Dateline - While She Was Sleeping- Who was Nancy Pfister, and what happened to her? Horrifying details of a 2014 murder, revealed

NBC's Dateline - While She Was Sleeping aired on October 10, 2014. This episode deals with the 2014 brutal murder of a 57-year-old affluent socialite, Nancy Pfister. On the cold and chilly night of February 26, 2014, Nancy Pfister's lifeless and wounded body was found in her home in the Rocky Mountains. The brutal murder shook the small yet wealthy community of Aspen.

Often called the Billionaire's Paradise, Aspen is considered one of the areas with the lowest crime rate in the U.S. Yet secluded property crimes such as these continue to haunt the community.

The synopsis of the Dateline episode that was re-released on January 29, 2017, reads,

"In Aspen, Colorado, socialite Nancy Pfister had a long list of friends, then she is found beaten to death in a closet of her Rocky Mountain Home."

As the detectives start with their investigations, they find that the case is entangled with secrets, betrayals, and lies. Investigators spiralled down three major suspects of the case. The Stylers, an old couple and former tenants of Nancy's property, and her friend Katherine (Kathy) Carpenter, who alerted the authorities about the unfortunate incident. Who killed Nancy Pfister? What happened to her?

Here's what we know about the case.

Dateline - While She Was Sleeping - What happened to the Aspen socialite Nancy Pfister in 2014?

Born on July 4, 1956, Nancy Pfister had a privileged upbringing since her childhood. Her father, Art Pfister, was the owner of the Buttermilk Ski Resorts. She dropped out of college to continue her family business and expand local tourism.

Nancy raised her daughter, Juliana, and her son as a single mother and lived in the chalet in the Rocky Mountains. A popular socialite, she was well known within her community. According to a CBS news report, her friend and artist Michael Cleverly said,

"Nancy Pfister was a real heartbreaker. She dated Jack Nicholson. She dated Michael Douglas...everyone knows that."

However, her vibrant life was cut short when, on February 26, 2014, her bruised body plastic wrapped was found in her walk-in closet at her Rocky Mountains home. Kathy Carpenter alerted the authorities after she found her friend's blood-stained body in the closet. When the investigators reached the location, they soon determined that it was a case of homicide.

As per the Dateline episode, she was killed on her bed and then dragged to the closet. Pfister's bruised and lifeless body was then wrapped in comforters and plastic wrappers. The investigators found out that she had a blunt trauma mark on her head and chest, along with an axe mark on her torso and a blood-stained mattress. As there were no marks of struggle, the investigators believed that she was beaten to death in her sleep.

Who did this? Continue reading to know more about the case.

Dateline - While She Was Sleeping - Who killed Nancy Pfister?

Kathy Carpenter informed the detectives about an ongoing rift between the Stylers and Nancy Pfister. Nancy and Trey Styler were a retired couple who decided to rent Nancy's chalet for three months, for a rent of $12,000.

William Trey Styler and Nancy Styler previously lived a comfortable life in Denver, but things went downhill when the 60-something couple faced financial difficulties due to Trey's health issues. They decided to move to Aspen and start a wellness spa, as Nancy was well-trained in Botox and laser.

Pfister had planned a trip to Australia during the winter, hence found it a suitable time to rent her chalet. Initially, when the Stylers moved in, Nancy Pfister was very cordial with them. But Nancy Styler, during the interrogation, stated that Pfister treated them like slaves after she got the upfront rent of $6000.

The Stylers, unable to deal with such difficulties, decided to move out of the chalet to a motel on February 22, 2014. Thus, Nancy Pfister had to cut her Australia trip short to solve this rent situation. And just after four days, Pfister's lifeless body was found in her closet.

As per Oxygen, the investigators found a blood-stained hammer/axe, some medicines, a master key to Pfister's closet, and their car's documents from a dustbin near their motel. However, the investigators arrested Kathy Carpenter, too, as they thought she might have been envious of Nancy Pfister and had planned the murder with the Stylers.

A surprising confession from the former doctor William Trey Styler put an end to the case. Trey confessed to killing Nancy Pfister due to his rage and sorrow. Thus, Trey, as per CBS News, was sentenced to 20 years in prison as part of his plea deal. However, he committed su**** in while serving his sentence in 2015 in a correctional facility in Fremont County.

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Also read: Dateline: Evil in a College Town — What happened to Brook Baker and Erika Norman? Disturbing details of the Indiana murders, revealed

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