RSSCould There be a Break in the Honeymoon Cruise Disappearance and Murder of George Smith ? FBI Has Incriminating Video Tape Which May Lead to an Arrest
George Smith IV of Greenwich, CT has been missing since 2005. Could a video tape lead to an arrest in the case of missing and murdered George Smith?
“We have truth on our side. “My son’s life is not going to be in vain.” - (Maureen Smith, George’s mother – Jan. 2006)
Since first covering the case of missing honeymooner George Smith in 2005 we had wondered whether there would ever be “Justice for George”. Especially when his wife of mere seconds Catherine Hagel Smith settled with Royal Caribbean Cruiselines. However, when the Smith family retained new and eager council as well as FBI Russian organized crime agents entered the case, we began to finally believe that maybe, just maybe that the Smith family could finally get justice.
As reported in the UK Daily Mail, the FBI is apparently closer to answering how George Smith fell overboard on his honeymoon cruise seven years ago after discovering new footage from on board the ship. Twenty-six year old George Smith disappeared aboard the Royal Caribbean cruise ship, the Brilliance of the Seas, during the night of July 5, 2005. George had been partying on his honeymoon with his bride Jennifer Hagel Smith and his new found friends, Josh Askins the Russians. George Smith was brought back to his room by the Russians that night and was never seen nor heard from again. Was there foul play and a robbery gone bad? Josh Askin has testified to a Connecticut federal grand jury that he and the three Russian-Americans, cousins Greg and Zachary Rozenberg and their pal Rostislav “Rusty” Kofman, were in the room with Smith before he went missing. George Smith goes missing with blood stains on the exterior overhang of the ship beneath his cabin. Also according to Jones, Askin was also overheard on the elevator telling others that George Smith had $50,000 in his cabin and that Hagel was playing “$200 hands of blackjack” in the hours before Smith disappeared.
The investigation into the death of Mr Smith, from Connecticut, has remained open and authorities have an incriminating video tape in their possession which may lead to an arrest.
According to Cristin Marandino from Greenwich Magazine: ‘On that videotape there are certain individuals that make very self-incriminating statements following the death of George Smith.
‘This is a videotape that the gentlemen made of themselves. And in their room, sort of passing around a flip phone.’
Check out the Dateline NBC profile the case of the disappearance of honeymooner George Smith aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship Brilliance of the Seas in 2005 (VIDEO).
More at the June 2012 issue of Greenwich Magazine.
Posted May 29, 2012 by Scared Monkeys Crime, Cruise Ship, Facebook, George Allen Smith IV, Missing Persons | 7 comments |
If you liked this post, you may also like these:
Comments
7 Responses to “Could There be a Break in the Honeymoon Cruise Disappearance and Murder of George Smith ? FBI Has Incriminating Video Tape Which May Lead to an Arrest”
Leave a Reply
[...] MOST CURRENT UPDATE: Could There be a Break in the Honeymoon Cruise Disappearance and Murder of George Smith ? FBI Has Incriminating Video Tape Which May Lead to an Arrest. Share This [...]
This makes one question just how long this tape has been in the possession of the FBI. Did the cruise line and the local LE know about this tape and were holding it?
Just to pull something out my butt and present it as a theory…..One of these Russians (or the wife) bragged about throwing him overboard and it is on video on that phone. Saved as a “memento”. Now fast forward a bunch of years and either that phone ended up as evidence in another crime, or one of these Russians got into trouble with the law and is using this video in a plea deal.
”
This is a videotape that the gentlemen made of themselves. And in their room, sort of passing around a flip phone.’
“
”
This is a videotape that the gentlemen made of themselves. And in their room, sort of passing around a flip phone.’
“
FACT! Bagged. Take Criminals like these who are known to frequent Cruise Ships, add in an Italian Captain who cannot adequately steer a large Luxury Liner—and those are 2 good reasons why I will pass up on taking a Cruise anywhere over the World’s Oceans.
I am not a paranoid person, but I am all set.
RIP George Smith, you deserved so much better.
I hope the resoltion and eventual conviction and incarceration of these Murderers will finally bring George’s Parents the closure and peace they deserve.
This is what happened. The four men who went with George to his room has the intent to rob him. Once they got in the room and saw his wife wasn’t there, and George laid down on his bed, they jumped him and held a knife to his throat. This explains the specs of blood on his sheet/pillow case and the young man’s voice (the kid from Laguna Hills) telling George to calm down/settle down because even as drunk as he was he was trying to resist. They held him there and I think either knocked him out or tied him up and gagged him so he couldn’t yell/wouldn’t resist further. The three left so as not to make it too suspicious while a fourth one stayed behind to look for George’s money in order to rob him–that explains the silence (George is gagged) and the moving around of furniture and opening/closing of cupboards sound that neighbor heard. They were looking for his money because he had talked about having money in the room (whether or not this was true, them thinking this was the motive). All along though they knew they were going to throw him overboard because if George remained alive he would be a witness and could identify them. Whether or not they actually found any money nobody knows. The fourth man who stayed behind then carried George who I think at this point has been knocked unconscious to the balcony, push the chair up against the balcony and stand on the chair in order to lift George and throw him overboard. He wouldn’t have been able to do this without the chair esp since this is one person doing this. As George was thrown overboard he landed on the lifeboat below (not the suspect’s intention) thus causing the loud thud sound and when he hit the lifeboat he suffered a head wound since he was unconscious and nothing would break his fall. This would cause the pooling of blood. Eventually his body fell overboard/rolled off the life boat. I doubt someone went down and made sure it rolled off. it could have hit and then bounced off but the blood smear had some pooling so it’s hard to say. The smear may indicate that George was seriously injured and attempted to get up once he regained consciousness and fell over board…stumbling which would explain the smear, but I feel it was more that his body rolled off while he was still unconscious or dead. I don’t believe he was dead when they threw him overboard as there was no blood except for the spec. I believe the intention was to throw him overboard while unconscious where he would have drowned at sea and never been found.
Does anyone know if the men were able to get into the safe in the cabin? That is likely where the couple put their $50,000 (if they brought it on board)? Also, did Jennifer acknowledge that they brought this much money on board? If so, what for?
Whether true or not, it seems like this is the motive. Remember the suspects were harassing female passengers on the cruise before they set their sights on George and Jennifer. More than one woman made (or tried to make) formal complaints with the cruiseline in the early days of the cruise. I believe they brought date rape drugs with them to slip into the drinks of their victim. The extra large room service order placed and photographed by the suspects after the crime was to establish a memorable record on the ship of the men being in their cabin.
Did anyone see the lifetime movie about this? The movie totally implicates the wife. However, I am really not sure how a woman would throw a large man overboard, especially if he was unconscious (and thus dead weight).