Defense Lawyer: Former 'Survivor' Producer Charged in Wife's Death

Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- A Mexican judge has issued an arrest warrant for reality TV producer Bruce Beresford-Redman in the death of his wife at a Cancun resort in April, his lawyer said Monday.

"We have been advised that Mexican authorities have issued a warrant for the arrest of Bruce Beresford-Redman in connection with the murder of his wife, Monica," defense lawyer Richard Hirsch said Monday. "This news, if true, is extremely disturbing since it appears that this case is being handled in a manner outside the normal procedures in Mexico."

The prosecutor in Mexico had said earlier Monday he had developed a "very concrete, very specific" case that was sent to a judge Friday for consideration of charges.

Quintana Roo Attorney General Francisco Alor said through a spokesman that the investigation file, with recommended charges, was sent to the judge on Friday.

"It is our understanding that the issuance of an arrest warrant normally entails a detailed judicial review that takes anywhere from several weeks to several months," Hirsch said. "It appears that the way this matter is being handled constitutes a rush to judgment."

Bruce Beresford-Redman was briefly detained after Monica Beresford-Redman's body was found in a sewer at the Moon Palace Resort on April 8. His passport was taken by investigators and he was told not to leave Mexico until the probe was concluded.

The former producer on TV's "Survivor" recently returned to his Los Angeles, California, home, to take care of family business and see his two young children, his lawyer said.

His lawyer issued a statement from Beresford-Redman Monday after learning of the arrest warrant.

"I am devastated at her loss," Beresford-Redman said in the statement, "and I am incensed at the suggestion that I could have had anything to do with her death. I am innocent. My children have had one parent taken from them by a senseless act of violence. I implore the Mexican authorities not to take their remaining parent by a miscarriage of justice and to do what is right, not just what is expedient."

An attorney for the victim's family blasted Beresford-Redman Tuesday saying that he had not shown emotion for his wife's death until he was accused of the killing.

"We do not buy his newly found contrition," said Alison Triessl. "It has been 56 days since Monica was brutally murdered. At no point during that time, did he or his family reach out to the (victim's) family to express their sympathy or share in their grieving."

The attorney said the victim's family was relieved to hear about the arrest warrant and "are hopeful that Monica will finally get the justice she deserves."

Hirsch said Friday that there should not be "a rush to judgment," adding that there have been other unsolved deaths and an attack at the resort.

He cited the death of an elderly Scottish woman, who was found in a swamp weeks after leaving a pool for a walk, and a Canadian man who allegedly fell from a hotel balcony.

Jeff Toews, a Canadian, was found dead in May 2007. Investigators decided he died from a drunken fall from a balcony, but his family did not accept that explanation.

Julia Howard, a 77-year-old woman from Scotland, was found dead in a dense swamp six weeks after disappearing from a pool area last summer. Her family also rejected the police conclusion that her death was an accident.

A woman reported an attempted rape in her hotel room "several days after Mrs. Beresford-Redman's body was discovered," Hirsch said.

"We have brought this to the attention of the authorities and, in particular, to the attorney general in Cancun and asked them to pursue all leads before making a decision whether of not to charge our client," Hirsch said. "We feel that this case should not be a rush to judgment."

"There are strange things going on -- I think that need to be pursued," he said.

A spokeswoman for the resort directed CNN to a Mexican news report that quoted the prosecutor saying there was no connection between other deaths and the Beresford-Redman case.

The initial investigation suggested Monica Beresford-Redman "died of strangulation, because of the bruising," Mexican regional police spokesman Adrian Cardena said.

A source close to the wife has told CNN that she cleaned out the family bank account and took her two children to Hawaii because she was upset about her husband's extramarital affair. The couple later traveled to Cancun in an effort to repair their marriage, the source said.

A Los Angeles judge decided Friday that the children, ages 3 and 5, could not attend a memorial service organized Sunday by Monica Beresford-Redman's sisters because a therapist said it might be emotionally harmful to them.

"We respect the decision of the court, but we are very disappointed the fact that the children were denied to participate in the celebration of their mother's life," Jeane Burgos said. The sisters are fighting Beresford-Redman for custody of the children.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff delayed any decision on changing the current custody arrangement. Beresford-Redman's parents were given temporary custody in April after he was told by Mexican police to remain in the country while they investigated. He filed papers for custody to be returned to him last week.

Bruce Beresford-Redman built his career as a Hollywood reality television show producer. He worked for several seasons on the popular CBS show "Survivor," in which contestants compete against each other in a variety of extreme outdoor scenarios. He was nominated for three Emmy Awards as a producer on the show and was last credited as a producer in 2004.

He also worked on NBC's "The Contender" and "The Restaurant," as well as MTV's "Pimp My Ride," according to entertainment media company IMG.

Monica Beresford-Redman, a native of Brazil, owned a restaurant in Los Angeles.

Balloon Boy Parents Get Jail Time, Tough Probation

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The parents who carried out the balloon boy hoax were sentenced to jail Wednesday and given strict probation conditions that forbid them from earning any money from the spectacle for four years.

Richard Heene was sentenced to 90 days in jail, including 60 days of work release that will let him pursue his job as a construction contractor while serving his time. His wife, Mayumi, was sentenced to 20 days in jail.

Richard Heene choked back tears as he said he was sorry, especially to the rescue workers who chased down false reports that his 6-year-old son had floated away in a balloon on Oct. 15. It was a stunt designed to generate attention for a reality TV show.

"I do want to reiterate that I'm very, very sorry. And I want to apologize to all the rescue workers out there, and the people that got involved in the community. That's it," said Richard Heene, whose wife did not speak at the hearing.

Larimer County District Judge Stephen Schapanski then ordered Heene to begin a 30-day jail term on Jan. 11, delaying the start of the sentence for two weeks so he can spend the holidays with his family. Schapanski allowed Heene to serve the remaining 60 days of his jail term under work release, meaning he can work during the day but spend his nights in jail.

The Heenes' probation will be revoked if they are found to be profiting from any book, TV, movie or other deals related to the stunt.

"This, in simple terms, was an elaborate hoax that was devised by Mr. and Mrs. Heene," the judge said.

The Heenes pleaded guilty to charges that they carried out the balloon hoax, with deals that called for up to 90 days in jail for the husband and 60 days for his wife.

Schapanski ordered Mayumi Heene to serve 20 days in jail after her husband completes his sentence. Her time served is flexible — she can report to jail on 10 weekends, for example — so the children are cared for, the judge said.

Prosecutors asked for the maximum sentence for the husband, saying that a message needs to be sent to promoters who attempt to carry out hoaxes to generate publicity. Chief Deputy District Attorney Andrew Lewis also asked for full restitution to reimburse authorities for the cost of investigating the hoax — an amount that could exceed $50,000.

"People around the world were watching this unfold," he said. "Mr. Heene wasted a lot of manpower and a lot of money in wanting to get himself some publicity."

He added, "Jay Leno said it best when he said, 'This is copycat game.' And people will copycat this event. (The Heenes) need to go to jail so people don't do that."

He portrayed the Heenes as growing increasingly desperate as their pitches for a reality TV show kept getting turned down by networks — and the family fell deeper into a financial hole. Lewis said the Heenes set in motion the balloon hoax in early October as a way to jumpstart the effort and get some attention.

They chose Oct. 15 because the weather was cooperating and the kids were home for school with parent-teacher conferences, allowing the Heenes to report that 6-year-old Falcon had floated away, Lewis said.

Once the parents were brought in for questioning, Richard Heene feigned sleep during the lie-detector test, claiming it was some sort of diabetic episode, Lewis said.

David Lane, Richard Heene's attorney, pleaded for leniency with the judge and said that the couple "have learned a lesson they will never forget for the rest of their lives." He also said that if someone has to go to jail, let it be Richard Heene and not his wife.

"That is his plea. That would be something of a Christmas miracle if that can occur," he said.

'Person of Interest' Sought in Slain Model's Case

(CNN) -- Canadian authorities are searching for a woman in their investigation into the death of a reality TV contestant, who is suspected of killing his wife in Southern California.

Authorities have "identified the woman who is now a person of interest in this investigation, but she is not considered a risk to public safety," Sgt. Duncan Pound, spokesman for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, said Monday.

The woman helped rent a room for Ryan Alexander Jenkins, who was found dead at the budget Thunderbird Motel in the town of Hope in British Columbia on Sunday, hotel staff told CNN affiliate CTV on Sunday. Jenkins' body was discovered in the motel room, hanging by a belt from a coat rack in an apparent suicide.

Motel manager Kevin Walker told CTV that a woman, about 5 feet, 9 inches tall and 20 to 25 years old, dropped off Jenkins at the motel on Friday in a silver Chrysler PT Cruiser with Alberta tags.

"She just came for that one day and had checked in and rented the room," according to Allana Herrling, a motel employee. "I don't know if he paid her to rent the room or if he knew her or not, but she had rented the room and she had left right away."

Before Jenkins' body was found, Canadian authorities had said they had credible information that Jenkins was in Canada and urged him to turn himself in. He was thought to be armed and dangerous.

The nude body of Jenkins' wife, former swimsuit model Jasmine Fiore, was found August 15 in a Dumpster behind an apartment complex in Buena Park, just outside Anaheim, California. CNN has not confirmed reports that the marriage was annulled.

Fiore's teeth had been extracted and fingers removed in what police said was an apparent attempt to conceal her identity.

Law enforcement sources have told CNN that Fiore was identified through the serial numbers on her breast implants. A preliminary coroner's report indicated that she had been strangled.

Fiore lived in Los Angeles and was last seen alive in San Diego at a poker game with Jenkins, the night before her body was found.

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

Jenkins' apparent suicide brought a "sense of relief" to some of those who knew Fiore well.

"It helps us -- the family and extended family -- so that we can get on with our lives," Gwendolyn Beauregard, a friend of Fiore, said on CNN's "Larry King Live" on Monday night. "We don't have to go through a trial and all the pain that brings up as well. We have a sense of relief."

According to court records in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jenkins was charged in June with battery, for allegedly striking Fiore in the arm with his fist.

And in 2007, Jenkins pleaded guilty in Calgary, Alberta, to assault in a separate case. He was sentenced to 15 months' probation, ordered to undergo counseling for domestic violence and sex addiction, and to stay away from the victim, according to court records.

Jenkins, who appeared on the VH1 show "Megan Wants a Millionaire," is from Calgary.

51 Minds, which produced "Megan Wants a Millionaire," said Thursday in a written statement that it didn't know about Jenkins' record when it cast him.

"I was completely shocked he would have been capable of doing this," Stuart Brazell, who cast Jenkins on the show, told Larry King on Monday night. "I could see he could be a loose cannon. But, no, did I think he was capable of murdering his wife? Absolutely not."

Reality Star on the Run in Swimsuit Model Death

NBC- A reality TV millionaire is being hunted by cops in connection to the death of a swimsuit model who was found naked and stuffed into a suitcase. The suitcase was tossed into an Orange County dumpster.

Model Jasmine Fiore, 28, was reportedly with Ryan Alexander Jenkins -- a contestant on VH1's "Megan Wants a Millionaire" -- at a poker party in San Diego the night before she vanished. The reality show star was described by cops as a "person of interest."

"Ryan is currently speaking to his attoney and will fully cooperate with the police in this matter," his publicist told gossip website TMZ.com. "He is planning on meeting with them in the near future."

The 5-foot-7 stunner had recently moved from Vegas, where she worked as a stripper and met Jenkins just days after he was given the boot from the reality show, the program's star, Megan Hauserman told TMZ.

Jenkins and Fiore had married just days after first meeting, she told the site.

Jenkins, 32, was one of the final contestants in the VH1 reality show where millionaires were pitted against one another to win the love of one woman.

Lisa Lepore, Jasmine's mother, told City News Service that she visited last week with her daughter, and that she appeared as a model in advertising for Howard Stern and hotels in Las Vegas.

"It's just not like her to disappear," Lepore said in a telephone interview from Santa Cruz.

Lepore also said her daughter has worked for Playboy as a representative and coordinator for "Girls of Golf."

"She's not a pinup girl, but she has worked for them," Lepore said.

The woman's mother said Fiore had just moved to Los Angeles to pursue a personal training business and she had recently changed her last name to Kinkaid.

More Details On The Octo-Mom Reality Show!

Straight from perez:
"We reported earlier this week of loud whisperings of a reality TV program featuring Nadya Suleman and her family of 14, and the Octo-Army reality freakshow is now one step closer to hitting the airwaves!

Sources close to the Octo-Mom say Suleman and attorney Jeffery Czech shopped the pitch around town, meeting with four different production companies this week alone!

"There's some decisions for her to make over the next few days. I think she's heard enough," Czech explained on behalf of his client.

The production companies have suggested various scenarios for the Octo-Mom to tackle in the show: learning to drive a van fit for 14, family holidays and, of course, Octopussy's search for love!

It's also been reported that Suleman and Czech will be meeting with big wigs at an unnamed network as soon as next week!!

Says Czech of the Octo-Mom's desire to be on national television: "Like anyone else, she wants to be portrayed in a positive light and she feels she needs to do something to get her side out."

Reality television is never the solution to mending a tarnished reputation!!!

Just ask Dina Lohan!"