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NYPD: Indie Actress Murdered, Not a Suicide

Adrienne Shelly (Trust, The Unbelievable Truth), who was found hanged in her West Village apartment on Nov. 1, was in fact murdered, police have since learned. Led by the clue of a sneaker print in the bathtub where Shelly was discovered, the New York City Police Department ultimately were led to Diego Pillco, a 19-year-old illegal immigrant who had been renovating the apartment below Shelly's, and while doing so fielded a complaint from her about the noise he was making. Having apparently panicked that he might be deported if Shelly filed a complaint with the police, Pillco "snapped," assaulted the married mother of a toddler in her apartment, then staged the suicide. Pillco has been charged with second-degree murder.

Matt Mitovich Nov. 7, 2006 at 11:47 a.m. PT

Adrienne Shelly ( Trust, The Unbelievable Truth), who was found hanged in her West Village apartment on Nov. 1, was in fact murdered, police have since learned. Led by the clue of a sneaker print in the bathtub where Shelly was discovered, the New York City Police Department ultimately were led to Diego Pillco, a 19-year-old illegal immigrant who had been renovating the apartment below Shelly's, and while doing so fielded a complaint from her about the noise he was making. Having apparently panicked that he might be deported if Shelly filed a complaint with the police, Pillco "snapped," assaulted the married mother of a toddler in her apartment, then staged the suicide. Pillco has been charged with second-degree murder.