Hotel guests heard 'screams' and 'loud banging' from room where TV producer allegedly killed his wife, court documents say

Hotel guests staying in a room below where a TV producer is accused of killing his wife in Cancun, Mexico, were awakened by "screams, crying for help and extremely loud banging from the room above," according to a complaint filed in Los Angeles federal court.

Bruce Beresford-Redman, 38, a former producer of "Survivor," is scheduled to appear Wednesday in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles for an extradition hearing in connection with the death of his wife, Monica Beresford-Redman, 41.

A complaint filed in U.S. District Court on behalf of the Mexican government offered new details about the days leading up to the April 8 discovery of Monica Beresford-Redman's body in a septic tank not far from the hotel where the couple and their two children were staying.

Bruce Beresford-Redman was detained by U.S. marshals Tuesday afternoon at his Rancho Palos Verdes home.

According to the complaint, the sounds the other hotel guests heard sounded like a woman in "extreme distress." It also stated a key card was used to open the Beresford-Redman room door at least nine times from midnight to 7 a.m. on April 6.

Mexican officials said an autopsy showed Monica Beresford-Redman died April 5 of "asphyxia by suffocation." It also found bruising to her face and a blunt head wound.

Bruce Beresford-Redman has repeatedly denied he had anything to do with his wife's death. He reported her missing on April 6, telling police and relatives she never made it back to the hotel after a solo shopping excursion the day before.

Security guards check all people that come and go at the Moon Palace Resort, and there were no records of Monica Beresford-Redman having left the hotel grounds, according to the complaint.

An April 9 forensic examination of the couple's hotel room found blood stains on a pillar, on the bed sheets and on a balcony railing that tested "presumptively positive" for the presence of blood, according to the complaint.

Family members said the couple's marriage had been strained in the months before Monica's death, ever since she discovered her husband had been having an affair.

Her sister, Carla Ferreira Burgos, said in the complaint that Monica withdrew assets from the couple's joint bank account and moved them to a new account after she learned of the affair.

Later, after discovering her husband was still having contact with his mistress, Monica demanded a divorce and told him that if he did not agree to it, she would keep all the money, according to the complaint.

Ferreira Burgos told authorities that before the trip to Mexico, Monica had changed the locks on the family's home. But when Bruce proposed a family trip to Mexico, his wife accepted. Ferreira Burgos said her sister hoped the trip would help repair the relationship.

The nanny of their children told authorities the couple had a big fight the night before they left for Cancun, according to the complaint. She also told investigators she learned Bruce Beresford-Redman wanted to buy life insurance for his wife and himself, the complaint said.

Bruce Beresford-Redman's arrest was made after a U.S. magistrate judge on Friday signed an arrest warrant. He has not said whether he would fight extradition to Mexico, which could take months or even years.

ALSO:

Police seek video surveillance footage in probe of Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen's slaying

Dramatic video shows smash-and-grab robbery of Glendale jewelry store

-- Kate Linthicum

Photo: Bruce and Monica Beresford-Redman. Credit: Los Angeles Times

Comments

[christopher]

Not looking good for this guy. Will he serve his sentence in Mexico or the U.S.?

[Marcos El Malo]

@christopher: In Mexico.

[michael]

#1: He'll burn through most of his money paying for lawyers and will be convicted in the end, leaving his kids with no parents and little money.

#2: He'll plead guilty, leaving his kids with no parents and lots of money.

Guess which option he'll choose.

[anonymous]

Did anyone contact the front desk when they heard all of this going on??

[Ruby Jackson]

Money comes and money goes. Death is forever. It would have been so much easier on everyone if they had just divorced. What a sad tale.

[aj]

I am not sure if a coward like him will survive in any prison, whether it is in the U.S. or Mexico.

[david tankersley]

wheres robert shapiro and johnny cochran when you need em?

[Danny]

The article doesn't say - is he currently in custody? We all know he'll fight extradition and it can take a long time - will he be in custody during the fight, or will he get to bail himself out?

thanks

[TheBigPicture]

Did anyone see him kill her...

Is there any evidence that he killed her...

It may not be as open and shut as everyone believes...

[Kevin]

So these people heard screams:

"the other hotel guests heard sounded like a woman in "extreme distress."

and no one called the police or security?

Book all these people for accessory as far as I am concerned.

"All that is necessary for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing."

[Sculpty]

It's about time! This was suspicious from day one.

[belle968]

So the guests in the room below heard "screams, crying for help and extremely loud banging from the room above". And the crying for help didn't prompt them to pick up the phone and call the front desk?

Way to look out for your fellow man people.

I'd rather call and have it be nothing than to wonder 'what if I had called and possibly helped save someone'.

[kgoddess]

Wonder if any of those hotel guests are now claiming they heard screams & loud noises bothered to call hotel security? Woman might be alive if anybody did.

[Cyndy Greger]

sad...and I hear that HIS parents are taking care of the kids right now. Creepy.

[julie]

He proposed a trip to Mexico in the middle of break-up proceedings, acting like he wanted to reconcile, so he could kill her far away from the U.S. Ugh. Monica's still screaming, and she's being heard.

[kathleen]

OK , a number of other guests heard screams for help and . . .
They did Not call security or the front desk ?
OR the front desk blew them off ?
More details so we know , who besides the murderer was negligent .

[Curious]

Since the hotel security checks guest coming and going..... How did he get her body out without sparking suspicion

[BIG GAME HUNTER]

All I got to say is "na na na na, hey ey good bye" lol.......Put that creep away damn wife killer!

[J Stomp]

hang him high

[Patty Griffith-Lynch]

He deprived her of life and his kids of a mother for what? A piece of ---. He is clearly Satan's tool and will get what he deserves.