140 Characters per Theory: Chuck Philips Tweets on the 16th Anniversary

A murder theory in tweet length: On September 13, 2012, the 16th anniversary of Tupac’s death, journalist Chuck Philips published a text of about 1,200 words. It appeared first piece by piece in 140-character tweets, then bundled on a new website dedicated to the unsolved murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G. Pollstar had announced the “journalism experiment” the day before.

Philips Places “Von Zip” at Both Crime Scenes

The text centered on the circle around Sean Combs and Eric “Von Zip” Martin. Philips places the Harlem drug dealer, who had died shortly before, at both crime scenes, in Las Vegas and in Los Angeles.

No Solid Evidence for the Allegations

Spin found the text thin. According to Spin, Philips provided no solid evidence for the allegations. Philips’s 2008 Los Angeles Times article, which named suspects, had been retracted because it relied in part on forged FBI documents.

All that is established here is that the text appeared, not its content. For the state of the investigation, see investigations and theories.