U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper declared a mistrial in the Notorious B.I.G. case on the grounds that the LAPD may have deliberately withheld evidence in the case. The judge declared the mistrial on Wednesday. A formal written order is expected to be issued to both sides on Thursday.
As a result of the judge's decision, the family of the rap star will not get the answers it seeks about his death. According to published reports, however, the family will be able to bring a civil suit seeking to tie his unsolved 1997 murder to a corruption scandal in the LAPD.
The trial was halted after only three days of testimony. It was later discovered that the LAPD had not turned over a large number of documents to the family's attorney. An anonymous tip informed the judge of the existence of the documents.
The Notorious B.I.G., whose real name was Christopher Wallace, was shot and killed in 1997 at the age of 24. He was also known as Biggie Smalls.
His family's lawsuit against the city and LAPD claimed corrupt LAPD officer David Mack arranged to have Wallace killed at the behest of Death Row Records founder Marion 'Suge' Knight. The family also claims that LAPD officials covered up Mack's involvement in the murder.
The death was allegedly due to the rivalry between Wallace's Bad Boy Entertainment record label and Knight's Death Row Records. One of the witnesses who testified said that Knight wanted Wallace killed as revenge for the death of Tupac Shakur.
A civil lawsuit is almost certain to follow. Meanwhile, the mystery surrounding the death of the Notorious B.I.G. remains.
