Published: Tuesday - June 28, 2005
Words by Jay Casteel
Notorious B.I.G. (Photo: Bad Boy)
The Notorious B.I.G. wrongful-death trial has been halted for the time being due to a surprise tip bringing back the theory that a corrupt Los Angeles police officers played a role in the murder of the fallen rap star.
After jurors were excused on Monday (June 27), Wallace family attorney Perry Sanders revealed that they had been contacted by a prison informant who claimed David Mack and Rafael Perez -- both former LA police officers, who were believed to be linked with Suge Knight -- confessed to the slaying of Biggie.
If the information finds to be true, it would link the central figure in the Los Angeles Police Department's Rampart scandal with Death Row Record's founder Suge Knight, who has been long theorized to be involved.
The unidentified informant -- who may be a current or former LAPD officer, according to E! Online -- told Sanders that he had attended a police disciplinary hearing on Dec. 11, 2000, where two prison informants stated that they had info about confessions made by Mack and Perez. But nothing came of the claims because police officials warned the informants not to talk about the alleged confessions.
Testimony was scheduled to resume today after both sides evaluated the relevant evidence, including tapes and transcripts of the police disciplinary hearing. But after Sanders told the judge that a recording of the session does indeed have an informant implicating Mack and Perez, U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper ordered a halt to the trial to give both sides time to review the documents.
Testimony is scheduled to resume Thursday (June 30).
Biggie's death remains officially unsolved, but the Wallace family, led by the rapper's mother, Voletta, and widow, Faith Evans, filed a federal civil rights and wrongful-death lawsuit against the LAPD three years ago, accusing the department of botching the investigation into the rapper's death to cover up the fact that the LAPD cops, moonlighting as bodyguards for Death Row Records, may have committed the crime.
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