Southern California police on Friday closed their investigation into Hollywood publicist Ronnie Chasen 's shooting death late last year , concluding that an ex-convict murdered her in a random , botched robbery . Beverly Hills police believe Harold Martin Smith killed Ronnie Chasen last fall . They reached this conclusion after police spent 10,000 hours on the probe . Smith , an ex - convict , was the only person ever named as a suspect . Police say he killed Chasen in a botched robbery , then later killed himself .
Beverly Hills police believe Harold Martin Smith killed Ronnie Chasen last fall . They reached this conclusion after police spent 10,000 hours on the probe . Smith , an ex - convict , was the only person ever named as a suspect . Police say he killed Chasen in a botched robbery , then later killed himself .