Ronni Chasen killing appears solved

Beverly Hills police believe the publicist was shot in a bungled holdup by a desperate ex-con acting alone.

Smith, who had been evicted from the Harvey Apartments and was wanted by authorities for violating his probation, "was at a desperate point and was reaching out and doing desperate measures," Det. Sgt. Michael Publicker said.

"Most likely it was a robbery gone bad," he said.

Vivian Mayer Siskind, a close friend of Chasen's, said she was surprised by what the investigation had found.

"Regardless of what happened, this is a senseless murder," she said. "We have lost a dear friend and family member in Ronni. All of this is completely surreal and as each day goes by, and something new is discovered about this horrible crime, it just continues to get more unbelievable."

Investigators believe Chasen was stopped at a traffic light at Sunset and Whittier Drive when Smith approached on a bike — his only known mode of transportation — and attempted to rob her, Publicker said.

Chasen was shot repeatedly in the torso. Her car continued traveling on Whittier until it crashed into a light pole.

Chasen's purse was in the car when neighbors found her, and Publicker said there was no indication that Smith ever entered the car. The Los Angeles Police Department recovered a bike in the area, but Beverly Hills police have not yet examined it, Publicker said.

Wednesday's announcement was a stunning development in a case that has captivated the city and transfixed the entertainment world, where the 64-year-old Chasen was a fixture of red carpets and studio offices.

Theories on her killing were traded at industry parties and on back lots and made their way into the national media. It was a tip to the Fox program "America's Most Wanted" that led police to Smith. At the urging of Hollywood insiders and the Beverly Hills Police Department, the program reconfigured its Nov. 20 show to include the case.

A man phoned the show's hotline three days after the show aired and said Smith was bragging about involvement in the crime. John Walsh, the program's host, called the tipster, who has insisted on anonymity, "a real hero." He said the man expressed relief when employees of the show called to tell him about the ballistics results.

"He broke into tears. He was hopeful that he had done the right thing. He was worried what if this guy wasn't the right guy," Walsh said.

After Smith's suicide, residents at the Harvey Apartments said that he had talked about the crime and also said he was expecting a $10,000 windfall. Those reports had spurred talk that Smith was a hit man, but police said their investigation had found nothing to suggest other conspirators.

Still, Publicker described the investigation as only "60-70%" completed and said that additional investigation was needed. Neither he nor Snowden would describe the gun used in the killing and the suicide or talk about surveillance videotape seized as evidence by police.

The chief criticized pundits — "quasi experts who do not know what they are talking about" — who had speculated on the case in the media and said reports purporting to describe the caliber of the weapon and the accuracy of the shooter were erroneous.

Smith's rap sheet includes a raft of mostly petty crimes, many of them drug-related. He had been arrested for robbery in Beverly Hills in 1998 and was convicted of stealing a Sony Walkman.

Smith was sentenced to 11 years in prison and was released in 2007. According to neighbors, he swore he would never return to custody.

Martha Smilgis, a friend of Chasen and co-executor of her estate, said she was surprised by the results of the investigation.

"I wouldn't have expected a bike," she said. But, she added, the randomness of the crime was more consistent with Chasen's personality than a murder-for-hire plot.

"She doesn't have a lot of enemies," Smilgis said.