Michael Sanft, the Las Vegas attorney who defended Tupac Shakur's convicted killer, Duane "Keffe D" Davis, has reportedly been found dead.
Sources reported news of his passing to 8 News Now investigators Friday, but did not disclose the date or location of his death.
Sanft's cause of death is not known.
Duane Davis' defense attorney Michael Sanft speaks during the Davis murder trial, related to the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur, at Clark County District Court at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on August 19, 2026. The trial of the former gang leader accused of orchestrating the murder of rapper Tupac Shakur began on August 10, 30 years after one of America's most high-profile unresolved killings. The proceedings, expected to last a month, will likely not make clear who fired the shots that killed the California hip-hop legend on the night of September 7, 1996, while he was in Las Vegas to see a Mike Tyson boxing match. (Photo by David Becker / POOL / AFP)
In Aug. 2025, Keffe D was convicted of orchestrating and providing the weapon for the drive-by-murder of the legendary rapper. He was sentenced in October to 13 to 40 years behind bars, and is the only person to ever be convicted in relation to the 1996 crime.
Duane Davis (C) and his attorney Michael Sanft are led back to a courtroom to hear his sentencing date after a jury found Davis guilty in the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur, at Clark County District Court at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on August 31, 2026. Duane Davis, a former Los Angeles gang member, was found guilty on August 31 by a Las Vegas court of the 1996 murder of rapper Tupac Shakur. Thirty years after the rap legend's death at a Las Vegas casino, the jury found Davis, 63, guilty of murder after just a few hours of deliberation. (Photo by Bizuayehu TESFAYE / POOL / AFP)
Sanft, a long-time Las Vegas attorney, argued that the police investigation was flawed, and intended to appeal Keffe D's conviction. (RELATED: Man Convicted Of Masterminding Tupac Shakur's Murder Learns His Fate)
Duane Davis (L) looks around as he appears in court with his attorney Michael Sanft during his murder trial, related to the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur, at Clark County District Court at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on August 21, 2026. The trial of the former gang leader accused of orchestrating the murder of rapper Tupac Shakur began on August 10, 30 years after one of America's most high-profile unresolved killings. The proceedings, expected to last a month, will likely not make clear who fired the shots that killed the California hip-hop legend on the night of September 7, 1996, while he was in Las Vegas to see a Mike Tyson boxing match. (Photo by Bizuayeha TESFAYE / POOL / AFP)
Sanft was raised on the island of Tonga before moving to San Diego just prior to his teenage years. His profile on Elite Lawyers' website indicates that he went on to earn his law degree from Brigham Young University, and has been working with the firm since 2024.
The high-profile murder trial captivated audiences across generations, thrusting the case back into the spotlight nearly 30 years after the tragic shooting.
This is a developing story.
Source link
