John du Pont was buried in his wrestling singlet

John Eleuthere du Pont, the eccentric multimillionaire who killed an Olympic wrestler in 1996 at his Newtown Square estate, was buried in his red Foxcatcher wrestling singlet, in accordance with his will.

Du Pont, 72, died Dec. 9 at a prison in Somerset County, Pa., of acute aspiration pneumonia. He had spent almost 15 years behind bars for killing gold medal-winning wrestler David Schultz on the grounds of his Foxcatcher Farm estate and training facility.

The petition of probate for his will, filed in Delaware County, lists the minimum value of du Pont's estate at an estimated $1 million. Not listed are the proceeds of the April sale of Foxcatcher for $28.5 million. That money has been put into a trust.

The exact amount of du Pont's holdings beyond Foxcatcher will become known when the estate is settled, said Taras M. Wochok, a close friend of and attorney for du Pont.

Until killing Schultz, du Pont, a former Marine who attended the Haverford School, the University of Miami, and Villanova University, was best known as a sports patron with an interest in natural sciences - and for his wild behavior.

He left nothing for his former wife, Gail Wenk du Pont, whom he divorced in 1987.

The will stipulates that 80 percent of his holdings beyond the trust be divided among former wrestler Valentin Jordanov Dimitrov of Sewickley, Pa., and Dimitrov's wife, children, and other family members, some of whom reside in Bulgaria. Dimitrov also is the executor. He could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

At the time of the killing, Dimitrov, originally from Bulgaria, lived in one of the houses on du Pont's estate. During negotiations in a two-day standoff that began Jan. 26, 1996, with police at the estate, du Pont asked to speak to Dimitrov.

During open statements in the 1997 murder trial, then-First Assistant District Attorney Joseph McGettigan hinted that du Pont was jealous of the friendship that had developed between Schultz and Dimitrov.

Dimitrov and his family were close with du Pont and kept touch with him while he was in prison, Wochok said.

"There were times they saw him weekly, there were times they saw him monthly," Wochok said. Du Pont had visited family members in Bulgaria and stayed in their homes, Wochok added.

The other 20 percent of the estate will go to the John E. du Pont Foundation, known as the Eurasian Pacific Wildlife Foundation, in Pittsburgh. The nonprofit supports scholarly work on wildlife conservation, mostly in the South Pacific.

A great-great-great-grandson of the founder of the chemical company, du Pont grew up in a mansion that is a replica of President James Madison's Virginia home, Montpelier.

Du Pont bequeathed his mahogany desk, reputed to have been used by Madison, to Montpelier, in care of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Du Pont willed his swimming memorabilia to the Swimming Hall of Fame in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; wrestling-related materials to FILA, the sport's international governing body, in Switzerland; his natural-history books and photos to the University of Miami; all letters, books, and photos pertaining to his family to the Hagley Museum in Greenville, Del.; his Buddha materials to the Three Rivers Dharma Center in Pittsburgh; and his World War II memorabilia to the Imperial War Museum in London.

Dianne Hazen Brady, a secretary and paralegal, was bequeathed $1,000 for every year she worked for du Pont.

The major part of his fortune may have been the land he owned in Newtown Square.

The original estate - about 800 acres - was divided between du Pont and his mother, Jean Liseter Austin du Pont. Her part of the property was sold years ago, said Wochok.

John du Pont's portion was sold in April for $28.5 million, said David B. Gifford, a Philadelphia lawyer who represented Ashford Land Co., the purchaser of the 415-acre property.

That money was placed in a trust outside the will, which is common in estate planning, said Gifford. Since the trust is not a public record, the beneficiaries may never be known, he said.

"Once it goes into a trust, it is as much a mystery to me as it is to you," Gifford said.