Former "Jerry Springer" producer Jill Blackstone may have murdered her sister Wendy after all, contrary to her previous claim that Wendy committed suicide.
The investigators believe that the American TV producer did not carry out her disabled sister's wish to end her life and instead murdered her, according to a new report from TMZ. The police say that Wendy Blackstone, who was deaf and partially blind, did not want to commit suicide. This contradicts Jill's earlier claim that she was carrying out her sibling's wish for a suicide pact at the time.
It will be recalled that Wendy, 49, was found suffocated to death in the garage of their home in California on March 14, Saturday. She appeared to have died from carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a lit BBQ grill found in the closed garage.
Jill, 52, told paramedics she had also passed out but managed to call a friend when she came to. That friend was the one who called 911 for help, said TMZ. Jill told authorities her sister had killed herself and that she had intended to die as well but got cold feet and backed out at the last second.
The police who came to the death scene reportedly found the victim holding a handwritten suicide note, which they determined was penned not by Wendy but Jill herself.
In addition, the investigators found it curious that the BBQ grill was placed at Wendy's feet, leading them to believe it was a case of murder and not suicide. Now the new report revealed that aside from the coals under the BBQ grill, police also found a metal trash can filled with used charcoal.
Jill, who had to be hospitalized for severe carbon monoxide poisoning, was arrested for her sister's murder after her release on March 16. However, she was released afterwards as the District Attorney felt there was not enough evidence for the case and sent it back to the LAPD for further investigation.
Jill - who has worked on several TV shows including "The Jerry Springer Show," "The Rosie O'Donnell Show," "Divorce Court" and "The Tony Danza Show" - reportedly declared bankruptcy three years ago. She is said to have owed her sister Wendy $122,000 from a loan in 2010, according to Daily Mail Online. Furthermore, she had over $1.4 million debts and around $700,000 in assets.
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