The city manager in Newport, Rhode Island, is standing by the city police department’s review of the 1966 death of an employee of wealthy heiress Doris Duke that found that there is no new information that would change the result of the original investigation that determined it was an accident.
Police opened the review into the death of Eduardo Tirella in July after a witness who had never before talked to police came forward after reading the book “Homicide at Rough Point,” by Peter Lance. The author and journalist who grew up in Newport suggested Duke, who died in 1993, acted with intent when she struck Tirella with a car at her mansion.
That witness, Bob Walker, 68, was a 13-year-old paperboy at the time who was first upon the scene, and his account differed from official versions of what happened.
But while Detective Jacque Wuest, who conducted the review, found Walker to be “credible,” she concluded in a statement to Lance last week: “There is no new evidence that would change the previous conclusion in this matter, nor is there any new evidence that warrants further review.”
The statement Tuesday from the office of City Manager Joseph Nicholson Jr. stood by the police, saying “at this time we cannot ascribe any definitive motive or intent to Ms. Duke.”
“To that end, it would be imprudent to either reclassify this incident or to offer any further commentary beyond our official opinion. Accordingly, as we have previously articulated, it remains the opinion of the Newport Police Department that there is not sufficient evidence to draw any firm conclusions as to the motivations of Ms. Duke,” the statement said.
Duke inherited her money from her father, James Duke, president of the American Tobacco Co. and co-founder of the company known today as Duke Energy. Duke University in North Carolina is named for her family.
Tirella had worked as a designer for Duke for several years.
