Lead Investigator in Notorious B.I.G.'s Murder Passes Away

Russell Poole, the lead investigator in the death of legendary rapper Notorious B.I.G., passed away on Wednesday (August 19). According to the L.A. Times, Poole was discussing another cold case with Los Angeles County Sheriff homicide investigators when he had a fatal heart attack.

Poole famously accused an LAPD officer of conspiring with Suge Knight to kill the prolific Brooklyn rapper in 1997, and the investigator believed that Biggie's death was made in retaliation to 2Pac's murder. Just two years after heading the case Poole retired from the LAPD in protest to being told to stop his investigation, and he strongly believed that he was close to solving B.I.G.'s murder. 

In 2011, Poole told Billboard, "I think I was getting too close to the truth. I think they feared the truth would be a scandal."

Poole continued to work on the case as a private investigator after leaving the LAPD, whom he sued for violating his First Ammendment rights after they tried to quiet him from going public with findings from his investigation.

Source: Billboard/LA Times