Eva Schoen: Tragedy in Telluride

The letter didn't sit well with Joe and Mark, who promptly filed a libel lawsuit. Then the investigation stalled until 1993, three years after Eva's death. The television show "Unsolved Mysteries" aired a segment on the case, and a viewer came forward to say his brother-in-law, Frank Marquis, had told him about killing "that woman up in Telluride" in 1990.

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Marquis, 38, had gone on to give the tipster details about the killing including the fact that Eva had been shot in the back with a .25-caliber pistol. Sheriff Masters located Marquis in New Mexico, and he was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and burglary.

Frank Marquis

A year passed while Marquis' lawyer prepared for trial. In that time, the lawsuit contesting Joe's takeover of Americo went to trial. A $1.47 billion verdict was returned in favor of Sam and L.S., which included $70 million in punitive damages against Joe for hateful and malicious behavior, according to Business Wire.

On Oct. 26, 1994, Marquis decided to plead guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter and burglary. He received 24 years in prison. At his sentencing, he apologized to Eva's family and described how he committed the murder.

Marquis, on parole for rape, said he had been in the neighborhood to commit burglaries and picked Eva's home because no dogs had been barking, the house had been unlit and a door unlocked, according to the Rocky Mountain News. He said he had gone upstairs because it would be the likely place to find valuables and had been surprised to find Eva at home when he opened her door.

Eva saw Marquis, yelled at him to leave the house and struggled with him. Marquis' gun had gone off unexpectedly, he said. Eva staggered toward the staircase and collapsed, dead, he added. Marquis then fled and buried the gun at an unidentified site. Masters originally thought Eva had been sleeping.