Wealthy family of murdered Aspen socialite are being guarded by Sheriff's department out of fear other suspects are still at large
- The two sisters of Nancy Pfister, along with her daughter, Juliana, are now under watch by security out of precaution
- Pfister, 57, was found dead in her home on February 26, just four days after she returned from an extended trip to Australia
- Police have said they can no longer speak about the case because the investigation is not over and that more arrests may be made
- Pfister, who was briefly engaged to actor Michael Douglas, wrote on Facebook that she was returning because of problems with her tenants
- William Francis Styler, 65, and his wife Nancy, 62, who had rented Pfister's property, were arrested at a hotel and charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy
- Katherine Carpenter, 56, an Alpine Bank employee who had watched over Pfister's home and her dog and was the one who discovered her body, was arrested and charged on March 15
- The Styler's were under financial stress after William was forced to quit his job due to illness
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The prominent Aspen family of slain socialite Nancy Pfister - whose body was mysteriously found in the closet of her home last month - are now under watch by the sheriff's department amid concerns other suspects in the murder case have not been apprehended.
While three people have already been charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree in connection to the case, authorities say the investigation is not over and are not taking any precautions when it comes to the victims relatives.
The first homicide investigation in Aspen in over a decade, Pfister was the daughter of Art and Betty Pfister, who developed the Buttermilk Mountain Ski Area.
While both parents are dead, Page Six have reported that her sisters, Suzanne and Christina, as well as her daughter Juliana, have been assigned security by the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office.
Ongoing: The badly-beaten body of Nancy Pfister, 57 (left), was found stuffed in a closet on her Aspen home on February 26 and now at least three of her relative, including daughter Juliana (right) have been placed under security guard
'They’re not sure if they’ve got them all,' a source told the column.
'There could be others lurking. Nancy’s relatives have been assigned security by the sheriff’s department.
'They are very grateful for that, and the support of friends and loved ones.'
Police and prosecutors have been tight-lipped about what they believe happend to Pfister, essentially releasing no information about the case, however the three accused have all separated appeared in court.
Pfister, 57, who was briefly engaged to actor Michael Douglas, was found severely beaten in her mountain home on February 26, just four days after returning from an extended trip to Australia, authorities said.
Pfister's assistant and friend, Katherine Carpenter, 56, who discovered her body, is the latest to be arrested and charged with her alleged murder.
Katherine Carpenter, 56, an assistant to Pfister and a bank employee, was arrested on March 14. Authorities said she called 911 to report she found Pfister's body in a closet of the home
The tenants: Nancy Christine Styler, 62, and husband William Francis Styler III, 65, have been charged with allegedly killing Pfister, their landlord, and shoving her in a closet
The tenants staying in Pfister's home, William F. Styler III, 65, and his wife, Nancy Styler, 62, were the first to be formally charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.
Pfister wrote on Facebook on February 3 that 'the people that were supposedly taking care of my house are not doing what they said they would do and they're not paying rent and they haven't paid utilities'.
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ShareOver the years Pfister had paid Carpenter, an employee at two Apline bank branches in Aspen, to manage her property and to walk her dog, Gabe, who came with the $4,000-a-month lease.
On February 6, Pfister posted on Facebook that she was looking for new tenants and that anyone interested should contact Carpenter.
She subsequently returned from Australia and, days later, was found dead by Carpenter.
William Styler, wearing an orange jail outfit, kept his head down as he was brought into Pitkin County District Court in a wheelchair. earlier this month.
Nancy Styler entered the courtroom in handcuffs immediately after her husband.
The Stylers are represented by separate lawyers and did not acknowledge each other.
Evidence: Posts put on Facebook by Pfister detailed the problems she was having with her home in Aspen, where she was inevitably found dead. Investigators spent weeks at the home gathering evidence
Juliana Pfister attended those proceedings surrounded by friends, telling ABC News that she couldn't believe someone would kill her fun-loving mother because of an alleged rent dispute.
'How could someone just be so angry that they got kicked out of a house?' she said.
'There's got to be something more. It's hard to understand that.'
Investigators spent weeks at Pfister's house, which remained an active crime, removing many boxes and files as evidence.
County Sheriff Joe DiSalvo has released few details about the resort town's first murder investigation since 2001.
'This is a very important case,' he said.
'It just doesn't happen in Aspen.'
Police have not ruled out making more arrests the Pfister's death remains an open investigation.
The autopsy report has not been released and all records in the case have been sealed.
Bail has not been set for any of the defendants.
Old life: William Styler, a former physician, and his gardening expert wife Nancy look relaxed as they smile for a photo. The couple have been charged with murdering Nancy Pfister
Carpenter worked as a bank teller at two Alpine Bank branches - the Aspen Business Center and East Hopkins Avenue. The bank recognized her 20-year service in November.
According to public records, she kept a post office box in Woody Creek and had lived in various towns throughout Colorado. She also filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 1999, according to federal court records.
Two Alpine Bank customers told The Aspen Times that Carpenter was friendly.
'I would have bet the farm that she didn’t do it,' one of the customers said.
Friends of the Stylers say they have been shocked at the arrests.
'They never demonstrated any kind of edge,' Dr. Joel Cooperman, a former neighbor, told the Denver Post. 'Neither of them displayed any kind of behavior that would indicate they would do anything like this.'
'I would laugh to think that that’s what they were involved in. They can't be,' Ned Ingham, a former neighbor, told CBS. 'I am totally floored. It would the last thing I’d ever think.'
Dr Styler, known as Trey, was an anesthesiologist and the chairman of St. Joseph Hospital's Department of Anesthesiology in the 1990s.
The couple, who have a son, lived in the Greenwood Village area until about eight years ago, when Styler was hit by a chronic illness. He quit his medical practice and his license expired in 2005.
Afterwards, he turned his attentions to helping his wife in her full-time gardening career.
She founded the Victoria Conservancy and provided lilies to gardening entities around the world, becoming known as a leading expert on the variety of an 8-foot species called Victoria. They also welcomed school children into the garden to look at the flowers and their pond.
'They would have people from all over the world over there,' neighbor Ned Ingham said. 'They were known famously for their flowers.'
A photographer, Povy Kendal Atchison, spent time photographing the Stylers' gardens and the couple for business shots at the time 'things were going south for them'.
Arrest: Styler, a physician, was still in his bathrobe when he was arrested at his Colorado motel room
Caught: The couple were arrested five days after their alleged victim's body was found
She told the Denver Post that they seemed like they were good people until their money started running out. Court documents reveal the extent of their troubles.
In 2003, Styler had taken his previous company, Colorado Anesthesia Consultants, to court in a dispute over software Styler had co-created, but he lost the case.
He accused his lawyer John Powell, whom he had paid $600,000, for overcharging him for legal services - and in 2010, Styler sued Powell for the debt, the Aspen Times reported.
He won and Powell was put on probation and ordered to pay $800,000. But before the Stylers got the money, Powell filed for bankruptcy, protecting him from having to pay the debt.
The report in the Aspen Times says that the scandal led Styler to express suicidal thoughts, including telling an attorney that he wanted to commit 'suicide by cop'.
In court: Nancy Styler is escorted by two deputies to Pitkin County Courthouse during her first appearance earlier this month
Locked up: Styler - who had been suffering various illnesses before his arrest -and his wife are being held without bond
'It was very devastating to him,' said Paul Gordon, a Denver attorney who represented Styler.
Last summer, Powell complained to the state's Attorney Regulation Counsel that Styler was observing his house - and Styler responded that he was trying to find out if Powell still lived there .
As recently as November last year, Styler had written to the court’s Attorney Regulation Counsel about his frustrations in collecting money - the same time he was renting the property from Pfister.
When she returned from Australia and evicted the couple nearly two weeks ago, they had been staying at the Aspenalt Lodge in Basalt, where rooms cost $119 per night.
William Styler was taken from the motel still wearing his bathrobe, while his wife was seen with tears streaming down her face.
Missed: Pfister, pictured right with her daughter, wrote on Facebook that she was returning early from Australia as she was having trouble with tenants who were not paying the rent or bills
Well-connected: Nancy Pfister was once briefly engaged to actor Michael Douglas
Nancy Pfister's remains were cremated on Monday and relatives and residents are holding a memorial service for her on March 15.
Her murder has rocked the small ski resort town, where residents said Pfister had been a popular, well-connected resident.
'She'd been one of the golden girls of Aspen, seriously into the party scene [in her youth],' a source told Page Six. 'She hung out with the Kennedys, Jack Nicholson, Cher, Michael Douglas.'
The source added that Pfister was even once briefly engaged to Douglas.
Pfister's daughter said she is waiting to find out more details on the case.
Juliana added that her mother had been a beloved member of the community.
'I have no idea how someone could do something like that and especially to her and I think that, you know, my mom could never hurt anything or hurt anyone and that is one thing that everyone that knew her knew,' Pfister said. 'She cared about a lot of people and helped the wrong people this time.'
Scene: Pfister was found dead in her home, pictured, which she had rented to the Stylers while she traveled
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