Kurt Cobain Conspiracy
Recently, a private investigator began posting things on America Online, implicating that Kurt Cobain didn't commit suicide, but that he was murdered.
The PI's name is Tome Grant. He was hired by Courtney to find Kurt after he checked himself out of rehab. He offers a "summary of events" to anybody who writes him, of has access to AOL.
Being a fan I decided this was worth checking out. I began to call Grant, and decided to use my investigation as the cover story for Issue #1 of Whatever.
Because I feel that it is impossible to print Mr. Grant's full summary, I have summarized it further, leaving out things, to give the reader only the most important. Please excuse the amount of times you are about to read the phrases "Claims", "Alleged", and other disclaimers. I don't want to be sued. Even though I don't have anything, I'd rather make sure that everybody understands this is what Grant says happened.
Grant claims to have lot's of evidence, which he is preparing to release, but he has withheld in his summary. After I summarize the events outlined by Grant, I will give a full report on my efforts to verify Mr. Grant's accusations. From the beginning I must say, I still don't know weather or not to believe Grant. The world is an ugly place, and plenty of opportunists exist. Printing this story makes me one, but I'm not saying Grant's arguments amount to anything but shit until he comes up with some serious hard evidence.
With that, here is his arguments, allegations, and name calling, summarized for easy reading-
On Easter Sunday 1994 (April 3rd) Mr. Grant claims that Courtney asked him to her Beverly Hills hotel and hired him to find Kurt Cobain.
Kurt had run away from a rehab center in Marina Del Rey, Calif. on the night of April 1st. Grant claims Courtney told him Kurt only had one credit card, which she had called and canceled. Somebody was still attempting to use the card, and Grant used credit card info. to begin his search.
Grant claims to have subcontracted another PI firm in Seattle for surveillance on a specific drug dealers apartment, and other Seattle locations, in case Kurt made an appearance. He claims he didn't set up surveillance on the two Cobain/Love properties because he wasn't instructed to.
Grant claims that Courtney knew Kurt had been to their Lake Washington Property. He believes that the nanny, Michael Dewitt (or "Cali"), saw Kurt, talked to him, and informed Courtney. He believes that Courtney deliberately withheld this information from him.
On Monday April 4th, Grant is still in California. A missing persons report is filed by Wendy O'Conner (Kurt's Mom). The report reads "Mr. Cobain ran away from a California facility and flew back to Seattle. He also bought a shotgun and may be suicidal."
Grant believes Courtney calls in this report and deliberately worded it to mislead. Grant believes this because Kurt and a friend, Dylan Carlson, bought the gun before Kurt went into rehab, not after.
Grant also claims that on Monday April 4th he thought he located Kurt by checking hotels for any of his known alias's. He claims to have informed Courtney, who then called the room, and later told Grant the person there wasn't Kurt.
On Wednesday April 6th Grant decides to go to Seattle to look for Kurt himself. He claims to have done this in front of Courtney, who declined to go with him saying, "I have business to take care of here." [meaning LA]
Grant believes that Courtney lied about having business in LA. He says that Courtney's lawyer, Rosemary Carroll, told him that Courtney didn't have any business in LA. (She had canceled shows in England she was missing).
Grant also claims, and this is important, that both Kurt and Courtney had been contacting Rosemary Carroll about getting a divorce, prior to Kurt's rehab visit. Grant claims Kurt contacted Carroll about getting Courtney out of his will.
Grant goes to Seattle, and claims Courtney tipped off Michael Dewitt, the nanny who lived at the Lake Washington house, that he was on his way.
Grant and Cobain's friend, Dylan Carlson search Seattle for Kurt, and don't find him.
On Thursday April 7th Grant claims (at 2:15 AM) he sent Carlson to check the Lake Washington house, while he waits in the car. Dylan finds nothing, and they go to call Courtney to have her turn off the alarm system.
Grant says Dylan Called Courtney at Rosemary Carroll's house to get the alarm shut off. She supposedly gets it shut off and Grant says he and Dylan searched the house without finding Kurt. The pair apparently didn't check the greenhouse, according to Grant, because, "Dylan didn't tell me about the greenhouse and since it was dark and raining, I hadn't noticed it."
Later, Grant alleges, Courtney leaves Carroll's home, goes back to her hotel, and a short time later calls 911. Grant says that "First reports have her overdosing again. She was later arrested."
She apparently gets out of prison, because "late Thursday afternoon" Dylan, according to Grant, Spoke to Courtney again, who told them to go back to the house and look for the shotgun in a secret compartment in the bedroom closet.
When they return to the house, according to Grant, he finds a note on the steps from the nanny Michael Dewitt to Kurt, bitching him out for being in the house without telling him.
Grant says he believes the note was planted there for him to find. He also claims to have been told, "and shown evidence" by Rosemary Carroll that Courtney's overdose/arrest could have been a planned event. He also alleges that Carroll overheard Courtney tell Dylan to search the greenhouse, which they never did.
What they did do according to Grant was "look every where, between mattresses, under pillows, in drawers, everywhere we could. And mainly what we were looking for was drug paraphernalia."
(Recently Courtney has said she found another letter from Kurt, under a pillow, that is more personal. Grant claims this impossible because Kurt was dead while Dylan and he made their search, and they found nothing of the sort.)
Kurt's body is found in the "greenhouse" of the Lake Washington property early Friday April 8th, by electrician Gary Smith. Grant says he and Dylan were on their way to the Cobain/Love's other property in Carnation.
Grant claims he and Dylan stopped for Gas, Dylan made a call, and was told by a friend that a body had been found. He says they headed back and heard on the Radio that the body had been identified as Kurt. Grant alleges Dylan had "no reaction", something he personally feels to be strange.
Grant also claims that the credit card he was originally tracking was still being tried "as recent as just hours before the body was found."
Grant leaves Seattle, and returns to California, until April 13th, when he returns to Seattle.
Grant alleges that before he returned to Seattle, Rosemary Carroll again took him into confidence and indicated she had suspicions about Courtney. "Among other things Rosemary told me Courtney wouldn't let her or anyone else see the alleged 'suicide' note.
Grant returns to Seattle, where he claims Courtney made it difficult to question Dylan, Michael Dewitt, and Kurt's mother, Wendy O'Conner.
He does claim to have made a copy of the suicide note, on Courtney's fax machine. Some time later Mr. Grant claims to have had the hand writing on the note checked out, and believes there to be some question as to weather or not "things were added."
Grant claims to have continued his investigation, interviewing the "electrical supervisor who had been at the scene of Kurt's death." This man, who he doesn't name, allegedly told him "Kurt's hair looked like it had been combed by a hairdresser. It was all spread out nice and even."
Grant also claims to have met with Sgt. Cameron of the Seattle Police Dept., about his beliefs of foul play. After explaining his case he alleges Sgt. Cameron told him "Nothing you've said convinces me this is anything but a suicide."
On May 8th, 1994 Grant claims he sent Courtney a letter that read in part, "I've decided to continue working on this case until I see it to it's conclusion, without additional charge."
Grant claims that Courtney wasn't angry with him, and instead "responded by retaining me to do more work for her."
Grant claims to have finally been given the police reports. He says they indicate Kurt had two credit cards in his possession, neither the one Grant was checking, along with $120 in cash on the floor, and $63 in his pocket.
Grant also claims that the Fingerprint Analysis Report for the shotgun reads:
"The above item was processes for prints on 5/6/94 by Sr. ID Technician T Geronimo, #4466. Four cards of latent prints were lifted. The four cards of lifted latent prints contain no legible prints."
From here Grant takes the reader through his observations on Courtney, as a person. His summary is full of sentences like, "I found Courtney to be extremely intelligent. She's also a psychopath, a pathological liar, and an opportunist who will use anyone and any situation to self-promote her ambitious goals of fame and fortune."
Grant has begun to take his findings public, but has so far managed to avoid being picked up by mainstream media. He refuses to go on tabloid shows like "Hard Copy", because he wants to be "taken seriously." Grant has appeared on three radio shows, the "Kevin & Bean" show on KROQ in LA, the "Tom Leykis Show", syndicated over Westwood One, and the Alan Handleman Show. Retractions have been played by both KROQ, and The Tom Leykis Show. Grant claimed on Alan Handleman's Show that Courtney's lawyers "forced" the other stations to play the retractions.
I decided that since Whatever doesn't have a crack legal staff, I'd check the story out myself. I called Tom Grant 's office and spoke with Mr. Grant, who was very amiable in sending me a copy of the alleged suicide note, along with a copy of his recent appearance on the Alan Handleman show. You can see from the accompanying photo the note, and Mr. Grant's comments on the side about how he got this note. During Handleman's interview Grant points to how he believes that the phrase on the bottom "Which will be so much happier without me"- was added "It's just incredible that anybody could look at this note and not realize that was added later," he said.
I'm going to let you, the reader of this decide if this note is real, by providing it, as Grant provided it to me, alongside a transcript of Courtney's reading of it at the Memorial service Sunday April 9th, at the Seattle Center.
The two match closely, though Grant needs a lesson in fax photocopying, so what does that mean? Was the phrase at the bottom added? Does it matter? Is this note, as Grant claims "Nothing but a resignation from Rock and Roll without that phrase"? You decide.
Next. Does it matter that there wasn't any fingerprints that were legible on the gun. I phoned some local experts and asked. Both were reluctant to say it was bizarre. Sgt. Fioravanti, of the Bureau of Criminal Investigating in Providence said, "That's not at all unusual. There's a host of variables that come into play. It's not an absolute that prints should be on the gun."
John Powers, who teaches at the URI Crime Lab told me, "Gun's can be difficult to get prints off of."
When I asked him if it mattered that the body say for three days before being discovered he said, "Three days isn't a long time. It shouldn't affect it."
The variables that Sgt. Fioravanti spoke about include the condition of the weapon, the environment of the suicide (inside/outside) , weather there is blood on the weapon, humidity, and other things.
Kurt was inside, on a carpet, with a new gun. I don't know if there was blood on the weapon. So it's still hard to say if this could be significant or not.
I contacted the Seattle Police Department, and asked for a copy of the case file. I was informed that I would have to write a Freedom of Information Act letter, which their lawyers had to check out, along with a check for forty bucks (Ouch). The letter gave them ten days to respond, its been nine and no word.
I promise to include a report on this file in the next issue of Whatever. Until then I have to quote what Mr. Grant says the Police reports say. It's pretty stupid, but I have to be nice because this is "sensitive."
I also contacted The Kings County Medical Examiners Office and requested a copy of the coroner's report. I was told that the only thing they could release was the "investigative report, from when the investigator went out to the scene." It has also been almost two weeks, and still no report. Death certificates are available for $11, but I haven't ordered one yet. I'll get one for the next issue.
I also called Rosemary Carroll's office numerous times, to ask her to verify any of the conversations that Grant claims to have had with her, but she too has yet to reply. Her assistant assures me each time that my messages are being forwarded. Hopefully she will return my calls soon, and again the next issue will report.
Somebody from Ms. Carroll's office did post a message on America Online, where Mr. Grant does his posting also. This letter attacked Mr. Grant, but was anonymous.
The posting, a "one time offer", urges readers to keep in mind four things- 1. No official organization (the Police and Coroner) have backed down from their original findings, that Kurt committed suicide. 2. Mr. Grant's comments on KROQ, and "Tom Leykis" were retracted. 3. A somewhat meaningless tirade against AOL being used "in tactics reminiscent of Cotton Mather and Joseph McCarthy." 4. A reminder that since Courtney hasn't pressed charges, Mr. Grant isn't right.
Mr. Grant responded with his own posting, but it was only a copy of the letter he sent to KROQ, and Tom Leykis, where he "remains confident in the conclusions I've reached as a result of my investigation."
I have called the Electrical firm where Gary Smith works, but he has not called back, to confirm weather or not Kurt's hair looked combed, as Mr. Grant alleges he said.
Also not returning calls this week would be Gold Mountain Records/Management.
What can I say? I want to tell the story, I want to confirm what I can, but people don't return Phone calls. I'm up front about what I'd like to ask them, and I thought honesty was good, but it appears I have to attempt something else.
I am publishing this report on Grant's summary, and my following investigation to check out his claims in the hopes that the people involved would rather be quoted correctly, than ignore me. I don't believe that Mr. Grant has proved any wrong doing, but I do agree that legitimate questions always need to be asked. I am sorry that this sensitive matter, like all others in our society has to be shrouded in controversy, gossip, and name calling. IT is unfortunate that Courtney Love has had to experience the death of her husband, but he was a public figure, and we have the right to know all the facts. The difference between murder and suicide is enormous, and it matters to us.
