Ronni Chasen, a 64-year-old Hollywood publicist, was shot multiple times on November 16, 2010, while stopped at a red light on Sunset Boulevard in Beverly Hills after leaving the premiere of Burlesque. She was struck by four bullets; the fatal wound entered through her right shoulder and pierced her heart. Despite being mortally wounded she drove a short distance and crashed into a light pole, was found by passersby, and was later pronounced dead at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Early in the inquiry there were no immediate suspects and investigators described the motive as unclear, with speculation about a targeted hit versus a random act. Police later identified Harold Martin Smith, an unemployed felon living in a Hollywood apartment building, as a suspect; when officers tried to question him he died by suicide. Investigators concluded Smith acted alone in what they described as a random robbery attempt gone wrong, and no further arrests were made. Some of Chasen’s friends and colleagues expressed skepticism about the investigation and its conclusions.