Daily Archives: August 21, 2009

Manhunt on for Reality TV Contestant who Allegedly Mutilated, Murdered Ex-Wife

A reality TV contestant, Ryan Alexander Jenkins, was charged with murder Thursday in the death of his ex-wife, Jasmine Fiore, as the manhunt for Jenkins spread to Canada and police provided gruesome new details about the killing. JasmineFiore

Police say Jenkins removed the teeth and fingers of Jasmine Fiore, presumably to impede authorities in their efforts to identify the naked body after it was found stuffed in a suitcase in a California trash bin last weekend. 

The former swimsuit model and Jenkins were briefly married after a quickie Las Vegas wedding earlier this year, and had been fighting in recent months. Prosecutors said the two checked into a San Diego hotel last Thursday, and Jenkins checked out the next morning. Fiore was not seen alive again. 

He vanished after the body was found Saturday and Buena Park, Ca. police Lt. Steve Holliday said he’s possibly armed with a handgun. 

Jenkins is believed to have driven 1,000 miles to Washington state and then hopped in a boat to a peninsula on the border, where he walked into Canadian territory. A Canadian police official said ground, air and canine units are involved in the search for Jenkins. 

Fiore’s ex-boyfriend, Robert Hasman, urged Jenkins’ friends and family to help police find him. 

Jenkins was a contestant on the VH1 reality TV show “Megan Wants a Millionaire.” 

After taping for the VH1 series finished in early March, Jenkins met 28-year-old Fiore in Las Vegas casino and the two got married on March 18, said Fiore’s mother, Lisa Lepore. 

But in May, “they had a big blowout,” and fought because he was jealous of her ex-boyfriends, Lepore said. “She had the marriage annulled.” 

The federal government was in the process of issuing a federal warrant Thursday afternoon, which would allow Canadian authorities to take Jenkins into custody there. 

If Jenkins is arrested in Canada, California can request that he be extradicted to the U.S. 

Jenkins earned the nickname “Smooth Operator” on “Millionaire” because of “his cheeky cockiness. And I mean that in a friendly way,” said Rob Locke, who played the host, a butler named Niles. 

Court records show that Jenkins was charged in June in Clark County, Nev., with a misdemeanor count of “battery constituting domestic violence” for allegedly hitting Fiore in the arm and will be tried in December. 

Jenkins also has a criminal history in his hometown of Calgary, Canada. He was sentenced to 15 months of probation in January 2007 on an unspecified assault charge, according to the Alberta, Canada Ministry of Justice. No further details were available. 

Neal Tomlinson, a partner at the law firm representing Jenkins in the Nevada case, declined to comment and declined to say if his firm was representing Jenkins in the current matter. 

Fiore was last seen alive with Jenkins at a poker game in San Diego. Jenkins reported her missing Saturday night to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, police said. 

A preliminary coroner’s report indicated Fiore was strangled. 

VH1 said it has postponed any future airings of the show. The statement also said that the show was an outside production licensed to VH1, but that it was produced and owned by 51 Minds Entertainment.

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Donny & Marie Osmond Plan First Album Release Together in 29 Years

Donny and Marie Osmond, headliners at the Flamingo in Las Vegas, flew to London yesterday to film a TV special that airs in Europe in November. It’s called “An Audience with Donny and Marie” and will feature their first album release together in 29 years.

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‘Deadliest Catch’ Captains Hook Las Vegas Landlubbers, Hunt for Greenhorns

It’s not at all easy fishing for King Crab in the frigid, hostile environment of the unforgiving Bering Sea, but Captain Phil Jonathan HillstrandHarris, right, and his sons from the Cornelia Maria, along with Captain Johnathan Hillstrand, left,  from the Time Bandit regularly make it look like child’s play weekly on the Discovery Channel cable TV show .  Well, ‘er almost… Phil Harris

Now you can catch these super stars of the sea thawed and being really daring – hanging out on land for a rarity – appearing at at the Gold Coast Hotel and Casino Showroom in Las Vegas on Saturday, August 29 at 1 p.m. and at 4 p.m. 

But Captain Phil and his sons Josh and Jake will be doing more than meeting their fans and signing autographs – they are on a nationwide hunt for a new “Greenhorn” that will join the Cornelia Marie crew in October for the upcoming King Crab season this fall. 

“Everywhere we go we get fans that think they can work on the boat,” states Josh Harris, Phil’s oldest son and a 4-year veteran or fishing on the Bering Sea. “So we decided to give them a shot at the brass ring and see who is out there and who has the guts to do the job.” 

Not up for fishing for illusive king crab this October on the Bering Sea? Don’t worry – Captain Phil along with his two sons and Capt Johnathan Hillstrand will be greeting fans as well. The first 200 people in line for each session at the Gold Coast Showroom on August 29 will have the opportunity to meet these famous crab-boat fishermen and receive an autograph. The first 400 people in line at each session will be invited to attend a special question and answer session where the captains will reveal unique stories about their adventures at sea. 

But the fun isn’t over yet.  During his Las Vegas visit, Captain Phil will also be launching Captain’s Reserve Coffees, guaranteed to keep you up all day and night- for weeks.  Guests are invited to try the Captain’s favorite brew which, along with assorted souvenir merchandise from the Cornelia Marie and Time bandit, will be on sale at the Gold Coast Gift Shop.

Attendees must be 21 years of age or older. Wristbands will be required for admission to both sessions.  Captains and will be available beginning at Noon on August 29th on a first-come, first-served basis. Limit of one wristband per person and attendance is limited to one session per person.

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High-Flying Naked Las Vegas Tourist Nabbed

It’s not uncommon to have tourists to take off their clothes when arriving in Las Vegas (because of the intense heat, of course), but a passenger yesterday onboard a Southwest Airlines flight to Las Vegas  decided, apparently, he couln’t wait, and removed his clothing mid-flight, forcing the pilot to turn around, authorities said. 

Police were there to meet Southwest Flight 947 when it returned to the Oakland Airport, where it had departed 30 minutes earlier. 

The passenger’s name wasn’t released and authorities did not say what prompted him to take off his clothes, but they did say he was involved in a fight with a female passenger who was reportedly slightly injured. 

Flight 947 was originally bound for St. Louis, Missouri, but was making a stop in Las Vegas. It landed just before 11:30 a.m. and was scheduled to take off for St. Louis Thursday afternoon.

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