A 19 year-old construction worker has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of actress Adrienne Shelly, according to the New York Times. Shelly, who starred in Hal Hartley‘s "Trust" and "The Unbelievable Truth" as well as this year’s "Factotum," was 40.
The Times reports that Diego Pillco had argued with Shelly after she had complained about the noise coming from construction work in the floor below her apartment in Greenwich Village. Pillco allegedly knocked Shelly unconscious, and dragged her to the bathroom with a sheet around her neck to make the incident look like a suicide.
Shelly’s body was discovered by her husband, Andy Ostroy, who was suspicious of the initial police reports that her death was a suicide. Police traced a boot print found in Shelly’s apartment to the construction site, and matched it with Pillco. Pillco confessed to the crime, and has been held without bail.
In addition to her acting credits, Shelly wrote and directed several films; she had recently completed her latest, "Waitress," starring Nathan Fillion and Keri Russell, which was submitted for consideration to this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
