SONNY BONO WAS MURDERED
Pop legend died
on ski slope in
a desperate bid
to escape drug
gang hit men
SONNY BONO's mysterious death three years ago was no accident, say sources-- he was murdered!
Officially, Sonny died after skiing into a tree at Lake Tahoe's Heavenly Resort on Jan. 5, 1998. But insiders tell GLOBE the congressman crashed because he was being chased by a three-man assassination squad hired by angry drug lords.
And his own mother Jean is not the least bit surprised. I always felt there was more to his death,' says Sonny's mom. "There should have been a much more thorough investigation . I pray that justice will be done."
Congressman Sonny was targeted because he played a large role in the U.S. government's war on drugs, say insiders. He was co-sponsor of the Methamphetamine Elimination Act of 1997 and bravely stood up to pushers like the ruthless Russian Mob.
They believe the gangsters put a contract out on Sonny's life after they were unable to blackmail him into taking the pressure off their growing empire, Top secret Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) files-- obtained under the Freedom of Information Act-- support his shocking conclusion.
Our sources believe that the report includes the names of informants who were feeding devastating evidence against the drug lords to Sonny, but they canít prove it because three pages of the top secret document are blacked out on the grounds that "the information is potentially life-threatening."
"Clearly the DEA is hiding something," says a source. "Sonny made no bones about being out to get drug kingpins. The RussianMob was making inroads into southern California and tried to blackmail Sonny by telling him they had phony witnesses who would tell the media he was abusing drugs, but Sonny didn't blink-- he called their bluff.
Ironically, Sonny's own wife Mary, who has since taken over his congressional seat, ended up playing into the blackmailer's hands. She claimed he crashed because he abused prescription drugs even though his autopsy showed only traces of prescription drugs in his blood.
Sources say Sonny, 62, knew there might me an attempt on his life. He had told friends he was taking some extra precautions because the thugs decided to play rough.
Previously, an anonymous tip to the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms had suggested that Sonny kept automatic weapons in his basement when he was married to Cher. He also told the feds he was being shadowed, "but couldn't provide enough detail."
Insiders say the deadly scenario probably played out like this: a woman pretending to have fallen after skiing off the trail sets the trap by calling out Sonny for help.
But just as he nears the damsel in distress, he sees two menacing thugs emerge from the nearby woods on skiis. Realizing he's been set up, Sonny hightails it down the run in a desperate bid to save his life. The assassins follow in hot pursuit until their dire work is done-- Sonny loses control and crashes into a tree.
Investigators have pored over security videotapes and have pinpointed three mysterious figures, a woman and two men. Only the woman was registered as a guest at the Heavenly Resort lodge, and it was later learned she paid with a stolen credit card.
Authorities also became suspicious because Sonny was an expert skiier who was familiar with the mountain. Agencies are continuing to investigate, but so far the three suspects have not been found. Sonny's mom, Jean, prayed investigators donít give up.
Says Jean: "I just hope that with the GLOBE's help, the truth about what really happened to Sonny comes out."