John du Pont shot and killed Olympic wrestler Dave Schultz on this week in Philly history
Du Pont died in prison four years before an award-winning film starring Steve Carrell about the incident would hit theaters.
The multimillionaire became a murderer on Jan. 26, 1996. That part is known.
But why John du Pont shot and killed Dave Schultz, an Olympic champion freestyle wrestler who was living and working on du Pont’s Newtown Square estate, is still a mystery.
Foxcatcher
John Eleuthere du Pont was not a captain of industry, but he was a descendant of one.
His great-great-great-grandfather was Eleuthere Irenée du Pont de Nemours, who founded the Wilmington chemical giant.
The most notable title of the du Pont heir’s life was sports enthusiast.
He transformed his 800-acre estate, known as Foxcatcher Farm, into a world-class athletic training facility. He opened the facility to athletes and their families so they had a place to stay while wrestlers, like Schultz, could prepare for major competitions.
In 1996, Schultz, a 1984 Olympic gold medalist, and his family stayed there while he trained for that year’s Summer Olympics.
But even before the run-up to the Summer Games, du Pont’s behavior had become increasingly strange.
Conviction
His sister-in-law, Martha du Pont, said they expected something like this to happen.
Foxcatcher’s overseer had been abusing cocaine and alcohol, and had been walking around with loaded guns for several years.
During angry outbursts, he would even threaten athletes with guns.
But why he pointed a .44-caliber revolver at the 36-year-old Schultz during an argument on the estate’s grounds and fired three times will forever be a mystery.
Du Pont holed up in his mansion for two days before surrendering to police after his heat was cut off during an especially cold weekend.
On Feb. 25, 1997, he was ruled guilty but mentally ill, and convicted of third-degree murder.
He offered no explanation for his behavior, only excuses.
He was sentenced to 13 to 30 years in prison.
Du Pont died in prison at age 72 on Dec. 9, 2010, four years before an award-winning film starring Steve Carell about the incident would hit theaters.
Nearly 30 years after his conviction, he is the only member of the Forbes 400 richest Americans to have been convicted of murder.
Nancy Schultz, who witnessed the shooting, said she never understood why her husband was killed. And she was struck by something du Pont never did.
“He never just said, ‘I’m sorry.’”