Thread: NYC construction worker attacked actress over immigration

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?sectio ... id=4852590

Prosecutors: NYC construction worker attacked actress over immigration fears
December 14, 2006 (NEW YORK) - A construction worker charged with murdering an actress in her Manhattan apartment attacked her because he was worried about immigration officials, say court papers prosecutors filed Wednesday.

"I lost control and kept cursing," the papers quote Diego Pillco, a 19-year-old Ecuadorean, as saying. "She was insulting me. ... I thought she was going to call the police when she went upstairs. I was afraid of immigration."

The papers were filed with a second-degree murder indictment at Pillco's arraignment in Manhattan's state Supreme Court, where he pleaded not guilty in the death of Adrienne Shelly, 40.

The body of Shelly, who appeared in the 2005 movie "Factotum" with Matt Dillon, was found Nov. 1 hanging from a shower rod in the Greenwich Village apartment that she used as an office.

According to the court papers, Pillco said Shelly approached him in the apartment where he was working about trying to make less noise. The two argued, and she threatened to call police, the papers say. Fearing immigration problems if she did, he followed her up to her apartment, where he hit Shelly, the papers quote Pillco as saying. He said Shelly hit her head on a computer table, lost a pulse and stopped breathing, according to the papers.

Shelly, born Adrienne Levine, also appeared in "The Unbelievable Truth" in 1989 and "Trust" in 1990. She made her directorial debut with "Sudden Manhattan" in 1996. She wrote and directed the movie "Waitress," starring Keri Russell.

Only one of 30 - 40 million. This poor fellow, he was afraid of immigration. How HOT does Hell need to be for this scum???

I think someone is playing off of the immigration story. The truth be told, he was going to rob or rape her. If she was killed up stairs, case closed because he followed her up and killed her in the bathroom. Couldn't he hear that she wasn't on the phone, when he approached her?

That's BS.

Dixie

Tonight on the CNN Headline News channel show, Showbiz Tonight, their lead story was about the murder of Adrienne Shelly, because the movie she directed/starred in is being shown at the Sundance Film Festival. They profiled her tragic murder, but the one thing they did not mention in the piece was the fact that her accused murderer is an illegal alien. They only referred to him as a teenager, never mentioning his name, nationality or immigration status. They didn't show his face, just him walking into the police station with a jacket over his head. They did not mention the motive for the murder, only stating that he was a construction worker in the building where she lived.

I never watch these showbiz type shows, but when I heard them say that their top story was about the murder of Adrienne Shelly, I just had to watch, to see if they would report that the scumbag murderer is an illegal alien. And of course, to which I was not in the least bit surprised, they never even mentioned that he is an illegal alien.

only stating that he was a construction worker in the building where she lived.

I wonder if he was one of the ILLEGALS working on one of the 2 buildings that COLLAPSED in the city due to SHODDY/UNDER CODE work? One of those groups that couldn't speak much if any English --- let alone understand code -- that were gutting & renovating high rise buildings.

BOOOM, CRASH!

hmmmm, wonder........

.

I saw that program this morning. I kept waiting for them to say he was an undocumented entrant, international interloper or something, but never a word.

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Hey, what's one more email, right?

Show transcript, with no mention that the confessed murderer is illegally in the country. The only reference they made to his identity was to call him a teenager, they never mentioned his name, and they most certainly never mentioned that he is an illegal alien:

HAMMER: I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. A Hollywood star involved in a deadly accident. We will have the very latest on that tragedy coming up. But first tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has the last on-screen moments of a promising actress making her mark as a director. She was on the path to making it big, very excited about the movie she was finishing. She even put herself in the movie. But her life was tragically cut short.

VARGAS: That`s right A.J. Brooke Anderson brings us a devastating story from the Sundance Film Festival of a murder that kept a film maker, wife and mother from realizing her dreams.

BROOKE ANDERSON, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT ANCHOR: Sibila, it really is the most tragic story coming out of the Sundance Film Festival. It involves the movie "Waitress," featuring "Felicity" Kerri Russell and "Curb Your Enthusiasm`s" Cheryl Hines who shared with me their devastating heartbreak over the murdered director, who can`t join them in their triumph.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m pregnant. You`re my doctor.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You`re right. It`s crazy. It`s unethical on my part.

ANDERSON (voice-over): "Waitress," a film starring Keri Russell, had the makings of a real-life Cinderella story, a small film that comes from out of nowhere to take the Sundance Film Festival by storm and brings possible stardom to its writer, director and co-star Adrienne Shelly.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have a five minute blind date tonight with an insurance guy named Pete.

ANDERSON: But this Cinderella story comes with a bittersweet ending.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shelly, a Broadway and film actress and director was found hanging from a bed sheet.

ANDERSON: The film`s success marred by the senseless and gruesome murder of its writer, director Adrienne Shelly.

CHERYL HINES, "WAITRESS": We`re very excited to be here because Adrienne, this is what she was hoping, to get into Sundance.

ANDERSON: From Sundance, "Waitress" stars Keri Russell and Cheryl Hines shared their joy and pain with SHOWBIZ TONIGHT over a dream this filmmaker, wife and mother did not live to see come true.

HINES: It brings up so many emotions, because you want to celebrate how great the film is and how great her work is, and then there is another part of you that -- it makes me so angry that somebody took her life.

ANDERSON: Actress, writer, director Adrienne Shelly was a 20-year veteran of the independent film scene. She co-starred, wrote and directed "Waitress." But while she waited to hear if it would play at the Sundance Film Festival, tragedy struck.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shelly, a Broadway and film actress and director, was found hanging from a bed sheet.

ANDERSON: Last November Shelly`s body was found in the bathroom of her New York City office. For days her death was reported to be a suicide. But Keri Russell tells me no one believed that was true.

KERI RUSSELL, "WAITRESS": We all had to go to the funeral for four days with that being the only information. I was so angry. And it was so hurtful to the family. It was hurtful to everyone who loved her. We were all thinking she killed herself, when she was murdered! She was murdered!

ANDERSON: They were right.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This teenager has been charged in the actress` murder. Police say he confessed he struck the 40-year-old mother after she complained about construction noise and then allegedly hung her to cover up the crime.

ANDERSON: A teenager, working a construction job in the building, has been charged with killing Shelly during an argument. He has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trail. Shelly left behind a husband, a young daughter and a film who`s fate she would never know.

JO PIAZZA, "NEW YORK DAILY NEWS": Adrienne`s film, "Waitress," was selected for Sundance days before her murder, so it was really bittersweet. She never found out that the movie was selected for the Sundance Film Festival.

ANDERSON (on camera): Here at Sundance, Adrienne`s family, friends and colleagues were determined to carry on in her memory. They premiered "Waitress" here in hopes of a major film studio picking it up for distribution. The director of Sundance said the screening shouldn`t be a wake, but a celebration, and that`s exactly what it was.

HINES: We just saw the film yesterday for the first time, and it was so -- I really loved it.

RUSSELL: I really loved it.

ANDERSON (voice-over): Russell and Hines told me that seeing their friend`s work is bittersweet.

HINES: You`re just going through these ups and downs. One minute you`re laughing, because the movie is very funny, and then another time you`re just sobbing.

You still feel like you`re going to call her and she`s going to meet us after.

RUSSELL: And she`s going to be like, I can`t believe we`re going to Sundance. I knew it.

ANDERSON: And finally, the happy ending everyone hoped for. Shortly after its Sundance debut, "Waitress" was bought by Fox Search Light reportedly for between four and five million dollars, all but assuring that theater audiences will get to see Shelly`s final work.

Jo Piazza of the "New York Daily News" talked to Shelly`s husband at Sundance.

PIAZZA: He said he was moved by it, but not from seeing Adrienne`s image on the screen so much. It was more knowing that she wasn`t there and just how happy she would be to be getting this great honor of premiering her film at Sundance.

ANDERSON: And the film stars are left to celebrate a triumph that emerged from tragedy.

HINES: I really think Adrienne would have been proud.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: "Waitress" won`t be the only memorial to Adrienne Shelly`s legacy. Her husband has announced a foundation dedicated to helping young women break into independent film. A.J., back to you.