Ronni Chasen & Star Whackers

The Melchizedek Communique has been quite busy lately even if it hasn't been writing about the Lincoln Assassination. It's one of the few places to follow the curious death of Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen, even though authorities now claim case closed, that she was killed by supposed lone gunman Harold Smith. But as MC notes:

Harold Smith had allegedly bragged about killing Ronni Chasen. He reportedly claimed he was waiting to receive $10,000 for assassinating Chasen. Several persons close to Ronni Chasen have described her murder as a professional hit. "A lot of people think it's a hit. A lot," said singer-songwriter Carol Connors, a friend of Chasen for more than 35 years. Kathie Berlin, a publicist and close friend of Chasen, said, "I knew this was a professional hit from the minute I heard about where the shots went and the number of shots." "This was clearly a targeted hit," said a veteran Hollywood film studio executive who has known Chasen for three decades.


Incidentally, Usually when attempted robbers shoot their victims five times at point blank range, they follow through with the actual robbery.

Patrick Goldstein, in a smug LA Times piece to dismiss most of the mystery surrounding the murder, had to admit that "it seems as if everyone in town agrees on one thing: the Beverly Hills Police Department’s explanation that Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen was killed by a small-time crook in a botched midnight robbery is utter hogwash."

So if it wasn't a random murder, what's really behind her death? Theories that have been floating on the Web include gambling debts by a close Chasen friend or family member, a dispute over an art deal gone bad, shady investments in one of the productions she was involved with and a petty squabble over Oscar campaigns. A common bad guy in many of these theories is the Russian Mafia, which is probably a great place to start in the mystery sniffing. MC tries to tie the Chasen murder with the infamous "Star Whackers" rant given by Hollywood actor turned fugitive Randy Quaid. Quaid's claim of "Star Whackers" has been derided in the press, and perhaps it is just the paranoid ramblings of a man who has lost his grip. But at this point, it's probably more credible than the official line.

For further reading:

Melchizedek Communique, MC122110
http://www.shout.net/~bigred/mc122110.html

Ronni Chasen: Dark theories over her slaying
Patrick Goldstein
December 13, 2010
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/the_big_picture/2010/12/ronni-chasen-a-victim-of-lurid-hollywood-conspiracy-theories.html

As a side note, MC points out the apartment Harold Smith lived in was next to the studio Ed Wood filmed Plan 9 From Outer Space. I'm not sure if that has anything to do with the murder, but it's a pretty cool fact to know.