Eric Charbonneau/Getty ImagesThere were two strong messages about Ronni Chasen's still-unsolved murder heard this week—one was from the Hollywood Foreign Press, the other was from Ronni herself.
First, in a final stunning career achievement, well-known film publicist Ronni (who was gunned down in Beverly Hills Nov. 16) succeeded in having a part in 18 Golden Globe film nominations this week. Many in Hollywood saw this not only as a tribute to workhorse Chasen's talents, but a clear message from the Hollywood community that they very much would like the Beverly Hills Police Department not to wrap this one up so quickly—or so stupidly.
Here's what's being said:
"It's a shrewd way of keeping [Ronni's] name out there," says a famous Hollywood exec who knew Chasen and who also has ties to the Hollywood Foreign Press (which oversees the Globes), "and to also say, ‘We don't buy the police's explanation that this was a botched robbery—at all.' "
The exec isn't the only one who's not buying it.
Reverend June Gatlin, who was most famous for being Michael Jackson's spiritual advisor, and who also says she has worked on murder cases, called us up after seeing what we wrote earlier about Ronni, who was a friend of ours. She said she had a message from Ronni.
And before you go laughing this one off, just keep in mind: the Beverly Hills cops offer up that a woman was shot dead multiple times at point-blank range in the middle of the night by a supposedly lone gunman who rode off afterward on a bicycle following what was a "botched" robbery. So we have to say: Is that the best you have to offer?
Anybody else got a better idea?
Gatlin says friends urged her to visit the scene of Chasen's crime on Sunset Boulevard days after the killing. She tells us she went once, and heard, very clearly, several messages from Ronni:
• "The investigation is being swept under the rug. It is not over"
• "Someone knows where the bones are. This is bigger than what they've attempted to present."
• Gatlin kept hearing the words, "marked" and "assassinated."
• There was something Ronni "would not comply with."
Gatlin also says she heard a message that a "corporation and/or organization that is growing and flourishing and that has tentacles and is taking over the news" was involved.
Food for thought: Somebody's covering something up here, folks. Remember Harold Smith, the ranting gunman who killed himself and whose gun was connected to Chasen's murder? Police were on their way to question Smith when he killed himself. Why? What was his involvement?
More importantly: Who tipped off the police and who is remaining silent about it after the fact, and why? What involvement with Chasen's brutal slaying are they hiding?
One more thing: Gatlin also says heard a clear edict from Chasen to "check with the brother."
His name is Larry Cohen. He's a sometime screenwriter and a beneficiary of Chasen's will, and the New York Times actually already did check with Cohen.
He told them he thought Chasen was the victim of "road rage."
Oh, yeah, that's how all us Angelinos act out our traffic aggression these days: Nobody shoots the finger anymore, we just order mob-like hits on people.