Michael Sanft, the Las Vegas lawyer who defended Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis in the murder trial over Tupac Shakur’s death, has died aged 55. His body was found at home on Friday, 6 November 2026, and the authorities have not yet established how he died.
The Clark County Coroner’s Office confirmed Sanft’s death but said the cause and manner remained pending. A Las Vegas police spokesperson told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that it did not appear suspicious. Those are preliminary findings, not a completed determination by the coroner.
Sanft was a familiar figure in Nevada courtrooms, but his most widely followed case came this year, when he represented Davis in the prosecution over the 1996 shooting of the rapper Tupac Shakur. His death came one week after a formal notice of appeal was filed against Davis’s conviction.
What is known about Michael Sanft’s death
Michael Sloan, a Clark County District Court marshal and friend of Sanft, told the Review-Journal that the lawyer had been found at home on Friday morning. Local broadcaster KTNV reported that investigators were examining the circumstances of the death, although sources cited by ABC News said they had seen no indications of foul play.
Those sources suggested a possible medical episode. There has been no official confirmation of that explanation, and no cause of death should be treated as established until the coroner reports its findings. The reported involvement of homicide investigators in reviewing a high-profile death does not, by itself, mean police suspect a crime.
The Tupac Shakur trial and appeal
Sanft represented Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis without charging legal fees. On 31 August 2026, a Las Vegas jury found Davis guilty of first-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon for his role in Shakur’s killing. On 13 October, Judge Carli Kierny sentenced him to 40 years to life in prison.
Prosecutors argued that Davis had organised the drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, where Shakur was wounded on 7 September 1996. The 25-year-old musician died six days later. Davis’s defence disputed the reliability of statements he had made about the killing, and Sanft criticised the speed of the jury’s deliberations.
A notice of appeal was filed on 30 October, according to FOX5 Las Vegas. It remains unclear from the available reporting who will take over Davis’s representation during the appeal. Fish 4 News previously covered Davis’s conviction and sentence.
A respected courtroom advocate
Sanft’s legal work extended well beyond the Davis case. He also represented Michele Fiore, a former Las Vegas councilwoman and Nevada judge, in a federal fraud case. She was convicted in 2024 and subsequently received a presidential pardon.
According to his SOS Injury Lawyers biography, Sanft grew up in Tonga before moving to San Diego at the age of 12. He attended Brigham Young University–Hawaii and went on to try more than 150 cases to jury verdict.
Colleagues spoke of him as more than an accomplished lawyer. Michael Sloan described him to the Review-Journal as one of his closest friends, while attorney Dan Hill recalled his ability to connect with juries using straightforward language rather than theatrical courtroom arguments.
What remains unanswered
There is, as yet, no confirmed medical or forensic explanation for Sanft’s death. Police have said the circumstances do not appear suspicious, and nothing verified so far connects his death to his legal work or the Tupac Shakur case. The coroner’s final determination and any changes to Davis’s appeal representation are the developments still to watch.
