The FBI recently released hundreds of pages of investigative documents related to the unsolved slaying of rapper Notorious B.I.G. Although the FBI has closed its investigation of the 1997 case, the LAPD continues its efforts to find the rapper's killer and to determine if there was any Los Angeles police involvement.
The documents include internal LAPD and FBI memos, witness statements, and stakeout notes. According to an FBI spokeswoman, the documents were released due to multiple Freedom of Information Act requests, but the timing of their disclosure is of no significance.
These documents still offer little new information on the unsolved murder. “We have followed up on all of the leads we have at this time to the best of our ability. We will certainly look at it if anything new comes along,” said LAPD Capt. Kevin McClure. He said that the investigation is still open, but detectives have exhausted all of their leads.
Christopher Wallace, aka Biggie Smalls, was gunned down as he left a music industry party outside the Petersen Automotive Museum in the Miracle Mile area on March 9, 1997. His death shocked the hip-hop community and was only a few months after the murder of Los Angeles-based rapper Tupac Shakur. Shakur's murder also remains unsolved.
Different theories link the two murders. Some blame it on the East Coast and West Coast rivalry among the rappers or between their two music labels at the time.
Investigators looked into the theory that Wallace was killed by a hitman hired by a corrupt ex-LAPD officer on behalf of Marion “Suge” Knight, the founder of Death Row Records, but there continue to be loose ends.
An accusation of murder is one of the most serious charges a person can face. In California, for intentional homicide, you will be facing either a first or second-degree murder charge.
First-degree murder is when an intentional death results due to malice aforethought, premeditation on the killer's part. Second-degree murder is an intentional homicide, without malice or premeditation, and takes place in the heat of passion, such as in a domestic violence situation. Both 1st and 2nd-degree murders are felony offenses in California and will be punished severely.
Your constitutional rights are fundamental to us! We will fight to obtain the best outcome for your particular case. Contact a lawyer at the Hedding law firm today for a free consultation regarding your murder case.
