Defense attorney in Tupac Shakur murder case found dead in Las Vegas home
The manner of Sanft's death has not been determined, but Las Vegas police say that the death did not appear suspicious.
Michael Sanft, a defense attorney from Las Vegas, was discovered deceased in his home on Friday at the age of 55, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The news of his passing follows closely on the heels of his client's conviction. Michael Sanft represented Duane "Keffe D" Davis, who was found guilty of orchestrating the 1996 drive-by shooting that killed rapper Tupac Shakur.
Shakur, a prominent figure in the rap industry, was fatally shot in the passenger seat of an SUV driven by his record executive, Marion "Suge" Knight. The murder, which took place on September 7, 1996, at the MGM Grand casino on the Las Vegas Strip, remains one of America's most notorious unsolved cold cases.
Davis was arrested in 2023, but the murder investigation had lingered for nearly three decades. The killing of Shakur not only silenced one of rap's most commercially successful and influential artists but also perpetuated the violence surrounding the East Coast-West Coast "gangsta" rap feud that dominated the era.
During the trial, Davis claimed he would appeal his conviction. The cause of Michael Sanft's death remains unknown, though Las Vegas police have stated that the death did not appear suspicious. Further details on the circumstances of his passing have not been made available at this time.
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