Mr. So contacted The ENQUIRER with a tip that cracked the frustrating case wide open. The ENQUIRER passed the tip to the Los Angeles police who then used it to find the murder weapon. Mr. So told The ENQUIRER and the police that he had given Mikail Markhasev a ride shortly after the murder and heard Markhasev say that he just shot a man and it was all over the news. Markhasev also revealed the area where he had discarded the gun. Mr. So came forward at great risk to his own life. Markhasev was described by the prosecutor as a gang member and one key witness refused to testify fearing reprisal.

"We are very pleased that justice has been served," said David Perel, Executive Editor of The National ENQUIRER. "Our $100,000 reward is a small price to pay to put a vicious killer behind bars." The ENQUIRER also played a key role uncovering another vital piece of evidence. We were the first to publish a series of letters Markhasev wrote from prison in which he described the killing as a "robbery gone bad."

"This case would not have been solved without The ENQUIRER's work," declared Joseph DiGenova, a former U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., who examined the jailhouse letters written by Markhasev. "It was a job well done." "I thought about The ENQUIRER immediately after I heard the verdict, because of your earlier reporting involving the letters -- which obviously became the cornerstone in the prosecution's case. It was excellent work on The ENQUIRER's part. "I think it's pretty obvious that the investigating and reporting The ENQUIRER did on both the letters and locating the murder weapon were central to Markhasev's conviction. After all, the strand of hair found with the gun was linked to Markhasev by DNA testing -- and that's pretty damning evidence. "The ENQUIRER has done it again."

Added noted attorney Raoul Felder: "Without The ENQUIRER this killer would still be walking around on the streets -- and there's no telling how many more victims there might be by now. "There's no question that this case would not have been solved without The ENQUIRER. "This case was virtually an ENQUIRER case. If you eliminate all the evidence that The ENQUIRER produced, there never would've been an indictment in this case. "My hat's off to The ENQUIRER for an incredible effort and a great public service. People everywhere should be saying 'thank you.' "

The National Enquirer Online is one of the most popular sites on the Web, largely because of the vigorous support from The National ENQUIRER and its constantly changing (and often sensational) entertainment content. The site has the production values of other major news sites yet makes use of National ENQUIRER's strong brand image and depth of content. It offers fresh news daily, sometimes hourly, talking online with editors and celebrities in chat forums, insider news, prizes for stories from our readers, hot gossip and more. National ENQUIRER Online is promoted in the largest weekly newspaper in America, with a circulation of about 3,000,000 and over 18,000,000 readers per week.