Ryan Jenkins

Case information

Ryan Jenkins was charged with the murder of his wife, Jasmine Fiore.

The offence

Jasmine Fiore died on August 15, 2009. Her body was discovered on August 15, 2009, strangled and stuffed into a suitcase. Her remains had been mutilated to prevent recognition. Investigators and police reported that Fiore’s teeth and fingers had been removed before her nude body was stuffed into the suitcase. Authorities said the mutilation was an attempt to impede identification. Her badly beaten and crushed body was discovered inside a suitcase inside a dumpster in an alley in Buena Park, California. Police reported that blood evidence in a Mercedes-Benz showed she had fought back during an attack. Police reported that there was no indication that any dismemberment or tooth removal occurred in the car. Prosecutors later stated that Fiore had been badly beaten, all of her fingers had been cut off, and all of her teeth had been forcibly removed.

Background

Jasmine Fiore was born Jasmine Lepore. She was 28 years old at the time of her death. She was a model from Santa Cruz, California, United States. She was described as a swimsuit model who frequently worked as a body-painted model at parties for entertainment and appeared in shows at Las Vegas casinos. She had acted in commercials, including adult chat line commercials. She had 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. Another suitor was identified as Travis Heinrich, whom she met around 2005. Heinrich and Fiore became 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.

Ryan Jenkins was Ryan Alexander Jenkins. Investigators and prosecutors identified him as Fiore’s husband and as the only suspect formally charged with the murder.

Fiore had met 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 said Jenkins and Fiore had been arguing over Fiore’s 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.

Fiore’s mother, Lisa Lepore, claimed the two fought frequently and that Jenkins had been jealous of Fiore’s friendships with her ex-boyboys. Dan Jenkins said 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. Lepore claimed Fiore’s marriage to Jenkins was annulled in May 2009, and said there were no court records of an annulment in Nevada, where the couple was married, or in Los Angeles County, where they most recently lived.

Timeline

• July 2005 — Jenkins allegedly assaulted an ex-girlfriend in July 2005, later resulting in a sentence of 15 months of probation in January 2007.
• January 2007 — Jenkins was sentenced to 15 months of probation in January 2007 for assaulting an ex-girlfriend in July 2005; conditions included counseling or treatment for domestic violence and sex addiction.
• December (year not specified) — Jenkins was to go on trial for the June 2009 charge in Clark County, Nevada, with “battery constituting domestic violence.”
• March 18, 2009 — Jenkins and Fiore married at The Little White Wedding Chapel on the Las Vegas Strip.
• August 13, 2009 — Jenkins and Fiore checked into the L’Auberge hotel in Del Mar, San Diego, and they were to attend a poker tournament and charity fund-raiser for the Carma Foundation at the Del Mar Hilton.
• August 14, 2009 — Surveillance video captured Fiore and Jenkins leaving the Hilton at about 2:30 a.m.; Jenkins returned to the L’Auberge hotel alone at around 4:30 a.m.; Jenkins left the L’Auberge hotel at around 9 a.m.
• August 15, 2009 — Fiore’s body was discovered at about 7 a.m. inside a suitcase in a dumpster in an alley in Buena Park, California.
• August 16, 2009 — At around 9 a.m., Jenkins left their penthouse for the last time.
• August 17, 2009 — Jenkins told police he was in Utah and headed to Canada to resolve immigration issues.
• August 18, 2009 — Fiore’s remains were identified using serial numbers from her breast implants; the murder was first reported in the media.
• August 19, 2009 — Jenkins called his father from Birch Bay; the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Department received witness reports of Jenkins’ black BMW SUV towing a boat towards the Canadian border; a BMW SUV and an empty boat trailer were found at a marina in Blaine, Washington; U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed boats patrolling northwest Washington waters looking for Jenkins as early as Wednesday, August 19.
• August 20, 2009 — Jenkins was charged with Fiore’s murder and an arrest warrant was issued; Jenkins called his detained father at the airport and his father had to hang up the call.
• August 20, 2009 (around 6 p.m.) — Jenkins arrived at the Thunderbird Motel in Hope, British Columbia, Canada in a silver PT Cruiser.
• August 21, 2009 — The motel manager saw Jenkins walking outside the motel.
• August 22, 2009 — Jenkins committed suicide by hanging himself in a hotel room in Hope, British Columbia, Canada.
• August 23, 2009 (11:30 a.m.) — At 11:30 a.m., the couple failed to check out; the motel manager and his nephew checked on the room and found Jenkins dead.
• August 27, 2009 — Investigators found a storage unit full of Jenkins’ belongings in Washington state.

Investigation

Investigators pieced together the sequence of events using surveillance video from two hotels in San Diego, witness accounts, interviews with friends and family, cell phone records and forensic evidence.

Authorities reported that Jenkins and Fiore checked into the L’Auberge Del Mar hotel in San Diego about 3:30 p.m. on August 13 and left three hours later to attend a poker tournament at a nearby Hilton. Surveillance video captured the couple leaving the Hilton at about 2:30 a.m. on August 14. Jenkins returned to the L’Auberge hotel at around 4:30 a.m. alone. Fiore was not seen alive again.

Detectives believed Jenkins brought Fiore through the patio of their first-level hotel room. Fiore’s blood and hair were found on the patio of their room at L’Auberge Del Mar. One theory described was that the body was placed in the suitcase in the hotel room, while another question was whether Jenkins took Fiore’s lifeless body into the hotel to put her in the suitcase or killed her in the room and then put her there.

Jenkins carried clothing out of the hotel room on surveillance video before leaving alone at 9 a.m. Detectives then placed Jenkins in Corona, about 90 miles from San Diego, where they believed he went off-road; large twigs and brush were found in the undercarriage of the Mercedes-Benz and mud stains were found on the tires. Detectives stated that Jenkins might have dumped Fiore’s clothing and body parts in the area. They believed Jenkins abandoned the Mercedes before he returned to the penthouse he shared with Fiore in Los Angeles’ Fairfax district.

Fiore’s nude body was discovered around 7 a.m. on Saturday, August 15, in a Buena Park dumpster.

Authorities stated that Fiore’s body was discovered by a man combing trash for recyclables. Police described the suitcase as being two feet wide by three feet long and two feet tall and unzipped.

The Orange County coroner’s office reported that Fiore had died a couple of hours before her body was found. A preliminary coroner’s report indicated she died from strangulation. Police declined to say how the body was identified, saying it could jeopardize the investigation. Ultimately, investigators identified Fiore on August 18 using the serial numbers from her breast implants.

Arrest and charges

Jenkins was formally charged with the murder of Jasmine Fiore. On August 20, 2009, Jenkins was charged with Fiore’s murder and an arrest warrant was issued.

In connection with a previous incident, Jenkins was charged in June 2009 in Clark County, Nevada, with “battery constituting domestic violence” for hitting Fiore in the arm. The complaint states Jenkins struck Fiore “in the arm with his fist.” Travis Heinrich said the argument over Fiore’s friendship with Heinrich resulted in Jenkins hitting Fiore’s arm and causing her to fall into a nearby swimming pool.

A federal warrant for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution was issued late Thursday in the murder investigation process. Police also reported that Jenkins was believed to be armed and dangerous and believed to have a license to fly commercial airplanes.

Jenkins’ movements after Fiore’s death and manhunt

Jenkins filed a missing-persons report on Fiore at 8:55 p.m. on August 15 at the West Hollywood station of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. In the report, he said he had not heard from Fiore since Friday afternoon when she dropped him off at their Los Angeles apartment and that they had just returned from a trip to San Diego and she was going to run errands and get her nails done. Another account from police said Jenkins reported Fiore missing at 8:55 p.m. Saturday and that his statement contradicted the investigation’s video evidence showing Fiore and Jenkins together in San Diego Friday night.

At around 9 a.m. on August 16, 2009, Jenkins was seen leaving their penthouse for the last time. Police said Jenkins then left Los Angeles and went to Nevada to pick up his speedboat. On Monday, August 17, when contacted by police, Jenkins said he was in Utah and headed to Canada to resolve immigration issues. Authorities said that the murder was first reported after Fiore’s identification on August 18.

Witness reports indicated Jenkins’ black BMW SUV towing a boat toward the Canadian border. Authorities later found the BMW SUV and an empty boat trailer at a marina in Blaine, Washington; the engine was still warm. Witnesses said a man matching Jenkins’ description was seen piloting his boat into a marina in the border town of Point Roberts where Jenkins’ stepmother lives. Investigators and authorities stated that Jenkins crossed into Canada sometime between August 19 and August 20, 2009.

U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Initial media reports about a chase were denied by officials.

Suicide and final status

On August 20, 2009, Jenkins arrived at the Thunderbird Motel in Hope, British Columbia, Canada, in a silver PT Cruiser with a young blonde woman. The car had Alberta license plates. Jenkins stayed in the car while a woman paid cash for three nights’ accommodation. The motel manager described the woman as attractive, about 25 to 30 years old, and very calm, making some “small talk” when registering. A guest in the room next door said the woman stayed about 20 minutes with Jenkins in Room 2 and then left. 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 recognizable from his television picture.

At 11:30 a.m. on August 23, 2009, the couple failed to check out. Having noticed little further activity over the weekend, the motel manager and his nephew checked 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. A one-page suicide note saved on Jenkins’ computer titled “Last Will and Testament” and dated August 20, 2009 was found by police. On August 27, 2009, investigators found a storage unit full of Jenkins’ belongings, including a suitcase full of clothes, in Washington state.

Forensic details and evidence described

Police reported that blood spatter and swirl marks found in the Mercedes-Benz belonging to Jasmine Fiore showed she fought back during an attack fueled by Jenkins’ jealousy. Sgt. Roger Powell said there was “a whole lot of jealousy on his part.” Sgt. Roger Powell stated that there was a struggle between two parties in the vehicle because of the swipes and the motions from the blood evidence, and he identified blood evidence on the back windshield, passenger seat and back seat of her car.

Fiore’s injuries were described as including a broken nose, which causes significant blood loss, while Sgt. Roger Powell said there was no indication that any dismemberment or tooth removal occurred in the car. Police reported that Fiore’s teeth and finger tips had been removed in an apparent attempt to stymie authorities’ efforts to identify her body.

Police reported that teeth fragments were found in the suitcase, but not in the car.

Detectives stated that a letter written from Jenkins to Fiore was found in the car’s glove compartment and described it as evidence of their relationship tension. “It had a lot of tension,” Powell said of their relationship. “There was a whole lot of jealousy on his part.” Sgt. Frank Nunes said the domestic violence attack on Fiore was fueled by jealousy and said, “He was jealous that there were other guys involved,” and “Apparently they had a sordid past where both had cheated, but it’s not confirmed.”

Relationship evidence and statements

Sgt. Frank Nunes said the question was whether Jenkins took Fiore’s lifeless body into the hotel to put her in the suitcase or killed her in the room then put her there.

Jenkins reportedly recited the ways he loved Fiore repeatedly in a suicide letter but did not acknowledge her death or homicide and did not take blame. Buena Park Police Sgt. Bill Kohanek said: “He did not acknowledge her death or homicide, and he did not take any blame.” Kohanek also stated that there were “lots of comments of his jealousy of other relationships she was having and his frustration he had about those relationships.” Kohanek added: “he believed she was completely unfaithful and that upset him greatly, and he did not like the image of him portrayed in the media, and he seemed to place blame on her.” Kohanek said the department did not plan to release the letter.

The suicide letter was described as a one-page letter saved on Jenkins’ computer titled “Last Will and Testament” and dated August 20, 2009.

Lisa Lepore told The Associated Press that Fiore had the marriage to Jenkins annulled in May, but there were no court records of an annulment in either Nevada or Los Angeles County.

David Tonapetyan told reporters: “He was controlling, jealous and crazy.” Tonapetyan said, “He would say ‘I love Jasmine very much and she doesn’t want to be with me,'” and said, “He was the kind of guy that couldn’t handle rejection.”

Prior history

Prosecutors alleged in a criminal complaint that Jenkins killed Fiore sometime around Friday “with malice aforethought.” The arrest warrant said he should be held in lieu of $10 million bail and prosecutors alleged an unlawful flight process.

Jenkins had a criminal record in his hometown of Calgary. In 1999, he went to a previous girlfriend’s residence and broke a picture on the wall when he saw another man with her in the home. He was charged with break and enter, but pleaded out to mischief causing property damage and was given a conditional discharge with 25 hours of community service, which he completed successfully.

Jenkins was arrested in late April and charged with “battery constituting domestic violence” after he allegedly hit Fiore in the arm with his fist. A Canadian judge ordered him to complete “domestic violence” and “sex addiction” counseling, and he was sentenced to 15 months’ probation and 80 hours of community service. Probation conditions included that he take counseling or treatment for domestic violence and sex addiction.

Dan Jenkins said he was struggling to come to terms with accusations and said he believed Jenkins was corrupted by the Hollywood lifestyle. Dan Jenkins said: “If my son was guilty, he was crazy. He was not the boy we knew. The boy we knew was not capable of anything remotely close to this act,” and added, “He ‘would faint at the sight of blood.'”

Other details

Police reported that Fiore’s white Mercedes-Benz 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. Police reported there was a significant amount of blood and evidence of hair pulling.

Prosecutors and police stated that Jenkins was suspected of using a speedboat to flee the United States to Canada.

Investigators and police asked for tips, including calls to the Buena Park Police Department tip line at 714-562-3847 and the U.S. Marshal’s Office at 1-800-336-0102.

A $25,000 reward was announced by the U.S. Marshals Service for information leading to the arrest of a Canadian citizen accused of killing the model Jasmine Fiore.

VH1 put Megan Wants a Millionaire on hiatus and deleted the show’s page from the official VH1 website after the announcement that Jenkins was connected with the murder of Fiore. VH1 canceled the show the day after Jenkins’ death and also announced it would not run the third season of I Love Money. A representative of 51 Minds said Jenkins tried to pick up his honorarium check of $5,200 before Jasmine’s body was discovered.