Guilt by Matrimony

A Memoir of Love, Madness, and the Murder of Nancy Pfister

“An amazing story about a homicidal web of deceit fueled by mental illness. It is not a typical true-crime tale—it is in a class by itself.” —Diane Fanning, author of Bitter Remains

In 2014, an Aspen socialite was bludgeoned, wrapped in a sheet, and stuffed inside a locked closet. Fewer than twelve hours after her body was found, and without any evidence, police decided a married couple from Denver had killed Nancy Pfister. Within a few days, they charged Nancy Styler—a friend of Pfister’s who’d had a falling out with her over a business deal—and Dr. Trey Styler, Nancy’s disabled husband, who’d recently lost the family home, his medical practice, and any hope of a peaceful retirement for himself and his wife. Eleven days later, police also charged Kathy Carpenter, Pfister’s underpaid and overworked personal assistant.

Months later, Trey Styler, who was slowly losing his grip on reality as he battled mental illness, confessed. Speculation spread about whether he was involved at all or if his confession was that of a man on his deathbed—because a medical condition appeared to have left him barely able to walk, much less carry out such a heinous crime.

Here, Styler’s widow reveals the answers to the biggest mysteries of this case and recounts the trauma of being falsely accused and imprisoned for a first-degree murder she had no knowledge of. And, in the only interview before his death, Trey gives his account of that fateful day. New York Times–bestselling author Daleen Berry covers this compelling story from the inside, following the Stylers from their fairy-tale life in Denver to the morning of their arrest to Nancy’s release from jail and attempts to rebuild her shattered life. Filled with details from exclusive interviews, a close look at the botched police work, and first-person accounts of what really happened, Guilt by Matrimony is the definitive look at a shocking murder that rocked Aspen.

“A tale of murder and intrigue among Aspen’s chic social set . . . A true-crime yarn with all of the vital ingredients, from high-life scheming to whiplash-inducing red herrings to a classic twist ending.” —John Temple, author of American Pain: How a Young Felon and His Ring of Doctors Unleashed America’s Deadliest Drug Epidemic