Composite Sketch in the Notorious B.I.G. Murder

Original: “Rapper killer suspect sketched” · Associated Press, reprinted in the Las Vegas Sun · no byline · March 28, 1997

Bow Tie, Oxford Shirt, and a Videotape from Houston

A heart-shaped face, a thin, trimmed mustache, and a receding hairline, paired with an oxford shirt and a dark bow tie: nearly three weeks after the murder of The Notorious B.I.G., Los Angeles police released a composite sketch. Two of the six people who were in the GMC Suburban with Christopher Wallace had helped create it.

Lieutenant Ross Moen explained that there was only one shooter in the suspect vehicle, but possibly other accomplices involved. In addition, investigators had obtained a videotape from rap fans from Houston who had been filming outside the museum; he said it would be “instrumental in solving this case.” According to the Los Angeles Times, the tip about it came from a caller following the America’s Most Wanted episode on Biggie. Moen did not reveal what could be seen on it. Not all witnesses from the Suburban were cooperating.

The report remained short and matter-of-fact; the police appeared confident. Regarding the date: the sketch was presented on Thursday, March 27, 1997; newspapers reported on it on March 28.

Competing Theories, No Charges

That confidence was premature. Biggie’s murder remains officially unsolved (as of October 2026), and no one was ever charged. Little else became known later about the composite sketch or the videotape from Houston.

Instead, competing theories emerged over the years. Former LAPD detective Russell Poole suspected links to corrupt police officers in Death Row’s orbit. Other investigators and journalists pursued a lead pointing to gang members around Suge Knight. None of these theories was ever tested in court, and several civil lawsuits by the Wallace family against the City of Los Angeles failed or were withdrawn.

For Tupac fans, the case is inextricably linked with their own. While Tupac’s murder came to court in 2026 with Duane “Keffe D” Davis found guilty (not final, as of October 2026), the murder of his former friend and later rival remains open.