Posted in homicide investigation, julkisuus, justice

Ronni Chasen Murder Mystery Deepens

It was the murder that left the police baffled and shocked many in Hollywood film industry, whether they personally knew the victim or not.

Radaronline reports that Chasen wanted to redo her will just couple of months before she was killed.
Criminal profiler Pat Brown suggested that the killer could be someone ‘close to her’. She says victim’s will is certainly one lead to look at: people who profited from her death, people who may have felt they were unfairly left out of her will or perhaps feared she will change her will.
Someone ‘close to her’ could mean business associate, client, not necessary family member or relative.

The police ran ballistic tests and there have been unconfirmed reports that there was no match, the gun Harold used to commit suicide is different than the weapon used in the Chasen murder. Now LAPD says ‘it is unknown if this individual was involved’.
Another celebrity news website TMZ reports that the ‘suspect’ is identified as Harold Smith. HLN reported earlier that ‘the person of interest’ bragged to neighbors he killed Chasen, saying he was hired hitman and he was supposed to get 10 000 dollars for the ‘job’, however he gave an impression that he was ‘mental’ or at least ‘unstable’.

harold martin smith
A police mugshot of Harold Smith

Police went to question him after they received a tip after the incident was featured on American Most Wanted.

“I believe they (the police) responded to a tip that we had passed on,” John Walsh told the Los Angeles Times. “BHPD (Beverly Hills Police Department) reached out to us.”

Chasen was shot 5 times in her chest through her passenger-side window, initially the police believed it was a professional hit, criminal profiler Pat Brown says she was killed in a manner that suggests an emotional connection. Professional hitman likely would have shot a bullet in victim’s head.

Mrs Chasen as reported had a good reputation, and her business was doing good. It is possible she had known or unknown enemies, there are many theories what may have happened, but the police have said very little about the high-profile murder investigation, possible scenarios include road rage, even money laundering and possibly the artwork she collected as reported by CBS . Chasen brother Larry Cohen believes road rage triggered the shooting. He told Showbiz411: ‘I’m sure it was road rage. I’m sure it was some kind of random thing.’
Police are also investigating whether a burglary three years ago at Ronni Chasen’s Los Angeles home could be linked to her mysterious murder.
Former prosecutor Robin Sax told ‘Good Morning America’ today that everything that went missing had emotional value.

‘It wasn’t just your run of the mill, looking for cash kind of burglary,’ she said. ‘It appears it was something that was very personal in nature,’Daily Maill reports

Mystery: The passenger side of her Mercedes with shattered window (Daily Mail)

The New York Times – Killing Shows Truths of Life Spent at Edge of Limelight

Posted in homicide investigation, justice

Update: Ronni Chasen murder suspect kills himself

Reportedly a person of interest in high-profile Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen murder case, has shot himself.
Many think it is likely the murder was a hired it. The case is not solved yet.

The Daily Beast reports:
In a rundown apartment house, located in a bleak part of Hollywood, the mystery of Ronni Chasen’s murder deepened Wednesday night when a man police say they believe was connected to the publicist’s killing shot himself around 5:30 p.m., as officers got ready to serve a search warrant.

The Los Angeles Times reported that the man had told another resident that he was a former convict, who had served time in a state prison.
How the man might be linked to Chasen’s murder is not yet clear.
Tony Lee of the Beverly Hills Police Department described him as a “person of interest” only, and corrected himself when he used the word “suspect.” He added that the Chasen “investigation is ongoing.”

A body is removed from the Hollywood hotel where a suspect in the slaying of publicist Ronni Chasen shot himself to death as police ordered him to surrender. (Jay Clendenin / Los Angeles Times / December 2, 2010)

LA Times

The Daily Beast