I looked up his old A List Gossip entry -
"Major pothead and general oddball (as well as bad poet). Father is a killer. Beats women. Self-described "sex addict;" has recently begun expanding his horizons (and his nether parts) in that area. Linked with Glenn Close, Carol Kane, Penelope Ann Miller, Ally Sheedy, Brooke Shields, and Moon Unit Zappa."
More recently, he's a 5G conspiracy nut and it seems his dad may have been a hitman - there's a Times piece. I couldn't see anything about the wife-beater part.
His Reddit AMA about Rampart is stuff of car crash legend, and there's a Vice interview from the time which also doesn't reflect well.