Defense Attorney Michael Sanft’s theory has been consistent since opening statements: His client is a liar.
Sanft told jurors that Davis’ admissions — beginning with a 1998 police interview and continuing through proffers, podcasts, a documentary series and his 2019 memoir — were a nearly two-decade work of fiction, summarized on a slide in all capital letters during openings: “BULLSH*T.”
He argued time, corruption and a “lack of actual facts” would be a central challenge. He called the work of the detective who took over the case “biased, sloppy and incomplete,” saying he “backloaded his work,” and pressed repeatedly on a question he returned to all trial: why wasn’t Davis charged years earlier?
Sanft rested his case in under two hours after calling just three witnesses.
He brought two former Las Vegas Metropolitan Police officers to the stand who stood guard at Marion “Suge” Knight’s house the night of the shooting, as well as a Las Vegas homicide detective who was present for one of Davis’ proffer interviews with law enforcement in 2009.
Former homicide detective Dan Long was present at the 2009 proffer interview and testified he intended to write an arrest warrant afterward, saying there was “plenty of probable cause” — but the district attorney’s office declined to charge.
After court Thursday, Sanft said he was glad the case is close to being done, as he and his team are “exhausted.”
Speaking on what he plans to say during closing statements, he said, “I think it’s exactly what I said in my opening, so it’s not like it’s anything different. It’s just more of what the evidence has shown, instead of what the evidence will show.”