Aspen - Murder On The Slopes
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Aspen, 1976. Actress Claudine Longet accidentally shot her ski champ lover in the stomach. Or was it murder? The trial caused a stir, and Longet's marriage to her defence attorney.
Aspen: Murder On The Slopes Crime Central
Once a prosperous silver mining camp, Aspen evolved into a year-round mountain retreat for the rich and famous. It was a place where the powerful could forget the hustle and bustle of their hectic lives. But in 1976, one of the town's most glamorous residents found herself behind a smoking gun. The accidental shooting death of ski champion Vladimir Sabich shocked the community and outraged the nation as many felt his rich girlfriend was using her wealth and connections to get away with murder.
Aspen lies at an altitude of 8,000 feet on Colorado's Roaring Fork River. It is one of the most popular ski centers in the western United States. It is a magnet for celebrities including Jack Nicholson, Kevin Costner, and Goldie Hawn. But these stars are relative newcomers to Aspen. One of the first celebrities to make Aspen her home was French actress Claudine Longet.
Longet moved to Aspen in 1974 to be with her lover, downhill ski champion Vladimir "Spider" Sabich. Due to injuries, Sabich's career was heading south on a downhill slope, and by 1976, he had retired from competition. Tensions soon developed in the relationship. The ex-champion told friends their relationship would either end, or they'd be married within a year. Sabich could not have guessed how tragic the end would be.
On March 21, 1976, Longet finished a hard day of hitting the slopes. Late in the afternoon, Longet returned home. At 6:30, she called police and reported that she had accidentally shot Sabich in the stomach. Sabich was taken to Aspen Valley Hospital. Longet was taken into custody.
Longet was put on trial for murder. In Aspen and around the world, people watched and waited to find out if the famous actress would end up in jail. Her ex-husband, pop star Andy Williams, flew to Aspen and stood by Longet during the trial.
Throughout the high profile trial, the jury listened to testimony for and against Longet. The prosecutor claimed she had purposely murdered her boyfriend during an argument. Longet claimed that Sabich had been instructing her on the proper use of the gun when it accidentally discharged. The decision belonged to the jury, and all of Aspen waited to learn whether or not one of their own would spend the next ski season in prison.
After deliberation, the jury refused to believe Longet's story and found her guilty of reckless endangerment. Although she could have received 2 years in jail, she was ordered to serve only 30 days after convincing the judge the "stigma" of prison would harm her children. In Aspen, at the lodges and local ski boutiques, locals were stunned with the verdict. After returning from a Latin American vacation and then serving her month in jail, Longet married her defense attorney Ron Austin. Vladimir Sabich's legacy is confined to a framed display of his skis in Aspen's Hard Rock Cafe. The Longet/Sabich case did not end the allure of Aspen for those able to afford its charms; in fact, Longet's short sentence only confirmed how different the world of the Aspen elite is from the lives of mere mortals.
Once a prosperous silver mining camp, Aspen evolved into a year-round mountain retreat for the rich and famous. It was a place where the powerful could forget the hustle and bustle of their hectic lives. But in 1976, one of the town's most glamorous residents found herself behind a smoking gun. The accidental shooting death of ski champion Vladimir Sabich shocked the community and outraged the nation as many felt his rich girlfriend was using her wealth and connections to get away with murder.
Aspen lies at an altitude of 8,000 feet on Colorado's Roaring Fork River. It is one of the most popular ski centers in the western United States. It is a magnet for celebrities including Jack Nicholson, Kevin Costner, and Goldie Hawn. But these stars are relative newcomers to Aspen. One of the first celebrities to make Aspen her home was French actress Claudine Longet.
Longet moved to Aspen in 1974 to be with her lover, downhill ski champion Vladimir "Spider" Sabich. Due to injuries, Sabich's career was heading south on a downhill slope, and by 1976, he had retired from competition. Tensions soon developed in the relationship. The ex-champion told friends their relationship would either end, or they'd be married within a year. Sabich could not have guessed how tragic the end would be.
On March 21, 1976, Longet finished a hard day of hitting the slopes. Late in the afternoon, Longet returned home. At 6:30, she called police and reported that she had accidentally shot Sabich in the stomach. Sabich was taken to Aspen Valley Hospital. Longet was taken into custody.
Longet was put on trial for murder. In Aspen and around the world, people watched and waited to find out if the famous actress would end up in jail. Her ex-husband, pop star Andy Williams, flew to Aspen and stood by Longet during the trial.
Throughout the high profile trial, the jury listened to testimony for and against Longet. The prosecutor claimed she had purposely murdered her boyfriend during an argument. Longet claimed that Sabich had been instructing her on the proper use of the gun when it accidentally discharged. The decision belonged to the jury, and all of Aspen waited to learn whether or not one of their own would spend the next ski season in prison.
After deliberation, the jury refused to believe Longet's story and found her guilty of reckless endangerment. Although she could have received 2 years in jail, she was ordered to serve only 30 days after convincing the judge the "stigma" of prison would harm her children. In Aspen, at the lodges and local ski boutiques, locals were stunned with the verdict. After returning from a Latin American vacation and then serving her month in jail, Longet married her defense attorney Ron Austin. Vladimir Sabich's legacy is confined to a framed display of his skis in Aspen's Hard Rock Cafe. The Longet/Sabich case did not end the allure of Aspen for those able to afford its charms; in fact, Longet's short sentence only confirmed how different the world of the Aspen elite is from the lives of mere mortals.
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