Was she pushed or did the wife fall from cliff at Zion National Park?
Patty
Thursday, November 14, 2002
BY MICHAEL VIGH
THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE
Three months after Patricia Bottarini tumbled down a cliff to her
death, her New Jersey neighbor found memorabilia honoring her athletic
achievements dumped in a garbage can in front of her home.
James Willmott testified Wednesday that he found the items -- a
gold basketball trophy, a plaque and a football signed by members of
her California high school football team -- after Bottarini's husband,
James Bottarini, had finished packing up the house in order to sell
it.
Federal prosecutors hope Willmott's testimony bolsters their
theory that a scheming Bottarini pushed his wife off a 500-foot cliff
in Zion National Park to collect more than $1 million in life
insurance and inheritance.
But Willmott acknowledged on cross-examination that another man
helped Bottarini pack up the house so he could not be sure who tossed
her keepsakes into the trash.
Earlier Wednesday, Willmott's wife, Patty Willmott, testified that
in the weeks before Patricia Bottarini died in the fatal fall May 7,
1997, Bottarini seemed angry. But after he returned from his trip to
Utah -- without Patricia Bottarini -- the anger had vanished.
"The big crease that was in his forehead was gone," Patty Willmott
told jurors. "He seemed very calm."
Before going to Zion National Park, Patty Willmott said, the
Bottarinis took an extended trip to Southern California. When the
couple returned, things seemed different between her and Patricia
Bottarini, Patty Willmott testified.
"Patty was not as friendly; she seemed very agitated," Patty
Willmott said.
Still, the Willmotts did not testify that Patricia Bottarini had
ever discussed divorce or complained of marital woes with her husband.
Patty Willmott said the only marital discord she could recall was
"one time [Bottarini] criticized Patty's cooking."
Meanwhile, Michael Dee, a former colleague of Bottarini's in the
commodities futures trading business, testified that Bottarini had
speculated that his wife "might have been swatting at a bee" when she
fell.
Dee, who had dated Patricia Bottarini for about three years in the
1980s, said Bottarini told him the trail where she fell wasn't all
that steep or narrow. Dee said he asked Bottarini whether his wife had
jumped.
"He said that wasn't possible, she was the happiest she'd been in
her life," said Dee, who also testified that Patricia Bottarini was
concerned about her husband's gambling.
Also Wednesday, William Heitner, an investigator for the U.S.
Commodities Futures Trading Commission, testified that James Bottarini
lost large sums of money trading futures stocks. Between January 1995
and April 30, 1997, Bottarini lost more than $70,000, Heitner
testified.
Bottarini lost an additional $1,000 in another set of
transactions, Heitner said.
Bottarini, 43, is charged with four counts of wire fraud and one
count each of making false statements and interstate domestic
violence. If convicted, he could spend life behind bars.
Prosecutors from Washington County, where the incident occurred,
are awaiting the results of the federal trial to determine if they
will file a murder charge against Bottarini.
PattyC
news:f0e77308.02111...@posting.google.com...
He did it. That money lost sure seems to be telling. And throwing out her
"stuff" says something. I don't care if the other guy was there. If
someone were helping you deal with such a task, think about it. WHO would
throw away your memorabilia? Nah... At least the friend would ASK the
hubby, and the hubby would at least ask family members if they wanted any of
it...
And what were those neighbors doing going thru the trash?
PattyC
--
???
PeterDoug72
Scorpi...@attnospam.net
>
>He did it. That money lost sure seems to be telling. And throwing
out her
>"stuff" says something. I don't care if the other guy was there. If
>someone were helping you deal with such a task, think about it. WHO
would
>throw away your memorabilia? Nah... At least the friend would ASK
the
>hubby, and the hubby would at least ask family members if they wanted
any of
>it...
>
>And what were those neighbors doing going thru the trash?
>
>PattyC
>--
>???
While we think he did it, the case seems pretty weak. I wonder if
they have more info on this then we know. Any background on this?
--
The most momentous thing in human life is
the art of winning the soul to
good or evil. Pythagoras
tiny dancer
<Scorpi...@attNOSPAM.net> wrote in message
news:3dd41d73....@netnews.worldnet.att.net...
>
> >
> >He did it. That money lost sure seems to be telling. And throwing
> out her
> >"stuff" says something. I don't care if the other guy was there. If
> >someone were helping you deal with such a task, think about it. WHO
> would
> >throw away your memorabilia? Nah... At least the friend would ASK
> the
> >hubby, and the hubby would at least ask family members if they wanted
> any of
> >it...
> >
> >And what were those neighbors doing going thru the trash?
> >
> >PattyC
> >--
> >???
>
> While we think he did it, the case seems pretty weak. I wonder if
> they have more info on this then we know. Any background on this?
We had one similar to this here in the mountains of N.C., a man pushed his
wife over the edge........but witnesses were able to come forward and say
they had heard a woman screaming for help for awhile after the initial
'fall'........whereas the husband said 'she fell and though he tried, he
never heard a sound from her after the fall'............ He claimed it took
him awhile to 'hike out' of the mountains and go for help. Long story
short, they got the sucker for murder.
td
Kris Baker
<Scorpi...@attNOSPAM.net> wrote in message
news:3dd41d73....@netnews.worldnet.att.net...
>
> >
> out her
> >"stuff" says something. I don't care if the other guy was there. If
> >someone were helping you deal with such a task, think about it. WHO
> would
> >throw away your memorabilia? Nah... At least the friend would ASK
> the
> >hubby, and the hubby would at least ask family members if they wanted
> any of
> >it...
> >
> >And what were those neighbors doing going thru the trash?
> >
> >PattyC
> >--
> >???
>
> While we think he did it, the case seems pretty weak. I wonder if
> they have more info on this then we know. Any background on this?
>
They have lots.
The jury was taken on a hike to the actual site (Observation Point)
this week (or it's tomorrow, the radio news was confusing).
Evidently, there's something about the topography in that
specific spot, that investigators found easy to determine whether
this was a slip-and-fall or a push.
Yesterday's trial notes:
http://www.sltrib.com/2002/nov/11132002/utah/16039.htm
Kris