‘If my son was guilty, he was crazy’

CALGARY – The Hollywood lifestyle corrupted a former Calgary man accused in the slaying of his ex-wife, his father said Monday, as police confirmed they have identified the mystery woman responsible for checking the fugitive into a motel where he would apparently end his life.

"If my son was guilty, he was crazy. He was not the boy we knew," Calgary architect Dan Jenkins said of his son, Ryan Alexander Jenkins.

"The boy we knew was not capable of anything remotely close to this act," Dan Jenkins said on latimes.com."You talk to everyone here who knew him before he went down there and they’ll talk about a wonderful young man, a thoughtful man."

Ryan Jenkins, 32, was the subject of a weeklong, international manhunt after he was charged with the murder of his ex-wife, Jasmine Fiore, 28.

His body was found Sunday morning in a motel room in Hope, B. C., about 150 kilo-metres east of Vancouver, by the establishment’s manager, who believed he had checked out.

Jenkins had apparently hanged himself with his belt.

The discovery came eight days after the badly beaten and mutilated body of Fiore was found in a blood-stained suitcase that had been dumped in a garbage bin.

The body was found in Buena Park, Calif., about 30 kilometres southeast of Los Angeles. The Orange County coroner had to use the serial number on Fiore’s breast implants to conclude it was her because her fingers were cut off and teeth removed.

But Dan Jenkins said his son "would faint at the sight of blood."

Officials with the Orange County district attorney–which is responsible for court proceedings in the case –said they believe jealousy was one motive behind the killing.

"Obviously, we will never fully know what his motives were since Mr. Jenkins is dead. We believe one of the issues was jealousy," said spokeswoman Susan Kang Schroeder.

"He was jealous and possessive of her, which is pretty normal for domestic violence situations."

Fiore’s ex-boyfriend, Robert Hasman, said he spoke to and exchanged text messages with Fiore until the early morning of Aug. 14–a little more than a day before her body was found. The last text he received said she wanted to come to Las Vegas to see him, Hasman told NBC’s Today Show.

"I didn’t know about Ryan, so I can only assume that was the cause of his motive," he said.

Jenkins was facing a "battery constituting domestic violence" charge for allegedly striking Fiore in the arm with his fist in Las Vegas in April.

U. S. Marshals Service chief inspector Tom Hession said based on Jenkins’ previous conduct–the Las Vegas incident and the charge he pleaded guilty to in Calgary for an assault on a girlfriend in 2005 –he appeared to be a controlling person.

But in his days as a fugitive, he no longer had control, which probably pushed him to end his life, Hession said.

"He was desperate and the walls were closing in on him."

Fiore’s mother said Jenkins was a con man who targeted women.

"He wanted to be something that he wasn’t and I think he wanted to be and have what Jasmine had. I mean, she was for real. She earned what she had. He was fake."

She added that Jenkins’ death brings some closure to what’s been going on.

"I mean, we don’t have to worry about looking for him anymore or being worried that he’s a threat to any other women, or man," she told NBC on Monday.

Police in Buena Park said they are not looking for any other people in relation to the murder. The fact that Jenkins reported Fiore missing about 15 hours after police discovered the body, then disappeared himself, made him the prime–and ultimately, only — suspect, said Buena Park’s Sgt. William Kohanek.

But the investigation is not closed as they are still trying to determine if anyone in the U. S. helped Jenkins either with the disposal of the body or during his flight from the law.

"Our biggest thing is to make sure we’ve left no stones unturned," said Kohanek. "But we’re still looking into the possibility that someone may have aided him in a criminal way."

In Canada, the RCMP are doing the same and have focused their attention on the mystery blond woman who arrived at the Thunderbird Motel on Thursday with Jenkins–who stayed inside the PT Cruiser with Alberta plates while she rented a room, paying cash for several days.

RCMP say they know the identity of the woman, but are only saying they were known to each other.

"We do believe they knew each other. Our interest is not to identify her at this time," RCMP Sgt. Duncan Pound told reporters at a news conference in Hope.

"We’re aware of who this person is and we are satisfied we can locate this person and pursue our investigation."

Police say any charges that could be laid against the woman accused of helping Jenkins would be related to accessory to murder after the fact.

Pound added they do not feel the woman is a danger to the public.

Meanwhile, Jenkins’ former fiancee, Paulina Chmielecka, has been falsely accused in media reports as the mystery woman, her modelling agent says.

"There’s absolutely no possible way it can be Paulina. She’s upset they would just say this without any fact behind it," said Kelsea Forzani, manager of Details Talent agency, speaking on behalf of Chmielecka.

Forzani addressed the rumours Monday, after website TMZ.comand other media claimed the Thunderbird Motel manager positively identified Chmielecka after he was shown the woman’s photograph. Forzani claims she has been in contact with Chmielecka, who has been working and spending time with her boyfriend.

"Thursday she was at work, Friday she was doing a fashion show, and Saturday she was filming a cooking show," she said.

"This is a hard day for her; she’s lost a friend, someone she loved and who she was engaged to. She’s having a hard time."

Police on both sides of the border are remaining tight-lipped about all aspects of the investigation, including how Jenkins slipped into Canada and his movements here until he was found dead, hanging by his belt.

Buena Park officers are still trying to tie up loose ends, including determining if anyone helped Jenkins in his flight from the law in the United States.

With a warrant for cellphone records in hand, investigators are slowly piecing together Jenkins’ movements north to the Canadian border, which he apparently crossed Wednesday night.

Those were obtained after there was information Jenkins was already in Canada, said Kohanek.

The SUV left behind in Blaine, Wash., and the boat found abandoned in a Point Roberts marina have both been seized and examined for forensic evidence.

At the height of the investigation, 40 Buena Park officers–half of the force–were working on the case.

Investigators have travelled to San Diego to search the couple’s hotel room, to Las Vegas where it is believed they had an apartment, and to the northwest corner of Washington state where Jenkins’ boat and SUV were located on Wednesday.

The BMW SUV and the speedboat –which had been abandoned in a marina at Point Roberts, Wash., –have been processed for evidence and are now in storage.

But what could prove to be the most important piece of evidence –Fiore’s Mercedes Benz–remains unaccounted for.

Kohanek said no primary crime scene has ever been pinned down and it’s possible the car will contain key information.

"My fear is it’s been pushed in a pond or out in the middle of the desert, burnt," he said.

He added that he hopes that with the search for Jenkins over, Fiore’s family can start to grieve.

– With files from Stephane Massinon, Calgary Herald.

grichards@theherald.canwest.com

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Timeline: The Suspect’s Trail

1. March 2009

Ryan Jenkins and Jasmine Fiore meet in Las Vegas and marry soon after.

2. Thursday, Aug. 13

Jenkins and Fiore, in San Diego to attend a poker tournament, check into L’Auberge Del Mar hotel. Fiore texts former boyfriend Robert Hasman this night and the next morning, suggesting she wants to visit him in Vegas.

3. Friday, Aug. 14

Jenkins, carrying a suitcase, is seen leaving the hotel alone in the morning. Fiore’s white Mercedes has not yet been located.

4. Saturday, Aug. 15

Fiore’s mutilated body is found inside a bloodstained suitcase tossed in a trash bin. Fiore’s fingers have been cut off and her teeth removed. That night, before police can identify the body, Jenkins reports her missing, saying she’d left to run errands but didn’t return. Fiore is identified by the serial numbers on her breast implants.

5. Wednesday, Aug. 19

A man matching Ryan Jenkins’ description is seen piloting a boat at Point Roberts, Wash. His BMW SUV and a boat trailer are discovered in Blaine, leading police to suspect Jenkins has crossed the border into Canada.

6. Thursday, Aug. 20

An unidentified woman, driving a vehicle with Alberta plates, checks Jenkins into the Thunderbird Motel in Hope, B. C., the same day he’s charged with murder in California and a warrant is issued for his arrest.

7. Friday, Aug. 21

The U. S. Marshals Office announces a $25,000 US reward for information leading to Jenkins’ arrest. RCMP issue their own warrant for Jenkins’ arrest. A man matching Jenkins’ description is detained at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, but is later released after fingerprinting determines it’s not Jenkins.

8. Sunday, Aug. 23

Jenkins is found dead, hanging from a coat rack in the Thunderbird motel.

9. Monday, Aug. 24

RCMP say they know the identity of the woman seen with Jenkins, but won’t reveal her name.