A state prison inmate who once implicated a Los Angeles police officer in the slaying of rap star Biggie Smalls testified Thursday that he recanted the allegation because of threats he received from a rival rap producer that were passed to him by a former Los Angeles Times reporter.
Waymond "Suave" Anderson, a former R&B singer, said reporter Chuck Philips passed him several written messages wrapped in plastic at Corcoran State Prison on behalf of rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight. He said the threats led him to give false testimony at a deposition last year in a civil lawsuit brought by the family of the slain rapper, whose real name was Christopher Wallace.
Anderson is a convicted murderer whose credibility has been questioned by prosecutors. The 43-year-old inmate made the claim over the last two days in a hearing examining evidence that he contends shows he is innocent of a 1993 murder. He is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
Philips, in a telephone interview, denied Anderson's allegation.
"That never happened," said Philips, who has written several stories about Anderson's murder conviction suggesting that Anderson may be innocent. "I'm flabbergasted by this whole thing. This is the ultimate betrayal."
Knight, the founder of Death Row Records, could not be reached for comment.
Anderson and his attorney said the FBI has been investigating the singer's allegations. An FBI spokeswoman declined to comment.
In addition to his testimony about Philips and Knight, Anderson accused police officers, a prosecutor and two of his prior defense attorneys of corruption.
Anderson, who had a nationwide hit in the 1980s with an updated version of the Motown standard "My Girl," was convicted in 1997 of torching a drug users' hangout near USC and setting a man aflame to avenge an unpaid drug debt.
The events leading up to Anderson's murder trial and his attempts to win freedom have all the hallmarks of a legal soap opera.
Before his trial, a judge found him to be mentally incompetent and sent him to Patton State Hospital, a mental facility near San Bernardino. Anderson escaped, allegedly with the help of a hospital employee, but was captured at his sister's house and brought to trial, court records show.
