Witness in Cosby Case to Donate Part of Reward

Christopher So, the man who led police to the gun that was used to kill the son of entertainer Bill Cosby, said Thursday that he would give a portion of a $100,000 reward to a foundation set up in the victim’s memory.

Receiving the check at a news conference staged by the National Enquirer, So said he had not decided how much he would give to the Ennis Williams Cosby Foundation, which was established for the benefit of special education students.

Cosby, 27, was a doctoral student at Columbia University Teachers College, where he was studying special education.

He was killed in a failed robbery attempt Jan. 16, 1997, while changing a flat tire on Skirball Center Drive off the San Diego Freeway. Mikail Markhasev, 19, was convicted of first-degree murder and attempted robbery Tuesday and will spend the rest of his life in prison without the chance of parole.

Two days after the killing, So drove Markhasev and a friend to a wooded area to look for the weapon. He testified he heard Markhasev say: “I killed a n-----. It’s all over the news.”

He later called the National Enquirer to ask about a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer. The tabloid gave So’s pager number to police.

Los Angeles Police Cmdr. Dave Kalish said Thursday that So’s help was crucial to solving the case, but he stopped short of saying the police could not have found the killer without it. So said he doesn’t consider himself “a rat,” a derogatory term for someone who turns a friend in to the police.

“I did what I thought was right,” he said.

He declined to say whether he would have gone to police without the reward.

Although he said during the trial that he was afraid his cooperation with police jeopardized his life, he said Thursday that he has received no threats. However, he said, “Nobody knows how to get in touch with me.”