48 Hours Update: Was A Chauffer Driven To Murder His Millionaire Boss?
STAMFORD, Conn. (CBS News, 48 Hours | Mystery/AP)
A millionaire is murdered. His chauffeur is suspected of hatching the plan and now the chauffeur's cousin is on trial as the alleged trigger man.
Connecticut real estate mogul Andrew Kissel lived the good life. A mansion in Greenwich, a beautiful wife, two children, a ski house in Vermont, and "30-some" cars. Life couldn't have gotten any better for the seemingly self-made man.
Kissel grew up in New Jersey, as the oldest of three children in an upwardly mobile family. He started his own auto parts business just out of high school, and eventually become a real estate developer in New York. Kissel spared no expense to amuse himself and his friends; he owned a 90-foot yacht and jet skis to match.
But where did all that money come from? It turns out that Kissel relied on a number of scams to give the appearance of wealth. And with all the scams came a long list of victims with an ax to grind.
To avoid legal action, Kissel agreed to pay back what he owed, which was nearly $4 million. Was that enough to satisfy those he cheated or where other dark forces at work?
In 2006, Kissel was found stabbed to death in his home just days before he was to plead guilty in a multimillion-dollar fraud case. One of the few people left in Andrew's life was Carlos Trujillo, his driver and personal assistant - one of the men now charged with his murder.
Trujillo is accused of hiring his cousin, Leonard, to kill Kissel. Jury selection began this week in the cousin's capital murder case.
Leonard Trujillo is charged with murder and conspiracy, and is eligible for the death penalty if convicted. His attorney says jury selection is expected to last two weeks, and the trial could start by July 7.
Prosecutors dropped the capital felony charge Tuesday just before the beginning of jury selection. The dismissal of the charge means a jury can consider less than a mandatory punishment of life in prison.
Investigators suggest that money may have been the motive.
48 Hours Mystery investigated the case in a 2006 episode.