Dateline: Who Killed Nancy Pfister?
What a tale a life can weave. Nancy Pfister was a privileged woman, and lead a life of no apology. She was who she was, she felt worthy and had no problem putting people where she believed they belong whether they truly belonged there or not. It did not seem to matter to to Nancy at all. She was going to tell you her feelings–like it or lump it. She was known to boss people around as if she were a higher being. And so it is ironic that she ended up being silence in murder. Someone gave her an ultimate opinion that she would be no longer. You have to be careful how you treat people as any wise person will tell you.
So who killed Nancy Pfister? If you watched Dateline this past weekend, the story goes in circles from blaming the renters of Nancy’s place, the Stylers, to pointing the finger at and retracting the finger to Nancy’s friend, Kathy Carpenter.
In the end, the doctor, William Styler, who rented Nancy’s place with his wife Nancy, confessed to the murder. But I will tell you that his confession was a complete lie. There was nothing believable in it. His story was actually laughable. Could William Styler kill Nancy? I believe yes, it is plausible (anyone can kill someone laying in bed with a hammer), but I don’t believe he did it. William Styler really showed his true colors by playing the “poor aging man” game, though, going from walking to suddenly needing a wheelchair.
When I listened to and watched Kathy Carpenter, she made it clear, too, on multiple occasions, that she knew way more than she was telling us. She slips up several times saying things an uninvolved person would not say. Keith Morrison does a great job at asking Kathy why she wants “forgiveness” from Nancy’s Pfister’s daugher. Hello! The fact that Kathy “saw” things at the crime scene that aren’t logical, and that she just had to open that closet makes no logical sense. Who would assume when someone isn’t in their room that they are locked in a closet? So Kathy was there, and did see Nancy covered in blood without question. She knew where the injuries were.
As for Nancy Styler, I don’t believe her either. She is a cold woman to say the least.
William Styler shows some compassion or desire to do good by his wife, by confessing to the crime, and bargaining to set her free. And Kathy on her own doesn’t hit me as the type to commit murder outright. She wants “forgiveness”. Both the actions of Kathy and William so some level of compassion. Kathy is also the type who is highly influenced by other people, and weak in character.
The one who hits me most capable in all of this is Nancy Styler.
I have to wonder if Nancy Styler and Nancy Pfister got into it. These two were two very head-strong women who wouldn’t easily compromise or come to a peaceful resolution, and both where likely to hold grudges and get viciously angry. I wonder if an argument ensued, and perhaps Kathy showed up, was called, or came by, and things went wrong. Maybe Nancy Pfister stormed off and went to bed with ear-plugs in place, and got something she never saw coming…
I believe all three people Nancy, Kathy and William know exactly what happened and I suspect the mastermind was Nancy.
I agree with everything you said, 100%. I think William Styler may have helped, but I believe Kathy carried out the most active part of the murder in a fit of rage. I did not believe that she had permission to take Nancy’s money or her ring. I think she felt used by Nancy and grew to hate her.She felt justified by Nancy’s using and verbally abusing her.
William Styler looks like he has developed some mental problems, His wife knew this and let him take the fall by himself, then divorced him. He loved his wife and he, probably, felt enraged by Nancy’s treatment of her.
Kathy can’t even talk without apologizing. There is no anger about being locked up in jail for a crime that she says she didn’t commit. She seems to be drowning in her guilt, yet her mixed feelings about Nancy comes thru loud and clear. She will live with that guilt from now on and will, probably, talk too much and wind up in prison, also. No such guilt seems to be there for Nancy Styler. She seems perfectly happy with what has happened and has gone on with her life. She may just be cunning enough to get by with her part in all of this, unless her weak husband or Kathy lets something slip that points directly to her.
What they didn’t tell us on the show is did Kathy give the daughter the $6000 and the ring, or not? Did they check? I would assume the attorneys for the prosecution did because if she didn’t, they would have thrown that at us. The didn’t. I see Kathy to much of a people-pleaser and submissive to be the mastermind. There is only one here who was in that position.
Yes, I agree that Kathy wasn’t the mastermind of this murder, but I don’t know that the murder was actually planned. I could be wrong, but I think it might have been an explosion of tempers that got out of hand. Kathy tells us that she and the Stylers had talked about Nancy’s rudeness and her demanding personality, so they had open discussions about Nancy. Nancy Styler, whether the killing was planned or unplanned, was the brains and the other two the followers. I believe Kathy was the one that had the physical strength to complete the concealment of the body, and she knew things that she shouldn’t have known about the crime scene.I am still curious about the evidence found so close to the Styler’s apartment.
It has been my experience that weak followers. can eventually be big problems.
I believe Nancy Styler catches herself up when she says, “Nobody liked her (Nancy Pfister).” Yet hundreds of people turned out for the memorial at the Hotel Jerome.
Nancy Styler shows zero sympathy over the fact that Nancy Pfister was brutally murdered. Even if you hated someone, a normal person would feel some sadness that another human being lost their life. Instead she denigrates her, “No one liked her, etc.,” implying that whoever “supposedly” murdered her was justified in doing so.
I was waiting for your post on this show because there was only one person interviewed on the show who came across as self-obsessed and devoid of empathy, Nancy Styler. She spoke of herself as the victim, by being treated like a “slave” by being asked to fetch things for Nancy Pfister. Really? Slavery? I think slavery is a little worse than that. I also found strange that the doctor and his wife were facing a huge financial crisis (no money for attorneys, etc) and Nancy Styler dreams up a move to Aspen, Co, the playground of the rich. The doctor, it seems, loved his wife and would do anything to please her, including moving to Aspen and agreeing to pay $4,000 a month in rent at a time they claimed to be broke.
No Kathy used the money to pay her son’s college tuition! Weird case, but I agree I think it was all 3. she knew exactly what wounds there were and the body was wrapped up, so no way she saw her hair!
Were you kidding about the tuition? I ask because I was listening for what happened to the money and the ring. I didn’t hear it addressed, but maybe I missed it. IIRC Kathy did say that she hadn’t had any contact with Nancy’s daughter. Super odd that Kathy keeps apologizing and asking for forgiveness and saying she feels guilty. This whole story seems so full of holes.
According to the Aspen Times who reported on the case, Kathy Carpenter had used the money to pay for her son’s plane ticket back home, along with some of the funds going to his college tuition. “Carpenter also indicated that she wanted to give the jewelry to Pfister’s daughter, Juliana. Authorities say Carpenter had tried to cover it up, and after she was set free from the Pitkin County Jail on June 20, prosecutors said they were considering charging her with theft.”:
http://www.aspentimes.com/news/12262888-113/pfister-styler-carpenter-affidavit
This doesn’t necessarily mean she was involved in the murder, though. She could have been financially opportunistic after the fact…
“This doesn’t necessarily mean she was involved in the murder, though. She could have been financially opportunistic after the fact…”
I thought that may be the reason she asked for forgiveness and not for the actual murder.
It seems very odd that all three would have been involved. The trash found in the public bin by the hotel room was not meant to be found in my opinion but the closet key was very fishy. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn Kathy put the key there to push the investigation further without having anything to do with the actual crime. Although it seems like a very strange thing to do, Kathy was feeling some heat from the police and she doesn’t seem like the most rational person ever. I also think it would be way more risky to do that if you were involved. The other Nancy would have known who did that and probably took Kathy down with her.
Considering that Kathy stole the late Nancy’s property and money, I wouldn’t be surprised if she bore some of the responsibility of the two Nancy’s friction acting as the middleman. She could have lied about the money that was or wasn’t paid for rent. I saw somewhere that Nancy Pfister was complaining on Facebook that her tenants were not paying rent. This could have been true considering the talk of repairs needed but also might have been exaggerated by Kathy siphoning off money owed.
See also here:
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?259102-Nancy-Pfister-Case
Thank you for the link. (I do read there and just started posting that forum but had not seen a thread on this case; thank you.)
I just cant’ figure out why the Dr. confessed. I really dont’ think he did it; and frankly, I don’t think his wife did either. I get a cold feel from the Dr’s wife, but I don’t get an untruthful vibe. And being cold is not a crime.
But I’m not an expert be any stretch.
Something about Kathy just screamed red flags for me starting at the 911 call. Fwiw, even my bf, who doesn’t watch or follow these cases walked in while I was watching and said about the 911 call, “wow, that sounds fake.” Also, she made it clear that the dog was always happy to see her, so no barking at an intruder. Jus sayin.
. Investigators knew Kathy had taken some of Nancy’s belongings, but there was no way of proving what her intentions were since Kathy had some authorization to handle some of Nancy’s business. Dateline likes to take us on some bunny trails with lots of twists in a lot of directions. I would like to know how soon Kathy turned over Nancy’s belongings and, if she contacted Nancy’s daughter about the ring, right away. We aren’t told this.
Mattresses sometimes have a winter side and summer side. Even a king sized one would be easy to flip. And why dragging your own weight would be harder than doing a push-up? And they say they must have been 2 participators in good shape to do it! That’s crazy. William speaks about women lifting trucks to save their child. I’d guess that hiding a body after a murder can make someone stronger too, with Adrenaline…
I’ve been a witness in a tragic road accident. Cops were really annoying and made me say that I saw something I didn’t saw. In 2 minutes! They just didn’t want my original answer: “I don’t know what color it was…” It doesn’t surprise me that Kathy said weird things after being interrogated for DAYS.
This case certainly has many holes and something is not as they’re portraying it. I’m among those who believed Nancy Styler. She was cold nonetheless but seemed truthful.
What stood out to me about Kathy was as the author mentioned… Why she just had to open that closet door enough to drive all the way home to get the closet key, or so she claims. Furthermore, assuming she felt the need to open the closet door, why would she come back without the police? Especially if she had seen blood on the headboard. I believe she saw Nancy before she was wrapped up, although I don’t neccessarily believe she killed her.
Something else I wanted to say. If the Stylers had been back and forth to the house tp get their stuff… Did they not see the blood?
I truly hope to find out what happened…
The odor is what gets me. Your friend is missing and you smell an odor and you leave to get a key? I would have called a non 911 number and / or busted open the closet door. That odor is unlike any other. I busted through a friends window as we had plans and I couldn’t reach her for 7 hours. She was deceased and the odor is something one doesn’t forget.
Zuhar E • 4 minutes ago
This case certainly has many holes and something is not as they’re portraying it. I’m among those who believed Nancy Styler. She was cold nonetheless but seemed truthful.
What stood out to me about Kathy was as the author mentioned… Why she just had to open that closet door enough to drive all the way home to get the closet key, or so she claims. Furthermore, assuming she felt the need to open the closet door, why would she come back without the police? Especially if she had seen blood on the headboard. I believe she saw Nancy before she was wrapped up, although I don’t neccessarily believe she killed her.
Something else I wanted to say. If the Stylers had been back and forth to the house tp get their stuff… Did they not see the blood?
I truly hope to find out what happened…
This case certainly has many holes and something is not as they’re portraying it. I’m among those who believed Nancy Styler. She was cold nonetheless but seemed truthful.
What stood out to me about Kathy was as the author mentioned… Why she just had to open that closet door enough to drive all the way home to get the closet key, or so she claims. Furthermore, assuming she felt the need to open the closet door, why would she come back without the police? Especially if she had seen blood on the headboard. I believe she saw Nancy before she was wrapped up, although I don’t neccessarily believe she killed her.
Something else I wanted to say. If the Stylers had been back and forth to the house tp get their stuff… Did they not see the blood?
I truly hope to find out what happened…
Nancy Pfister and I wrote a book called Inseparable about her life and losing her daughter due to a botched custody charge years ago. Check out our book at Amazon.com and Createspace.com
I couldn’t agree more. I think William and Nancy Styler were both involved in the actual murder and that Kathy Carpenter new it was going to happen even though she probably wasn’t present when it actually occurred.
As I watched the episode a few things stood out to me. It was obvious that Kathy lied. Not only did she slip up several times, but she also failed the polygraph. William obviously lied too. I wasn’t surprised that he also failed a polygraph. What does surprise me is that there was no mention of Nancy taking, being asked to take a polygraph. Why not? I have another possible explanation: Nancy Pfister was known for speaking her mind regardless of the potential to offend others. She was known to have major problems in the past (off and on) with Kathy. She was having a major problem with the Styler’s and was not likely to remain quiet about it. Could it be that she made a comment about Kathy taking the Styler’s side in their disagreement about the rental house? Even worse could Nancy Pfister have accused Kathy of siding with the Stylers because of an inappropriate relationship (real or imagined) with William? If Nancy Pfister had suspisions of such a relationship, chances are high that she would have threatened to tell Nancy Styler. Anyone who knew her would have been aware that her mouth had no filter and would have assumed she would tell… Just saying, it would be a motive for the murder AND a reason why William would defend BOTH women by claiming he acted alone (which I don’t believe was possible)