Details Emerge in Slaying of Publicist Ronni Chasen

(Nov. 16) -- Beverly Hills, Calif., police found the body of famed publicist Ronni Chasen, 64, inside her black Mercedes Benz E-350 when they arrived at the scene of a car crash early Tuesday monring. But it wasn't an ordinary car crash: Chasen's body was riddled with multiple gunshot wounds, the Hollywood Reporter said.

Police said they received calls about a car collision at around 12:30 a.m. and soon received more calls about gunshots. Emergency units arrived at the scene to find Chasen alone inside the Mercedes, which had crashed into a light poll. Details about Chasen's last hours are starting to emerge as police continue to track down the killer and determine a motive in the shooting.

The Night's Events

This week marks the beginning of the busy Oscar campaign and holiday movie season, and the publicist was in full swing, Deadline Hollywood reported.

Just hours before her death, Chasen was busy helping out clients at the red-carpet premier of "Burlesque" at Grauman's Chinese Theater on Hollywood Boulevard. At the same time, she was hard at work lobbying for Oscar bids: "Alice In Wonderland 3D" for best picture and Michael Douglas for best supporting actor for "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps."

According to Deadline, Chasen attended the premier of "Burlesque" and went directly to a party at the W Hotel. She left the party and drove down Sunset Boulevard in direction of her home in Westwood, but died before she could get there.

The Los Angeles Times reported that Chasen showed no signs of distress at the premier or at the after party.

"She was happy-go-lucky and gossipy and fun, just like she always was," fellow publicist Jim Dobson said. "We talked about food and life, just normal things. There wasn't any sign of stress."

The Scene

Police found Chasen's car in the area of Sunset and Whittier, Deadspin reported. According to the site, police sources said that the car's driver-side window was broken and nothing was taken from Chasen's purse.

RadarOnline.com reported that she was shot five times in the chest. She was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center but was pronounced dead.

The Motive

Police have yet to name a suspect in the shooting, but those close to Chasen question how anyone could kill such a beloved colleague and friend.

Over her decades-long career, Chasen represented a number of Hollywood heavy-hitters, including the late actress Natalie Wood, composer Hans Zimmer, director John Schlesinger and actor Michael Douglas, the LA Times reported.

Chasen had been serving as senior vice president of worldwide publicity at MGM, where she was appointed in 1993, and also headed up her own public relations firm, Chasen & Co. The company has promoted such films as "An Inconvenient Truth," "Slumdog Millionaire," "No Country for Old Men" and "The Lord of the Rings."

According to MGM executive Ashley Boone, Chasen was "one of the most respected publicity executives in the business" with "strength and expertise in developing, positioning and executing productive motion picture campaigns," RadarOnline reported.

An MGM press release cited Chasen as being active in a number of charities, including the the Big Sisters of Los Angeles. She was also a member of the AFI 3rd Decade Council, Women in Film, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and served on the board of the USA Film Festival in Dallas.

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