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Nancy Grace
Nancy Grace Mysteries: The Strange Death of Actress Brittany Murphy
Aired June 13, 2014 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRITTANY MURPHY, "CLUELESS": (INAUDIBLE) playing our song, the one (INAUDIBLE) and I danced to.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Brittany Murphy made a name for herself, rising to fame for her roles in "Clueless," "8 Mile" and "Girl Interrupted."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very strange news out of Hollywood.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The father of actress Brittany Murphy wants the investigation into his daughter`s 2009 death reopened.
A.J. BERTOLOTTI, FATHER: She was murdered.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Los Angeles County coroner`s office ruled the 32-year-old actress died from natural causes related to pneumonia.
BERTOLOTTI: Something is wrong.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bertolotti ordered a new toxicology report from an independent firm. The report says high levels of 10 heavy metals were
found in a sample of Murphy`s hair.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He believes that the star of the movie "Clueless" was, in fact, murdered.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Her family has had a lot of questions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This hair sample alone cannot be used to support an allegation of poisoning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was a good person.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NANCY GRACE, HOST: It was December 20 LA Fire Department was called to the home of Brittany Murphy. Her husband had been desperately trying to
revive her. She had gone into the shower and collapsed. Nothing could be done. She was raced to the hospital, and she was pronounced dead that
afternoon.
At first, the LA coroner stated that the cause of death seemed to be of natural causes. An autopsy was performed the day following her death,
and it was only then we learned that the coroner said cause of death "deferred." That raised a red flag as to the cause of death of movie star
Brittany Murphy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The call for help came just after 8:00 AM early Sunday morning. Actress Brittany Murphy had collapsed in her Los Angeles
home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The LA County coroner`s office tells us paramedics found her in the bathroom, unconscious and unresponsive. It`s
reported she may have had the flu. And the assistant coroner told us prescription drugs in Murphy`s name were found at the house, but no illegal
drugs. The coroner says she`s believed to have died of natural causes. The autopsy is now complete, results expected to be made public in about
six weeks.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "Entertainment Weekly`s" Lynnette Rice (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There was something really delicate about her. She was -- it was as if she was so easily broken. There`s something so
frail and sweet and innocent about her, I think audiences just kind of want to protect her.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But it seems there was no protecting Murphy. As her star rose in Hollywood, the healthy-looking, bright-eyed brunette began
to appear frail and thin. In 2003, a blond, skinny Murphy graced the cover of "Cosmopolitan" magazine. In 2005, "Maxim" magazine put her on the cover
and called her a sex bomb.
That same year, "Jane" magazine asked her about her weight loss and rumors that it was due to cocaine use. The actress told the magazine,
quote, "I have never tried it in my entire life. I`ve never even seen it. I am also way too high-strung. I can`t even take Sudafed. I think my
heart would explode." But the ever-shrinking Murphy, who denied having an eating disorder, continued to make tabloid headlines.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She`s generated a reputation as being a little bit of a -- you know, a crazy train girl who`s about to go off the rails,
whether it`s these wild stories of wanting her peanut butter and jelly sandwiches cut on the diagonal or stalkers following her and her husband,
or maybe even hearing gunshots around her household. But it never has stopped her from getting work.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In fact, Murphy had been working since age 9. She had a manager by the time she was 13 and moved to Hollywood with her
mother. She was engaged twice before marrying her screenwriter husband. In 2003, she dated her just-married co-star, Ashton Kutcher. After her
death, Kutcher tweeted about it, writing on Twitter, "Today the world lost a little piece of sunshine. My deepest condolences go out to Brittany`s
family, her husband and her amazing mother, Sharon."
Brittany Murphy`s parents divorced when she was just 4 years old. Her father told CNN he hasn`t seen his daughter in about eight years, but said,
quote, "When she was a little baby, she was cute as a button. I can`t believe this has happened."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Well, no one will ever forget when they learned that actress and singer Brittany Murphy was dead, found dead in the shower of her own
home in Hollywood Hills. But Brittany Murphy`s story actually starts long, long before her tragic death at age 32.
Brittany Murphy was actually born in Atlanta, Georgia, and at a very tender age, moved to New Jersey with her mother and almost immediately was
drawn to show business. She began to attend a school for dance and theater, the Verne Fowler School of Dance and Theater. She stayed there
until about age 14, when she basically led her mom across the country from the Jersey theatrical school to LA.
And when she got to LA, she hit big. She was a fresh face. She quickly became a chameleon on camera. She could play any role. In real
life, she was known as sugary sweet but authentic. But she could play any role handed to her, changing not only her appearance but her demeanor.
Some of her biggest hits -- of course, she was on Broadway with Arthur Miller`s "A View From the Bridge" and "Bongwater." But she really became a
household name when she starred in "Clueless."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRITTANY MURPHY: They`re playing our song, the one that (INAUDIBLE) and I danced to. (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Don`t cry!
BRITTANY MURPHY: I`m sorry! (INAUDIBLE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: From there, she went on to independent movies like "Freeway." But then there was starring with Michael Douglas in "Don`t Say a Word," "8
Mile" with Eminem, "Uptown Girls" with Dakota Fanning, "Just Married" with Ashton Kutcher, the big one, "Girl Interrupted" with Angelina Jolie and
Wynona Ryder.
If she did not have leading lady status before, she had it for sure. She had a string of boyfriends, some of them high-profile, like her co-star
in "Just Married," Ashton Kutcher, rumors that she dated co-stars in "Little Black Book," and so forth.
But she settled down and seemed happily married to a British screenwriter, Simon Monjack, about eight years her senior. The two seemed
extremely happy. And another point about Simon Monjack. He was perfectly fine with living with Brittany and her mother. The three of them lived
together for years, the mother completely devoted to Brittany Murphy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": How did you come into the picture, Simon? When did you meet?
SIMON MONJACK, HUSBAND: I met Brittany when she was -- and Sharon, when Brittany was 17. So -- and we kept in touch for all of the years
as...
KING: How did you meet her?
SIMON MONJACK: I took her photograph.
KING: You were a photographer?
SIMON MONJACK: Part-time. It`s a hobby. And you know, we just became friends and...
KING: It was friendly?
SIMON MONJACK: It was friendly for years, yes. You know, I would visit her on the set and see Sharon and -- you know, it was very -- she was
infectious.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: When Brittany`s mother split from the father, the mother took off for Jersey to get Brittany Murphy into this special theater and dance
school.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KING: How did you come to bring her out here?
SHARON MURPHY, MOTHER: Well, when she was 12-and-a-half, she -- a studio that she was studying at, Verne Fowler`s School of Performing Arts
in New Jersey, there was a playbill on the board, and she called and made an appointment with the manager of the person. And I took her in, and they
accepted her. And she went on commercials in New York. And then they were opening up in Los Angeles for pilot season.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: So her mother had been her sole source of love and support, financially, everything together, even through Brittany`s marriage. She
moved to LA, gets married. She`s starring in all these major roles, even buys the house belonging to Britney Spears for about $3.85 million. She is
living the life.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRITTANY MURPHY: How could fun things be difficult in any way, shape or form? I mean, honestly, wouldn`t you rather have fun than not have fun?
It was a blast, man! It was -- it really was an absolute blast because I just -- I don`t know how else to just describe how much fun I did have.
Hopefully, it`s there on the screen because it was really a ball.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: It was in early 2000 that rumors began to swirl about Brittany Murphy`s alleged drug use. She lost a huge amount of weight, estimated to
be between 20 and 40 pounds in the year 2000. And she was actually confronted and asked publicly if cocaine was the reason she was losing
weight. And she replied, without missing a beat, I don`t know, I`ve never tried it. Very forthcoming.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You may remember her from movies like this.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, you`re a virgin?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean, I`m not a prude. I`m just highly selective.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The 1995 hit teen comedy "Clueless" that propelled actress Brittany Murphy into the spotlight. Her career, which
began on the small screen, would eventually blossom into bigger roles, like the 1999 drama "Girl Interrupted" and the 2002 critically acclaimed "8
Mile" with rapper Eminem.
BRITTANY MURPHY: What you doing working over at Bennan`s (ph) (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your brother works there.
BRITTANY MURPHY: Yes, my brother`s a loser.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fans are still stunned over her sudden death on Sunday, which the coroner`s office says appears to be due to natural
causes. Officials have released few details, and many people are puzzled by what could unexpectedly kill a 32-year-old woman. Vanderbilt
University`s Dr. Corey Slovis (ph) says it could be one of a number of factors.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) range from the head, stroke or a bleed, to the heart, a heart attack or arrhythmia, to the lungs, a blood
clot or pulmonary embolis, to the aorta, which can rupture, and then, finally, some medication, an intentional or unintentional overdose or
medication effect.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Over the years, Murphy`s weight came into focus as she appeared extremely thin, prompting rumors of an eating disorder.
Dr. Rajmi Galatti (ph) of Manhattan`s Patients Medical Center says there are health concerns any time a patient`s weight drops dramatically.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Being underweight impacts all organ systems of the body. The most commonly that is impacted is, of course, kidneys, the
renal system, the gastrointestinal tract, and the heart system as a result of the electrolyte imbalances.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Murphy`s family has asked for privacy at this time, saying in a statement, quote, "The sudden loss of our beloved
Brittany is a terrible tragedy. She was our daughter, our wife, our love and a shining star."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: After the cause of death was deferred, more interest was focused on the cause of death of Brittany Murphy. Sure, it was first
deemed cardiac arrest. Cedars-Sinai made no bones about it. But then everything became murky.
At first, her husband, Simon Monjack, and her mother stood together, claiming that they believed that she died of natural causes. After all,
they were there when she collapsed in the shower. But then almost five months nearly to the day, her husband, in his early 40s, falls dead of the
same ailment in the same Hollywood Hills home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A guy full of life. He it to me when I was here. I mean, I -- you know, I didn`t look at him and say, Man, there`s a sick
man. I looked at him and said, There`s a guy that`s focused and who loved his wife, who loved his mother-in-law as a son would love his mom, and just
very excited about the future.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She`s devastated. She`s lost a daughter and a son-in-law in less than six months. And I don`t -- she`s a strong woman.
Let me just say that. She`s a very strong woman. And I don`t know how you handle something like that, and I think she`s probably handling it the best
that she could under the circumstances.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: It was then that Brittany Murphy`s mother fell into the belief that mold was present in the home and that that somehow contributed to a
pneumonia-type ailment that claimed the lives of both Brittany Murphy and her husband, Simon Monjack. But it turned out later, mold did not exist in
the home.
So what happened for two such young people to die so close together in the same location of the same alleged ailment?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: In February, two months following Brittany Murphy`s death, the medical examiner still investigating claims that there were elevated levels
of hydrocodone, acetaminophen, L-methamphetamine and chlorpheniramine. They`re all legal, but did this cocktail of legal drugs account for her
death? Did it contribute to her flu-like symptoms?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Brittany Murphy had made a name for herself, rising to fame for her roles in "Clueless," "8 Mile" and "Girl Interrupted"
before her untimely death in her Hollywood Hills home in 2009. The Los Angeles County coroner`s office ruled the 32-year-old actress died from
natural causes related to pneumonia, an iron deficiency and multiple drug intoxications from medicines used to treat respiratory infections. But her
father, A.J. Bertolotti, doesn`t buy it.
BERTOLOTTI: She was murdered.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And now he believes he has proof his famous daughter was poisoned to death.
BERTOLOTTI: She was a good person. She wasn`t a druggie. You saw her three months before she died. She was in great spirits. But she
wasn`t herself. I knew something was wrong.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bertolotti ordered a new toxicology report from an independent firm. The report says high levels of 10 heavy metals were
found in a sample of Murphy`s hair, suggesting that the only logical explanation would be an exposure to these metals administered by a third
party perpetrator with likely criminal intent.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that statement on the report is very misleading, can lead to false conclusions and erroneous allegations.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bruce Boldberger (ph), the director of toxicology at the University of Florida, has followed the Brittany Murphy
case.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This hair sample alone cannot be used to support an allegation of poisoning. There`s so much information that needs to be
tied together, like puzzle pieces, in order to come to that very, very strong conclusion that Brittany Murphy was poisoned by some heavy metal.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That`s exactly why we have turned over these test results to the coroner and asked them to reopen the inquest into
Brittany`s death to make sure that it is properly investigated, which will probably require Brittany to be exhumed and properly retested to determine
the exact cause of death.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In light of Bertolotti`s allegations, the LA coroner`s office released a statement saying it stands by its conclusions
and opinions and that it has no plan to reopen the investigation into Murphy`s death, or that of her husband, Simon Monjack. He died months
after Murphy, also in their bedroom, from the same pneumonia-related illness. He was 39.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Some big allegations, big suspicions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The father of the late actress Brittany Murphy thinks she was poisoned.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Heavy metals were discovered in hair samples that the lab tested, things in it like arsenic, beryllium, copper, lead,
mercury and uranium. Then he produced a toxicology report that says that his information backs him up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That`s exactly why we have turned over these test results to the coroner.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now he believes he has proof his famous daughter was poisoned to death.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Which will probably require Brittany to be exhumed.
BERTOLOTTI: She wasn`t a druggie. I saw her three months before she died, and she was in great spirits, but she wasn`t herself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: When her father, Angelo Bertolotti, enters the scene, it certainly made a splash. Bertolotti insists his daughter was murdered.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you feel sure that the reason why Brittany died was because of poisoning? Do you think it was something else
accidental, or do you think it`s definitely that she was poisoned?
BERTOLOTTI: She was poisoned.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You don`t think it was accidental.
BERTOLOTTI: I don`t think there`s anything else involved other than that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On purpose, though.
BERTOLOTTI: Purpose. Absolutely. She was murdered.
I don`t know. I had a feeling when I heard about it. And I was in Florida at the time for a couple of months, and I came right back here.
And the first thing I did was preserve her autopsy reports because I had that feeling that something went on that wasn`t right.
By seeing her -- I only saw her three months before she died. So therefore -- and she was in great spirits, but she wasn`t herself. I knew
something was wrong. She was a good person. She wasn`t a druggie. She wasn`t anything like that. She was my daughter. That`s important. I
wanted closure. This doesn`t concern money. Doesn`t concern anything. It concerns her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: A tug-of-war, a battle ensued between Brittany Murphy`s biological father and the LA coroner. Allegations swirled that the coroner
never performed the correct tests on Brittany Murphy. The tests to which I am referring would include tissue samples of hair, fluids, skin, nails of
Brittany Murphy.
Specifically, Angelo Bertolotti was angry that the LA coroner apparently never performed a Mees line exam on Brittany Murphy`s
fingernails. Now, what is a Mees line exam? Simply put, in a human`s nails -- fingernails specifically -- very often, poison can be detected.
A Mees line exam -- Mees lines are, very simply, white bands that go the width of your fingernail. As your fingernail grows, it ultimately will
be cut off with clippers. But if you have certain poisons, most often, barium or arsenic related, these lines will appear on your nails. But in
the autopsy report, there is no suggestion that that test was ever done. In fact, the autopsy report, according to the father, says that her hands
were well manicured. If they didn`t take off her fingernail polish, how could they look for Mees line evidence?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BERTOLOTTI: It was a simple thing to answer. It was a coverup. It was a coverup.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who do you think was doing the covering up?
BERTOLOTTI: The city, the state of California.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was either incompetence or a coverup or...
BERTOLOTTI: That`s right.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There`s something foul here when two young people die from identical causes, and there is no thorough investigation,
just basic blood panel tests and the determination that somehow, it`s natural. It`s definitely not natural for a husband and wife to die five
months apart when they`re 32 and 40 years old, and for them to claim it`s just pneumonia and anemia that killed them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: A lawsuit was filed by Angelo Bertolotti. It waged this battle in court for months on end until, ultimately, it was settled in a
very unusual way. Bertolotti agreed to drop his lawsuit in exchange for some of his daughter`s biological tissue.
He wanted nails. He wanted hair. He wanted tissue. He wanted liquids. For what? To have it tested at an independent laboratory. And
that`s exactly what he did.
The results from the independent laboratory were a bombshell because those results reveal the existence of at least 10 metals, heavy metals in
her system. Most problematic, barium, which is associated with rat poison. A laundry list of the metals found in Brittany Murphy`s system -- barium,
uranium, selenium, manganese, antimony, aluminum, copper, silver, tin, platinum.
The logical explanation for the existence of multiple heavy metals in her system is that they were administered criminally by a third party.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The testing ordered by Brittany Murphy`s father was done by Carlson Company, a Colorado-based lab. Carlson lab does
infidelity DNA testing, poisons and toxins testing, date rape testing, post-mortem testing, surgical mesh testing and cremains testing, which is
the testing of ashes.
The tests were done by Carlson were done on a hair sample from the back of the movie star`s hair. The results, according to the lab, 10 heavy
metals at levels above the World Health Organizations high levels recommendation. The report also included the World Health Organization`s
logo.
This finding has caused some controversy. A World Health Organization scientist told ABC News the WHO does not establish ranges for the chemicals
in hair. The WHO also notes that hair is not a reliable material for the determination of exposure to chemicals, and that Carlson labs does not have
permission to use the organization`s logo.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: I spoke with Simon`s Monjack`s mother. She is convinced foul play is involved in not only Brittany Murphy`s death but in the death of
her own son, Simon Monjack.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Joining me right now is the mother of Simon Monjack, Linda (ph). Linda, thank you for being with us.
LINDA MONJACK, HUSBAND`S MOTHER: Hi, Nancy.
GRACE: Linda, there are reports surfacing now that Brittany Murphy died of rat poison, not of complications from pneumonia. What do you think
of that?
LINDA MONJACK: Well, it`s terribly worrying, and really -- I can`t really understand why it has taken so long to come to this decision because
when Brittany died, Simon died five months later of exactly the same symptoms. And any person who was looking at this surely would have seen
two young people die in this way, just a few months apart of exactly the same symptoms -- surely, any statistician (ph) would look at this and see
that it must be something that was so bizarre and so way out that it needed to be investigated.
GRACE: With me is the mother of Simon Monjack. This is Brittany Murphy`s husband, who passed away unexpectedly just four months after she
did, both of complications of pneumonia. Tonight, Murphy`s father said no, she was poisoned.
Ms. Monjack, what did you notice when you traveled to LA for your son`s funeral?
LINDA MONJACK: I found everything to be quite bizarre. I was very surprised when I got there. It seemed to be the house was very dark.
Everything wasn`t -- didn`t feel right. And at Simon`s funeral, the -- Brittany Murphy`s mother, Sharon, insisted in going in an armored vehicle
to the funeral. And when we got there, there were armored guards completely (ph) carrying submachine guns.
GRACE: Why?
LINDA MONJACK: Exactly. Why? Why? And I was -- when I was speaking to Simon prior to his death, I could see him getting worse and worse,
looking really awful. But he kept saying to me that somebody was -- he was frightened. He was fearful. And in the last 18 months before Brittany
died, they went out very infrequently. They were frightened of something, and I don`t know what.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Monjack`s mother united with Brittany Murphy`s biological father, Bertolotti, and with Simon`s daughter. And based on the new crime
evidence, the new lab evidence findings, they are demanding justice. They are demanding that the case of Brittany Murphy and Simon Monjack be
reopened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Do you support the reopening of this investigation?
LINDA MONJACK: Most definitely. Something happened in that house, and we need to know what it is.
GRACE: You stated that you observed Simon seemed to be getting frailer and -- more and more frail and he seemed not to be doing very well
leading up to his death. Did he believe he had pneumonia?
LINDA MONJACK: He was very -- he had terrible dreams, where he was absolutely in real time with things eating him. He was in a terrible
state. Something he was ingesting or something that he was -- was making him feel like this. I don`t know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Renowned pathologist Cyril Wecht has now joined into the fray, insisting foul play was involved. And when you look at the case, on its
face, two young people, both dead of indeterminate cause, pneumonia, anemia-related death, dying within a few months of each other in the same
home with the same illness?
And it is well known that barium, which is found in rat poison, can cause irregular heart rhythm. She died of cardiac arrest. But cardiac
arrest may not be so simple. What caused the cardiac arrest?
Now, Brittany Murphy also had a mitral valve issue with her heart, but all of her treating doctors agree even with the valve issue, she would have
lived a long and healthy life. It was not fatal. It was not deadly. It was not even dangerous.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: In the days before her death, she and her husband allegedly experienced severe abdominal pain, shortness of breath, repeat vomiting,
even hallucinations to some degree. That is not a symptom of a heart attack. Abdominal pain, vomiting, hallucinations? No.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SIMON MONJACK: I asked Sharon to come down. Sharon came down. Brittany, for the first time, just almost fighting for air. Her eyes were
not right. They were darting off left, right and center. Let me explain for the record a declarative statement. My wife had not taken any drugs
that could harm her that morning. That is for -- I will...
KING: No drug overdose or...
SIMON MONJACK: Oh, please! Brittany was...
KING: (INAUDIBLE) take drugs...
SIMON MONJACK: Brittany was...
(CROSSTALK)
SIMON MONJACK: Brittany was scared to take a...
KING: So she never had a drug problem.
SHARON MURPHY: She had a heart murmur.
SIMON MONJACK: She had a mitral valve prolapse and...
SHARON MURPHY: So she couldn`t take...
(CROSSTALK)
KING: So all she had was the laryngitis leading into that morning.
SIMON MONJACK: Leading into the morning, a few days. That morning, she woke up, she couldn`t breathe. She went out to get some air. Sharon
followed her out. I`ll say this because I know you can`t. She said, Mom, I`m dying. I love you and...
KING: Mom, I`m dying, I love you? She knew she was dying?
SIMON MONJACK: Absolutely...
SHARON MURPHY: This was about an hour before!
SIMON MONJACK: No, no, no baby, this was -- you`ve forgotten time.
SHARON MURPHY: Oh, sweetheart! Oh!
SIMON MONJACK: And then she ran to the bathroom.
SHARON MURPHY: No, that...
SIMON MONJACK: Brittany had -- Brittany`s safe haven was the bathroom. I was almost pleased she was in the bathroom. That meant she
was pulling herself together, you know, reading "Vogue" and putting on lipstick. And that was Brittany, you know?
KING: And then what?
SIMON MONJACK: And then Sharon screams, Simon! I run as fast as my large frame will take me, and she`s on the floor. I reached for the chest.
I said to Sharon, Call 911. There was a slight pulse, ever so faint. She was crying and screaming.
KING: Calling who?
SIMON MONJACK: She was...
SHARON MURPHY: No, the 911 person...
SIMON MONJACK: ... on with the 911 operator.
SHARON MURPHY: ... wouldn`t let me...
SIMON MONJACK: Trying to pass to me the...
(CROSSTALK)
KING: Were you able to explain to 911 what the problem was, or were you...
SHARON MURPHY: Oh, yes, we -- I just knew that -- from when she collapsed, I was with her in the bathroom. And I was sitting across from
her with her little puppy, Clara (ph), and she said, Mom, please hug me. And I went to get up, and she just collapsed, like right there!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: In every murder investigation, a major clue is who would benefit from the death of the victim. And here you have to look at two
victims. Now, if you wanted to believe that Simon Monjack was somehow involved in Brittany Murphy`s death, it doesn`t work because five months
after her death, he succumbed to the same ailment.
So who, if anyone, would benefit from the deaths of both Brittany Murphy and her husband Simon Monjack? That narrows down a list of
potential suspects.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: The LA coroner insists there was no error in the lab report. However, multiple other doctors and experts say that unless there was a lab
error, there`s no innocent explanation of 10 heavy metals existing in Brittany Murphy`s system.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: His daughter was poisoned. Then he produced a toxicology report that says that his information backs him up. Now,
according to this report -- by the way, it was conducted by a lab that he paid for -- heavy metals were discovered in hair samples that the lab
tested, things in it like arsenic, guys, beryllium, copper, lead, mercury and uranium. Now, he has been publicly suspicious of the LA coroner`s
determination that she died through a combination -- due to a combination of pneumonia, iron deficiency and, quote, "multiple drug intoxication."
Now, we reached out to the coroner`s office this morning. They told us, at this point, quote, "The coroner has no plans to reopen the inquiries
into the deaths of Ms. Murphy or Mr. Monjack, and we stand by our conclusions and our opinion"...
KING: You fear the toxicology might say an overdose of prescription medication?
SIMON MONJACK: No.
KING: Is that possible...
SHARON MURPHY: No.
SIMON MONJACK: No.
KING: ... that neither of you know she took too many of one substance one night?
SHARON MURPHY: No.
KING: Brittany was...
KING: Is that impossible?
SIMON MONJACK: Listen to me. Brittany was a monkey.
KING: Meaning?
SIMON MONJACK: Meaning that if she wasn`t clinging to me, she was clinging to her mum or the dog.
SHARON MURPHY: She just loved (INAUDIBLE)
SIMON MONJACK: She was -- just had to be loved. And I don`t mean that in a co-dependent or whatever...
SHARON MURPHY: No. She loved...
(CROSSTALK)
SIMON MONJACK: She was one of the strongest, most beautiful women I`ve ever met, but she was a little monkey. She didn`t have secrets.
There`s no locks of any of our cabinets. There`s no locks on the doors. It would be impossible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Where does it stand now? There are calls for Brittany Murphy to be exhumed. There are calls, which I think are more realistic, for a
reopening into the investigation of Brittany Murphy`s death. It seems to me that the coroner`s office does not want a reopening. I find that
disturbing. If family members are suffering this much pain and are this convinced that there was foul play, why not reopen the case?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KING: What`s your favorite memory of your daughter, Sharon? You think of her, what do you think of?
SHARON MURPHY: Everything. I mean, she was so -- just a loving, beautiful angel that just was -- had the biggest heart in the world and was
so giving and kind and precious. We were one. We were inseparable. We grew up together, I mean, and would take time for every single person she
passed that needed her, homeless people, little children.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: The most important thing that we can do for Brittany Murphy now is to seek the truth.
END
