S. Samuel
The 1997 murder investigation of rapper Notorious B.I.G. is reportedly heating up as new information surrounding the 14-year case has emerged.
Details on the latest development hit the Internet Thursday (January 6) evening.
A task force made up of local and federal law enforcement agencies is actively pursuing leads into the 1997 slaying of hip hop artist Christopher Wallace, better known as Biggie Smalls or Notorious B.I.G., according to two sources familiar with the investigation. According to one law enforcement source, the investigation into the 13-year-old unsolved case was “reinvigorated” months ago as a result of new information, but the source would not elaborate further because of the ongoing investigation that includes the Los Angeles Police Department, L.A. County District Attorney’s Office and the FBI. (CNN)
In late 2010, B.I.G.’s widow, Faith Evans, revealed her skepticism in the murder case ever being solved.
According to Faith, the family of B.I.G. has an idea of what happened to her husband, although she doubts it will ever be solved in the United States court system. “The family – we have an idea what happened. We don’t know who pulled the trigger but we have an idea what went on,” Faith Evans told UK newspaper The Voice. “It’s not something I would speak on because it’s still a pending case, so that wouldn’t be smart at all. But we have an idea, though we don’t know if it will ever be solved in the judicial system.” (The Voice)
B.I.G.’s protege Lil Cease previously spoke on the 14-year investigation of his friend’s passing in Los Angeles.
“I’m definitely upset about it,” Lil’ Cease said in an interview. “I think it’s something [the police] should look into, especially when you see all these other things going on and you see how they pursue other cases. It just seems like when it came to Biggie, it was, ‘Oh, another rapper, another hoodlum, another gangster is dead.’ Same thing with 2Pac. These were two of the most influential figures in hip-hop, and you’re not finding these people’s murderers? Or not even making a real attempt to? It upsets you, ’cause they’re treating them like nobodies but they had a big influence in the game and people look up to them. No matter what they rap about or what they’d been through, they were still human beings at the time.” (MTV)
Last April, a wrongful death lawsuit against the Los Angeles Police Department was dismissed.
On Monday April 5th, Judge Jacqueline Nguyen dismissed the lawsuit without prejudice, after an eight-year wrongful death lawsuit in federal court. Notorious B.I.G., born Christopher Wallace, was gunned down in March of 1997, after attending an after party during the Soul Train Awards in Los Angeles. Although it has never been proven, the wrongful death lawsuit claimed that Marion “Suge” Knight conspired with Amir Muhammad, the alleged triggerman and LAPD officers Rafael Perez and David Mack, to murder Notorious B.I.G. (All Hip Hop)
Check out Diddy & Faith Evans’ “Missing You” B.I.G. tribute below:
