New York high-society socialite found fatally beaten
AN American socialite and millionairess whose son was involved in the messy break-up of a New York governor’s marriage to a member of the Kennedy family has been found beaten to death at her 300-acre ranch.
Lois Colley, 83, was discovered in the laundry room of Windswept Farm, her hilltop estate in North Salem, 60 miles north of Manhattan. Found by her housekeeper on Monday night, she had been beaten with a fire extinguisher in a crime that has shocked the town, which has not had a murder since a drug dealer was killed four years ago.
Mrs Colley’s husband Eugene, 88, made his fortune from a chain of 100 McDonald’s franchises and the couple were well known in the community, being active members of the golf club, gardening society and local hunt.
The New York Times featured the couple in a 1996 report on the local fox hunt – at a time when Prince Charles was under fire for taking his sons hunting. The pair had four sons, all of whom became successful financiers and businessmen, with their eldest Bruce spending his time playing polo with Prince Harry, and running his glamorous Manhattan restaurant Man Ray – now closed – with co-investors Johnny Depp, Sean Penn and John Malkovich.
Bruce Colley caused a scandal in 2003 when it emerged he had been having an affair with Kerry Kennedy, daughter of Bobby Kennedy and wife of the current governor of New York state, Andrew Cuomo.
Mr Colley and his wife had spent holidays skiing in Aspen with Mr Cuomo and his wife, and the affair was the talk of New York tabloids for months.
Robert Kennedy Jr, Kerry’s brother, and Mr Cuomo’s father Mario – a three- term governor of New York state – reportedly attempted to mediate. Mr Cuomo filed for divorce shortly after.
But the Colley family had in recent years lived a life of quiet luxury, in their rural retreat in Upstate New York.
Nancy Colley Balicki, a niece from Staten Island, said her aunt was a great woman. “Lois was the most kind and gentle person. She was a wonderful woman and very generous.
“She was such a great lady, I can’t believe this happened to her,” she said.
Both Mrs Colley’s husband and the housekeeper have been ruled out as suspects, and police are continuing to search for the killer. Police believe the murder was a robbery that went wrong, despite there being nothing taken from the estate.
“Our heart goes out the family,” said Warren Lucas, town supervisor. “It’s a travesty. She was a very, very nice person. She always had a nice thing to say whenever you saw her.
“You don’t have this happen too often in Westchester or in our town. It’s a very sad situation.”