Roberto Villegas, a 38-year-old Argentine polo player, was found dead on September 7, 1997, in the kitchen of Ashland Farms, the estate of his girlfriend Susan Cummings in Warrenton, Virginia. The cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds; prosecutors said he was seated and eating breakfast when he was shot four times and a knife found near his body was notably clean of blood.

Cummings, then 35 and the daughter of a billionaire arms dealer, was arrested on a charge of first-degree murder. She claimed self-defense, saying Villegas had been abusive and had threatened her with a knife that morning; her lawyers noted scratches on her arm and past concerns she had voiced about his aggression. Prosecutors questioned the authenticity of those injuries and presented forensic evidence countering her account.

In May 1998 a jury convicted Cummings of voluntary manslaughter and recommended a sentence of 60 days in jail and a $2,500 fine; she served 51 days. The verdict divided opinion in the community and among Villegas’s friends. If anyone knew Roberto, Susan, or the dynamics at Ashland Farms, please share what you remember.