He is featured on the show Unsolved. Messages run for up to one year and you Harry Billups could not have been the person that was being discussed in that clue. Daily Variety reported on the project in 2016. He and several other people have had these alternative theories that were really implausible, but now when we bring the truth out, it completely refutes their position. Lets say that you find Suge Knight civilly liable for the murder of Biggie. His work revealed that off-duty LAPD officers handled security for Death Row, many of whom were dirty cops engaged in criminal mayhem.. Aint this some st?, Poole had urged the LAPD to reopen the case before he died. While the show is likely more accurate to Kading's version of events because of his direct involvement, Unsolved had to approach Poole's work from the outside. detective, he was in charge of the special task force that investigated Christopher Wallaces murder. Russell Wayne Poole (November 29, 1956 - August 19, 2015) was a Los Angeles Police Department detective who investigated the murder of the Notorious B.I.G., a rapper also known as Biggie Smalls. I know the clue that Chuck Philips relied on for that article, and it never actually mentioned Biggie. I quit [the force] over the matter. But when I asked him he completely recanted and said, I didnt mean to say that was the guy. Greg Kading, who investigated the Wallace murder for the LAPD in 2006 and serves as co-executive producer on Unsolved, told Swaggamusic.net, "I made several attempts to meet with [Poole]. And incredibly, Poole began to uncover evidence that at least some of these gangsta cops may have been involved in the murders of rap superstars Notorious B.I.G. She knows that her kids, the community at large, and everybody in the hip-hop community knows that she and Sugeconspired to kill Biggie. He was included in a 2001 interview with VH1 in the documentary film Biggie & Tupac released in 2001 by British documentary film maker Nick Broomfield. There is no law enforcement video of the shooting. Its all BS. Hes so pissed off because we disproved his theory and obviously theres no more money coming in if people arent buying into that theory. Poole was gravely affected by Wallaces murder and in the process, he lost touch with his family. However, Amir was never arrested, and LAPD shunned D-Macks involvement with Dead Row. However, Vice reports that Poole argued that the chief conspirators were Sharitha Knight and Reggie Wright Jr., head of Death Row Security. Neither has been arrested nor charged with the death, either. Weve spent enough time and money. Later, in November 1997, LAPD officer David Mack robbed a bank. always knew the problems with Russell Pooles theory. Random House felt that it would put people in harms way. However, Knight was the . The only thing that Russell Poole has to hold onto is simply four letters: A-M-I-R. Thats it. Then he gives all these other descriptions; Hes this Fruit of Islam guy, hes from Compton, and all of these different descriptors of the shooter. The burden of knowledge is heavy. Suge Knight doesnt have a pot to piss in. by Greg Kading (second photo), is different from the rest. He died on 19 August 2015 in Los Angeles, California, USA. Poole sent his findings to the then-chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, Bernard C. Parks, who ordered Poole to cease all investigations of Officer David Mack. And he blamed Suge for it. Preceded in death by his parents Della and Bill Poole. In one, Poole will be played by Johnny Depp. Barry Recap: A Tragic Death Shakes Up Bill Haders Dark Satire In fact, Kading told the site, "Poole knew that I knew his theory about the Biggie Smalls murder was wrong.". The book was not written by Poole, but instead by journalist Randall Sullivan while he was observing the detective's work. Remember, Michael Robinson never says any cop [was involved with the murder]. They assigned him a new job to investigate cocaine bags disappearing from the evidence room. A resident of Rupert Idaho. Both shooters are deadThats all the justice that these cases will see. The book formed the basis for the highly anticipated 2018 film City of Lies, starring Johnny Depp as Poole. When he IDs Harry Billups [a.k.a. I am an Onstage Dramatist and a Screenwriter. Russell Poole who quit in 1999. . For all intents and purposes, its a stale investigation, that will never be closedever.. It was Det. They just want to propose their theories because it brings in money.. Its just a huge law enforcement travesty. Everybody ultimately owes some sincere apologies, at least, to both. But he never mentioned an, Coincidentally, theres a whole other investigation going on behind a rogue cop named David Mack who had robbed a bank. findings public.. There was surveillance, out in California, by a task force, that was looking into drug and gun activities, because they were getting ready to indict Biggie and a couple of his friends on some narcotics and some guns that they had found in his house. A retired L.A.P.D. Its a huge travesty in all senses, but theres so many people responsible for why this didnt get solved: All the lying informants, the incompetence on the investigators part. Theyre always going to say, Yes, its an open investigation. And to abandon that case and get on board with solving the two biggest mysteries in rock n roll historyHe felt very bad., Greg Kading, the author of Murder Rap, who later took over the Biggie Smalls case for the LAPD, said that Poole failed at being objectiveAn investigation was done on him for misconduct. There was a jailhouse informant in L.A. county jail named Michael Robinson, who provided this very problematic slew of different descriptors of the shooter. Coincidentally he dies after meeting with the police about the cold case of Biggies death and strangely collapses shortly after and was unresponsive and was pronounced dead when he arrived at the hospital, he wrote. In the current timeline, Poole teams up with journalist Darius Jackson (Forest Whitaker) to solve the murder of Notorious B.I.G. Russell Poole, 58, was among many who suspected foul play in the rapper's death and handled an investigation in the matter for approximately a year after the March 9, 1997 shooting. Seeing the two greatest rappers of a generation cut down in their prime was bad enough. Wave Makers Season 1: How Were Wen Feng And Ya Ching Similar? The article was published on the front page of the L.A. Times, and Jacksons efforts were lauded. They were outside the party just filming the people walking by and they happened to catch the moment when Biggie was shot. I didnt make money off the book. Poochie died in July 2003 as a result of multiple gunshot wounds. can stop at any time. I've been in this game for years. The revelation gave new hope to Poole, who thought of reopening the case. But the conspiracy theory of them being there that night and watching this thing go down and doing nothing, is absolutely ludicrous. The shooters dead, the female confessor has immunity, so you just have Suge Knight. Theyre only interested in whats going to put money in their pocket. Suge Knight ended up going to jail on a probation violation, stemming from the beating of Orlando Anderson [Ed. [1] He also was one of the officers involved in the investigation into the North Hollywood shootout, just days before the murder of the Notorious B.I.G. He alleges that former LAPD detective Russell Poole planned on apologizing to Suge Knight prior to his passing last year, reported HipHopDx. actually murdered Biggie?The defense is going to try and turn the thing back around. Getty Amir Muhammad] and says, Thats the guy, its a very dramatic moment in the video. The Notorious B.I.G., was shot to death while sitting in a Chevy Suburban outside of a hip-hop industry party in Los Angeles. Many conspiracy theorists held Notorious B.I.G. Video related to russell poole: 5 fast facts you need to know, RUSSELL POOLE WANTED TO APOLOGIZE TO SUGE KNIGHT BEFORE HE DIED SAYS AUTHOR, Subscribe to Youtube Page for the latest interviews! Poole believed that Knight, with the help of LAPD officer David Mack and another associate, was responsible for B.I.G.s death as retaliation for the murder of Tupac Shakura year earlier. His creativity was cashed in on by L.A.-based rap label Death Row Records, owned by the infamous Suge Knight. Russell Poole was the lead detective with the Los Angeles Police Department who was assigned to investigate the shooting death of hip hop artist Biggie Smalls. COMPLEX participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means COMPLEX gets paid commissions on purchases made through our links to retailer sites. Greg Kading, who investigated the Wallace murder for the LAPD in 2006 and serves as co-executive producer on Unsolved, told. Boomshots.com webmaster. So everyone go back to work. And the case ended up getting shelved. Russ made the world a better place and affected the lives of too many people to count. Ponniyin Selvan: Part 2 Review: Mani Ratnams Sequel To A Sleep-Inducing Slog Is A Snoozefest. The burden of knowledge is heavy. [11], While discussing the Wallace and Tupac Shakur cases for an upcoming nonfiction book, Chaos Merchants,[12] Poole died of a heart attack at the Monterey Park office of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department on August 19, 2015. I hated the idea that this information would always be suppressed because of law enforcement. When Tupac was hit four times, many of his fans and the most loyal Death Row Records blamed Biggie for orchestrating the shootout. Ms. Over two decades later, USA's Unsolved: The Murders Of Tupac And The Notorious B.I.G. Theres so many people responsible for why this didnt get solved: All the lying informants, the incompetence on the investigators part. He was removed from it. Neither were charged with anything related to the murder of Biggie Smalls. #UnsolvedUSA pic.twitter.com/yl5CWWN1tN, JimmiSimpsonFan.com (@jsimpsonfansite) February 27, 2018. to the family or plant a tree All of these supporting identifiers disqualify him as a possible suspect. NoteAnderson is Keefe Ds nephew, also a, paid to kill Biggie. Nine days before Franks road rage accident, American Rapper, Christopher Wallace aka Notorious B.I.G., was shot 6 six times on the street. Poole's theory about Wallace's death, explained in LAbyrinth and reported in The Guardian, is that members of the LAPD were involved. Futhermore, some believe Poole was planning to apologize to Suge Knight before Poole died. He played many pranks on hiscousins and friends and was always in for a good laugh. After Biggies mother Voletta Wallace filed suit against the City of Los Angeles and the L.A.P.D.seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in damagesthe department was highly motivated to solve the case. Funeral Home website by. The probe followed a wrongful-death lawsuit filed against the city by the rapper's mother, Voletta Wallace, and other relatives. He looked directly into the eyes of Keefe D, who was in the shooters car. Detective. While Poole is a major character in Unsolved, his work is being presented through the filter of other's. I think the L.A.P.D. Biggies drive-by shooting occurred just six months after his friend turned foe, 25-year-old Tupac Shakur, suffered a similar fate after a boxing match in Las Vegas. They just shelved the whole case after the Wallace camp retracted their lawsuits., On The L.A.P.D. Christopher Wallace, aka The Notorious B.I.G., Biggie, or Biggie Smalls, was killed by an unknown drive-by assassin on March 9, 1997, in Los Angeles. In everything that we saw and read in all the interviews, Biggie was an innocent bystander in this whole thing. I wanted to get the information out and move on. Tupac and Notorious B.I.G. People arent really interested in whats true and whats provable. These off-duty Compton cops were all present and they all left the scene. There are clues sitting right in front of the police. The Timesretracted that story. So I incurred quite a bit of debt over it, and I havent even regained that. Im saying he failed at being objective on this one particular case.. And then, Russell Poole draws a conclusion, Look, David Mack has a black Impala. But what Russell Poole doesnt do is tell people about how every single witness that was in those cars denied it being a black Impala. He was an actor, known for Biggie & Tupac (2002), The Fantastic Adventures of Foolish Gentlemen (2016) and 50 Documentaries to See Before You Die (2011). for negligence. Unfortunately, the cases are so complicated and convoluted. These killings remain the worst tragedies in hip-hop history. Feb. 28, 1927 - Aug. 2, 2008. Like I said, I read that clue that he relied on. To send flowers The L.A.P.D. Obituary. Everybody ultimately owes some sincere apologies, at least, to both Voletta Wallace and Afeni Shakur., Although the police investigations in Los Angeles and, After his efforts led to two sworn confessions from people who said they played a part in the killings of Wallace and, Ed. Blues | FRONTLINE", "Portland Journalist Randall Sullivan Wrote the Book on the Conspiracy to Kill Tupac and Biggie", "Johnny Depp's Notorious B.I.G. What Happens To Adam In The End? According to NBC News, Poole alleged that police were involved in the killing, as part of a general theory that the killing sprang from an East Coast-West Coast rap feud. Pooles investigation was featured in a book on his theories that was called LAbyrinth: A Detective Investigates the Murders of Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G., the Implication of Death Row Records Suge Knight, and the Origins of the Los Angeles Police Scandal. It suggested Macks divine loyalty towards the rapper. Broomfields film revolved around Pooles theory, as did a 2005 civil suitfiled by the Wallace family against the city of Los Angeles. Poole was a leading investigator on the killing of Notorious B.I.G. Detective Russell Poole Former L.A.P.D. Russell Wayne Poole (November 29, 1956 August 19, 2015) was a Los Angeles Police Department detective who investigated the murder of the Notorious B.I.G., a rapper also known as Biggie Smalls. Breaks Down His Killer White House Correspondents Dinner Set, Bernie Sanders: Many GOP Leaders 'Don't Even Believe in Democracy'. Theyre considered solved internally, but the publics definition of solved is different. Combs traveled in the first vehicle with three bodyguards. Wardell Poochie Fouse was paid to kill Biggie. We were all blessed to have called him our friend, brother, father, and grandpa. According to the police detective who spent three years investigating the murder of Biggie Smalls, the man pictured aboveWardell Fouse a.k.a Darnell Bolton a.k.a. So theres a little bit of embarrassment. Many details of the case have been in question for over 20 years, and there is still no definitive answer as to who killed two of hip-hop's brightest talents and why. His two main suspects were incarcerated officers David Mack and Rafa Perez. While everyone suspected Frank Lyga, Pooles investigation revealed the third tainted cop in the LAPD who worked for Death Row. An open-house Gathering for friends and family will be held from 6-8:00 p.m. Monday, April 11, 2022 at the Rupert WestStake Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,26 South 100 West Rupert, Idaho. At the time, he was under investigation by L.A.P.D. Wallace was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center by Combs and the rest of Wallace's entourage, but was pronounced dead by doctors at 1:15a.m. After months of investigating, Poole accused LAPD Officer David Mack, along with Mack's friend, Amir Muhammad, of being complicit in the murder of Christopher Wallace. Coincidentally, theres a whole other investigation going on behind a rogue cop named David Mack who had robbed a bank. But Jackson had a contradictory thought. Poole also investigated the killing of LAPD Officer Kevin Gaines by LAPD Officer Frank Lyga on March 18, 1997. (born Christopher Wallace) death in 1997 when the rapper was slain leaving a Soul Train Music Awards after-party at the. You get nothing out of it. Poole initially fingered Death Row boss Suge . Poole claimed he had enough evidence to prove that Mack had ties to the CEO of Death Row Records, Marion "Suge" Knight. [10] Poole, as a private investigator, continued independently investigating Wallace's murder on his own. The death of two young men who were so beloved by their family, friends, and fans was worse still. So it just goes to show that they were really never big fans of [Biggie and. Kading is neither a journalist nor a conspiracy theorist. The public generalizes L.A. cops. Greg Kading is neither a journalist nor a conspiracy theorist. 75K views 5 years ago Reggie Wright Jr. and Sr. have been arrested. 18 Trees, Flowers, or Condolences have been shared with support of Russell's family -. Poole also investigated the killing of LAPD Officer Kevin Gaines by LAPD Officer Frank Lyga on March 18, 1997. guy, named Richard McCauley, who worked off-duty on several occasions. This guy named R.J. Russell Poole is no longer around to give his impressions of the series or the cases. He loved to maintain a beautiful yard often calling on the neighbor kids to ride along onthe mower. They would be very problematic prosecutions because of all of the convoluted peripheral issues that were raised during the investigation. knew that there was no basis whatsoever to [Pooles] theory. Theres these very circumstantial indicators that maybe this rogue cop was involved [in Biggies murder]. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Legacy's online obit database has obituaries, death notices, and funeral services for 32 people named Russell Poole from thousands of the largest funeral homes and newspapers in the world. One of the factors was that Harry Billups photograph was already run in the Los Angeles Times as a suspect in Biggies murder., On Chuck Philips L.A. Times Story Alleging That Biggie Provided The Gun For Pacs Killing. He was talking on a walkie-talkie, informing someone about Wallaces departure from Peterson. Michelena was then supervising the detective working the case. The D.A. The D.A.s not going to file charges. Poole alleged a conspiracy within the LAPD. Russ loved to joke and always had something funny to say. Russ enjoyed spending time with family whether it was on the Snake River or taking atrip to explore new places. And he was going to the sheriffs to apologize to Suge Knight and tell the investigators that they had this case against Suge thats crumbling. [13], Poole was portrayed by Johnny Depp in the 2018 film City of Lies.[7]. Tonight we get to see @jimmisimpson as Det. guy, named Richard, The guys that were working off-duty for Death Row were highly compromised. When he opened his security business, he hired who? We looked into everything regarding the cops, but when you get down to it, theres absolutely nothing. Its a travesty of justice., According to Rolling Stone, In 1999, Poole was essentially forced into early retirement after implicating a fellow officer in Biggies death; he later filed a lawsuit against the LAPD claiming that his First Amendment rights were being violated because he couldnt take his B.I.G. RUSSELL POOLE OBITUARY. investigator, who was investigating Biggies murderfinds out about David Mack. Clock Ending, Explained: What Happened To Ellas Father? people were working for Death Row or that they did a murder on behalf of Death Row. Poole was responsible for floating some of the most controversial and unproven theories in the Biggie Smalls death case. because all of his witnesses were recanting, saying, I made this up. Everybody. I can guarantee you that you will never see criminal prosecution in either of these cases, but Voletta Wallace knows who killed her son. A resident of Rupert Idaho. Russell Poole (1956-2015) was an Los Angeles Police Officer for eighteen years before retiring in 1999 to form his own private investigation firm. If you take selective information and you ignore the information that refutes your theory, you can put together a conspiracy theory and convince people of it. It made me an animal. Former LAPD detective Russell Poole, who investigated the 1997 murder of rapper Notorious B.I.G., died today (August 20), of an apparent heart attack.Poole, who was a decorated member of law . in memory of Russell Lee Poole, please visit our floral store. Officer Rafa Perez partnered with D-Mack and committed a bank robbery. According to The Los Angeles Times, Poole quit the police force in 1999 after a series of disputes over the direction of multiple investigations, including Wallaces murder., Before they were rivals, they were friends.#UnsolvedUSA.