Murder among rich, famous reads like whodunit

Nancy Jacobsen, SPECIAL TO THE NEWS

Published May 31, 2002 at midnight

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When the lives of the rich and famous become tainted by murder, their names splattered across the front pages in a sensational way, almost no one can resist a look.

Such was the situation in 1992 in Richmond, Va., when well-known art collector and scientist Roger de la Burde was found dead in his home.

The story has all the ingredients for a successful episode of Law & Order: the longtime girlfriend, the pregnant mistress, the cuckolded husband and the victims of de la Burde's million-dollar scams, all with motives. Or was it a suicide?

For his new book, The Count and the Confession , author John Taylor extensively interviewed the many characters who contribute to the investigation, trial and verdict and read thousands of pages of documents. The book is a collection of facts but reads more like a whodunit.

Taylor isn't sympathetic to any particular character; his work indicates no bias. It's ultimately up to the reader to decide whether the genteel mother of three who was de la Burde's girlfriend is an innocent victim languishing in prison or a coldblooded killer.

De la Burde was originally from Krakow, Poland. Eventually settling in Richmond, he found work with the Philip Morris Co. as a scientist. He claimed he was a count, and his letterhead read Roger Z. CTE DE LA BURDE, an entirely false claim. He collected African and abstract art, wore ascots and smoking jackets and routinely propositioned women he barely knew.

De la Burde sold and donated knockoff pieces of art, which he claimed were authentic, to other collectors, and institutions. He was admittedly a scoundrel, but his entertaining and eccentric manner nevertheless made him a local favorite.

De la Burde was found dead on his living-room couch, a single bullet wound in his forehead. Although originally thought to be a suicide, investigators quickly changed direction and targeted his girlfriend, Beverly Monroe, as the primary suspect.

Monroe vehemently denied murdering Roger but failed a polygraph test and was skillfully guided into a halting confession by a police investigator. Although she claimed she had been coerced into the confession, it was eventually used to convict her.

The book is brimming with details of legal preparation and trial proceedings. It covers forensic evidence, circumstantial evidence and the views of a score of tangential characters, many of whom may have had motives for murder. The case for suicide is strongly presented and with it many sordid details of de la Burde's public and private life.

After Monroe's conviction, her daughter, Katie, a lawyer, devoted herself to her mother's cause, bringing appeals to appropriate courts and eventually a writ of habeas corpus, the last resort to free her mother. Her efforts failed, and Monroe is still incarcerated.

During the discovery for the appeals, compelling evidence in favor of the suicide theory was revealed, but the original conviction was not reversed.

Monroe emerges as a likable character, one you'd hardly think capable of murder. The reader may sympathize with Katie Monroe as she continues to champion her mother's cause.

For those who don't find themselves engrossed by the labyrinth of legal proceedings, the courtroom detail may prove overwhelming. But it's balanced with enough personal detail from the Monroe and de la Burde families to sustain interest.

Taylor's research results in an absorbing, quick read, portraying bizarre interpersonal relationships, unconventional characters, likable but ethically and professionally questionable law enforcement officials, and the staid and plodding methods of the United States justice system.

Who done it? That conclusion is left for the reader to decide.

Nancy Jacobsen is a free-lance writer living in Denver.

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