Murder of Jasmine Fiore
Encyclopedia
The murder of Jasmine Fiore occurred on August 15, 2009. Fiore (born Jasmine Lepore) was a model from Santa Cruz, California
, United States
. Her body was discovered on August 15, 2009, strangled and stuffed into a suitcase. Her remains had been mutilated to prevent recognition; she was eventually identified by the serial numbers of her breast implants. Fiore was 28 years old at the time of her death.
Her husband, a former reality show contestant, Ryan Alexander Jenkins, was the only suspect and was formally charged with the murder. On August 23, 2009, Jenkins was found dead in a hotel room in Hope, British Columbia
, Canada
. He was 32 years old.
casinos. Fiore had acted in commercials, such as adult chat line commercials. Fiore had also obtained a real estate license and was about to open a gym and personal training center.
According to Fiore's friend of a year-and-a-half, Marta Montoya, Fiore had a longstanding but intermittently serious relationship with Robert Hasman, with whom Fiore wanted to settle down. According to People
magazine, another suitor of Jasmine's was Travis Heinrich, whom she met around 2005. Heinrich and Fiore had become engaged and remained so for less than half a year in 2006 or 2007; although the couple broke off this engagement, they continued to date.
-born Ryan Jenkins at a Las Vegas casino
shortly after Jenkins had completed filming Megan Wants a Millionaire. Two days later – March 18, 2009 – the pair married at The Little White Wedding Chapel
on the Las Vegas Strip
. According to court records, Jenkins was charged in June 2009 in Clark County, Nevada
, with "battery constituting domestic violence" for hitting Fiore in the arm. Travis Heinrich, who was present, said Jenkins and Fiore had been arguing over her friendship with Heinrich, which resulted in Jenkins hitting Fiore's arm and causing her to fall into a nearby swimming pool. Jenkins was to go on trial in December. The pair had reconciled shortly before Fiore's death and was reportedly traveling to San Diego for a poker game.
Lisa Lepore, Fiore's mother, claims that the two fought frequently and that Jenkins had been jealous of Fiore's friendships with her ex-boyfriends. Dan Jenkins, Ryan Jenkins' father, said that Fiore was his son's only friend in California and that she would disappear for days at a time and lie about it to his son. In addition, Lepore told The Associated Press that her daughter had the marriage to Jenkins annulled in May 2009. However, there were no court records of an annulment in either Nevada, where the couple was married, or in Los Angeles County, where they most recently lived.
. According to Buena Park police, Fiore's teeth and fingers had been removed before her nude body was stuffed into the suitcase. She had also been strangled. Authorities believe the mutilation was an attempt to impede identification. On August 18, her remains were identified using the serial numbers from her breast implants. The Orange County coroner's office reported Fiore had died a couple of hours before her body was found. Fiore's white Mercedes was found abandoned in a parking lot in West Hollywood, Los Angeles, about a mile from the penthouse Fiore shared with Jenkins in Fairfax District
, Los Angeles. Police reported that there was a significant amount of blood, and some evidence of hair pulling.
Investigators reported that Jenkins and Fiore checked into the L'Auberge hotel in Del Mar, San Diego, on the evening of August 13, 2009. They were to attend a poker tournament, a charity fund-raiser for the Carma Foundation at the Del Mar Hilton. Surveillance video captured Fiore and Jenkins leaving the Hilton at about 2:30 a.m. on the morning of August 14, 2009. The couple were later seen at the Ivy Hotel, a nightclub in downtown San Diego. At around 4:30 a.m., Jenkins returned to the L'Auberge hotel in Del Mar alone. Fiore was not seen alive again. Jenkins left the L'Auberge hotel at around 9 a.m. the following morning (Friday, August 14). Jenkins reported Fiore missing in the evening of August 15 at 8:55 p.m. Jenkins told police that he last saw Fiore about 8:30 p.m. August 14 at their home in Edinburgh Avenue, Los Angeles. Jenkins said they had gone to San Diego for a poker event and that, after returning, she dropped him off that evening. She apparently said she had errands to do, but never returned.
U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol confirmed that they had boats patrolling northwest Washington waters looking for Jenkins, as early as Wednesday, August 19, although Jenkins was still only a "Person of Interest". Jenkins was charged with Fiore's murder and an arrest warrant was issued on Thursday, August 20.
to pick up his speedboat. On Monday, August 17, when contacted by police, Jenkins said he was in Utah
and was headed to Canada to resolve some immigration issues. On August 18, Fiore's body was identified and the murder was first reported in the media. In the afternoon of August 19, Jenkins called his father from Birch Bay
who informed him Fiore had been found murdered.
Initial media reports were that the US Coast Guard and Canadian authorities chased Jenkins' speedboat as it crossed to Point Roberts
but these reports were later denied by officials. At the time Jenkins was only a person of interest in the investigation and had not been charged, though Canadian authorities had been alerted to watch for him. U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) did confirm they had boats patrolling northwest Washington waters looking for Jenkins, as early as Wednesday, August 19. The Whatcom County
Sheriff's Department received witness reports of Jenkins' black BMW SUV towing a boat towards the Canadian border. Police later found the BMW SUV and an empty boat trailer at a marina in Blaine, Washington
; the engine was still warm.
On August 19, a man matching Jenkins' description was seen piloting his boat into a marina in the border town of Point Roberts, where Jenkins' stepmother lives. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police
(RCMP) announced that they believe Jenkins crossed into Canada sometime between August 19 and August 20, 2009.
On August 20, Jenkins was charged with Fiore's murder and an arrest warrant was issued. Also on the morning of August 20, 2009, Jenkins called his detained father at the airport but his father had to hang up the call.
On August 27, 2009, investigators found a storage unit full of Jenkins' belongings, including a suitcase full of clothes, in Washington state.
, British Columbia
, Canada
The car had Alberta
license plates.
They pulled up beside a dumpster rather than pulling up beside the rooms, which the motel manager claimed to have found strange. Jenkins stayed in the car while a young woman paid cash for three nights' accommodation. The manager described the woman as attractive, about 25 to 30 years old, and very calm, making some "small talk" when registering. The guest in the room next door said the woman stayed for about 20 minutes with Jenkins in Room 2 and then left the motel. The woman was never seen again. The manager saw Jenkins walking outside the motel the next day, August 21, 2009. The manager said Jenkins looked exhausted and he was not recognisable from his picture on television.
At 11:30 a.m. on August 23, the couple failed to check out. Having noticed very little further activity over the weekend, the motel manager and his nephew decided to check on the room. Jenkins was found dead, apparently of suicide; his body was found hanging from the wall's clothes rack by a belt. No suicide note was found in the motel.
Following the announcement that Jenkins was connected with the murder of Fiore, VH1
took Megan Wants a Millionaire off its schedule, as well as deleting the show's page from the official VH1 website. Megan Wants a Millionaire was postponed until further notice and was then canceled the day after Jenkins' death. The day after Jenkins' death, the network announced it would not run the third season of I Love Money
, which was reportedly won by Jenkins. This cannot be determined, however, because a 51 Minds spokesman said Jenkins tried to pick up his honorarium check of $5,200 a few days before Jasmine's body was discovered. A one-page suicide note
saved on Jenkins' computer titled "Last Will and Testament" and dated August 20, 2009 was found by police.
Santa Cruz, California
Santa Cruz is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, California in the US. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Santa Cruz had a total population of 59,946...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Her body was discovered on August 15, 2009, strangled and stuffed into a suitcase. Her remains had been mutilated to prevent recognition; she was eventually identified by the serial numbers of her breast implants. Fiore was 28 years old at the time of her death.
Her husband, a former reality show contestant, Ryan Alexander Jenkins, was the only suspect and was formally charged with the murder. On August 23, 2009, Jenkins was found dead in a hotel room in Hope, British Columbia
Hope, British Columbia
Hope is a district municipality located at the confluence of the Fraser and Coquihalla rivers in the province of British Columbia, Canada. Hope is at the eastern end of both the Fraser Valley and the Lower Mainland region, and is at the southern end of the Fraser Canyon...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He was 32 years old.
Background
Fiore was a swimsuit model and actress who frequently worked as a body-painted model at parties for entertainment. She appeared in shows at Las VegasLas Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
casinos. Fiore had acted in commercials, such as adult chat line commercials. Fiore had also obtained a real estate license and was about to open a gym and personal training center.
According to Fiore's friend of a year-and-a-half, Marta Montoya, Fiore had a longstanding but intermittently serious relationship with Robert Hasman, with whom Fiore wanted to settle down. According to People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
magazine, another suitor of Jasmine's was Travis Heinrich, whom she met around 2005. Heinrich and Fiore had become engaged and remained so for less than half a year in 2006 or 2007; although the couple broke off this engagement, they continued to date.
Marriage
Fiore had met CanadianCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
-born Ryan Jenkins at a Las Vegas casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
shortly after Jenkins had completed filming Megan Wants a Millionaire. Two days later – March 18, 2009 – the pair married at The Little White Wedding Chapel
The Little White Wedding Chapel
The Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada has been the site of many "quickie" celebrity weddings. It is noted for its Drive-Thru Tunnel of Vows. It was established in 1951, and has married about 800,000 couples...
on the Las Vegas Strip
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
. According to court records, Jenkins was charged in June 2009 in Clark County, Nevada
Clark County, Nevada
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,375,765 people, 512,253 households, and 339,693 families residing within the MSA. The racial makeup of the MSA was 71.6% White , 9.1% Black, 5.7% Asian, 0.8% American Indian and 12.8% of other or mixed race. 22.0% were Hispanic of any race...
, with "battery constituting domestic violence" for hitting Fiore in the arm. Travis Heinrich, who was present, said Jenkins and Fiore had been arguing over her friendship with Heinrich, which resulted in Jenkins hitting Fiore's arm and causing her to fall into a nearby swimming pool. Jenkins was to go on trial in December. The pair had reconciled shortly before Fiore's death and was reportedly traveling to San Diego for a poker game.
Lisa Lepore, Fiore's mother, claims that the two fought frequently and that Jenkins had been jealous of Fiore's friendships with her ex-boyfriends. Dan Jenkins, Ryan Jenkins' father, said that Fiore was his son's only friend in California and that she would disappear for days at a time and lie about it to his son. In addition, Lepore told The Associated Press that her daughter had the marriage to Jenkins annulled in May 2009. However, there were no court records of an annulment in either Nevada, where the couple was married, or in Los Angeles County, where they most recently lived.
Murder
Fiore's body was discovered, but not identified, on Saturday, August 15, 2009 at about 7 a.m. Her badly beaten and crushed body was discovered inside a suitcase inside a dumpster in an alley in Buena Park, CaliforniaBuena Park, California
Buena Park is a city in northwestern Orange County, California. As of Census 2010 the population was 80,530. The city is adjacent to the city of Anaheim and is 12 miles northwest of downtown Santa Ana. The Current OMB metropolitan designation for Buena Park and the Orange County Area is "Santa...
. According to Buena Park police, Fiore's teeth and fingers had been removed before her nude body was stuffed into the suitcase. She had also been strangled. Authorities believe the mutilation was an attempt to impede identification. On August 18, her remains were identified using the serial numbers from her breast implants. The Orange County coroner's office reported Fiore had died a couple of hours before her body was found. Fiore's white Mercedes was found abandoned in a parking lot in West Hollywood, Los Angeles, about a mile from the penthouse Fiore shared with Jenkins in Fairfax District
Fairfax District, Los Angeles, California
The Fairfax District is an area of neighborhoods in the Mid-City West area of Los Angeles, California.- Geography :It is roughly bordered by West Hollywood on the north, Highland Avenue on the east, West Hollywood and Beverly Hills on the west and Wilshire Boulevard on the south...
, Los Angeles. Police reported that there was a significant amount of blood, and some evidence of hair pulling.
Investigators reported that Jenkins and Fiore checked into the L'Auberge hotel in Del Mar, San Diego, on the evening of August 13, 2009. They were to attend a poker tournament, a charity fund-raiser for the Carma Foundation at the Del Mar Hilton. Surveillance video captured Fiore and Jenkins leaving the Hilton at about 2:30 a.m. on the morning of August 14, 2009. The couple were later seen at the Ivy Hotel, a nightclub in downtown San Diego. At around 4:30 a.m., Jenkins returned to the L'Auberge hotel in Del Mar alone. Fiore was not seen alive again. Jenkins left the L'Auberge hotel at around 9 a.m. the following morning (Friday, August 14). Jenkins reported Fiore missing in the evening of August 15 at 8:55 p.m. Jenkins told police that he last saw Fiore about 8:30 p.m. August 14 at their home in Edinburgh Avenue, Los Angeles. Jenkins said they had gone to San Diego for a poker event and that, after returning, she dropped him off that evening. She apparently said she had errands to do, but never returned.
U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol confirmed that they had boats patrolling northwest Washington waters looking for Jenkins, as early as Wednesday, August 19, although Jenkins was still only a "Person of Interest". Jenkins was charged with Fiore's murder and an arrest warrant was issued on Thursday, August 20.
Jenkins' movements after the murder
At around 9 a.m. on August 16, 2009, the day after reporting Fiore missing and after spending some time packing, Jenkins was seen leaving their penthouse for the final time. Police said Jenkins then left Los Angeles and went to NevadaNevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
to pick up his speedboat. On Monday, August 17, when contacted by police, Jenkins said he was in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
and was headed to Canada to resolve some immigration issues. On August 18, Fiore's body was identified and the murder was first reported in the media. In the afternoon of August 19, Jenkins called his father from Birch Bay
Birch Bay, Washington
-External links:*...
who informed him Fiore had been found murdered.
Initial media reports were that the US Coast Guard and Canadian authorities chased Jenkins' speedboat as it crossed to Point Roberts
Point Roberts, Washington
Point Roberts is an unincorporated community in Whatcom County, Washington, United States. It has a post office, with the ZIP code of 98281, whose ZIP Code Tabulation Area had a population of 1,314 at the 2010 census.A geopolitical oddity, Point Roberts is a part of the United States that is not...
but these reports were later denied by officials. At the time Jenkins was only a person of interest in the investigation and had not been charged, though Canadian authorities had been alerted to watch for him. U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) did confirm they had boats patrolling northwest Washington waters looking for Jenkins, as early as Wednesday, August 19. The Whatcom County
Whatcom County, Washington
Whatcom County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. Its name ultimately derives from the Lummi word Xwotʼqom, meaning "noisy water." As of 2010, the population was 201,140. The county seat is at Bellingham, which is also the county's largest city...
Sheriff's Department received witness reports of Jenkins' black BMW SUV towing a boat towards the Canadian border. Police later found the BMW SUV and an empty boat trailer at a marina in Blaine, Washington
Blaine, Washington
Blaine is a city in Whatcom County, Washington, United States. The city's northern boundary is the Canadian border. Blaine is the shared home of the Peace Arch international monument...
; the engine was still warm.
On August 19, a man matching Jenkins' description was seen piloting his boat into a marina in the border town of Point Roberts, where Jenkins' stepmother lives. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
(RCMP) announced that they believe Jenkins crossed into Canada sometime between August 19 and August 20, 2009.
On August 20, Jenkins was charged with Fiore's murder and an arrest warrant was issued. Also on the morning of August 20, 2009, Jenkins called his detained father at the airport but his father had to hang up the call.
On August 27, 2009, investigators found a storage unit full of Jenkins' belongings, including a suitcase full of clothes, in Washington state.
Apparent suicide
At about 6 p.m. on the evening of August 20, Jenkins arrived in a silver PT Cruiser with a young blonde woman at the Thunderbird Motel in HopeHope, British Columbia
Hope is a district municipality located at the confluence of the Fraser and Coquihalla rivers in the province of British Columbia, Canada. Hope is at the eastern end of both the Fraser Valley and the Lower Mainland region, and is at the southern end of the Fraser Canyon...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
The car had Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
license plates.
They pulled up beside a dumpster rather than pulling up beside the rooms, which the motel manager claimed to have found strange. Jenkins stayed in the car while a young woman paid cash for three nights' accommodation. The manager described the woman as attractive, about 25 to 30 years old, and very calm, making some "small talk" when registering. The guest in the room next door said the woman stayed for about 20 minutes with Jenkins in Room 2 and then left the motel. The woman was never seen again. The manager saw Jenkins walking outside the motel the next day, August 21, 2009. The manager said Jenkins looked exhausted and he was not recognisable from his picture on television.
At 11:30 a.m. on August 23, the couple failed to check out. Having noticed very little further activity over the weekend, the motel manager and his nephew decided to check on the room. Jenkins was found dead, apparently of suicide; his body was found hanging from the wall's clothes rack by a belt. No suicide note was found in the motel.
Following the announcement that Jenkins was connected with the murder of Fiore, VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
took Megan Wants a Millionaire off its schedule, as well as deleting the show's page from the official VH1 website. Megan Wants a Millionaire was postponed until further notice and was then canceled the day after Jenkins' death. The day after Jenkins' death, the network announced it would not run the third season of I Love Money
I Love Money
I Love Money is an American reality television series airing on VH1, and is a spin-off of Flavor of Love, Charm School, I Love New York, Rock of Love, Real Chance of Love, For the Love of Ray J, Daisy of Love and Megan Wants a Millionaire. Former contestants on these shows compete in physical and...
, which was reportedly won by Jenkins. This cannot be determined, however, because a 51 Minds spokesman said Jenkins tried to pick up his honorarium check of $5,200 a few days before Jasmine's body was discovered. A one-page suicide note
Suicide note
A suicide note or death note is a message that states the author has died by suicide, and left to be discovered and read in anticipation of suicide....
saved on Jenkins' computer titled "Last Will and Testament" and dated August 20, 2009 was found by police.
External links
- Video of Fiore at a New York Mets baseball game
- "Police: Violent Struggle Before Model's Murder" (Associated Press video hosted on YouTube)
- In Pictures: The scene of reality star's apparent suicide (CTV British Columbia)
- Charges may be tough in Jenkins case: lawyer (CTV British Columbia)
- Adult chat line ad acted in by Fiore (TMZTMZ.comTMZ.com is a celebrity news website that debuted on November 8, 2005. It was a collaboration between America Online and Telepictures Productions, a division of Warner Bros., until Time Warner divested AOL in 2009. However, it is still affiliated with AOL News and has the AOL News logo affixed in...
) - GarageBand.com Machines Of Joy (Jazz Fiore, lead vocalist)
- iLike Excerpt of "Delirious" by Machines of joy
- "Jasmine Fiore Through the Years" (ABC News photo gallery)
- Text of an e-mail that Jasmine Fiore received from Ryan Jenkins several weeks before her death
- Murder warrant filed against Ryan Jenkins