I got down on one knee and asked him to marry me." [62] On January 15, Harding and Gillooly spoke with reporters, but declined to comment about the investigation. The latter was released four months early, in September 1995, and he went on to open up a computer business in 2001, according to The New York Times. [45][46] Smith was interested in the deal and agreed to drive to Portland with his nephew, Shane Stant, to meet with Eckardt and Gillooly. "Despite my mistakes and rough edges," she says, "I have done nothing to violate the standards of excellence in sportsmanship that are expected in an Olympic athlete." Nancy Kerrigan had already finished her practice session and departed to Stoneham, Massachusetts for the weekend. Shane Stant. Figure Skating Championship had sports, sleaze and more. "That's news to me," said Joe Walther, the man who answered the phone listed in the letter. According to authorities, Eckardt--who served as Harding's personal bodyguard--hatched a plot to attack Kerrigan. Eckardt was flustered and said he did not know why. In this Jan. 12, 1992, file photo, Tonya Harding, left, and Nancy Kerrigan appear at the U.S. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. She then angrily asked him why "this thing" (the plot) was not completed. But both reportedly have been implicated by confessions made by Eckardt and Shane Stant, the alleged hit man. And you get a peek," says Hauser, 31. Shawn Eckardt. View Shawn Eckardt results including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. Gillooly opposed carrying out an attack in Detroit, feeling it too likely they would be caught, and instructed Eckardt to wire Stant funds to return home without carrying out the attack. Shawn Eric Eckardt (1967 - December 12 2007) was an American criminal who, while employed by figure skater Tonya Harding as a bodyguard in the early 1990s, conspired with Harding's ex-husband Jeff Gillooly and Shane Stant in the planning and execution of the assault on rival skater Nancy Kerrigan on January 6 1994. One of them included Harding's bodyguard, and what happened to Shawn Eckardt is truly tragic. Feb. 22, 2003: After months of training, Harding makes her pro boxing debut, fighting Samantha Browning, a Mississippi housecleaner whose only previous fights had been the barroom variety. Tonya knew that the purpose of this meeting was to discuss how they could . Gillooly and Harding were surprised that Eckardt's mother seemed to know about the plot too. [30] Eckardt suggested cutting Kerrigan's Achilles tendon, using a beater car to run her off the road, or "just kill her," but those ideas were opposed. In the weeks leading up to the Olympics, Jeff and Tonya's bodyguard at the time, Shawn Eckhardt, hired a man to attack Nancy apparently hoping to improve Tonya's chances at the Winter . He then phoned Harding asking her to pick him up. [75][76] Judge Donald Londer noted the attack could have injured Kerrigan more seriously. Powered by. Eckardt hid the tape recorder on his desk under a paper towel. Eckardt is dead. [50][30] The company claimed Smith was good at his work, remaining quiet and patient if a little anti-social. "I know Eric. Tonya Harding's bodyguard Shawn Eckardt (Paul Walter Hauser) made international headlines when he sat down with Diane Sawyer. Feb. 5, 1994: The U.S. [63] On January 16, Harding's lawyer held a news conference in which he read a statement denying Harding's involvement in the attack on Kerrigan. [38], Gillooly testified that by January 1994, he and Harding were upset that the plot had apparently failed. Eckardt had dropped out of high school and was currently enrolled in a paralegal course at Pioneer Pacific Collegethat is, when he wasn't running the grandly titled World Bodyguard Services from. Samantha Browning delivers a punch to Tonya Harding in 2003. The New York Times, which announced his death, called him Brian Sean Griffith, which Eckardt changed his name to after getting out of prison. Shawn Eckardt, a friend of Gillooly's who was also Harding's bodyguard before the attack, had originally been hired by the figure skater after she received an anonymous death threat. The lettersfrom his mom, his sister, a former Navy SEAL/Army chaplain and a lawyer who is a former military prosecutorglow with praise for how Stant has turned his life around, Bleacher Report notes, adding that, in 2013, Stant had not given an interview for 20 years, choosing a life of obscurity after the scandal. His grandmother, Mae Loomis, is cited for menacing after taking a few potshots at a KGW reporter who had gone to her Corbett home for an interview. pic.twitter.com/d8ETEq2Egz, Eric Streetman (@EricStreetman) January 6, 2018. Looking for Shawn Eckhardt? Harding said she understood that. Figure Skating Championships in Orlando, Fla. Shane Stant Today: Where Is the Nancy Kerrigan Attacker Now? The former Harding bodyguard died at the age of 40 in 2007 of natural causes, a ccording. "[38][42], He said the men would need another photo of Kerrigan and her "skating times." Weaver said the decision disappointed her but was not a surprise, and that she had not decided on an appeal. [30][38] On December 27, Harding phoned her friend Vera Marano, a Pennsylvania figure skating writer, saying she and Gillooly had a "bet" about where Nancy Kerrigan trained. [69] Her admitted failure to report about an assault on a fellow competitor, supported by her FBI transcripts, led to Harding being formally charged with "[making] false statements about her knowledge". "[21] On June 17, 1991, Harding filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. Accounts of Stants personal rehabilitation can be read in letters of recommendation he filed with a court in Oregon when he tried to have his conviction in the Kerrigan assault expunged. We would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow us. "I have every intention of utilizing his expertise in the future and cannot think of any individual that could surpass Mr. Eckardt's capabilities," Gillooly purportedly wrote. As Bender attempts to sabotage her performance by filling her tap shoes with tacks in the locker room, Tonya catches him in the act, and breaks his leg with a nightstick in a similar manner to the attack on Kerrigan. Gillooly said only her right leg needed to be disabled, her landing leg; he claimed to have previously verified this with Harding. What happened to Stant after he went to prison? Jan. 6, 1994: An assailant clubs Nancy Kerrigan, Harding's skating rival, on the right knee with a metal baton as she leaves skating practice in Detroit. Simpson led police on the most-watched car chase in history. Harding ultimately. Jan. 14, 1994: Stant surrenders to the FBI in Phoenix, Ariz., and is charged with conspiring to assault Kerrigan. In 2005, Stant asked a judge to clear his felony record so he could try to become a Navy Seal. Shane Stant, the hit man who was hired to attack Olympic figure skater Nancy Kerrigan with a collapsible baton 24 years ago, has told Inside Edition exclusively that he is regretful for the act. The New York Times, which announced his death, called him Brian Sean Griffith, which Eckardt. [38], He arrived at 11 a.m. to the meeting held at Eckardt's home office, knocking on the door with Stant letting him in. An excellent example of resume fraud is the bizarre 1994 assault against figure skater Nancy Kerrigan arranged by Shawn Eckardt, the bodyguard of Kerrigan's skating rival Tonya Harding. Ads by BeenVerified. In July, Gillooly was sentenced to two years in prison after publicly apologizing to Kerrigan adding "any apology coming from me rings hollow. Also, Eckardt includes with his resume a letter of recommendation from Blackstone Corp. and uses as a reference a Mr. W. J. Walther, the company's purported Oregon-based representative. Those involved dream it might make it to Broadway one day. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. The biographical black comedy was directed by Craig Gillespie using a screenplay by Steven Rogers. Most people who remember the 1994 scandal, during which Harding's figure skating competitor, Nancy Kerrigan, was whacked on the knees with a metal baton as she was practicing for the U.S. Championships, probably remember Eckardt. Formerly Shawn Eckardt, Griffith served 14 months for his role in the 1994 attack on. During Harding's youth, her father held various odd jobs (managed apartments, drove a truck, and worked at a bait & tackle store), yet was often underemployed due to poor health. And it was Eckardt's apparent remorse for the assault that led him to play a tape of the conversation for a local minister. When Eckardt said it could still be done for more money, Gillooly asked "Do I have stupid written across my forehead?" Ryan Scott King and Rosemarie Elizabeth Cicalese of Montauk and Williamsburg were married on June 14 at St. Therese of Lisieux Catholic Church in Montauk by the Rev . He was interested in bodybuilding, martial arts, and helping Smith open his training camp someday. "[27] That summer, a man from Harding's gym claimed to The Oregonian that Harding offered to pay him to "take care" of Gillooly, "slap him around a little." He was 40. Dec. 24, 1994: Harding skates as Mrs. Santa Claus at Clackamas Town Center during her first public skating performance since the Olympics. [38][39] Once this was achieved, Harding would receive endorsements and he could offer $1,000 per week for her security. May 2006: A writer and composer collaborate to craft "Tonya & Nancy: The Opera," and it makes its debut at Zero Arrow Theatre in Cambridge, Mass. 1476 (D. Or. [17] Stant approached Kerrigan from behind, extended a telescopic baton, struck her lower right thigh and walked away. Griffith died . In 103 pages of FBI transcripts from interviews with four figures in the Kerrigan assault, an unappealing picture is painted: * Shawn Eric Eckardt, Harding's bodyguard, is portrayed as a . Kerrigan was then carried away to a changing room by her father. Had social media been born back then, Portland would have been the center of the Twitterverse. I, Punching Bag. [71] Harding was given thirty days to respond. .". He was enrolled in the program for three years before being booted out in 1992. PORTLAND Brian Sean Griffith, the former bodyguard to Tonya Harding, has died. Multnomah County authorities arrest Eckardt and Smith, charging them with conspiracy to commit second-degree assault. The events -- and the ramshackle cast or characters behind them -- fascinated and disturbed Portlanders and the nation. It really is a miracle, and she really is very happy.". The camera crew began recording again shortly after the attack and recorded Kerrigan sitting on the floor crying surrounded by arena staff. Rogers doesn't discuss whether or not he consulted with Fay to hear her side of the story, and that might be because Harding and her mother have not spoken since 2002. April 30, 1994: The NBC docudrama "Tonya and Nancy: The Inside Story" debuts to lukewarm ratings. According to him, Eckardt wanted to keep the idea of injuring Kerrigan a secret from Harding, but Gillooly explained that injuring a competitor might psychologically affect Harding's performance too. But when the US Olympic Committee scheduled a hearing to discuss whether she should be removed from the team, Harding filed a $25million lawsuit against the Committee, and the USOC backed down and agreed to let her skate in the Olympics. Griffith was Harding's bodyguard when she competed for a spot on the United States Olympic figure skating team in 1994. [38], When Smith told Stant about his phone call with Eckardt, Stant wanted to know more specifics. Figure Skating Association. Hood Community College, shared an interest in espionage and survivalism, and had discussed opening a school together someday. [64][65] Harding left her home that evening to practice figure skating with her coaches, where she spoke with reporters and performed a triple Axel. The New York Times, which announced his death, called him Brian Sean Griffith, which Eckardt changed his name to after getting out of prison. He said he was also upset for her and later spoke about figure skating politics to his friend Shawn Eckardt. [26] In spring 1993, she dated Tom Arant who spoke about Harding to The Oregonian, saying she would complain about Gillooly, yet still contacted him often: "she couldn't stop talking to him. He knew his nephew, Shane Stant, was currently unemployed so Smith told him about his conversation with Eckardt. The film, which has a string of award nominations, hits UK screens on February 23. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. But . Shane Stant was one of the most notorious figures in the 1990s because he was nabbed for being the actual attacker of Nancy Kerrigan. Each juicy tidbit made headlines and newscasts. "He has been portrayed as a mastermind to a hit man plot, as a monstrous chap who would go out and cause physical injury to a young Miss Kerrigan," Mark McKnight said. SHAWN ECKARDT As the owner of World Bodyguard Services, Eckardt boasted of private investigation work in Costa Rica, demolishing Peruvian pipelines and guarding celebrities. There's other things you can do to disable somebody rather than you don't need to kill." Eckardt then set up the attack on Kerrigan with a hit man, Shane Stant, and Derrick Smith, Stant's uncle. [94], The event is referenced in the songs "Strange Clouds" by B.o.B featuring Lil Wayne, "Tonya Harding" by Sufjan Stevens, and TONYA by Brockhampton.[95][96]. She gave birth to her only child, a son named Gordon, on February 19, 2011. Eckardt, one of three men arrested on second-degree felony charges last week, has confessed his role to authorities. Gillooly refused to pay more until he had receipts proving that someone was in Boston for their plan. View our online Press Pack. Shawn Eckhardt in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Kerrigan's injury forces her to drop out of the competition, which Harding wins. Just six years later in Dec. 2007, Eckardt passed away in Portland, Oregon, at just 40 years old. Feb. 11, 1994: A Clackamas County judge asks attorneys for the USOC and Harding to try to work out a compromise. Harding will skate in the Olympics. The attacker flees without being identified. "[a] This footage was later broadcast around the world in news programs. They settled on injuring the person enough so she could not skate. He tracked down Kerrigan and whacked her in the knee with a metal baton. [38] On December 25, Gillooly had an answering machine message from Smith asking for more details about the plan. View contact information: phones, addresses, emails and networks. Russell then told her that he knew she had lied to him. He lived for more than a decade after the infamous attack plunged him into the headlines. Ten days later, Harding's lawyer asked the restraining order to be lifted because the couple again wished to reconcile.