In the Wake of Ennis Cosby's Murder: How to Prevent Crimes Against Celebrities On Jan. 16, 1997, around 1 a.m., 27-year-old Ennis Cosby, Bill Cosby's only son, was heading north on the 405 freeway to visit a woman friend. Suddenly, he got a flat in the front left tire of the $130,000 green Mercedes 600SL convertible registered to his father's company. The Columbia University graduate student pulled off the freeway and stopped on a dark stretch of road, just off the exit ramp. Using his cell phone, Cosby called the woman friend, to whose home he was apparently on route. The woman, whom police have still not identified, arrived minutes later, parking her black Jaguar next to Ennis's car so that her headlights could aid him while he changed the flat. Ennis was almost finished changing the tire, when a man holding a gun suddenly tapped on her window and threatened to kill her. The terrified woman sped away, but returned minutes later to find Ennis lying in a pool of blood with a single bullet lodged in his head. * * * First thing the next morning, it was my job to find out who the witness was and also do a profile on this person as she was a potential suspect. I determined the witness was Stephanie Crane and completed the profile on her by noon for my client. For a while, there were all sorts of rumors surrounding this tragic killing of an innocent person. Ennis Cosby's murder was a mob hit. It was a drug deal gone sour. What it turned out to be, of course, was an unfortunate young man with an expensive car, trying to fix a flat tire on a deserted stretch of road. That young man had the misfortune to meet up with a murderous predator--one not even savvy enough to successfully perform his intended robbery. Had the victim been any other well-off young man, there would have been some degree of shock. After all, the murder took place in ritzy Bel Air, not in South Central or the Valley. But the fact that the victim was Bill Cosby's son has caused ripples throughout the Hollywood celebrity community that will take a long time to subside. Celebrities in this town have an intense reaction when one of their own is victimized. Think about what happened in the wake of Ennis's death. The tabloids started jumping all over Bill Cosby's personal life. Suddenly, this paragon of family values was the victim of an attempted extortion attempt by Autumn Jackson, who claimed to be Bill Cosby's daughter. Now, just day's after his son's murder, Mr. Cosby had to fend off charges of adultery on the Evening News. In a conversation with CBS news anchor, Dan Rather, Cosby admitted to having a sexual "rendezvous" over 20 years ago with a California woman named Shawn Thompson, the mother Autumn Jackson. Cosby denied being the girl's father, but went on to admit that paternity "is a possibility." Is it just a coincidence that the murder of Bill Cosby's son coincided so closely with this tabloidesque scandal? I don't think so. When a celebrity gets his name in the headlines in connection with a high-profile crime, other aspects of his life are bound to be exposed. All of this is not lost on the Hollywood celebrity culture. The question is: how do they deal with it? For one thing, most well-heeled celebs aren't likely to get out of their cars to change a flat in the middle of the night--not in Bel Air or any other neighborhood. And, as I expected, the Ennis Cosby murder was followed by a general increase in security. In the days and weeks that followed, Hollywood notables were investing big bucks in surveillance devices, in watch dogs, in upgraded alarm systems, and in bodyguards. And yet, almost all of these folks neglected to take a simple, inexpensive step that could provide them with far more protection than all these other measures. I have spent hours trying to convince many of my famous clients to let me run background checks on all their employees--preferably before they are hired. No sale. On the other hand, I've often done post-employment background checks on some of the secretaries, chauffeurs, gardeners, and nannies hired by these people after something went wrong. Let me tell you that some of the information I've unearthed has curdled my blood. Imagine a major Hollywood star hiring a nanny who has previously been arrested for child molestation. Imagine an Oscar-winning film director hiring a chauffeur to drive their kids to school, never realizing that the guy's license has been suspended for DUI. These are just some of the horrifying revelations my investigations have turned up. Still, I can talk until I'm blue in the face. The vast majority of celebrity clients won't let me run these simple, inexpensive investigations. Most crime committed against celebrities is not perpetrated by random crazies like Charlie Manson and his crew. Nor is it likely to come from the kind of lone predator that murdered Bill Cosby's innocent son. Instead, these wealthy public figures are most vulnerable to the treachery of their own employees. Who do you think the tabloids pay off to get the inside skinny on the movie stars? Who is in the best position to tip off burglars, thieves and even kidnappers as to when a celebrity's house is most vulnerable? If celebrities in this town are going to get paranoid about their security, I would first advise them to take this prudent and relatively inexpensive step: Do a thorough background check on everyone who works for you. This includes their employment background, their financial background--and especially their criminal background. This precaution may not to eliminate all vicious crimes against celebrities, but it is sure to cut down on the kinds of tragedies that keep the tabloids in business.