Millionaire, wife, lover
On the brink of divorce, a wealthy man is found dead...
Theodore Ammon, had made his fortune in banking. His house was in one of the most exclusive roads in the Hamptons.
At first glance, Daniel Pelosi could have moved in the same circles as Ted, but their backgrounds couldn’t have been more different. Yet they had something in common – Ted’s wife Generosa was now Pelosi’s lover.
Ted and Generosa had married in 1986. Then, in 1992, he left the world of big banks, setting up his own company specialising in ad inserts for papers.
Ted’s career star shone brighter as the years went by. But his private life was no longer sparkling.
By 2001, he and Generosa were going through a acrimonious divorce battle.
Then Generosa had met Daniel Pelosi when he was overseeing work on the new home she was having built.
A new start with a new man. Nothing untoward about that. The divorce was nearly over, just a week or so until papers would be signed...
But then Ted Ammon was found naked and bludgeoned in his mansion, aged just 52. Now it wasn’t simply a bloody divorce battle, it was a bloody murder.
Generosa had been set for a comfortable life with the divorce settlement. But was it enough to keep her in the lifestyle to which she’d become accustomed?
Ted’s net worth was estimated at $100 million (around £80 million). A hefty inheritance, perhaps enough to spark the idea of murder. Generosa and her new lover would seem to have the perfect motive for killing. And, in the middle of it all, two children were left without a dad. However, no arrests were made. Daniel Pelosi claimed he was with friends, drinking, when Ted was slaughtered. Just three months later, on 15 January 2002, Generosa
his private life was no longer sparkling
and Daniel married and began a life together – complete with the bulk of Ted’s estate, which Generosa inherited, since the divorce wasn’t finalised, and his will left it all to her. Meanwhile, the police continued to investigate Ted’s death. Despite the couple’s denial of their guilt, still so many questions remained… Did the newlyweds collaborate in the killing? Or had Generosa manipulated Daniel to kill her husband, while she kept her hands clean? After several previous run-ins with the law – notably for punching a crew member of a tour boat, and stealing $43,000 of electricity from the Long Island Power Company – in 2004, Daniel Pelosi was arrested for Ted’s murder. But police still couldn’t arrest Generosa. The year before, she’d died of breast cancer. The only person left to account for Ted’s death was Pelosi – who still protested his innocence. Pleading not guilty at the trial, he claimed Generosa was behind the killing, her motive revenge fuelled by bitter hatred. And, even as evidence seemed to mount against him, Pelosi was calm, winking and smiling at relatives in the courtroom. His alibi was still clear and quite simple. He was out drinking with a mate when Ted Ammon was murdered. Then it emerged that Pelosi had said he enjoyed zapping co-workers with a stun gun. One witness said he’d paid someone to spy on Ted using a laptop that could tap into Ted’s house. And there were more revelations – about Ted himself... It was claimed he’d met up with a gay lover hours before his death. Was the alleged lover the killer? Then there was a phone call Ted was said to have made from a nearby beach, a well-known gay hangout. Had he met someone there who wanted him dead, too? Now, former lovers and business partners were called to tell the court what they knew of Generosa Ammon and Daniel Pelosi.
The jury had to decide…was Daniel Pelosi a killer? Or had Generosa taken her guilt to the grave?
Police still couldn’t arrest generosa...