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Article: Rich Man, Poor Man; John E. du Pont's Double Life, Undone in a Single Day
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- February 10, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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As he awaits trial on murder charges, John E. du Pont would
probably like to hear his life described as a tragedy -- in the
classical sense, with a flawed but noble hero and the steady march
of fate.
But as the police and press surrounded his estate two weeks
ago in a Philadelphia suburb where he holed up in his library for
two days before being arrested, the tragedy turned into a soap
opera, and an occasionally sordid one at that. An Olympic athlete --
Dave Schultz, 36 -- lay dead, shot, police said, by du Pont, his
wealthy patron. Schultz's wife and du Pont's bodyguard reportedly
saw the 57-year-old millionaire fire at the wrestler from the window
of his Lincoln Town Car. Why he ...