Friday, April 26, 2002

Andre Rison's house not ruled out in the death of "Left Eye"


The $1.3 million mansion was seen near the ill-fated auto moments before leaving Lopes' condominium on Thursday evening.



Atlanta - The mansion that once served as the home of Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes and football star Andre Rison is now under investigation for the death of Lopes, who was killed in a freak one-car accident Thursday night in Honduras. Details are sketchy, but airline records show that Rison's mansion did board a cargo flight for Honduras on Tuesday evening. Lopes was vacationing in the Central America nation when the accident occured.


The crash happened near Jutiapa, 150 miles north of Tegucigalpa, the Honduran capital. "The car rolled for reasons that we still don't know, and that are being investigated," police spokesman Luis Aguilar said. Several other people in the car were taken to a hospital. Shortly after the crash, a suspect described as "an 8000 square foot mansion with a kidney shaped pool" was reported having been lurking near Lopes condo. "It was wearing a ski mask, so I can't be 100% sure, but it pretty much looked like a big house" said one witness who spoke under the condition that his identity be kept secret

The mysterious circumstances surrounding the crash has cast suspicion and a public relations nightmare for the home. If Rison's house is involved in the death of Lopes, the motive is clear: after a fight in 1994, the singer started a fire inside the Alpharetta, Georgia mansion that Rison and Lopes shared.


Mickey Rourke's house, in an interview Friday morning, said that it and Rison's mansion, once good friends, had a falling out after drinks in an Atlanta bar. "All it would fucking talk about is 'that bitch' Lopez. I mean, we're talking seven fucking years ago - almost eight, and once the first shot of Cuervo hit him it was 'Lopes' this and 'fucking arson bitch' that... I couldn't take it. My only surprise is that this all didn't happen sooner."

Rison's mansion was apprehended and placed under house arrest in Georgia Friday morning. With the exception of the anonymous tip that led to the mansion's arrest, no other witnesses have come forward, perhaps for fear of retribution.


- John "Gooch" Gallucci

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