LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Michael Sanft, the prominent Las Vegas attorney who represented many high-profile clients over his career, has died, sources confirmed to 13 Investigates on Friday.
Sanft, 55, was found dead at his home. As of Friday afternoon, his cause of death had not been released.
Most recently, Sanft gained national attention as the lawyer for Duane "Keefe D" Davis, who was found guilty in August of orchestrating the 1996 murder of rap legend Tupac Shakur. Sanft had taken on the onetime Compton gangland kingpin's case pro bono.
13 chief investigator Darcy Spears breaks down what we know about the death of attorney Michael Sanft:
His defense of Davis hinged on impassioned insistence that prosecutors' fact pattern was full of holes, and that 30 years later, the only evidence was his client's own multiple confessions. Sanft argued — and even argued with witnesses — that Davis' confessions were nothing but a pack of blustering lies.
Multiple sources tell ABC News that as of now, Sanft's death appears to be the result of a medical episode, and that it does not bear markings of foul play. Official cause and manner of death are still pending, according to the coroner's office.
Because it is a high-profile death, however, homicide investigators are working the scene to make sure the circumstances of Sanft's passing are fully understood. They will be pulling cameras and screening for drugs, but no drugs have been found in the house or anything else to suggest that it was the result of an overdose, the sources said.
FILE | Michael Sanft represents Duane Davis at sentencing for the murder of Tupac Shakur:
Sanft also defended former Las Vegas City Councilwoman and then-Pahrump Justice of the Peace Michele Fiore in her 2024 wire fraud and conspiracy case. Sanft withdrew from the case after Fiore was found guilty by a federal jury of funneling money from charitable and political causes for her own personal use. Fiore was later pardoned by President Donald Trump.
Sanft was the lead trial attorney at Las Vegas-based personal injury law firm SOS Injury Lawyers. According to his biography on the firm's website, he grew up in Tonga and moved with his family to San Diego at the age of 12.
"As he watched the green island disappear below, Mike promised himself two things: 1. to always honor the people, place, and culture that raised him; and 2. to seize the opportunity America provided," his biography states.
Sanft served a proselyting mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and attended Brigham Young University in Hawaii, where he was also a dancer at the Polynesian Cultural Center.
He is described as being driven by a strong work ethic and a desire to advocate for those in need.
According to his online biography, Sanft earned a reputation "as a formidable trial attorney, securing favorable outcomes for hundreds of clients" and trying more than 150 cases.
Sanft and SOS Injury Lawyers were featured several times on KTNV's "Las Vegas Morning Blend" to highlight the firm's charitable causes and work in the Las Vegas community, including their "Small Dog Law" initiative to promote local animal rescues.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this report identified Sanft's age as 54. The Clark County Coroner's Office has since responded to media injuries about his death, identifying him as 55 years old.
