of his career at age 25.

Davis faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo told the court that whatever penalty was handed down, Davis is “guaranteed to die” behind bars.

“It’s not just about losing a family member,” DiGiacomo said as Shakur’s sister, Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur, nodded in agreement from the gallery.

Sanft signaled plans to appeal, arguing prosecutors waited too long to bring the case.

Speaking to Fox5 after the verdict, Sanft 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.”

On the night of Sept. 7, 1996, Shakur was riding in a black BMW with music executive Marion “Suge” Knight when a white Cadillac drew up alongside them at a red light and opened fire. Shakur was shot multiple times and died six days later, while Knight survived.

The murder remained unsolved for decades until Davis, a former leader of the South Side Compton Crips, discussed his role in media interviews and detailed it in his 2019 tell-all memoir.

DiGiacomo argued that Davis tried to profit from a homicide he committed, making him undeserving of a minimum sentence.

“In my mind he deserves the maximum possible sentence,” DiGiacomo said.