Police are working on what stands now to be an uncontestable theory that agent Hal Guthu took his life in a very elaborate suicide, that Guthu cleared out all his property, set fire to his place and shot himself this past Sunday night. Both forensics and a coroner's report now support this theory, according to police. Police originally worked on the notion that Guthu may have been murdered but have since ruled that out.
According to photog David Story who knew Guthu for 35 years, it wasn't likely that someone would have gotten the drop on Guthu and would have robbed him. "Nobody snuck up on him," said Story. "His desk faced Santa Monica Blvd. He could see out. Nobody could see in. You couldn't get in unless he buzzed you in. He was never in on the wekends unless he was building a set. He would not have opened the safe for anybody, even if he had a gun to his head," said Story. "He wasn't the type." Story said he thought Guthu was fairly wealthy, owning several apartment houses and a big home in the Valley. "In all the years I've known him, I've never seen him outside the studio," said Story. "He was very secretive."
Information is that Guthu's car was found several blocks from his place of business. Story said that was odd because Guthu couldn't walk and always parked in the back of his office. According to Story, Guthu was going to will everything to his female partner, Carol, the "C" in CHN International. Guthu's pet parrot was a gift from Carol and wasn't found in the building.
Although theories had been advanced that money problems may have been the cause for Guthu's suicide, that has been ruled out. Speculation is that Guthu may have received medical information that was unsettling to him.
