How Paris Hilton helped solve a crime

When the LAPD searched Darnell Riley’s apartment looking for missing loot from Joe Francis’ house, they found things that had gone missing from the Hilton sister’s home as well.

Det. Koman: Okay—what I’d like to dive into real quick is the burglary—that happened at your sister’s house.  Now remember what date that happened.  What was that August 4 approximately.  Ring a bell?

Paris Hilton: I wouldn’t know.

Det. Koman: Were you living at that house at the time?

Hilton:  Part time.

Det. Koman: You were staying there part time.  Do you remember the night that the incident happened?

Hilton: Yeah.

Neither Det. Koman nor prosecutor Chun will comment on the record about the Hilton break-in.  That case is still under investigation. Nor will they confirm stories making the Hollywood rounds that who ever broke into the Hilton’s house stole an embarrassing video of Paris and later tried to extort money.

Hoon Chun, L.A. prosecutor: Anybody trying to blackmail you with regard to those private tapes that were taken from your Hollywood Boulevard residence?

Hilton: They were asking for money, but nothing ever happened.

Chun: Who was asking you for money?

Hilton: Some guy on the phone.  I don’t know.   He was talkin’ to my girlfriend about it.  I never talked to anybody-

Det. Koman: Okay, your girlfriend?

Hilton: They wanted—they wanted money.  They were tryin’ to sell it to like a newspaper or something.

Det. Koman: Who was the guy?

Hilton: I don’t know. 

Det. Koman: Who was your girlfriend?

Hilton: Um, she was like ...

Det. Koman: Spell that name.

Hilton: I don’t know how to spell it. I was in Miami shooting a movie and I just heard about it.  They were like ...some guy’s tryin’ to sell like the tapes to like a magazine.  So as soon as you pay somebody, then you’re gonna be paying for the rest of your life.  My dad always taught me. They’ll keep the tape anyway.

Paris says she never paid anyone anything. And Darnell Riley’s attorney Ron Richards says his client had nothing to do with the Hilton break-in.

Morrison: Why was Paris Hilton’s stuff found in his place by the police?

Ron Richards, Riley's defense attorney: Well, I don’t know what stuff they found in his place to tell you the truth.  I think that she’s never—she’s never contended that he has done anything wrong to her or extorted her in any way.

Somebody broke into the Hilton sister’s house. Who was it? Somebody was at the other end of that walkie-talkie the night Joe Francis was terrorized in his own home—who was that man?

This much we do know: one Hollywood wannabe is in prison for a terrifying crime.

Best friends Heather and Kristen have learned a hard lesson about that shiny world of celebrities and late night parties.

Kristen Williams: You could be in a room next to a celebrity, next to a director, next to a porn star, next to a convict, next to a murderer and you wouldn’t even know it. 

Heather Bernardcyck: You wouldn’t.

Mind you, they’re still there among the rich and famous. Kristen is trying to become a pin-up girl. Heather is learning to fly...

Will Wright, the ex-con, is still making the rounds of the priciest watering holes in town, saying he is the blameless victim of vicious gossip. In fact, he tells us, his youthful exploits as a drug dealing high school student may soon become a real Hollywood movie.

Joe Francis is still raking it in getting women to pull up their tops.

And Paris Hilton, with all that detective work behind her, has even more time to get in the headlines.

So next time you pick up a tabloid to read about “a sort of jet set version of high school is what we’re talking about,” have a heart for those hard-partying celebrities. It can be treacherous out there.

Especially if you drive on a suspended license ... something Ms Hilton was cited for just this past week. Her license was suspended in January after she pleaded guilty to an earlier incident of "alcohol-related reckless driving." Officials say Hilton could  face fines or even jail time.

As for Joe Francis .. he got two years probation and was fined 2 million dollas after he pled guilty to violating that federal law designed to prevent pornographers from exploiting minors.