Nevada Supreme Court Dockets Keffe D's Appeal of His Tupac Murder Conviction

By Miles Carter, November 12, 2026

FOX 5 Las Vegas reported that the Nevada Supreme Court has accepted Duane Keith "Keffe D" Davis's appeal of his conviction in the killing of Tupac Shakur. KTNV said the court has already docketed the case. A public docket page could not be opened here, so the dates and deadlines below follow those local reports.

News3 said it reviewed a copy of the notice of appeal, which attorney Michael Sanft filed on Oct 30, and that the clerk of the Nevada Supreme Court filed the case electronically on Monday, Nov 9. News3, citing court filings, said the court has given Davis two weeks to file a transcript request form, three weeks to file a docketing statement, and 120 days to file an opening brief. KTNV also reported the 120-day opening-brief deadline.

The conviction and Sanft's death

News3 reported that a jury found Davis guilty of first-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon and that he was sentenced to 40 years to life in prison. At trial, KTNV and News3 reported, prosecutors argued Davis arranged or took part in the 1996 Las Vegas shooting in retaliation for a fight earlier that day involving Shakur and Davis's nephew, and that Davis's own statements were part of the state's case. News3 said Sanft argued that Davis lied about his involvement to make money from a memoir and documentary interviews, and that there was no evidence placing him in Las Vegas at the time of the shooting.

FOX 5 said Sanft filed the appeal one week before his death, that the court said it had not been notified by the State Bar of that death, and that once notified the court will give Davis extra time to find an attorney and submit formal documents. KTNV said the cause of Sanft's death had not yet been determined.