Thread: Megan Wants To Marry A Millionaire Contestant Arrested For Murder

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090820/...estant_slaying

BUENA PARK, Calif. – Reality TV contestant Ryan Alexander Jenkins was charged with murder Thursday in the death of his ex-wife, Orange County prosecutors said, as Canadian police searched for the suspect after he apparently slipped across the border.

He vanished after the naked body of former swimsuit model Jasmine Fiore was found stuffed in a suitcase in a trash bin Saturday.

"He has been charged but we're going to defer to Buena Park Police Department to discuss the details at their press conference," district attorney spokeswoman Farrah Emami.

Autorities suspect that Jenkins entered his native Canada on foot after a 1,000-mile car and boat trip from Southern California.

A car and empty boat trailer belonging to Jenkins, 32, a Calgary native, were found at a marina in the remote northwest Washington town of Blaine.

Whatcom County Sheriff's deputies received a report Wednesday that a man matching Jenkins' description arrived by boat at Point Roberts, Wash., about 10 miles from Blaine at the tip of a peninsula. The point is reachable by land only from Canada, and Jenkins is believed to have walked across the border from there.

Canadian Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan said police agencies across Canada are on the lookout for Jenkins.

Police in the Canadian border city of Delta said U.S authorities contacted them late Wednesday for assistance.

Constable Sharlene Brooks said ground, air and canine units are involved in the search.

If Jenkins is found in Canada, Brooks said he could face charges of entering the country illegally despite his Canadian citizenship.

Jenkins is from Calgary, Alberta, about 600 miles east of Point Roberts. Acting Calgary Police Chief Al Redford said a fugitive apprehension unit is checking with Jenkins' connections and associates in the city.

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

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

But in May, "they had a big blowout," Lepore said. "She had the marriage annulled."

At least one actor who appeared on "Millionaire" with Jenkins at a mansion in the Hollywood Hills was shocked by the latest developments and remembered a suave bachelor who grew in confidence as taping progressed.

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

"We were all under the impression that he was single. Then I saw on Facebook that he got married and there were photos of him and his wife. My personal observation was, 'Wow, that was quick,'" Locke said, adding that taping ended in March.

Fiore's mother said her daughter and Jenkins had been fighting after a quickie Las Vegas wedding, and that he was jealous of her ex-boyfriends.

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.

It's still not clear how Fiore died, although a preliminary coroner's report indicated she was strangled.

Jenkins, variously described as an architect, real estate developer and investment banker from Calgary, appeared in at least three episodes of the series "Megan Wants a Millionaire," about a woman seeking to land a wealthy bachelor by putting suitors through their paces, such as designing a marketing campaign for her pet Chihuahua.

On the show, Jenkins was identified as an investment banker who had a couple million dollars.

A resume posted on the professional networking site LinkedIn.com says Jenkins graduated from Mount Royal College in Calgary in 1999, has a license to fly commercial airplanes and worked in investment sales and as president of a boutique development company focused on cutting-edge green technologies.

Fiore and Jenkins got married in Las Vegas on March 18, according to a Clark County marriage certificate.

By May, Fiore "didn't trust him because he was doing (things) behind her back," Lepore said. She declined to say what the incident involved.

Jenkins then went to Mexico to do another reality TV show, but struggled to get Fiore back when he returned. It was not immediately clear which show he appeared on.

"He convinced her during that month that he was really the guy for her," Lepore said. "He wrote poems and stories, and prayed, and (claimed he) had this huge spiritual awakening."

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.

A message left at 51 Minds was not returned.

wow that is scary,
OT but I cant stand her.

Police: Slain model's fingers, teeth were removed
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090821/...ljZXNsYWlubQ--

BUENA PARK, Calif. – Police on the hunt for a reality TV contestant charged with the gruesome murder of his ex-wife were continuing to search the U.S.-Canadian border after the woman's relatives pleaded with his friends and family not to help "an animal" evade capture.

Ryan Alexander Jenkins, a Calgary, Alberta, native, was a contestant on the VH1 series "Megan Wants a Millionaire," about a woman seeking to land a wealthy bachelor.

Police said Thursday that Jenkins, 32, removed the teeth and fingers of 28-year-old Jasmine Fiore, presumably to impede authorities in their efforts to identify the naked body, which was found stuffed in a suitcase in a California trash bin over the weekend.

Fiore, a former swimsuit model, and Jenkins were briefly married after a quickie Las Vegas wedding 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.

Friends and family members, including Fiore's mother, sobbed at a news conference Thursday as a former boyfriend begged for help in capturing Jenkins.

"This message goes out to the family, his mother and father and to the friends that are helping him try to leave this country. Ryan Jenkins is an animal, what he has done to Jasmine is unspeakable and it's just not right and I'd appreciate your help," said Robert Hasman, Fiore's former boyfriend.

Jenkins vanished after Fiore's body was found Saturday stuffed in a blood-stained suitcase and Buena Park police Lt. Steve Holliday said he's possibly armed with a handgun. A preliminary coroner's report indicated Fiore was strangled.

Prosecutors recommended a bail of $10 million for Jenkins upon arrest and said he had significant resources to finance his flight.

On the show, Jenkins was identified as an investment banker who had a couple million dollars.

A resume posted on the professional networking site LinkedIn.com says Jenkins has a license to fly commercial airplanes and worked in investment sales and as president of a boutique development company focused on cutting-edge green technologies.

"Anyone helping Mr. Jenkins hide from the police may go to prison themselves," said Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas.

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.

"At this time, although we believe he crossed the border, we're not one hundred percent sure of that," U.S. Marshal Chief Inspector Thomas Hession said. "There will be no stone unturned and we'll look under every rock for him."

A car and empty boat trailer belonging to Jenkins were found at a marina in the remote northwest Washington town of Blaine.

Whatcom County Sheriff's deputies received a report Wednesday that a man matching Jenkins' description arrived by boat at Point Roberts, Wash., about 10 miles from Blaine at the tip of a peninsula. The point is reachable by land only from Canada, and Jenkins is believed to have walked across the border from there.

Canadian Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan said police agencies across Canada are on the lookout for Jenkins.

After taping for "Megan Wants a Millionaire" finished in early March, Jenkins met 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."

Jenkins then went to Mexico to do another reality TV show, but struggled to get Fiore back when he returned. It was not immediately clear which show he appeared on.

"He convinced her during that month that he was really the guy for her," Lepore said. "He wrote poems and stories, and prayed, and (claimed he) had this huge spiritual awakening."

The federal government was issuing a federal warrant, which would allow Canadian authorities to take Jenkins into custody there, Capt. Ken Coovert said. If Jenkins is arrested in Canada, California can request that he be extradited to the U.S., but only with reassurances from U.S. authorities that he would not face the death penalty.

Farad Emami, a spokeswoman with the Orange County district attorney's office, said her office had not yet discussed whether to pursue the death penalty.

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. 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, did not return an e-mail seeking comment sent after business hours Thursday. He declined to comment earlier in the week.

Jenkins reported Fiore missing Saturday night to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, police said.

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.

51 Minds said in a statement that Jenkins never would have been accepted for its show if the company had known of his past criminal history.

Even though I can't stand Megan (who gives women a bad name as golddiggers), I liked watching the show because of the humor factor...seriously, you have millions and want to date a girl that ONLY is dating you because you have money? Sounds like your money would be better spent in self-esteem therapy....

However, it is really scary that this guy could get through the vetting process to get on the show...he did strike me as a smooth operator, but I would have never figured him for a cold-blooded killer. Definitely makes you realize that evil can hide behind an attractive face.

Originally Posted by krisharry

wow that is scary,
OT but I cant stand her.

I agree... and I refused to watch the show... I was not going to support that skank in anyway.

I firmly believe they only gave her that show because she was threatening to sue VH1 and Sharon Osbourn after the Charm School reunion..

Officials: Slain ex-model ID'd by breast implants
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090821/...ljaWFsc3NsYQ--

BUENA PARK, Calif. – An ex-model found stuffed in a bloodstained suitcase without fingers or teeth was so badly mutilated that detectives had to identify her through the serial number of her breast implants, prosecutors disclosed Friday.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Marshals Service offered a $25,000 reward for information leading directly to the arrest of Ryan Alexander Jenkins, a wealthy reality TV show contestant who was charged Thursday with murder in the gruesome slaying of Jasmine Fiore.

Jenkins appeared on the VH1 series "Megan Wants a Millionaire," about a woman seeking to land a wealthy bachelor.

Fiore's body was discovered Aug. 15 in a trash bin in Buena Park, an Orange County city about 20 miles southeast of Los Angeles. A preliminary coroner's report indicated she was strangled.

Without fingerprints or dental records, detectives tracked the serial number on her implants, said Farrah Emami, a spokeswoman for the Orange County district attorney's office.

Fiore and Jenkins were briefly married in a quickie Las Vegas wedding this year and had been fighting in recent months. Prosecutors said the two checked into a San Diego hotel on Aug. 13, and Jenkins checked out the next morning. Fiore was not seen alive again.

Friends and family members, including Fiore's mother, sobbed Thursday as a former boyfriend begged for help in capturing Jenkins.

"This message goes out to the family, his mother and father and to the friends that are helping him try to leave this country. Ryan Jenkins is an animal, what he has done to Jasmine is unspeakable and it's just not right, and I'd appreciate your help," said Robert Hasman, Fiore's former boyfriend.

Buena Park police Lt. Steve Holliday said Jenkins, a native of Calgary, Alberta, is possibly armed with a handgun. Prosecutors recommended bail of $10 million upon his arrest and said he had significant resources to finance his flight.

"Anyone helping Mr. Jenkins hide from the police may go to prison themselves," said Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas.

On the reality show, Jenkins was identified as an investment banker who had a couple million dollars. A resume posted on the professional networking site LinkedIn.com says he also has a license to fly commercial airplanes.

Jenkins is believed to have driven to Washington state and possibly hopped in a boat to a peninsula on the border, where he walked into Canadian territory.

A car and empty boat trailer belonging to Jenkins were found at a marina in the northwest Washington town of Blaine.

"We'll look under every rock for him," U.S. Marshal Chief Inspector Thomas Hession said.

In California, police detectives have visited the luxury San Diego boutique hotel where the couple had stayed.

Michael Slosser, vice president and managing director of L'Auberge Del Mar, doesn't believe Fiore was killed at L'Auberge, where rooms range from $350 to $3,000 a night.

"It's very unlikely that it happened here. I can't talk about the specifics," he said.

After taping for "Megan Wants a Millionaire" finished in early March, Jenkins met Fiore in a Las Vegas casino and the two got married 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."

There was no record of an annulment in either Clark County, Nev., where the couple was married, or in Los Angeles County, where they most recently lived.

Jenkins then went to Mexico to do another reality TV show but struggled to get Fiore back when he returned.

"He convinced her during that month that he was really the guy for her," Lepore said. "He wrote poems and stories, and prayed, and (claimed he) had this huge spiritual awakening."

The federal government was issuing a federal warrant that would allow Canadian authorities to take Jenkins into custody. California could then can request that he be extradited to the U.S. but only with reassurances from U.S. authorities that he would not face the death penalty.

Emami said the death penalty was not being pursued in the case.

Court records show 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 was set to be tried in December.

In his hometown of Calgary, Jenkins was sentenced to 15 months probation in January 2007 on an unspecified assault charge. No further details were available.

Neal Tomlinson, a partner at the law firm representing Jenkins in the Nevada case, did not return an e-mail seeking comment.

Reality show producer 51 Minds Entertainment said Jenkins never would have been accepted for its show if the company had known of his criminal history.

Reality TV on trial again as 'Megan Wants a Millionaire' is canceled
Aug. 21, 2009, 7:36 PM EST

By Josef Adalian, The Wrap
The finger pointing is already starting in the matter of "Megan Wants a Millionaire."

VH1 has decided, at least temporarily, not to air the remaining episodes of the reality show. That's because one of the contestants, Ryan Jenkins, has suddenly become a murder suspect.

This is where the story should end.

VH1 has wisely decided it would be tacky and insensitive to keep airing a lighthearted comedy-reality show in which one of the featured contestants is on the lam and wanted for the grisly murder of his wife. Police are doing their job, trying to bring a suspected killer to justice.

Bing: Search for "Megan Wants a Millionaire"

Unfortunately, the media chattering class is no doubt gearing up to tear into this story and use it as another example of Why Reality TV is Evil.

TMZ, for example, posted a story Friday that claims the producers of "Megan" -- 51 Minds, the company behind the "Rock of Love" franchise -- weren't fully aware of Jenkins' criminal background, including his history of assault.

"Obviously, if the company had been given a full picture of his background, he would never have been allowed on the show," TMZ quotes a 51 Minds rep as saying.

OK, but TMZ's snarky dig at 51 Minds misses the point: There's not an ounce of evidence to suggest that VH1 or the producers of "Megan" did anything whatsoever that contributed to the death of Jasmine Fiore.

Jenkins and Fiore didn't meet on the set of "Megan." Producers didn't set them up on some cheesy reality TV date. And there's been no suggestion that anything that happened on the show led to Jenkins flipping out and killing his wife.

All that happened here was that 51 Minds cast someone to be in a reality show, and that someone later turned out to be an accused murderer.

51 Minds probably needs to rethink its background check process. Canada is not some exotic faraway land, and if someone admits to being a Canadian citizen, it makes sense to check out criminal records ... in Canada.

But reality TV didn't cause anybody to die here. And it seems silly to think that producers of reality shows should somehow be better able to predict a person's future actions than the rest of us.

I mean, did anyone seek to shame the producers of "The Naked Gun" franchise when O.J. Simpson was charged with murder?

Should the record companies that helped Phil Spector become a multimillionaire be held accountable for his decision to murder Lana Clarkson?

In fairness, I haven't seen an abundance of media hand-wringing over reality TV's "role" in Fiore's death. Yet.

But the fact that the story is getting big coverage at all is a sign of just how eager some members of the media are to hype up a tragic, sad death by tying it to reality TV.

Despite the headlines, Jenkins was not a reality TV "star." "Megan Wants a Millionaire" had only been on a couple of weeks before the murder, and if it set any ratings records, VH1 was surprisingly quiet about the show's success.

What's more, Jenkins was just one of more than a dozen mindless males on "Megan." I have no idea how the rest of the show plays out, but this much is sure: He hadn't broken out as some new reality icon, like Nee Nee from Bravo's "Real Housewives."

If labeling Jenkins a "reality TV killer" helps police get more attention and that attention leads to Jenkins' arrest (and conviction), then perhaps some good can come out of this.

Otherwise, I worry we could be in for another round of needless reality TV bashing

IMPORTANT UPDATE Police have since confirmed the wrong man was taken into custody at the Toronto Airport Ryan Jenkins is still on the loose, considered armed and dangerous, and wanted in a nationwide manhunt....