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Details Emerge About Actress's Death

2006_11_pillco.JPGDiego Pillco, the construction worker who confessed to killing actress Adrienne Shelly last week during a noise dispute, was arraigned in Criminal Court and held without bail yesterday. Pillco, a 19 year old illegal immigrant from Ecuador, told the police that he had punched Shelly and, fearing she was dead, staged a suicide scene by hanging her from a shower rod. The Manhattan assistant district attorney Marit DeLozier said that Shelly died from "compression to the neck," not the punch, meaning she was probably just unconscious when she was hanged. Pillco did not enter a plea and was placed under suicide watch when remanded.

One of the more confounding things about the murder is how a complaint about construction noise could have become violent. NY Times and NY Post both have more detailed descriptions of how the fight may have started. Here's the Post's explanation:

The actress told Pillco - who speaks little English - to be quiet by putting a finger to her mouth and saying, "Shhhh," a source said.

Pillco yelled at her in Spanish to get out, descended from the ladder, picked up a hammer and pounded the floor with it before again ordering her to leave.

Pillco, who is at most an inch taller than the 5-foot-2 Shelly, then shoved her out of the apartment and closed the door. But Shelly reopened the door and slapped his face before heading back upstairs, sources said.

Pillco followed Shelly upstairs into her apartment, where she yelled at him to leave, and called him a "son of a bitch."

He responded by punching Shelly, knocking her to the ground, sources said. Law-enforcement sources said he may have hit her several times, and that she became unconscious.

It seems like there was a constant fear of being deported in Pillco's mind. A police source told the Times, "[Pillco] to stage this thing because he is trying to make it go away." Another investigator told the Post that Shelly "didn't go easily" during the fight, leaving scratches on Pillco's face (Pillco explained the scratches to the other construction workers by saying he got into a fight with movers.)

A friend tells the Daily News that Shelly's husband, Andrew Ostroy, who discovered her body and was insistent that she did not commit suicide, "is still in shock. I don't know if he'll ever get over this." Newsday reports that the contractor who hired Pillco expressed condolences to Ostroy and added about Pillco, "He just seemed to be another hard worker immigrant. We cannot comprehend how a regular working day turned into a crime scene."

The ME's office is still doing more tests to understand the cause of death.

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Comments [rss]

  • CJ

    Contessa - Thanks for putting it succiently when you said:

    "Newsflash: the back of the line for legal immigration starts in the country of origin at the local U.S. Consular office. Anything else is cutting in line in front of millions of others playing by the rules."

  • Toni G.

    Another thing,

    9/11 tragedy was caused By people who enter the U.S "LEGALLY". YUP, They all were LEGAL people and see what they did!! ????

    Also, if you don't like ilegal immigrants coming to the U.S. what about our American Soldiers INVADING AND KILLING HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF INNOCENT PEOPLE! ??????? Just guess how many innocent people have been killed ONLY in Irak so far??????

    And please don't come up with bullshit! Even the U.S. intelligency agency couldn't connect any at all between alqaeda and Irak. And please, don't tell me that they invaded Irak because Sadan Killed 148 people. If you do some research, some sources say that even the U.S supported and approved that killing. You'll find some pictures of Mr. Rumsfeld and other U.S diplomats Shaking hands with Saddan Hussein back in that time.

    Also, what about the Oklahoma Terrorist?? Wasn't he American?? WAsn't he LEGAL??? Wasn't he white?? And was that a planned and meditated act or was it just an accident????

    So before saying stupid things, do some research and try to braod your mind. If you want to compare thing, take the whole scenario into perspective and don't pick ISOLATED CASES to judge a Whole Population.

  • UndocumentedPresident

    I think NYPD should arrest the employer that hire Pillco and placed him in a illegal apartment. He also tried to cover up his crime by removing personal belongings from the boiler room where the killer lived with other illegals.

    If Pillco was not working there this would of never of happened.

  • legallatina

    report suspected illegal aliens and their employers to 1-866-DHS-2ICE.

  • legallatina

    Be a part of the solution. Remember this tragic case the next time you hire a contractor. Tell the contractor you won't hire their services if they use illegal alien workers. Tell them you will ask for a valid U.S. government issued photo identification when workers show up at the premises. Honest contractors won't have a problem with that. Some are grateful that you mention this. Dishonest, unscrupulous contractors like Pillco's employer probably wont' call you back. And you and your family and neighbors will be better off for it.

  • And Mayor Bloomberg continues to support the "sanctuary policy" for illegal aliens in NYC? How many more New Yorkers or Americans have to be victimized by illegal aliens before "sanctuary policies" are stopped and local law enforcement gets serious about cooperating and assisting with immigration enforcement? ICE offers low-cost ICE training to any local law enforcement department that requests it. It's time to make local law enforcement put the safety, health and welfare of law-abiding citizens and legal residents above those of illegal aliens, their "handlers" and the profiteers of illegal immigration. No more deaths at the hands of illegal aliens.

    see, www.immigrationshumancost.com

  • Every crime committed by an ILLEGAL ALIEN is completely preventable if they simply were not here. We have enough of our own home-grown violent thugs waiting to snap and kill anyone for the smallest perceived slight. The last thing this nation needs is to continue to accept, retain or import criminal illegal aliens. Now, a young vibrant American family has been tragically broken all because of our open borders and lack of political will (due to pandering to the foreign governments and special interest organizations like LA RAZA, LULAC, MALDEF, etc.) to enforce our own immigration laws. The employer in this case should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Other reports inidicate that Pillco's 2 roomates, also illegal alien relatives from Ecuador have hastily evacuated their basement apartment. Remember the marches in May? Is amnesty and a "path to citizenship" what we really want to provide (not to mention complete access to public/benefits/services) to 20 million illegal aliens? Si se puede... build the fence. Si se puede... enforce the law. Si se puede... protect law-aiding American citizens and legal residents. Bush and his new best friend, Nancy Pelosi want to push for amnesty a.k.a. "path to citizenship" "guestworker program" or "earned legalization". Newsflash: the back of the line for legal immigration, starts in the counry of origin at the local U.S. Consular office. Anything else is cutting in line in front of millions of others playing by the rules.

  • another hater

    Some idiot wrote: "Mia, if "our southern border was more secure" who would do all the physical jobs Americans are too lazy to do?"

    Americans are hardly lazy. We are the biggest producers in the world.

    Apparently you pro-illegal crowd can't get it into your thick libtard skulls that Americans are perfectly willing and able to do dirty work such as washing dishes. We just refuse to accept the wages ($1.00 an hour, no benefits).

    Therein lies the real issue.

  • ""because she was white and had money... duh"

    as if that's was the sole reason she was killed."

    you may wish to go back and re-read the question i was answering, which was "why are people blaming the victim?" i then went on to suggest that different people feel differently on this issue because of the race and class of the people involved. hence the return of the know-nothings, et al.

    it's not that complicated. to be fair, i was kind of assuming you were trolling simply because the explanation was pretty durn clear after the 2nd or 3rd iteration. i won't overestimate you again, promise.

    pinky-swear, even.

  • Eric C

    ""Your ego's writing checks your body can't cash!""

    Okay, a very slight man (mind you, an illegal alien who should probably be laying a bit low) murders a woman in a rage because she dared to insult/humiliate/confront him and she's the one with the ego?

    You people are, seriously, frigging nuts.

  • Dave

    He followed HER down to her apartment. In all liklyhood she tried to get him to leave by threatning to call the police.

    He was afraid of being deported. He beat her unconcious, tied a sheet around her neck and HUNG her from a shower rod while she was alive. I have no doubt that when the full autopsy report is released it will be revealed that she was concious when she was hung. (See my previous post on how this can be determined).

    Why anyone would take anything this foul human being has to say seriously is beyond me. There is a little girl with no mommy because of this ass.

  • ice man

    amen, "Your ego's writing checks your body can't cash!"

    It's that sense of entitlement, I can do whatever I want and you lil shit stain can't do anything about it. I don't care if the apartment owner needs renovation and it was approved. I said no noise and that's that.

  • Marybeth McIntosh



    This discussion takes me back to the incident of the Laotion hunter who shot all of white hunters who called him names, and shot at him, first. I guess they did deserve what they got, heh?

    Don't dish it out if you can't take it. There is always someone out there crazier than you. Race has nothing to do with this it is just the entitlement that some people think that they own. Unfortunatlely most of them happen to be white that think this way.

  • Larry

    If someone had a hammer and pushed me out the door, I would go call the police or someone who manages the building and find the contractor. I would then get the guy fired and deported to Ecuador.

    I would NOT, in a MILLION YEARS, consider a physical confrontation. It's just street smarts. People should take this as a lesson--maybe it will save some lives.

    And with any luck the husband will sue and be able to afford a fabulous new condo.

  • Samantha T

    If some dude pounded a hammer on the floor while yelling at me and pushed me out of the door, he'd be lucky to get away with only a slap in the face. I can't believe people are actually identifying with this guy. That is frigging terrifying to me.

    And for those of you who claim that she made the confrontation physical - HE made the confrontation physical by pushing her. It doesn't matter, anyway. He brutally murdered this woman and tried to cover it up. Zero, zero, ZERO justification.

  • prop joe

    darn, I messed up.

    cause of death, mouthing off.

    ahhhh, forget it, just watch the wire.

  • Jointer

    Hey LARRY I hope some illegal immigrant kills you too for... uh, wearing a Yankees hat! HA.

    RIP Ms Shelley.

  • marlo's krew

    cause of death, she talked back.

  • another hater

    Yet another ILLEGAL IMMIAGRANT who sneaks into this country, mooches off our social systems that were designed for legal Americans who pay taxes, and ends up killing a valuable American citizen who contributed to our society. How much longer until that fence is built?

    And please spare us the "He was only doing work that no American wants." BULLSHIT. Americans want jobs that PAY WELL and that includes the kind the illegals take for fifty cents an hour. Companies that hire illegals and pay them under the table should be fined and brought to justice for their anti-American practices.

    And send all of the illegals home. They obviously do not know how to navigate a civilized society if murdering somebody for no reason is how things are done in their third world dumpster.

  • Tired

    If I hear one more idiot claiming that 'Americans are too lazy' to do well-paying work that dirty contractors want to get an even greater profit margin on, I think I'm gonna puke.

    RIP Adrienne Shelley.

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