Tommy Vega (born Cedric Flannigan) was a famous singer and murderer.
History[]
Vega was a famous singer who fell into ruin after developing a drinking habit. He was once convicted of drunk and disorderly conduct. Eventually, he married Beth Anne, a woman obsessed with celebrities who falsely claimed to have become pregnant with his daughter. In 2000, Beth gave birth to Sarah, to whom Vega decided to devote his life as a means to redeem himself from his professional failure. He also had two sons from a previous relationship, Peter and Jason. At some point, the marriage went awry, and they decided to file for divorce. As part of a prenup, Vega would have had to give $500,000 to his wife, plus a $250,000 bonus to keep Sarah with him. When he did, Beth changed his mind, threatening to take Sarah away from him if he opposed since she wasn't really his daughter in the first place.
Furious, Vega stole a gun from his manager, Art Cahill, removed the serial number, and took Beth out for their regular dinner at Noonan's. When they finished, he shot her in a nearby deserted alley, called in his sons to help him get rid of the weapon, and returned to Noonan's with an excuse in order to establish an alibi for himself. Later, he feigned recovering his wife's lifeless body, again returned to Noonan's, and washed his hands to remove gunshot residue. Detectives Briscoe and Green considered Vega as the prime suspect in the case and concluded he received help from somebody since he could not dispose of the gun and be at Noonan's at the same time. His sons' involvement, along with his motive for murdering his wife, was later uncovered by EADA McCoy, who convinced him to testify in front of a grand jury in exchange for immunity for Peter and Jason. Vega eventually confessed to the murder while on the stand and accepted a plea bargain. (L&O: "Formerly Famous")