Tupac Murder Trial Attorney Michael Sanft Dies at 55

Sanft, a Las Vegas defense attorney, was 55. The Clark County Coroner’s Office confirmed his death and said the cause had not been determined. He was reported dead in Las Vegas on Thursday night, November 5.

Sanft represented Davis in the case over the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur. Shakur was fatally hit by gunfire from a passing car on September 7, 1996. In August 2026, a jury found Davis guilty of first-degree homicide involving a deadly weapon.

Last month, Davis received a prison term of 40 years to life for arranging the killing. He is the only person charged in Shakur’s death. Sanft sat beside Davis in court after the jury returned its guilty verdict.

The case returned to public attention nearly three decades after Shakur was killed. Sanft’s death comes after his work defending Davis through the trial; no cause of death has been announced.