Rapper Nas felt at the time that Wallace's death, along with that of Tupac Shakur, "was nearly the end of rap."[10]. Suge is not an idiot, but a criminally sophisticated guy, "If you know someone is working with law enforcement and you go out and do something to them - who is their number one target now?". This is a very key element, because its this clue that takes the entire investigation down that rabbit hole of Russell Pooles. While her real name has been mentioned online and in books, Swann has always shied away from the limelight. Keffe D tells the cops he was offered $1 million to kill Death Row rapper Tupac Shakur and Suge Knight, the label's former CEO. The law was only a deterrent if someone was stupid enough to get caught. So, Kenner shows up to talk to his client, Knight, he brings Swann with him, says, Yeah, shes my aid, and now it allows the two of them to sit down and talk, without any monitoring, without any overhearing and all of that. Just as investigators had done with Keffe D, they tracked Swann (again, not her real name) until they had gathered enough evidence against her to put her away for other crimes to motivate her to talk. We wanted a million. In another stunning confession, detailed in LAPD documents reviewed by the Weekly, the mother of one of Knight's children, identified in Kading's book as Theresa Swann, breaks down in tears, stating that the former Death Row boss gave her the money to pay Wardell Poochie Fouse Knight's close associate and a fellow member of the Mob Piru Bloods to kill Smalls. I have no reason to believe they were there, but I dont have any I havent seen the evidence that was in the civil case [brought by Voletta Wallace] regarding the L.A.P.D. Theres no way to go, Well, who was the deputy on charge that day? In 2006, Wallace's mother, Voletta Wallace, his widow, Faith Evans, and his children T'yanna Jackson and Christopher Jordan "CJ" Wallace, filed a $400 million second wrongful death lawsuit against the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) alleging that corrupt officers were responsible for Wallace's death. By the time Kading graduated from high school, he was calling his friend's father Dad, and at 18 he signed up with the Sheriff's Department. The testimony from the star witnesses helped the U.S. Attorney's Office file a raft of charges against Torres, and hot shot Kading was the toast of the LAPD. Name: Theresa Kay Swann: Credentials: Real Estate Broker: Experience: 34 yrs: Complete Address: 13062 Hwy 190 W, P O . While her real name has been mentioned online and in books, Swann has always shied away from the limelight. Read 10 highlights from the Keffe D confessions. Not only had the Shakur and Smalls investigations hit dead ends, he says, but McClure needed his elite detectives for more pressing matters. Estate of Wallace v. City of Los Angeles, 229 F.R.D. But the point is this, there may have been a guy there that was in the parking lot that matched the description of that person, but thats nothing like what Lil Cease sees and the other witnesses see of the person thats behind the wheel of the car. Greg Kading: Yeah, absolutely. Amir Muhammad was a name actually, there was never an Amir Muhammads name, there was just an Amir, which was part of a clue given by a jailhouse informant named Michael Robinson. So what Kenner had done was he brought Theresa Swann into the jail under the ruse of her being his legal aid. Because, when she tells us this so many years have gone by to go back and try to to go back 10, 12 years and try to get any kind of inmate records about a visitation, they dont exist. In July 2005, Internal Affairs seized all information pertaining to Mack which, at that point, was directly related to the Smalls investigation for its own sealed-off, top-secret investigation into the corrupt cop. DX: Okay. After Greg left, we finally made the decision, McClure says. 163 (C.D. Deaths Were Nearly 'The End Of Rap', "Review: Rappers' deaths probed in 'LAbyrinth'", "Slain rapper's family keeps pushing suit", "Witness in B.I.G. Kading used the word procedure for policy when quoting someone in the affidavit and he changed an or to an and. LAPD also determined there was absolutely no evidence that Kading intentionally or maliciously misrepresented material facts, and, further, that Kading was attacked by high-priced attorneys and was left virtually unsupported by the Assistant U.S. Attorney.. Who is Teresa Swann? "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. Kevin McClure, who supervised the task force as head of the Robbery-Homicide Division, confirms that he got approval from LAPD brass to dismantle the team. Journalist Randall Sullivan devoted both a sprawling Rolling Stone article and a popular novel to Poole's allegations. Staying in a tent, Kading became increasingly desperate for stability. Blasts LAPD Over Autopsy Report", "Notorious B.I.G. [14][15], In 2002, filmmaker Nick Broomfield released a documentary, Biggie & Tupac, based on information from the book. At the time the multi-agency task force was formed by the LAPD, Smalls' mother, Voletta Wallace, was suing the City of Los Angeles for potentially hundreds of millions of dollars because she believed dirty cops had been involved in her son's murder. Kading isn't certain what the remaining members of the task force did during the next year, from the time he was sidelined until the team was quietly dismantled by Robbery-Homicide Division boss Kevin McClure, with a nod from Chief Beck, in the spring of 2010. She could either go to jail or tell us what she knew about the murder. [19], On January 19, 2007, Tyruss "Big Syke" Himes, a friend of Shakur who was implicated in Wallace's murder by the Los Angeles Fox affiliate KTTV and XXL magazine in 2005, had a defamation lawsuit regarding the accusations thrown out of court.[37]. The fourth bullet was fatal, entering through his right hip and striking several vital organs, including his colon, liver, heart, and the upper lobe of his left lung, before stopping in his left shoulder area. In law enforcement, when youre doing these interviews, you have to realize how one persons conversation influences another persons perspective. DX: Now, I dont know if you can answer this question, but I do need to ask it: Is Theresa Swann actually former Death Row Records artist, and mother of Suge Knights nine-year-old daughter, Michelle? Wallace's autopsy report was released to the public in December 2012, fifteen years after his death. Yet this is when the investigation was inexplicably derailed. If somebody thinks that somebody else has already let the cat out of the bag, its much more easier for them to [talk]. Once Swann admitted her participation in the murder conspiracy, the FBI tried to use her to draw a confession from Knight. DX: Just out of curiosity though, did you ever converse with Russell Poole during your investigation? More recently, the film City of Lies was produced based on Poole's investigation and Sullivan's book, and cast Johnny Depp as Poole. Kading says Sanders is wrong. DX: [Were] there any eyewitness reports of this conversation by prison employees? The consequences were also overshadowed by the benefit and reward in their minds.. Kading also told Smith in a recorded phone call, It's always this way, man. For other inquiries, Contact Us. One lucky, FAMILY AFFAIR: INSIDE SNOOP DOGG AND HIS BOSS LADY, By continuing to use our site, you agree to our, Tommy Lasorda: Part Of 5 Freeway Honoring Former Dodger Manager, Newsom Ends 3-Year COVID-19 State of Emergency In California, Vanessa Bryant And L.A. County Reach Settlement Over Kobe Crash Site Case, Ventura Countys Dirty Little Secret Is The Subject of Regenerate Ojai, San Pedro Fish Market Lives On And Oscars At The Hollywood Roosevelt Heres Whats Popping Up, Gallery: Bravos Top Chef Brings The Best Of Britain To Hancock Park, From CHIIILD to Queen the New LA Weekly Playlist is Live, Extraterrestrial Fans Orbit into AlienCon, Jim Gaffigan on Making us Laugh and Cry (Q&A), Blondes, Brunettes and Burlesque at Peek-A-View, Hakeem Rowe Talks Insane Career Arc and His Departure From No Jumper, ASTN is Happier Than Ever about his newest release Be So Cruel, RealestK Isnt Nearly As Toxic As TikTok Is, Erykah Badu Drops That Badu Cannabis Line. Kading planned to notify her last weekend that Murder Rap was going to print. officers in your findings as having been part of the Biggie Smalls murder plot? Kading feels that the task force, as reconstituted under Beck, jeopardized the cooperation promised to the LAPD by Keffe D by turning over Keffe D's confession to Las Vegas police. And if you look at the initial statements of Eugene Deal, and Lil Cease, if you look at the eyewitnesses statements [from the people] that were actually in the car, theyre very vague, and theyre very contradictory. So that was the protocol we had. [9], Wallace's death was mourned by fellow hip hop artists and fans worldwide. And theyre trying to help, and its all honest, but they influence each other, and sometimes they taint each others perceptions. In Greg Kading's book murder Rap he refers to her as Theresa Swann. Kading does however align with Poole in his belief that Suge Knight orchestrated the hit, but believes that Suges go-to guy for murders was not a cop (and that his hit-man was actually contracted by one of the mothers of Knights children, who is identified as Theresa Swann in Murder Rap to protect her real identity). Suges criminal instincts kept him from taking the bait when she raised Biggies death. Well, what did you see?, well then they develop their own perspectives on what happened. Now David Kenner has what we call hes got privileged communications, because hes the attorney. Immediately following the shooting, reports surfaced linking Wallace's murder with that of Shakur's six months earlier, due to similarities in the drive-by shootings and the highly publicized East CoastWest Coast hip hop feud, of which Shakur and Wallace had been central figures. Kading conducted Swanns interviews, but noted them on police interview forms rather than audio tape. Prior to leaving, the Los Angeles Fire Department closed the party early because of smoking and loud music. View our online Press Pack. Teresa SwannWoodfin - Teresa Cynthia Sehion Swann, 45, passed away Wednesday, January 4, 2012 at her home.She was a daughter of Barry Sehion of Oteen and the late Linda Gail Martin.In addition to her So he provides these little details in his clue that are kind of vague, they dont really give you anything substantial: theres no last name, theres no real physical [description], theres no residence, nothing. We are relying on her statement, but it is backed up by other people within Death Row, who were all trying to get $25,000 in untraceable funds for something Suge needed done. He came on early, he was claiming that Suge had tried to hire him to get some guns, and some other Suge associates were gonna go do the murder. Theresa lived in Saint Albans, Vermont 05478, USA. Immediately, the media including L.A. Weekly painted Kading as a rogue cop. He goes, Maybe its Kenny, or maybe it was Keke. So there were these four different names that that informant gave out. But, thats not how you conduct an investigation. He only gives that description after hes gone and talked to Eugene Deal. Call it an obsession a curse, even. Christopher Wallace, an American rapper known professionally as the Notorious B.I.G., was murdered in a drive-by shooting in the early hours of March 9, 1997, in Los Angeles, California. Poochie was not a guy who was afraid to go out and pull the trigger. I tell them what I think and they tell me if I'm right or not.. On March 5, he gave a radio interview with The Dog House on San Francisco's KYLD, in which he stated that he had hired security because he feared for his safety. Theresa was born in Long Beach, CA, daughter of the late John and Betty Dudley Holsenback. As you will read in the book, I was pulled off the task force shortly after her confession and I never got a chance to do all the follow-up stuff that needed to be done. They werent able to keep that identification clean. [21] In a correction article written by Philips in May 2000, Muhammad was quoted as saying, "I'm a mortgage broker, not a murderer" and asking, "How can something so completely false end up on the front page of a major newspaper? Not only did Suge love Tupac, but he was his money maker. But the most important thing and Im not calling [him a liar], I think Eugene Deal is trying to help as best he can. Yesterday (October 4th), Greg Kading, a Medal of Valor recipient for bravery, spoke with HipHopDX (courtesy of Rare Bird Lit) in a two-part interview, with the first half of Q&A dedicated to his investigation into the murder of Notorious B.I.G. Kading, who led a major Federal task force probe into Biggie's murder, has revealed how his forces investigations and Suges ex - codenamed "Theresa Swann" - detailed how Suge's paid enforcer Darnell Poochie Fouse pulled the trigger on March 9, 1997. That that seems a little I mean, why wasnt it recorded? LAPD higher-ups pulled Kading off the double investigation right when he was poised to drive it home, he says. He had been wrongly accused of the U.S. Attorney's errors, and he had already elicited two confessions that put him on the brink of solving Shakur's and Smalls' murders yet had been yanked from the case. In what seemed like an instant, however, Kading went from the top of the world to the depths of a very public hell. DX: And do you believe Poochie dressed up in Nation Of Islam garb? Sanders says he can't remember which LAPD official under Beck made this promise, but definitely recalls it being made. Three years later, listening to the confessions fingering Sean Combs and Suge Knight, Kading felt he could almost see the finish line. On March 7, Wallace presented an award to Toni Braxton at the 1997 Soul Train Music Awards and was booed by some of the audience. During the yearlong internal LAPD probe of his actions, Kading felt betrayed and heartbroken. ", Loose Women star lined up to be Strictly's first contestant in wheelchair, GMB's Kate Garraway reveals crippling cost of caring for her husband Derek, Mum identified after dead baby is found on heathland, Radio star rushed to hospital after suffering brain haemorrhage, News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. [21] The Metro section also ran a photo of Muhammad, identified by police as a mortgage broker unconnected to the murder who appeared to match details of the gunman, printing his name and driver's license. Swanns lawyer secured her prosecution immunity for attempting to get Knights admission deal and she has stayed silent ever since. Also, the U.S. Attorney's Office redacted everything in Kading's journals that was not pertinent to Torres, but the defense found blacked-out entries that did relate to Torres. In April 2009, a jury convicted Torres on 50 counts, including conspiracy to commit murder, racketeering and bribery. Sullivan, in response, quoted the lead attorney of the Wallace estate calling the newspaper "a co-conspirator in the cover-up. Unsolved case Kading added: "Suge would have figured out she spoke, but the reality was that he was not going to kill or harm the mother of his child, especially if she is working with law enforcement. Kadings force strategically manipulated Swann into an interview as she faced other criminal charges. Read the response from Voletta Wallace's attorney. It took only three days to find Muhammad, who had a current ad for his brokerage business running in the Times. SpouseParentChildSiblingFamily memberOther, Sweet James has my permission to help provide a free police report, Tupac Shakur; Credit: PHOTO COPYRIGHT NEWSCOM, Ciel Spa aka @CielSpaBH located the SLS Hotel i, Welcoming over 100,000 people every year, what beg, The holiday season is a time of giving! He added: If he was going to let some rival crew come in and try to murder him without a reaction, what did that do for the reputation hed spent years building? Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. While her real name has been mentioned online and in books, Swann has always shied away from the limelight. The report said that the third bullet struck "the left side of the scrotum, causing a very shallow, .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}38in[10mm] linear laceration." agent actually in the interview with us. Theresa passed away on March 1 1999, at age 65. As his net worth has skyrocketed to nearly $500 million, his image has softened at the same rate: He's a mentor to tween heartthrob Justin Bieber and an MTV reality-show regular. Theresa is potentially known by Walter G Swann, Walter G Swann, Walter G Swann and twenty-nine other people due to residence history. Two years later, Kading moved north, where he became a rising star at LAPD. What Poochie says, that's what happened.. Because, the bottom of thats already been taken out and refuted. She had been a resident . Ms. Wallaces belief that former L.A.P.D. involved in all of our interviews [that] they have their own policy that they dont record their interviews. DX: So you have proof of a money transfer? In 1974, at age 11 one year after Kading was at a party with his mother and accidentally ingested LSD in spiked punch his mother packed everything into a VW bus and headed south along the California coast toward Mexico. In July 2009, under former LAPD Chief William Bratton, lead detective Kading was abruptly pulled from the task force. Kading conducted Swanns interviews, but noted them on police interview forms rather than audio tape. after killing B.I.G. Voletta Wallace's lawyer, Perry Sanders, tells the Weekly he suspended her lawsuit in part because she and the federal judge on the case strongly believed that LAPD was relaunching the investigation in full force. "[19] The Wallace suit had asked for $500 million from the city. Kading, who led a major Federal task force probe into Biggie's murder, has revealed how his forces investigations and Suges ex - codenamed "Theresa Swann" - detailed how Suge's paid enforcer Darnell Poochie Fouse pulled the trigger on March 9, 1997. I had other cases: the Grim Sleeper, Michael Jackson. Which means, they dont have to talk on a phone, it means they meet in the attorney-client area of the jail where they can have full contact, non-monitored conversations because its attorney-client [privilege]. We put her in a corner to make those hard decisions, he said. Smalls, a 400-pound Brooklyn native, was slain in a March 1997 drive-by shooting while rolling out of a star-studded party at the Petersen Automotive Museum in L.A.'s Miracle Mile. ", "Biggie Told Interviewer He Worried About Safety". of him on video, so sorry if I misrepresented that. Six months later, Bad Boy Entertainment rap star Christopher Wallace, best known as Biggie Smalls or Notorious B.I.G., was shot to death in L.A. Wallace cited that the reasons for the decision were not only the ongoing East CoastWest Coast hip hop feud and the murder of Tupac Shakur six months prior, but that security was simply a necessity for high-profile celebrity figures in general. Former Times reporter Philips spent years struggling to redeem his reputation, and now is co-producing a documentary on Suge Knight that will feature a soundtrack by Knight's latest company, Black Kapital. He says Swanns description confirmed and expanded on evidence his team gathered in their probe. Unsolved case Kading added: "Suge would have figured out she spoke, but the reality. Found more than one record for entered Email. Though Kading spends a chapter attacking Poole's stubborn conviction that Death Rowaffiliated LAPD officers helped take out the nation's fastest-rising rap star, and follows many of the same leads as the Times, Kading's core criticism that the LAPD sacrificed justice for self-preservation tends to parallel Poole's. And so were like, Okay, well this seems to be his kinda go-to guy when hes having these kind of problems. And so thats all the stuff thats discussed in the book, and it will compound the girls statement. McClure says it was his decision to shelve the case, and the Beck administration merely went along. He became indispensable to the prosecution when he turned up two of Torres' associates, convicted criminals Derrick Smith and Raul Del Real, who were in prison and willing to testify. Both Baby Lane and Poochie implicated as the triggermen by the team's sources for the murders of Shakur and Smalls had been shot dead years ago, casualties of Crips-versus-Bloods battles set off by the celebrities' slayings. Greg Kading: Yeah, and thisll probably sound a little bit suspicious to you, but working in these federal task forces all the different agencies have their own internal policies about interview protocol. NOTORIOUS B.I.G. Swann broke down in tears and gave detectives the story in her own words: Knight, reeling from Shakur's death, ended up giving her $13,000 to pay Poochie for a revenge hit on Smalls, according to LAPD documents reviewed by L.A. Weekly. Film 'City of Lies' Pulled From Release Schedule", "Mark Saylor dies at 58; former Times editor oversaw Pulitzer-winning series", "Man No Longer Under Scrutiny in Rapper's Death", "Informant in Rap Star's Slaying Admits Hearsay", "Hip-Hop Homicide "Worth More Dead Than Alive" Crime Library on", "LAPD launching new Notorious BIG task force", "Interview: Suge Knight paid Poochie $900 before killing B.I.G. They robbed Suge on a personal and professional level. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Speaking on the 25th anniversary of Biggie's death, Kading told The Sun: Suge indirectly told Poochie to kill Biggie through Swann. Money that was immediate was what they worked for. The Murders of gangsta rappers Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G. Kading says that, in fact, he facilitated Albert's surrender to local cops and nothing more. [35] The Wallace family refiled the suit, dropping the state law claims on May 27, 2008. They were the fruit of an intensive investigation by a special task force of LAPD officers plus agents from the Drug Enforcement Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation that had begun years earlier, in May 2006. Kading is working on a new podcast and documentary about former rogue cop Christopher Dorner called Fury And Flames. So it came as no surprise that the brass wasted no time in putting together a task force to finally solve the 9-year-old case, find the killer, and hopefully exonerate the police in the process.. Knight's downfall also could be due to his inability to let go of the past: A lot of these dudes say they love 'Pac, but at the same time they be doing shit like Puffy, Knight told TMZ earlier this year. DX: I read in the LA Weekly piece that Swanns interview wasnt recorded? According to that April 14, 2010, Internal Affairs report, reviewed by L.A. Weekly, Kading was not to blame for wrongdoing that caused Judge Wilson to overturn Torres' conviction. If anybody that we talked to had any information on David Mack, we always made sure that was then pushed over into the civil case. This is for the best. I need to qualify that, because it might look negligent if you just said, Well, he never talked to him. Speaking on the 25th anniversary of Biggie's death, Kading told The Sun: Suge indirectly told Poochie to kill Biggie through Swann. heirs sue LAPD, officials, city", "Notorious B.I.G. Sean Combs told the Weekly via email: This story is pure fiction and completely ridiculous. Suge Knight could not be reached. He had previously testified to knowledge of involvement between Knight, Mack, and Muhammed, but later said that the Wallace attorneys had altered his declarations to include words he never said. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. In 2006, Wallace's mother, Voletta Wallace, his widow, Faith Evans, and his children T'yanna Jackson and Christopher Jordan "CJ" Wallace, filed a $400 million second wrongful death lawsuit against the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) alleging that corrupt officers were responsible for Wallace's death. And hes like, Oh, shoot! Harry Billups (suspected shooter by, This page was last edited on 25 February 2023, at 20:52. Combs may take heat for these new revelations or he may not. Cooper declared a mistrial in Voletta Wallace's civil suit against LAPD and fired a stern warning shot at the department, awarding Voletta Wallace more than $1 million in legal fees. Not only did Suge love Tupac, but he was his money maker. officers David Mack and Rafael Perez? Dozens of gang members from both sides died in attempts to avenge Shakur's and Smalls' deaths. Swann wore a body-wire during a meet with Suge, now out of prison, which ended in failure. But there's a perception out there and we're concerned that it might work against you in the Biggie case. The prosecution basically got caught doing something they didn't know was wrong, but the judge ruled it a discovery violation, Kading says. Wrongful-Death Case Declared A Mistrial", "Lawsuit involving rapper death dismissed", Notorious: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Murder_of_the_Notorious_B.I.G.&oldid=1141591318, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Amir Muhammed a.k.a. A later 2005 story by Chuck Philips alleged that an informant for the Poole-Sullivan theory, Psycho Mike, was a schizophrenic with admitted memory lapses who confessed to hearsay. Pooh Shiesty Ordered To Pay Restitution To Victims Of 2020 Shooting, Larry June & The Alchemist Announce Joint Album The Great Escape, Nicki Minaj Returns With New 2000s-Sampling Single Red Ruby Da Sleeze, Kodak Black Pays Heartfelt Tribute To XXXTENTACION: We Lost A Legend, J. Cole Contemplates Retirement On New Collaboration With BTS J-Hope, The Best Hip Hop Albums of 2023 (so far), Jadakiss Believes Labels Should Be Held Responsible For Violent Lyrics. First, do you believe Amir Muhammad was at the Petersen Automotive Museum the night Biggie was killed? Suge is not an idiot, but a criminally sophisticated guy, "If you know someone is working with law enforcement and you go out and do something to them - who is their number one target now?". "[23] The story cleared Muhammad's name.[21][24]. And so, we had this long discussion, and we said, Should we record this or should we not? And we came to the collective agreement that we wouldnt. Kading has no faith in the case ever being closed following Poochies death and the silence of Swann and Knight, who is serving 28 years for voluntary manslaughter after running down two men on a film set. It may be hard to understand that sum for taking someones life, but to those guys it was a different mentality.. After speaking with a handful of gang members, Philips wrote a 2002 front-page article accusing Biggie Smalls of paying the Crips $1 million to knock off his West Coast competition. Kading was branded a dishonest cop, as any Google search will confirm. It may be hard to understand that sum for taking someones life, but to those guys it was a different mentality.. While her real name has been mentioned online and in books, Swann has always shied away from the limelight. that you believe was him on video, any other evidence in addition to that? Knight directed [Swann] to contact 'Poochie' and advise him that Knight wanted Wallace murdered in exchange for an unspecified amount of money.. officer tied to Death Row, we had to make a special note of it and then hand that over. Pat Gannon, called him into his office and told him, Allegations were made in the Torres case. [26], The criminal investigation into Wallace's murder was re-opened in July 2006 to look for new evidence to help the city defend the civil lawsuits brought by the Wallace family. He added: If he was going to let some rival crew come in and try to murder him without a reaction, what did that do for the reputation hed spent years building? In April 2002, Wallace's mother Voletta filed a wrongful death claim against the City of Los Angeles based on the evidence championed by Poole. If true, this means the LAPD has only in the past couple of months revived the probe. Long before Kading stepped into what many believe to be the cursed unsolved mystery of Shakur's and Smalls' murders, a storm of rumors and news stories suggested that a few bad apples within the LAPD had been involved in Smalls' killing. Kading claims that while Poochie was looking to ingratiate himself with Knight, the record boss needed to strike back at East Coast gangsters for Tupacs killing six months earlier in Las Vegas. - also known as Biggie Smalls -was killed 25 years ago in a drive-by shooting, Greg Kading, a retired detective, lead an investigation into Biggie's murder, Suge Knight is currently serving 28 years for voluntary manslaughter in a separate case, Biggie was shot in Los Angeles on March 9, 1997, aged 24, Suge allegedly set up Biggie's murder in retaliation for his friend Tupac's death, Tupac was killed in a drive by shooting in Las Vegas in 1996, Funeral cars filled with floral tributes for Biggie in Brooklyn in a farewell drive-by, Former detective Kading does not believe the LAPD will ever close Biggie's case, 1996 murder of his money maker Tupac Shakur, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO).