Defense attorney for man convicted in Tupac murder trial found dead in Las Vegas

Defense attorney for man convicted in Tupac murder trial dies Advertisement Updated: 7:07 AM EST Nov 7, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ Douglas McGlynn Senior Copy Editor Defense attorney for man convicted in Tupac murder trial dies Updated: 7:07 AM EST Nov 7, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ Douglas McGlynn Senior Copy Editor The defense attorney who represented Duane "Keffe D" Davis in the Tupac Shakur murder trial has died. Michael Sanft, 55, was found dead in Las Vegas on Friday, Nov. 6, a spokesperson for the Clark County Office of the Coroner confirmed, according to USA Today . Advertisement His cause and manner of death are currently pending. Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis gets 40 years to life in prison for orchestrating the murder of Tupac Shakur Sanft was a Nevada-based attorney most widely known for defending Davis in his murder trial for the 1996 shooting of rapper and actor Tupac Shakur. In August, Davis was found guilty of first-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon for facilitating the shooting. He was sentenced in October to 40 years to life in prison. He is the only person to be charged in the case. At the time of sentencing, Sanft said he would appeal the conviction. Court records indicate he filed a notice of appeal on Oct. 30. Sanft spoke to a Las Vegas news outlet after the sentencing. "We had the best team possible in this case, from the motion practice work on this appeal to our investigator to our firm here at SOS Injury. We all did our part. I don't see what I could've done differently," he said. "He had reminded me this is phase one. Because I was upset with the verdict, I was very disappointed in the jury. Mr. Davis was the one who said, 'Don't worry about it, man, this is the first phase,' and I said, 'I understand, I hate to lose.'" Russell Brand convicted of rape and sexual assault by London jury According to his law firm's website , Sanft grew up on the island of Tonga before moving with his family to San Diego when he was 12 years old. He would go on to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and attend BYU-Hawaii. The site describes him as "one of the most respected and effective trial attorneys in America," with decades of experience trying more than 150 cases, crediting his "relentless work ethic, natural ability to connect with people, and desire to help society's most vulnerable individuals." Make WLWT a preferred source on Google Add Preferred Source Share Infinite Scroll Enabled Top Picks High school band member stunned as 'Thunderstruck' performance goes viral Defense attorney for man convicted in Tupac murder trial found dead in Las Vegas Watch: Giant pandas make much-anticipated debut at Zoo Atlanta 19-year-old to become one of Massachusetts' youngest representatives in state history