Defense Attorney In Tupac Murder Trial Found DEAD

The defense attorney who represented Duane “Keffe D” Davis in the Tupac Shakur murder trial has died.

Michael Sanft was reported dead Thursday night in Las Vegas. The Clark County coroner’s office confirmed the 55-year-old’s death.

The cause and manner of death remain pending. Details surrounding his death were limited, with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department referring all inquiries to the coroner’s office.

Sanft was the lead trial attorney at SOS Injury Lawyers, where he tried more than 150 cases to jury verdict and argued before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

According to his website, he moved to San Diego at 12 and later attended BYU-Hawaii.

Sanft represented Davis pro bono during his Las Vegas trial. A jury later found Davis guilty in August.

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UPDATE: Michael Sanft, the 54-year-old defense attorney who represented Duane “Keffe D” Davis for FREE in Tupac Shakur’s murder trial, has been found dead in Las Vegas. pic.twitter.com/c0pNYRFUDF

— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) November 6, 2026

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Sanft’s death comes just one week after he filed a notice of appeal challenging Davis’ murder conviction on Oct. 30, court records obtained by Fox 5 Vegas show.

Davis, 63, was sentenced to 40 years to life in prison on Oct. 13 after a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon for his role in the 1996 killing of rap superstar Shakur.

The rapper, 25, was shot four times in a drive-by attack in Las Vegas in September 1996 and died in a hospital six days later.

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