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America's Most Wanted segment key to solving Ronni Chasen murder
The scene Wednesday, December 1, 2010 outside the Los Angeles apartment house where a man authorities wanted to question about the murder of publicist Ronni Chasen killed himself as police approached.
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America's Most Wanted segment key to solving Ronni Chasen murder
America's Most Wanted segment key to solving Ronni Chasen murder
Beverly Hills police say they had few leads before the TV show ran a segment just days after the killing of the Hollywood publicist.
When police announced that a parolee killed Chasen during a botched robbery, Beverly Hills Police Detective Mike Publicker praised producers of the TV show “America’s Most Wanted.”
“They contacted us, and were able to put us in contact with the tipster.”
The tipster called the show after it ran a segment on the Hollywood publicist after her murder at the urging of her influential friends in the entertainment industry.
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"America's Most Wanted" co-executive producer Steve Katz told the Associated Press that several Hollywood players, as well as Beverly Hills police, lobbied for the Chasen whodunit to be featured as soon as possible.
"They said, 'We all knew Ronni. This is what your show was made for. Can you do something?'" Katz told the AP. "So many people in the entertainment industry knew Ronni Chasen and loved her and wanted to get justice."
Sgt. Publicker said, “’America’s Most Wanted’ played a crucial part in this investigation.”
Police haven’t said why the tipster suggested that Harold Martin Smith was the killer, but believe Smith acted alone. As detectives went to question him, Smith killed himself with the same gun used to shoot Chasen five times.
The tipster wrote on the “America’s Most Wanted” website that he initially couldn’t get through on the show’s telephone lines, and nearly gave up trying.
KPCC Wires services contributed to this report.
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