Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen possibly died from botched robbery
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Veteran Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen may have had been killed by a gunman as a result of a robbery that has gone bad, and no known connections have been established between a man who committed suicide after the slaying and the dramatic incident, Beverly Hills police said on Wednesday.
Harold Martin Smith, 43, a man labeled by police as "person of interest," committed suicide Dec. 1 in the lobby of the Harvey Apartments as a tip from the television show "America's Most Wanted" led Beverly Hills police to approach him to discuss the Chasen murder.
Chasen, 64, was shot as she drove her Mercedes-Benz near SunsetBoulevard and Whittier Drive after attending the gala premiere of the musical film "Burlesque" in the small hours of Nov. 16. She was proclaimed dead after she was rushed to a hospital.
Preliminary ballistics results showed that the gun used by Smith matched the one used to kill Chasen, police said, but noted that the killing appeared to be a random act -- a botched robbery.
Detectives plan to "continue this investigation until we can call you again out here and tell you with definitive proof who exactly the person that shot Ronni...Chasen was, and we do believe at this point that we have a pretty good lead on this guy," Beverly Hills Police Chief David Snowden told reporters at a news conference.
The killing was a random act, and Chasen was going to be the victim of a robbery, Sgt. Mike Publicker, the lead investigator on the case said. Smith had a lengthy criminal record, with crimes ranging from drug possession to disturbing the peace to robbery.
Smith could have carried out the crime using his bike as he was known to travel by bicycle. He perhaps approached Chasen as she was stopped at the Beverly Hills intersection waiting to make a turn, Publicker said.
No shell casings were ever found at the scene and there was no evidence that Smith ever got into Chasen's car or actually stole anything, the police said.
The police insisted that more investigations were needed before any conclusions could be drawn.
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