Suge Knight and Death Row Were Suspected of 15 Murders from 1993-1996

[EducatedBrothaFromTheBank]

we aint neva gonna see anything like Death Row anymore brehs

Knight hired Bloods from three feuding factions — the Mob Pirus, the Leuders Park and the Fruit Town Pirus — to answer his phones, market his records and provide security at his office and studio. For some, he bought cars. For others, he paid the rent.

In 1995, authorities began investigating Death Row employees in connection with a series of assaults, robberies and at-least 15 murders in Los Angeles and Compton. The victims, in many cases, had had run-ins with Knight. Police suspected that Knight was orchestrating the crimes but could not find sufficient evidence to charge him. Knight denied any wrongdoing.

"Suge's people were feared by everybody because people knew what they had done in the past," said Ladd, the Garden Grove gang investigator. "They weren't afraid to kill — and they let it be known."

Three weeks later, the body of Vence "V" Buchanan, 35, an alleged drug dealer and Bloods gang member, was found near a Compton graveyard, with a gunshot wound to the back of the head.

Buchanan's killers, disguised as police officers, had abducted him in a dark Cadillac at Central and 135th avenues. The kidnappers cuffed his hands behind his back, then brutalized him and videotaped his execution, informants have told police. The killers dumped his body outside a cemetery at Greenleaf Boulevard and Central Avenue.

Buchanan had been friendly with the disgruntled Death Row bodyguard and the drug dealer allied against Knight. They suspected that Knight orchestrated the slaying to avenge the shooting of Suge associates Fouse and Walker, informants have told police. The two men allegedly set out to retaliate.

 

[Kisame]

the good old days

 

[Dr Dre's ProductionSkills]

thats nothng.. they had rampart cops hanging out with them aka payroll.. real cops...

suge .. or whoever was the real gangstas of that coalition(his homeboys prob shot callers) could prob make you dissappear...

imo suge was the mascot aka face of that group but the real g's from those sets were callin the shots.. not suge...

 

[Boogie]

Idc how much pull he used to have all I remember him by is

 

[mson]

Those blood factions turned on each other as time went on. And most of Suges top goons were killed, including his right hand man. ( obviously not including the death of his friend big Jake Robles in Atl during the feud with Bad Boy)

The Stalking of Suge Knight
A string of gang shootings has claimed the lives of 4 of the rap entrepreneur's closest associates. Investigators believe the killers' ultimate target is Knight himself.

By Chuck Philips
LOS ANGELES TIMES

August 4, 2003


Los Angeles - Someone is gunning for Marion "Suge" Knight.

The head of Death Row Records grew famous glamorizing gang violence. He called his artists "inmates."

His company logo depicted a hooded convict strapped into an electric chair. His producers grafted violent lyrics onto driving rhythms, punctuated by shotgun blasts and wailing sirens.

That was make-believe mayhem. Now, Knight is being stalked by the real thing.

A string of gang shootings has claimed the lives of eight people since 1997, including four of the rap entrepreneur's closest associates.

Investigators believe the killers' ultimate target is Knight himself.

In the most recent slaying, gunmen ambushed longtime Knight confidant Wardell "Poochie" Fouse on July 24, firing 10 shots into his back as he rode a motorcycle in Compton.

Previous victims include Knight's best friend and chief bodyguard, who was gunned down at a gas station in Compton, and the creator of the Death Row logo, who was shot dead near a fried chicken stand in Los Angeles.

All the killings remain unsolved. Police suspect that at least three were ordered or carried out by a pair of gang members pursuing a vendetta against Knight.

One is a former Death Row bodyguard whom Knight fired.

"If I was Suge Knight, I'd be worried someone was out to get me," said Sgt. Fred Reynolds, a gang investigator with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

"When so many people so close to you get killed, it's no coincidence. If I was in his shoes, I'd be looking over my shoulder everywhere I went," Reynolds said.

Knight, 37, said he intends to do no such thing. He dismissed the idea that his life is in danger, but in terms that conveyed resignation more than defiance.

"I don't believe anyone is hunting me. But even if they were, so what?" Knight said in late May. "The only guarantee a man has in life is that you are born to die. I'm from the ghetto, where black men get killed every day."

Knight was arrested in late June for allegedly punching a parking lot attendant outside a Hollywood club.

On Thursday, a state parole panel deemed the incident a violation of Knight's parole from an earlier assault conviction and ordered him to serve 10 months in prison.

Through much of the 1990s, Death Row was the United States' No. 1 rap label, home to the biggest hip-hop stars, including Dr. Dre, Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg.

Knight strutted into award shows draped in gold chains and diamond medallions, puffing on Cuban cigars. He mugged with celebrities and chief executives for magazine covers. He was backed by some of the biggest names in corporate America, including Time Warner and Seagram Co.

Today, all that seems a distant memory.

Shakur is dead. Dre and other Death Row artists have long since defected. The label has not introduced a new star in seven years. Knight's latest release, the "Dysfunktional Family" movie soundtrack, barely registered on the national pop charts.

Knight owes the Internal Revenue Service $6 million in back taxes. One bank has threatened to seize Death Row's Beverly Hills headquarters over delinquent mortgage payments. Another has repossessed Knight's yacht.

At the height of his fame, Knight embraced more than the imagery of gang violence. He surrounded himself with gang members and tried to become a player in their world. In so doing, police investigators and gang members say, he became entangled in their feuds and unwittingly made himself a target.

The first to fall was Aaron "Heron" Palmer.

Palmer, a bodyguard for Knight, rolled up to a red light in Compton in a black Toyota 4Runner just before sunset on June 1, 1997.

He was on his way home from a Death Row party where employees had gathered to play touch football. As he waited for the light to change, a van pulled up behind him. Two men jumped out, fired a flurry of shots and sped off. Palmer, 30, died at the scene.

"When Heron went down, we were all like, 'Whoa! What's going on here?'" said Bobby Ladd, a former Compton gang investigator now with the Garden Grove, Calif., police. "Until that moment, nobody ever had the nerve to take out anyone in Suge's inner circle. This was no ordinary murder. Someone was sending a message."

 

[mson]

After the first shooting, Knight's enemies lay low for three years. On April, 4, 2000, they struck again. Fouse and a friend, William "Chin" Walker, were sitting in a van on a dead-end street in Compton. Just after midnight, two men rushed up, opened fire and fled.

Walker, 37, who was in the driver's seat, died an hour later. Fouse, then 40, was severely injured and confined to a wheelchair for three months.

Three weeks later, the body of Vence "V" Buchanan, 35, a drug dealer and Bloods gang member, was found near a Compton graveyard, with a gunshot wound to the back of the head.

Buchanan's killers, disguised as police officers, had abducted him, cuffed his hands behind his back, then brutalized him and videotaped his execution, informants have told police.

Buchanan had been friendly with the disgruntled Death Row bodyguard and the drug dealer allied against Knight.

They suspected that Knight orchestrated the slaying to avenge the shooting of Fouse and Walker, informants have told police. The two men allegedly set out to retaliate.

One of their targets was Alton "Buntry" McDonald, Knight's best friend. McDonald and a buddy, David "Brim Dave" Dudley, were rumored to have played a videotape of Buchanan's execution for an audience of friends at McDonald's home in Compton.

On March 25, 2001, nearly a year after Buchanan's death, Dudley was shot and killed in front of McDonald's house.

Knight was behind bars as this drama unfolded. In 1997, a judge had sentenced him to 9 years in prison for violating terms of his probation from his earlier assault case.

Knight said he had no role in Buchanan's murder and did nothing to provoke the attacks on his friends.

McDonald's family said he was not involved in the Buchanan killing, either.

With credit for good behavior, Knight was released from prison in August 2001, after serving less than 5 years. His world had been shaken, but he felt secure in the presence of McDonald. They had known each other since childhood, and McDonald was now Knight's chief bodyguard.

Eight months later, "Buntry" was cut down.

It happened at a crowded gas station on April 3, 2002. McDonald, 37, pulled in around 2:30 p.m. to fill up his black GMC Denali. He had paid the station attendant and was about to start pumping his gas when two men walked up and drew pistols. McDonald was shot four times in the chest.

"We think the same suspects who killed Alton McDonald were involved in the murder of David Dudley at Alton's house a year before - as well as the shooting of William Walker and Wardell Fouse a year before that," said sheriff's homicide Det. Beth Smith. "There are very unique identifiers that link these three cases together."

On Oct. 16, Henry "Hen Dog" Smith, another close friend of Knight's, was shot to death. Investigators say the connection to the earlier slayings is unclear.

Smith, 33, had been a fixture at Death Row for years and had designed the label's logo. He was sitting in a burgundy Jeep near a fried chicken stand in South Central Los Angeles while his girlfriend used a pay phone. A Death Row medallion hung from his neck. His girlfriend's baby was resting in the back seat when a young man leaned into the truck and fired six shots at Smith.

On July 24, unknown assailants again tried to kill Fouse. This time, they succeeded.

To hear Knight tell it, he is ready to close the door on that chapter of his life. He is writing an autobiography and hopes to produce a film about the "true story" of Death Row. He talks about volunteering as a football coach.

But his biggest aspiration these days, he says, is to live long enough to become a grandfather.

"The thing I most look forward to is seeing my kids have their own kids. Man, that would make everything worthwhile," Knight said.

 

[CASHAPP]

 

[re'up]

Yeah, thats been documented in a few books, and actually I got some great insight and stories from that Makvelli board, where Heron's nephew as posting…..As despicable and cancerous as Suge is, he could be hilarious…..'Black men get killed everyday in the ghetto' (in the context)

Listen, if somebody's planning to hunt me down, they are going to have to be more serious about their business," said Knight, chuckling. "How scary are these guys? They drive by my building at 2:30 in the morning and shoot the front windows out. Look out! They killed my windows. Who do they think they're kidding? You can't stop cowards from doing cowardly things."

 

[Big Woadie]

It's borderline unbelievable to read about all the shyt Suge been through.

I admit I didn't know about all these shyts on Death Row and I admit I thought he was another thug act. Well...turns out....nothing could be further from the truth. That dude was bout it bout it. Probably the only dude in entire hip-hop, or at least in mainstream big $ hip-hop that was ABOUT that life.

It's wrong on all levels but there's a certain respect...about it...I don't know.

Survived at least 3 shootings, ordered 5 times that number....I mean....if he gets out of this GTA situation...he might as well write a book and disappear from the States. No one man can have that many lucky breaks in life.

 

[Sierra Mist]

His son is going to have a target on him for life because his father decided to be the damn boogeyman.

 

[BIGDENNIS10UK]

Sounds like 90% of his friends have been murdered, he made a lot of money at some points, but his life seems shyt, unfortunately (or fortunately for him!) I bet he enjoys all the drama.

 

[AyBrehHam Linkin]

The shyt Lil Reese has had a hand in is similar. If your nickname on the streets is "Chiraq's Grim Reaper" you are a scary mofukka. Fredo Santanas nickname is apparently "The Demon"

 

[phatphuck]

yeah and pac was one of those 15

 

[CASHAPP]

Suge is the Birdman of the west coast

 

[Big Woadie]

The shyt Lil Reese has had a hand in is similar. If your nickname on the streets is "Chiraq's Grim Reaper" you are a scary mofukka. Fredo Santanas nickname is apparently "The Demon"

Ye but these new cats don't have the style that Suge has....these new dudes simpleton punks easy on the trigger....disposable....all of them will be feedin da worms in 2 year tops

None of them fukks can touch let alone pass Suge's incredible track record