Ronni Chasen murder: Man tied to Hollywood publicist slay kills self in apartment lobby

The murder mystery of top Hollywood film publicist Ronni Chasen took a shocking new twist Wednesday when a suspect in the grisly slaying committed suicide.

The man, whose name was not released, shot himself as Beverly Hills cops approached him at his dingy Hollywood apartment building lobby and tried to serve him a search warrant in connection with the Nov. 16 murder.

"While conducting that follow-up, the person that they were looking for showed up. [The officers] attempted to talk to the suspect. When they did, the suspect produced a handgun, and there was a self-inflicted gunshot wound," Los Angeles police Captain Kevin McClure said.

The body of a suspect in the killing of publicist Ronni Chasen is removed after the suspect fatally shot himself inside a residential hotel. (Redmond/AP)

The man, who was pronounced dead at the scene at the Harvey Apartments on Santa Monica Boulevard, told a neighbor, Brandon Harrison, that he was an ex-convict who had served time in jail for firearms and drug convictions, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Harrison said the dead man was known only as Harold and once told him he was supposed to receive $10,000 -- once claiming it was for a job he had done and other time saying it was the result of a lawsuit.

Authorities did not disclose what role they believe the man played in Chasen's killing, but said he had been under surveillance by police for some time.

Chasen, 64, was found shot three times in the chest and twice in the shoulder in Beverly Hills as she drove her Mercedes Benz home from a party after attending a glitzy premiere for the movie "Burlesque."

The damaged Mercedes in which Chasen was shot several times in. (Ut/AP)

No motive has been released.

Earlier Wednesday, a retired investigator who saw a preliminary coroner's report on the A-list publicist's shooting said the murderer was an expert shot who was able to squeeze off multiple rounds in a tight and deadly formation.

Cops said the case had not been closed by the man's death