Patterico: LAT Simply Flat-Out Lying to Readers Now

Patterico's been on this case for a while -- LAT reporter Chuck Phillips got front-page play for his "expose" that a convicted arsonist/murderer named Wallace was actually innocent. (When he's not torching buildings and killing people, he's a little known rapper called "Sauve," with an accent over the "e," so it's Suav-EY, which is even suavier than suave, really, because it's sort of made-up gibberish French and therefore sophisticated and sexy.)

After all, Suave/Wallace claimed, without evidence, he was in a different state when it happened! Case closed!

Oh, and he knows who did commit the arson and murder. How does he know? Well, because when he was already in jail for those crimes, the real killer called him on the jailhouse phone and gave him a full confession -- and lots of details about other crimes he'd committed. Case closed!

Oh, but it gets worse. Because Patterico has a deposition from Wallace. In it, Wallace claims to be innocent... and also claims to have been a witness to the conspiracy that would end up assassinating Tupac Shakur, and Biggie Smalls.

I think this interesting information was also delivered in that jailhouse phone call confession.

Wow, huh? Case closed!

This is the rapper equivalent of claiming you're obviously innocent of killing your wife because at the time of the murder you were off assassinating the Kennedy Brothers and also doing the set-decoration for the Fake Moon Landing soundstage.

The thing is, even though Phillips knew these ridiculous claims -- the "real killer" calling the framed innocent in jail to confess, confessing to having been involved in the two biggest rap hits in history -- he did not reveal them to his readers.

He must have suspected that, somehow, they might undermine Wallace's claims of innocence. Just a little bit.

Patterico's post is hellalong -- hell-a-long -- but the first eight paragraphs give the gist, and the first twenty give the gist plus a bit more than the gist.

But the whole thing is pretty damning, and makes for some compulsive reading.

If that's too long -- Patterico has now provided a short post summarizing the longer post, which is really where you should begin. (I didn't link this earlier because, while interesting, I kept forgetting who was who... that seems to be fixed with the short summary.)

When will the LAT retract?

How about never? Fake but accurate.

PS: I have long contended on this blog-- and have gotten headaches, arguments, and anklebiting over my stance -- that the key to getting away with an arson/murder is to not call up the patsy serving time for your crime to make a full confession (over recorded phone lines, no less) and then also reveal your complicity in the murders of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls.

Okay -- all of those who have argued you should call to confess to the guy serving the time for your crime, and then also confess to being involved in the murders of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls -- are you ready to apologize? Or at least modify your former positions?

Pwned, baby. I told you. You frickin' numbnuts.

Link Fixed. I hope.

Link Really Fixed. Lot of problems on that one. Now it works.

posted by Ace at 03:55 PM

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