Saturday night, CBS’s "’48 Hours" will air what is being described as "important new evidence" in the mysterious disappearance of George Smith during his honeymoon cruise. The episode is called "48 Hours: Murder at Sea?"
You may recall that George Smith from the Greenwich Connecticut area was enjoying his honeymoon with his newly-wed bride Jennifer Hagel when he disappeared from the Royal Caribbean Brilliance of the Seas in the early morning hours of July 5, 2005, leaving a blood-stained awning behind him.
The cruise line quickly concluded that Mr. Smith was intoxicated and must have been sitting on a balcony railing and fell overboard, and it reported this self-serving opinion as its official report to the flag state. Royal Caribbean ignored the fact that four young men were last seen in the Smith’s cabin and that there were sounds of an argument and loud noises consistent with a struggle, followed by a resounding "thud" on the awning below.
We represented George’s wife, Jennifer, who instructed us to retain noted forensic scientist Henry Lee in the face of the cruise line’s lack of cooperation.
Last year, CBS reported that the FBI had possession of a videotape taken by the four men where they talk callously of George’s death. The video captures one of the men saying "we gave that guy a paragliding lesson without a parachute." Cruise passenger Greg Rosenberg reportedly flashes gang signs and says "Told ya I was gangsta."
We have written prior articles about Gregory Rozenberg such as "Disappearance of George Smith Update: Do You Have Information About Gregory Rozenberg?" Rozenberg’s mugshots are readily available online, including the one to the right taken last fall.
Royal Caribbean concealed this tape from us throughout our representation of Jennifer Hagel. The tape’s existence was revealed by the FBI last year to the lawyer for the Smith family.
Its disgraceful that the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice have not proceeded with a criminal case. Its been going on eight years since George’s disappearance. A prosecution is long overdue.
Read our other articles about the case:
Disappearance of George Smith – Trouble as the Cruise Ship Sails to Kusadasi
A Frantic Call Back to Connecticut
Media Frenzy Follows Case of "Missing Honeymooner"
Dr. Henry Lee Boards the Brilliance of the Seas
Royal Caribbean Blocks Dr. Henry Lee’s Dummy Experiment
The International Cruise Victims Organization Is Born!
Royal Caribbean Captain Says Its Just an Accident Involving a Bloody Nose
Larry King Live & the "Missing Groom Mystery"