Socialite Nancy Pfister was found dead, aged 57, at her home on West Buttermilk Road in Aspen, Colorado, on February 26th, 2014. She had been bludgeoned to death with a hammer and her body left covered in bedding in a bedroom closet with a plastic bag over her head and electrical cord wrapped around her neck.
Police investigating the death charged Doctor William ‘Trey’ Styler, a former hospital anesthesiologist, and his wife Nancy Styler, with first-degree murder, along with Pfister’s friend, Kathy Carpenter, who worked as a teller at Alpine Bank in Aspen.
The Stylers had rented Pfister’s home over the winter, but vacated the property in February following a dispute with her. During the three suspects’ detention pending trial, Dr Styler made a plea deal, confessing to being solely responsible for the killing, resulting in charges being dropped against Nancy Styler and Kathy Carpenter. Trey Styler died in August 2015 after committing suicide at the Arrowhead Correction Facility in Cañon City where he was serving a 20-year sentence for second degree murder.
Nancy Pfister was the daughter of Art Pfister, a prominent figure in Aspen who made his fortune when his ranchland was used to create the Buttermilk Ski Area. She was well known in the Aspen community and socialized with celebrities in the Colorado town. She reportedly dated actor Jack Nicholson, and was briefly engaged to Michael Douglas.
