Chelsea Press 2
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Post by Chelsea Press 2 on Jul 18, 2014 14:32:01 GMT -5
Casey Kasem Body Missing 20 minutes ago BY TMZ STAFF Casey Kasem has been dead for more than a month .... yet he's not been buried and now we've learned his body is missing. Fingers now point in the direction of Casey's widow, Jean. Family sources say Jean took the body from a funeral home the day before a judge ordered her to keep it there so an autopsy could be performed. The autopsy is crucial to an ongoing criminal investigation targeting Jean. The Santa Monica PD is looking into elder abuse allegations ... that Jean took Casey on a wild, week-long multi-state car ride which caused him to develop bed sores that got infected and contributed to his death. Jean and Casey's children have been at war for years. As for where the body is ... no one but Jean seems to know, and no one can find her either. It's interesting ... Jean listed Jerusalem as her address on Casey's death certificate. Casey's daughter Kerri believes Jean is out of the country. We reached out to Jean's people. So far no word back. source
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Post by Devil Marlena Nylund on Jul 19, 2014 1:07:36 GMT -5
That psycho woman did have a response: www.cnn.com/2014/07/18/showbiz/casey-kasem-burial-delay/index.html(CNN) -- The family battle that surrounded radio host Casey Kasem during his final days continues to rage on after his death. Although the 82-year-old passed away on June 15, his body has yet to be buried. Now, according to Danny Deraney, the publicist for Kasem's daughter Kerri Kasem, the family doesn't know where his body is. "We are not surprised," Kerri Kasem told to CNN. "We expected something like this to happen." Discord between Kasem's wife of more than 30 years, Jean Kasem, and his adult children from his first marriage led to multiple legal clashes and court hearings in the months before to Kasem died. Kerri Kasem was given a conservatorship over her father's health, which Jean Kasem subsequently fought in court, claiming his children were prematurely ending their father's life. Deraney says Jean Kasem has now removed her husband's body from a funeral home in Washington state. Before Kasem's passing, Jean Kasem removed her ailing husband from a care facility in Santa Monica and took him on a cross-country car journey to stay at a home of family friends in Washington. Sgt. Rudy Camarena with the Santa Monica Police Department declined to comment, telling CNN, "Mr. Kasem's matter is an open and ongoing investigation." Meanwhile, Jean Kasem denies that her late husband's body is missing.
"It's not," she told CNN. "Would you leave us to grieve in peace?"Candace Corkum at the Gaffney Funeral Home in Tacoma, Washington, confirmed that the facility had been in possession of Casey Kasem's body, but said that it was no longer in their care. She could not provide information about the circumstances in which his body was removed from the funeral home.
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Gary
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Post by Gary on Jul 19, 2014 8:54:15 GMT -5
If they suddenly removed the criminal investigation into elder abuse, I will bet the body will suddenly reappear
Of course she cremates him while the body is "missing" which is what I think will happen here, the charges against her will be more difficult to prove
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onebuffalo
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Post by onebuffalo on Jul 21, 2014 8:27:26 GMT -5
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Gary
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Post by Gary on Jul 21, 2014 9:09:24 GMT -5
There was a restraining order against moving the body out of the country, hopefully she gets held accountable for that.
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Gary
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Post by Gary on Jul 21, 2014 12:11:04 GMT -5
Well they kind of know that it is Montreal and out of the country at this point
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Mega248
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Post by Mega248 on Jul 22, 2014 19:49:18 GMT -5
There was a restraining order against moving the body out of the country, hopefully she gets held accountable for that. Did that apply even after he died though (when Jean got control) or only before he died? Either way, if Casey wanted to be buried in LA (which he did, according to numerous sources), then she has no business taking his body of the country. And if she cremates him, she'll be going against two of his wishes, since he wanted to be buried.
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Gary
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Post by Gary on Jul 22, 2014 20:10:34 GMT -5
There was a restraining order against moving the body out of the country, hopefully she gets held accountable for that. Did that apply even after he died though (when Jean got control) or only before he died? Either way, if Casey wanted to be buried in LA (which he did, according to numerous sources), then she has no business taking his body of the country. And if she cremates him, she'll be going against two of his wishes, since he wanted to be buried. Yes the restraining order is recent. This is all related to the criminal investigation into elder abuse. They need the body for an independent autopsy.
She takes the body and hides it, cremates it or whatever, the criminal case against her is weaker as the charges will be harder to prove.
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Post by Devil Marlena Nylund on Jul 24, 2014 0:18:46 GMT -5
www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/07/23/casey-kasem-body-montreal_n_5614584.htmlCasey Kasem's Body Located... In MontrealAlthough Casey Kasem has been dead for a few weeks, he has not yet been buried. In fact, his body is in Montreal. The BBC reports a continuing acrimonious dispute between Kasem's wife Jean and his daughters has resulted in the widow sending the body to Montreal prior to his daughter taking out a court order to keep Kasem's remains in the state of Washington. The actual movement of the body took place on July 14 to the Urgel Bourgie funeral home in Montreal. The funeral home's official site makes no mention of holding Kasem's remains. Meanwhile, the Globe and Mail reports Kasem's widow had also considered sending the body to British Columbia and even across the Atlantic to France in order to keep the remains away from his children according to attorney Scott Winship representing Kasem's daughter Kerri. On July 15, Kerri Kasem, wanting court authorization in order for an autopsy to be conducted, obtained a temporary restraining order preventing her father's body from being moved outside of Tacoma or from being cremated. But by then she was too late. "What we did was made sure that Casey got to the airport, we released custody of Casey to the airline," Gaffney Funeral Home director Corey Gaffney -- who operates the funeral home in Tacoma, Washington -- told the Canadian Press. "The airline signed for that and acknowledged that and then at that point we returned to our office, tracked his flight to Montreal, confirmed that he had arrived, reported that to Mrs. Kasem. When he landed in Montreal, I ceased being the funeral director in charge." Even more bizarre is the fact that even though Kasem passed away on June 15, the death certificate was registered only 13 days ago (July 10). The address on the death notice lists their location as in Jerusalem, near the Israeli parliament the Knesset. The ongoing controversy follows news earlier this year prior to Kasem's death that he might be in Canada with his wife. Kasem's children were unaware of his exact location with speculation at the time being his wife Jean was possibly hiding him in Canada or on a native reserve in Washington State. "There are so many people dealing with the same situation my family is dealing with and we are receiving so many letters and emails… THANK YOU!" Kerri Kasem wrote yesterday (July 22) in a Facebook post. We will get back to each and everyone of you that has written me or the foundation. THERE IS HELP! She's such a cunt.
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onebuffalo
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Post by onebuffalo on Jul 25, 2014 15:14:38 GMT -5
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CookyMonzta
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Post by CookyMonzta on Jul 25, 2014 15:24:53 GMT -5
They should have seen it coming before he died, and got the feds in. They do have federal restraining orders, don't they?
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Gary
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Post by Gary on Aug 15, 2014 11:50:36 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2014 15:07:07 GMT -5
Couldn't have said it better myself.
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onebuffalo
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Post by onebuffalo on Nov 3, 2014 9:56:00 GMT -5
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onebuffalo
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Post by onebuffalo on May 23, 2015 16:11:48 GMT -5
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Gary
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Post by Gary on Nov 25, 2015 22:49:34 GMT -5
Casey Kasem's Widow Sued by Children for Wrongful Death
The wrongful death lawsuit filed Wednesday accuses Jean Kasem of elder abuse.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Three of radio personality Casey Kasem's children and his brother sued his widow on Wednesday, claiming her actions led to his death in 2014.
The wrongful death lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court accuses Jean Kasem of elder abuse and inflicting emotional distress on Kasem's children from a previous marriage by restricting access to their father before his death.
"Casey's early death occurred as a direct and proximate result of Jean's neglect and physical abuse of Casey," the lawsuit states.
A call and email sent to Jean Kasem's attorney, H. Michael Soroy, was not immediately returned.
The longtime "American Top 40" host had a form of dementia and a severe bedsore when he died at age 82.
Kerri, Julie and Michael Kasem are joined in the lawsuit by their uncle, Mouner. The lawsuit seeks more than $250,000, although a jury would have to decide any damage award.
Prosecutors earlier this year declined to charge Jean Kasem with elder abuse, a decision that Kerri Kasem said Wednesday led to her family filing the civil case.
"We would rather see her in jail than receive one dime," Kerri Kasem said. "We don't care about the money. We care about justice."
The lawsuit follows years of legal wrangling between Jean Kasem and three of his adult children from a previous marriage. The groups fought over visitation access to Casey Kasem before his death in June 2014, with his daughter Kerri Kasem assuming control of his medical care.
A Los Angeles judge stripped Jean Kasem of decision-making authority over concerns about her decision to move Casey Kasem from a medical facility in Santa Monica, California, to a friend's home in Washington state.
Jean Kasem contended at the time she moved her husband to protect his privacy.
The 28-page lawsuit gives a detailed account of Kasem's final days, including the extent of his ailments and the family infighting swirling around him.
It states that in the months before Casey Kasem's death, his wife repeatedly left him in various hospitals for days despite the fact he was ready to be discharged. The lawsuit also details numerous confrontations about Kasem's care, and it states Jean Kasem transported his body to Norway where it was buried in an unmarked grave.
That was despite Casey Kasem's wishes to be buried at a cemetery in Los Angeles, the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit states the Kasem's children and brother are seeking "fair recompense for the suffering they personally endured from witnessing the abuse and its painful and damaging physical effect on their beloved father and brother, and the gross treatment and disposition of Casey Kasem's remains in an unmarked grave in a distant land unknown to him or his family."
"What she did to my father is reprehensible," Kerri Kasem said. "It's disgusting. It's horrific."
Los Angeles prosecutors in May rejected filing elder abuse charges against Jean Kasem, saying they could not prove at trial that her actions led to the radio host's death. An explanation of the decision stated Jean Kasem ensured her husband was medically supervised during his transport from Santa Monica to Washington, which included a brief stay in Las Vegas.
"Because of Mr. Kasem's longstanding profound health issues, this case cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt to a jury," the decision stated. "The development of a bedsore by itself is insufficient evidence of abuse or neglect because of Mr. Kasem's overall weakened health."
Casey and Jean Kasem were married for more than 30 years.
Casey Kasem's legacy reached well beyond music. His voice was heard as the character Shaggy in the "Scooby-Doo" TV cartoons and in numerous commercials.
His "American Top 40" began July 4, 1970, in Los Angeles, when the No. 1 song was Three Dog Night's cover of Randy Newman's "Mama Told Me Not to Come."
In his signoff, Casey Kasem's would tell viewers: "And don't forget: Keep your feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars."
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Linnethia Monique
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Post by Linnethia Monique on Nov 25, 2015 23:10:42 GMT -5
I can't believe this f#cked up saga still isn't over with. The man deserves a better legacy than this circus that has become of it.
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Gary
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Post by Gary on Jun 23, 2017 21:42:50 GMT -5
Row Over DJ Casey Kasem's Death Spawns New Federal Suit
Todd Cunningham, The National Law Journal June 23, 2017 | 0 Comments
The widow of Casey Kasem has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the radio personality's three adult children from another marriage.
Jean Kasem claims in the suit filed in federal court in Washington state that Kerri, Mike and Julie Kasem, along with Julie's husband and their attorney Troy Martin, perpetrated a "homicidal guardianship scam." In a statement, she alleges that they "chemically restrained their father and then killed him to go after Casey and Jean's financial assets."
The suit accuses the Kasem children of harassment and making fraudulent claims of elder abuse as part of their attempts to gain guardianship over Kasem.
"The truth about my husband's homicide is so disturbing to confront but I am compelled to seek justice," Jean Kasem said in a statement Thursday. Jean Kasem is handling the case pro se, according to the filing. Casey Kasem, a celebrated radio disc jockey for nearly 50 years and the longtime host of "America's Top 40," was admitted to the hospital on June 1, 2014, by Kerri. That was against his will, claimed Jean, who says in the suit that the children obtained control of his medical decisions using a "fraudulent power of attorney."
She also alleges Kerri and her siblings, Mike and Julie, "made a series of unilateral decisions to terminate his life, completely ignoring his wife's desperate pleas," according to the suit. When Jean attempted to bring her husband home, she was delayed by the hospital and soon found out that his kids had already begun to withdraw hydration, nutrition and medical care, the complaint alleges. His wife of 35 years and their daughter Liberty, 27, were then only allowed five minutes with Casey before his death, according to the suit.
Casey had a form of dementia at the time of his death and was admitted into St. Anthony Hospital in Gig Harbor, Washington, in critical condition with an infected bed sore and a urinary tract infection. Catholic Health Initiatives, which owns and operates the hospital where Kasem died, was also named in the suit.
In another suit filed by Casey's adult children in November 2015, they alleged Jean was physically abusive and neglected the radio legend. In January 2015, his children held a press conference urging the Los Angeles Police Department to speed up their investigation into Jean for elder abuse, but by May the case had been dropped by prosecutors citing "insufficient evidence."Kerri, Mike and Julie previously filed their own wrongful death suit against Jean in 2014.
"I think we all know that this is nothing more than a delaying tactic to evade justice here in California," said a spokesman for Kerri Kasem, referencing the 2014 wrongful death filing by the children against Jean. Contact Todd Cunningham at tcunningham@alm.com. On Twitter: @toddcnnnnghm.
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Gary
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Post by Gary on Jun 23, 2017 21:45:59 GMT -5
Casey Kasem's kids hit back at his widow after she accused them of negligence and fraud in wrongful death lawsuit
Jean Kasem, 63, accuses step-children of trying to take control of $80m estate Casey died in 2014 at the age of 82 after suffering from Lewy body dementia But Casey's daughter Kerri said Jean's comments were 'disgusting and evil' By Iain Burns For Mailonline Published: 12:00 EDT, 23 June 2017 | Updated: 15:11 EDT, 23 June 2017
The children of radio personality Casey Kasem have hit back after they were named in a wrongful death lawsuit by his widow Jean. Jean filed the suit against Kerri, Mike and Julie Kasem - Casey's children by his earlier wife Linda Myers Naylor - in Washington state, accusing the trio and others of negligence, wrongful death and fraud. Casey died at the age of 82 in Washington in 2014 after suffering from Lewy body dementia. In 2015, Casey's children filed their own wrongful death lawsuit against Jean, 63.
According to Yahoo, the legendary DJ's estate is worth $80million - which Jean accuses the children of trying to take control of. She said they took part in a 'homicidal guardianship scam' that led to her former husband's death. The children 'chemically restrained him', she added, and 'ordered hospital staff to withdraw food and water'. She explained: 'The truth about my husband's homicide is so disturbing to confront but I am compelled to seek justice.
'The facts unambiguously point to defendants' deceit, self-dealing and fraud, which demand to be exposed.' But Casey's daughter Kerri said her step-mother is 'just putting out false information', according to People. 'He was dying because of her actions and would have still lived a year or two. We all did everything we could to save him. Casey was a much-loved radio icon. Pictured: The star at 2003 Radio Music Awards in Las Vegas She added: 'For her to say we unplugged him is disgusting and evil.'
In the children's 2015 lawsuit, it was argued: 'Casey's early death occurred as a direct and proximate result of Jean's neglect and physical abuse of Casey.' Later in 2015, LA prosecutors said they would not be filing elder abuse charges against Casey's former wife.
The family had argued about visiting rights during Casey's final years, but the star had given his older children power of attorney and asked that his life not be extended for a 'mere biological existence'. Kerri and Julie claimed Jean threw meat at them when they turned up at Casey's mansion in LA and demanded to see their father.
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Linnethia Monique
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Post by Linnethia Monique on Jun 24, 2017 15:14:35 GMT -5
I can't believe this f#cked up saga still isn't over with. The man deserves a better legacy than this circus that has become of it. This still stands.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2017 17:18:38 GMT -5
How do any of Jean's claims make sense with her smuggling his body out of the country in the midnight hour to bury him in Norway and evade an autopsy??? And THEN the bitch is two years late with this countersuit. She needs to sit her crazy ass down and thank the malevolent god she serves that that she managed to avoid being buried under the jail her damn self.
She went through all that trouble and still doesn't have all the money she wants. She's just greedy and mad.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 25, 2017 19:40:53 GMT -5
Fuck Jean. That is all.
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Gary
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Post by Gary on Sept 12, 2017 15:36:26 GMT -5
Casey Kasem’s Widow At War Again with His Children Over Late Radio Host’s Mansion Claiming Stepchildren ‘Killed’ Him
In a new interview with Inside Edition, the widow of Casey Kasem speaks out for the first time in person since accusing her stepchildren in the radio host’s 2014 death. The 63-year-old’s lawsuit against Kerri, Mike, and Julie Kasem, Julie’s husband, Jamil Anis Aboulhosn, and attorney Troy Martin, also names Catholic Health Initiatives – which operates the facility where the D.J. died – as a defendant. Jean’s suit came as a response to a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Kasem’s children — from his first marriage to Linda Myers Kasem — against her in November 2015, alleging she abused their father and caused emotional distress by restricting their access to him as his health failed.
Casey’s assets will be held in a trust until the legal dispute between the family is resolved, said Inside Edition. The late D.J. and Jean’s daughter Liberty, 27, is currently living in the mansion – despite it having no power or water.
However, stepsister Kerri claims Liberty and her mom have not been looking after the home, “The taxes aren’t paid. They destroyed everything. They’ve killed everything.” Addressing her stepchildren, Jean said to Inside Edition, “They killed my husband.”
In response, Kerri told the outlet, “We did not kill him. We took him to a hospital to save his life.”
Casey was living with advanced Parkinson’s disease for years before Kerri held a protest outside of the mansion, claiming her stepmother had kept her father from her, Mike and Julie for more than three months.
Several months later, Dr. Paul Leitner wrote a letter to the Elder Abuse Investigations department at the Office of Criminal Investigations in Santa Monica, California, claiming Jean had entered the Berkley East Convalescent Hospital where her husband was being cared for and removed the tube providing him nutrition and hydration. “She was informed of the risks of doing so and was told she was placing Mr. Kasem in great bodily harm or possible demise,” wrote Dr. Leitner at the time.
Eventually, Kerri obtained a conservatorship over her father and transported him to a hospital before his death.
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Chelsea Press 2
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Post by Chelsea Press 2 on Sept 13, 2017 0:59:15 GMT -5
She really needs to stop blaming everyone else. She is the one who contributed to all this. She needs to stop this foolishness.
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Gary
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Post by Gary on Nov 20, 2018 15:52:09 GMT -5
Casey Kasem's Family's Ongoing Rift Probed in Upcoming 'Mysterious Death of Casey Kasem' TV Special
News
By Gil Kaufman | November 20, 2018 12:28 PM EST
Jean Kasem and the former "American Top 40" host's children continue their feud.
It's been nearly five years since legendary radio announcer Casey Kasem died at age 82 of complications from a Parkinsons-like disease in a hospital in Gig Harbor, Washington. The iconic "American Top 40" host passed after a long, lucrative career in the radio and television business, one in which he made counting the nation's top hits down to No. 1 a weekly ritual.
But Kasem's death was not without controversy, as his adult children claimed that their stepmother, actress Jean Kasem, had kept them away from their dad in his final days. That mysterious final period included a stretch just before his death in which the radio star appeared to have gone missing, only to be found a short time later on vacation with Jean in Washington State.
The many questions and strange circumstances surrounding Kasem's passing will be probed in an upcoming (Nov. 24) 48 Hours special entitled "The Mysterious Death of Casey Kasem." A sneak peek trailer of the special posted on Monday (Nov. 19) opens with audio of Kasem's signature dulcet "AT40" delivery, juxtaposed with his goofy character work as "Shaggy" from the Scooby-Doo cartoon series.
"I loved that man so much, I would have died for him," Jean Kasem says of her late husband as tears well up while she recounts their 1980 wedding in front of 500 friends and family. Noting that Kasem was leaving behind an "enormous" estate ($80-$100 million) at the time of his death, the show turns to one of Kasem's adult children, daughter Kerri Kasem, who claims, "Jean killed my father." Asked to clarify if she means that Jean murdered her husband, Kerri clarifies, "What she did led to his death," a claim Jean calls a "flat-out lie."
The back-and-forth is part of the bitter battle over Kasem's estate that has unfolded over the past four years between Jean and Kasem's adult children, Kerri, Julie and Michael, with Kerri claiming that the radio host's second wife "isolated him and tortured him," even as Jean tearfully tells 48 Hours reporter Peter Van Sant that she never loved anyone more than her late husband. "My dad was left to die in a facility," Kerri says, claiming that Jean would not go to the hospital to see Casey as he lay dying.
The clip promises to lay out the bitter, sometimes shocking accusations hurled by both sides at one another, ending with Jean saying, "We have been stalked, tracked, bullied... They killed my husband, they killed their father." Kasem's children have filed a wrongful death suit against Jean, who has filed a counter wrongful death suit against them.
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Gary
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Post by Gary on Nov 25, 2018 0:05:39 GMT -5
Good show tonight - wrongful death suits scheduled to be heard next year
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Gary
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Post by Gary on Nov 25, 2018 0:42:50 GMT -5
Casey Kasem's wife, children accuse each other of "killing" radio icon The beloved radio icon's widow and children from his first marriage are suing each other for wrongful death with accusations on each side that the other hastened Kasem's demise
Produced by Chuck Stevenson and Resa Matthews
Casey Kasem was an American icon. He was famous for radio's "American Top 40" and as the voice of Scooby Doo's pal Shaggy. He died in 2014, setting off a long-simmering battle between his second wife Jean and the adult children from his first marriage. In October, police opened an investigation asking the question – what were the circumstances surrounding Casey's death?
WAR OF THE KASEMS NEWS REPORT: His family says Kasem's wife, Jean, illegally moved him from a facility where the 82 year old was receiving treatment...
KERRI KASEM [NEWS REPORT: He is very ill, he shouldn't be moved…
There's never been a Hollywood drama quite like the family feud between the second wife of Casey Kasem and his children, involving intrigue, money and ultimately, his death It was May 7, 2014, and you could say the mystery started at an assisted living facility in Santa Monica, Calif. And imagine this -- it was 2:30 a.m. Jean Kasem: That move that night was to get him out of the drama and to keep him safe and secure. …We had had enough.
Jean Kasem, Casey's wife of 34 years, says she was convinced her husband's life was in danger. She has never fully told the story of Casey Kasem's drama – until now. Peter Van Sant | "48 Hours":: What were you thinking Jeannie?
Jean Kasem: I was thinking that it was time to protect my husband.
NEWS REPORT: The legendary radio host that suffers from dementia was checked out of an assisted living facility by his wife.
It's a drama that really started all the way back in 1979 when Casey, then a divorced father of three, met Jean Thompson, who was a secretary at his agent's office. Casey fell for her and they were married exactly one year later at one of L.A.'s most luxurious hotels.
Casey and Jean Kasem were married by the Rev. Jesse Jackson Ralph Dominguez/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom Peter Van Sant: So where are we right now?
Jean Kasem: Well, right now we're where it all began, where Casey and I got married. There were about 500 people here. It was an amazing day. The Reverend Jesse Jackson married the couple.
Jean Kasem: It was a dream come true.
Jean Thompson was 22 years younger than Casey. She grew up listening to him
Jean Kasem: I was growing up on Guam at the time … and we only had Armed Forces Radio over there. And … I heard this D.J. come on and he announced this record … then I went, "Oh man. Who is this guy?" And he went, "I'm Casey Kasem [laughs]." She is a former actress, best known for her role on "Cheers." The happy couple eventually moved into a mansion in one of the chicest L.A. neighborhoods, Bel Air, just a hop away from the famous Playboy Mansion. Back then, Casey was on top of the world.
Peter Van Sant: And that voice. That voice.
Jean Kasem: He never did think it was so good.
Peter Van Sant: Really? Jean Kasem: He said, "I'm just the guy next door."
Hardly. Casey Kasem had launched the program, "American Top 40," heard on more than 1,000 radio stations around the world. He made hundreds of voiceovers, and was that signature voice of Scooby Doo's pal, Shaggy. Casey was much more than a voice to his three kids from his first marriage, Kerri, Mike and Julie. He was their loving father.
Casey was much more than a voice to his three kids from his first marriage.To Kerri, Mike and Julie, he was their loving father. Kerri Kasem
Julie Kasem: My father imparted so much wisdom on all of us when we were children. "Education, education, education."
Julie Kasem became a physician's assistant.
Julie Kasem: My dad imparted to us to be humble, to treat people with kindness, to love those around you.
His oldest daughter, Kerri Kasem, helped out on his radio show. Kerri went into modeling, acting and broadcasting.
"This is where he did 'American top 40' and 'American Top 20,'" Kerri Kasem says of the studio where her father worked. "He would sit here …and he'd always have his water and his apple and rock candy for his voice." CBS News
His son Mike has a radio show in Singapore.
Casey's children claim everything changed once their father and Jean became engaged.
Casey and Jean with Kerri, Mike and Julie. Kerri Kasem
Peter Van Sant: Was there an estrangement? Jean Kasem: There was. …Basically they were upset with their father and angry with their father because he married me. And they were angry with me because I married their father. Casey and Jean would have their own daughter, Liberty.
And as his success grew, they lived a full life. The couple threw themselves into philanthropy -- everything from environmental issues to animal rights to progressive politics. CASEY KASEM| CBS NEWS' "THE EARLY SHOW" | July 28, 1989: You realize it really is important to give something back. And to help repair the world. Because, that's got to be my legacy. Jean Kasem: We believed in a lot of charity.
In 2007, at the age of 75, Casey Kasem was diagnosed with a Parkinson's-like disease called, Lewy body dementia. Jean Kasem: It slows them down. They can either get rigid or … shaking. …It may sometimes affect their speech. In 2009, Casey gave up his beloved radio show and signed off for the last time.
CASEY KASEM | "AMERICAN TOP 40": And now, one more time, keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars. Casey would have no financial worries with an estate valued between $80 and $100 million. But around that time, Jean claims, his children became focused on one thing.
Jean Kasem: It was all about the money. …We became the bank of Kasem … the personal ATM machine. Around 2012, according to Jean, Casey was fed up and cut them off financially. Jean says the kids were furious. But instead of getting mad, Jean claims Kerri and the others did something almost unimaginable.
Jean Kasem: I believe that Kerri Kasem did kill my husband. That it was a long-term premeditated plan … and he's gone.
Kerri Kasem: It's just lie after lie after lie. Without any evidence. A FEUD INTENSIFIES
NEWS REPORT: The children of legendary D.J. Casey Kasem are demanding to know, "Where is Kasem?"
Jean Kasem: Those adult children … had put targets on our backs.
Peter Van Sant: Do you believe that your husband Casey Kasem feared his children?
Jean Kasem: Yes.
Peter Van Sant: And feared that they could do what?
Jean Kasem: What they did.
Peter Van Sant: Which was?
Jean Kasem: Kill him.
Kerri Kasem: That's ridiculous. That's just -- that's ridiculous. …There is no more evil in this world than Jean Thompson Kasem.
Casey Kasem, third from left, surrounded by his children from his first marriage, Mike, Julie, and Kerri Kerri Kasem Jean says the alleged plot started on a lonely stretch of Hollywood Boulevard back in 2007. She says that Casey's children lured their disoriented father from his Bel Air mansion to a UPS Store to sign a very important document.
Jean Kasem: He was taken to a UPS store and he was asked to sign his life away … while he was on medications. …He had sutures in his head. He did not have his glasses on … and he was out of it. Video shot by Kerri Kasem shows Casey filling out a document that would give his children -- and not Jean -- the authority to be in charge of his future health care. It's video that Jean claims shows that Casey is obviously impaired.
Video shot by Kerri Kasem shows Casey filling out a document that would give his children -- and not Jean -- the authority to be in charge of his future health care. The document Casey signed laid the groundwork, Jean claims, that would lead to medical decisions that would kill Casey.
Starting in 2013, as Casey's health declined, there were legal squabbles. Jean was trying to control when and where people could see Casey -- including his own children.
Julie Kasem: I was in tears. I was speechless. I called my sister bawling and I said, "I just want to see dad and she won't let me." Jean also says she and her daughter Liberty became targets of a harassment campaign.
Peter Van Sant: Were you living in fear?
Jean Kasem: Pretty much.
Peter Van Sant: Were you ever personally threatened by someone? Jean Kasem: There was a phone call that came in. I believe it was … early in the morning and there was a loud bang on the phone … and I held my ear … I said, "Oh my god. It sounds -- what is that?" And then I heard it again and I recognized it as a gunshot.
Peter Van Sant: And did you report this to the police?
Jean Kasem: Reported it to our lawyer. Reported a lot of the incidences to the police. Jean alleges someone smashed her front gate, her mail was stolen and more.
Liberty Kasem [cell phone video in car]: I believe there is another surveillance van. There he is right there, there he is. Go!] It was around this time that Jean claims Casey's children asked police and adult protective services to check up on Casey.
Jean Kasem: They were called by Kerri, Julie, whomever. Los Angeles police found no evidence of abuse or neglect. Jean claims that the harassment continued. She points to a demonstration right outside her home. Kerri and some supporters were demanding to see Casey.
KERRI KASEM AT DEMONSTRATION: After three months of no communication, we finally said enough is enough. Finally, at a rehab facility in Santa Monica, the mysterious last days of Casey Kasem's life took a dramatic turn. Casey was very sick. He'd been in and out of hospitals for months and there had been endless legal fights, mostly over visitation.
Jean Kasem I was thinking … that it was time to protect my husband … and leave the drama for all of us … behind. Jean says she was keeping Casey at the rehab center under a fake name, but somehow his adult children found out.
Jean and Casey Kasem Alamy
Then, a few days later, on May 6, Jean says Kerri and Julie gained access into the facility and even got into Casey's room. She says she was terrified and furious.
Jean Kasem: It was about the money. Casey no longer was of any use to them. It was all about the money. It turns out that the adult children's' power of attorney for medical decisions had never taken effect. Kerri and Julie decided they needed to go to court to try to get custody of their dad.
Julie Kasem: We had not seen him since February. Now, this is May. But Jean was having none of it. The day she found out they were headed to court, she made a dramatic move. At 2:30 a.m., doctors say Jean ordered Casey's surgically implanted nutrition tube and IV disconnected and checked him out of the rehab facility. The doctor in charge of Casey's care later wrote the following letter to police:
"She was informed of the risks of doing so and was told she was placing Mr. Kasem in great bodily harm or possible demise …" Peter Van Sant: He's saying that you could have killed him.
Jean Kasem: That is not true. Casey was loaded into a black SUV and disappeared into the darkness.
NEWS ANCHOR: Though he is ill, Kasem's daughter doesn't know where he is… Kerri Kasem: Dad once told me, "don't ever go up against Jean … you don't know what she's capable of…. WHERE IS CASEY?
It was May 2014 when Casey Kasem vanished. That iconic voice in the world was nowhere to be heard and his case was making big news
Julie Kasem: Nobody knew where my dad was. Nobody. His children went on national television, pleading directly to Jean Kasem.
JULIE KASEM [CNN]: We want him back. He knows that we're his children.
KERRI KASEM [Entertainment Tonight]: We've told Jean to take it all, take everything, keep it … just give us our dad back. They were not only outraged that Jean had taken their father, but about how she had done it.
Kerri Kasem: Jean Kasem pulled my dad out at 2:30 in the morning out of a convalescent center, unhooked his G-tube, unhooked his IV. …He was supposed to be transported with an ambulance on a certain kind of mattress. No, she threw him into the back of an SUV that she didn't even get into herself. …With no pain meds. No food. No water. No nothin'.
Julie Kasem: And we were devastated. We knew this was the beginning of the end. But there would be no end to the family feud that had begun years earlier in that UPS Store. Kerri and Julie insist they didn't trick their dad into signing that document -- the one they hoped gave them control over his medical care. Peter Van Sant: Jean claims that Casey has no memory of signing that document.
Kerri Kasem: Watch the tape … you'll see my dad knew what he was doing, knew what he was signing. Peter Van Sant: Now, estate planning is normally done in a lawyer's office. …You're at a UPS store.
Kerri Kasem: He was terrified that Jean would find out.
Peter Van Sant holding a photo from video shot by Kerri Kasem of her sister Julie with their father, Casey, at a UPS Store. CBS News Peter Van Sant [holding photo of Julie and Casey at the UPS Store]: Let me give you Jean's interpretation of what she told me… And this is you.
Julie Kasem: Yup.
Peter Van Sant: And this is your father.
Julie Kasem: Yes.
Peter Van Sant: Now there's a circle here because he supposedly had had a medical procedure and had sutures in his head, is that true?
Julie Kasem: To my knowledge, that is falsified information. …In my opinion Jean Kasem is a liar. One-hundred percent pathological liar. "48 Hours" has confirmed that Casey had a procedure, but it was a minor one. Ten days before the signing, he had a small hair transplant. Just like that story, just about everything both sides told "48 Hours" is in dispute.
Remember, ever since Casey married Jean, the relationship between the children from Casey's first marriage and their stepmother has been toxic. For example, take the arguments over money.
Kerri Kasem: The only thing she ever wanted from my dad is money. That's it. …They live off my father.
Peter Van Sant ...and you understand -- she says the same thing to me about you.
Kerri Kasem: But I work!
Kerri Kasem: I'm very proud of who I am, I'm very proud of how hard I've worked. I've been on the air 21 years. …You know, working multiple jobs sometimes to pay the bills. I own my own home. My dad didn't buy that for me.
The feud intensified after Casey's health deteriorated.
Kerri Kasem: She had a plan to move him out of the house and cut us all off.
Julie Kasem: Starting in 2012 is when I felt that the isolation began.
Kerri Kasem: I'm told by my sister, "Hey, I can't get a hold of dad. I can't get a hold of dad. …My father was isolated and we were not allowed to see him anymore. Remember that demonstration outside Casey's house? That day, Jean even called the police.
KERRI KASEM [pleading with police outside Casey's mansion]: My dad's very ill and he loves us.
POLICE OFFICER: Do you know why she is not allowing you guys to see him?
KERRI KASEM [in tears]: There's many reasons. But none of them are true.
The whole drama climaxed in mid-May 2014. That's when Jean disappeared into the night with Casey. Desperate to find her dad, Kerri made an emotional appeal on TV.
KERRI KASEM [NEWS REPORT]: If you've seen anything, please call the police, please.
Days after that, the battlefield in the war of the Kasems shifted to Las Vegas. That's where a private eye working for Kerri discovered the couple. Jean had taken Casey to a posh resort there, but not for long. Next, she put him on a charter flight. That private jet carrying a frail Casey Kasem flew northwest from Las Vegas, landing in Seattle. He was brought to a place 1,100 miles from his hospital bed in Santa Monica.
Peter Van Sant: And you wanted to get away from the madness in Los Angeles?
Jean Kasem: We were being photographed and followed to supermarkets and tortured, just tortured.
Casey ended up in a place called Silverdale, a small town in western Washington. For the first time since those final days, "48 Hours" brought Jean back. Shasta Bartleheim grew up with Jean, and they both hoped Casey would spend some quiet, peaceful days in her parent's home. Peter Van Sant: Can you show me the bedroom where he was?
Shasta Bartleheim: Yes.
Peter Van Sant: Is that OK?
Shasta Bartleheim: Yes, absolutely.
Shasta Bartleheim: This is where Casey was … his hospital bed was here … very comfortable. My mother has a lot of Snoopy, she is an avid Snoopy collector. Peter Van Sant: So Casey was in his hospital bed with all these Snoopys around him?
Shasta Bartleheim: Here [she points, laughing].
Shasta Bartleheim: And we had all of his medical supplies, some were here, some were in another room.
Peter Van Sant: Was he in pain?
Shasta Bartleheim: No. No. He was not in any pain in this house. Ever.
Acting on a tip, Washington Adult Protective Service and Kitsap County sheriff's deputies came by to check on Casey.
SHERIFF TO REPORTERS: Mr. Kasem and his wife are here visiting. …We did check on his welfare. He seems to be doing fine. He was upright. He could communicate. But Casey's stay here was about to come to an end.
Kerri won a new court order. She was coming from L.A. to get Casey and take him to a hospital and things were about to get very weird. A BIZARRE SHOWDOWN
In late May 2014, Casey Kasem was counting down his days in Silverdale, Washington, tended to by a doctor, his family and close friends
Shasta Bartleheim: He was content. He was very happy. He smiled, shook our hands. …It just, it was nice.
Shasta Bartleheim, a nurse's assistant, has known Casey since 1980. She helped care for him.
Peter Van Sant: Was he still able to converse? Answer questions? Shasta Bartleheim: Yes. …He would speak. …It was a whisper kind of a sound when he talked. …He wasn't grimacing, in any pain. On June 1, 2014, Kerri Kasem arrived at the house armed with a court order to pick up her father and take him to a hospital. Jean was waiting.
Jean Kasem: Kerri arrives, as usual, with media in tow … her attorney.
Kerri Kasem: We pull up. And then fire trucks show up, another ambulance shows up, because Jean has caused a fit.
Kerri Kasem: I saw … geriatric Harley Davidson riders that were forming a line to not let me in. …It's so crazy and so weird. That line of bikers was led by Bartleheim's brother.
Jean Kasem: Casey started yelling, "I don't wanna go. I don't wanna leave. …No, no, no."
Shasta Bartleheim: He was frightened … his eyes were big.
Peter Van Sant: He didn't want to leave?
Shasta Bartleheim: No, he didn't want to leave.
Acting on that court order, EMT's removed Casey.
Peter Van Sant: So show me where they took him.
Shasta Bartleheim: Down this hallway ... headed for the door.
Peter Van Sant: He headed out, and what was out here out in the street?
Shasta Bartleheim: The ambulance was there, there were a couple of ambulance.
Terrified, Jean called her lawyer.
Jean Kasem: I dropped the phone and I turned around to look for something, and there was meat in the kitchen, and I just -- It was frozen hamburger.
Jean Kasem: I … grabbed the meat and I came out here, and I started walking this way with the meat in my hand.
JEAN KASEM [YELLING]: … in the order of King David… Go ahead and take thee… in the order of King David…" Then she took aim:
JEAN KASEM [THROWING MEAT]: I throw this meat to you … To the dogs! To the dogs!
Kerri Kasem: Jean … throws a piece of frozen meat at me … screaming nonsense.
Peter Van Sant: Why meat though? Why grab meat?
Jean Kasem: To me … They were treating my husband, an American treasure, Casey Kasem … like a piece of meat.
Kerri Kasem: Insane. Crazy. …You saw the real Jean Thompson Kasem.
Peter Van Sant: So, if I may ask you, are you crazy, Jeannie?
Jean Kasem: No, I'm not.
Kerri dodged the meat attack, then jumped in the ambulance with her dad and sped away to a local hospital where a doctor was standing by.
Kerri Kasem: The first thing he said to me right when I got him in the hospital. "Your dad may not live very long, I'm just gonna let you know."
When Casey arrived at St. Anthony's Hospital, his diagnosis was grim. He had, according to hospital records, a urinary tract infection and a stage three ulcer of his back -- that's an open wound, going almost to the bone.
Within days, doctors would also diagnose septic shock, respiratory failure, a lung infection and a host of other ailments.
Julie Kasem: The change was so drastic. It was … maddening. …he was … extremely thin. His face was sunken in.
Bartleheim says Casey, who was taken out of the house that day, was nowhere near death.
Shasta Bartleheim: Oh no. No. Heavens No. Not at all!
The next day, Jean tried to get Casey out of the hospital.
Jean Kasem: On June second … we had an emergency court hearing. …And the judge … ordered that he could return home, once his personal physician spoke with the attending physician at the hospital.
Just before 10 that night, Jean arrived at the hospital, along with Bartleheim and her attorney. They claim that the physician treating Casey had told them to come and pick him up.
Jean Kasem: And he said … "His overnight observation has concluded. And he's discharged."
But when she arrived, the doctor wouldn't release him -- saying Casey was in pain.
Jean Kasem: He wasn't in any pain. They wanted him to be in pain. Jean refused to leave without Casey.
Kerri Kasem: She started screaming. They had to call the police to get her outta the facility. And three days later…
Kerri Kasem: We had three doctors come in and say this is futile. "Your father's dying. His organs are shutting down. He can no longer digest food."
Kerri and her siblings now faced a wrenching decision. They say they followed a doctor's recommendation to stop Casey's hydration and nutrition. Kerri Kasem: I couldn't hear it. I got upset. I said, "Isn't there something we can do? What if we try this? What if we try that?" …because I was the fighter. I wasn't gonna let him go [cries]. On June 6, the Kasem children alerted Jean.
Jean Kasem: Julie called my lawyer … and said to my lawyer that, "We're losing him. She should come to the hospital right away."
Jean and Liberty rushed to the hospital, but claim they were only permitted to see Casey for a few minutes.
Jean Kasem: We were given five minutes to say goodbye to a man that I was married to for 34-and-a-half years … He looked at me and he was scared to death. I went to the bed. I held his hand. He grabbed my arm. Peter Van Sant: Did Casey say anything to you?
Jean Kasem: He said that he loved me [cries] and I told him that I loved him.
Jean was desperate to get Casey's life support restored.
Jean Kasem: My first and foremost thing was to save my husband's life -- every second counted
She flew back to California, hoping to get the court to order it. Over the next few days there would be several motions filed. Julie Kasem: The doctors said, "Unfortunately, there is nothing more we can do to keep your father alive." That was the hardest thing to hear. …That's our dad. On June 15, 2014, Casey Kasem, the beloved radio icon, passed away. He was 82.
Julie Kasem: We were all surrounding him on the bed with our hands on him. Every single one of us was touching him as he took his last breath.
Kerri Kasem: We were all there. All of us. And who was missing? His wife and Liberty. …It was 100 percent their choice not to be there
Peter Van Sant: This court order says you can visit him at any time. No one can stop you. And what Kerri is saying is that you chose not to see Casey anymore in the hospital.
Jean Kasem: That's not true. That is not true at all. …We were afraid to go to the hospital. In death, the war of the Kasems grew even more fierce.
Jean Kasem: He did not die of natural causes. …they planned it, and they killed him.
Kerri Kasem: Jean killed my father. Whether it was premeditated or whether it was just by her careless actions … If someone killed your father, wouldn't you want justice? THE FIGHT CONTINUES
In June 2014, Casey Kasem's death was felt across the globe.
ELTON JOHN CONCERT DEDICATION: And there was this guy on the radio I used to listen to all the time, and he passed away today so…I want to dedicate this song to Casey Kasem ... travel safely my angel. And travel he would. Casey's body was taken from Silverdale to Sea-Tac Airport, where it was flown to Montreal. Peter Van Sant: And why Montreal?
Jean Kasem: He was there -- for a time because his burial was being obstructed.
Casey's body remained in Canada -- on ice -- for weeks. As his widow, Jean had full control over his burial. Jean Kasem: Casey and I had spoken about this, where he would like to be buried. And it was in Israel. But Casey's children thought that was crazy.
Kerri Kasem: My dad's as American as apple pie. …He lived in Los Angeles for 58 years. He wanted to be buried in Los Angeles. Casey's body took flight again. This time to -- of all places – Norway, where Jean orchestrated a burial fit for a king. Only she and Liberty were at Casey's gravesite, but they did bring their own camera crew. Peter Van Sant: Why Norway of all places?
Jean Kasem: There are concrete reasons for that. …Because I'm in litigation, I can't share that with you. Kerri Kasem: My dad's never been to Norway. …She's not Norwegian. Peter Van Sant: What is goin' on here?
Kerri Kasem: When you tell so many lies, you get caught up in them.
After Casey's death, the battle between the Kasem's went nuclear. Both sides in this epic family feud sued the other for wrongful death.
Julie Kasem: What she did to my dad was elder abuse. Straight and simple.
Kerri Kasem: That trip is what cost my dad his life. He could've had two or three more years. She took him from us. … You want to call it murder. You wanna say she killed him. …He's dead because of her. Casey's children accuse Jean of a pattern of neglect -- where she secretly moved Casey from one care center to the next.
Kerri Kasem: And she used the hospitals and facilities as a baby sitter so she didn't have to take care of him.
Jean Kasem: I say that that's a flat-out lie. I was there. I was in touch with the doctors.
Jean Kasem accuses the children of hastening his death by pulling the plug on Casey.
Jean Kasem: They chemically restrained him. They removed his hydration, his nutrition and all proactive medical care.
Jean Kasem: It was the equivalent of leaving Casey Kasem in the desert to die.
It's been a never-ending drama. Even when Kerri's lawyers finally deposed Jean, she fainted -- blaming the episode on medication. And besides accusing each other of killing Casey, there's that battle royale over his fortune. As seen in a 2017 "Inside Edition" video, the mansion has become the latest battleground.
Kerri Kasem: The house hasn't been taken care of, the taxes aren't paid, they have destroyed everything. They've killed everything. There's no electricity on, there's no running water. At the request of Casey's children, a court-appointed trustee attempted to remove and store some of Casey's memorabilia. Meanwhile, the fight over Casey's assets, lawyers say, could take years.
Peter Van Sant: Today you are fighting for damages and access to your father's millions.
Kerri Kasem: I am fighting for justice. That is what I'm fighting for.
KERRI KASEM SPEAKING IN CHICAGO: My father's wife, Jean Thompson Kasem didn't want us at the house… wouldn't pass phone calls along. Four years ago, Kerri started a foundation to help pass legislation to protect the visitation rights of children. Kerri Kasem: I was doing everything I possibly could to see my dad. And -- the law didn't help me in -- in California. To date, 12 states have passed a "Visitation Bill," including California.
Kerri Kasem: It passed a year after he died. But I kept fighting 'til I won Despite Kerri's claims of elder abuse and negligence, the Los Angeles district attorney declined to prosecute Jean Kasem, citing insufficient evidence. Kerri Kasem: The police and the D.A. won't do a damn thing – that is why we are fighting. Take the money. I want her in jail.
Legendary radio broadcaster Casey Kasem PF1/WENN/Newscom Just last month, "48 Hours" has learned that Washington's Gig Harbor Police Department has assigned a detective to look into Casey's death. He's combing through medical records and conducting interviews. According to Jean, it was at her request.
Jean Kasem: I've been praying to God [cries] ever since this started. While the legal wheels grind ahead, this American icon, with his own star on Hollywood Boulevard, is buried in an unmarked grave in Oslo, Norway.
Kerri Kasem: I'm gonna bring my father back to the United States of America, where he belongs. And just as Casey Kasem's legendary voice is certain to carry on, his family is determined to keep fighting.
Jean Kasem: I'm not going to quit. I'm the daughter of a Marine.
Kerri Kasem: My father is right here with me right now in every single day of my life. She can never take him away from me again.
The Kasem family's wrongful death suit against Jean is scheduled for court next spring. Jean has filed a counter wrongful death suit. The outcome of the case could decide who inherits Casey Kasem's fortune. Casey Kasem's radio show can still be heard in syndication around the world.
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