True crime lovers assemble on April 14, Kelly Hyman’s new podcast will hit the airwaves, revealing never before heard details of the infamous Ronni Chasen murder case.
It was the death that shook the foundations of Beverly Hills. This story starts on November 16, 2010, when Ronni Chasen, a well-known publicist on the Hollywood scene, was found dead. When driving home from the W Hollywood Hotel, in which she had attended a star-studded afterparty for the premiere of “Burlesque,” Chasen was the victim of a drive-by shooting with four shots skillfully fired through her passenger window.
Her vehicle crashed near Whittier Drive, leaving a trail of shattered glass and then knocking down a concrete light pole. Beverly Hills Police were quick to the scene, arriving minutes after the report, but Chasen was pronounced dead soon afterward. No motive was clear — was it unpaid gambling debts or a sinister murder-for-hire scenario?
While conspiracy theories rippled through the community, the police launched a two-week search for a suspect, finally landing on 46-year-old Harold Martin Smith, who soon became a “person of interest” in the investigation. In an unexpected twist, when the police gathered to arrest Smith in his apartment building, he reached for a .38 revolver and shot himself dead in the head. The authorities labeled him as the perpetrator. Case closed.
But the story doesn’t end there. More than a decade later, unsealed documents have arisen, shedding new light on the mysterious murder case. While the police previously stated that there was a “substantial amount of circumstantial evidence” linking Smith to the case, this new evidence may change everything. Most surprisingly of all, they indicate there was no physical evidence placing Smith at the scene of Chasen’s murder.
So, what really happened on that late fall evening? Were the police too fast to pin the crime on the first person of interest? Can we blame Smith, a person who has not been linked to the scene of the crime, to the murder? Or is there too little to go on here?
“Once Upon a Crime in Hollywood” aims to answer all of the above questions. Hosted by Kelly Hyman, the brand new true crime series investigates the infamous case of Chasen’s murder. Packed with countless twists and turns, The Ronni Chasen Story is a six-part series that recounts the tale of the crime that shook Hollywood. Revealing intriguing new evidence, the series is sure to surprise and captivate listeners.
In each new podcast episode, “Once Upon a Crime in Hollywood: The Ronni Chasen Story” welcomes guest interviewees and experts. From Senior Forensic Science Advisors and Private investigators to the Executive Producer for America’s Most Wanted, each one is set to enlighten audiences with their fresh take on the historic murder case. The episodes will be released incrementally between April 14 and May 1. Listeners can tune into Kelly Hyman’s upcoming true crime podcast on their preferred streaming platform, including Spotify, Google Podcasts, RSS Feed, Apple Podcasts, and iHeart Radio.
