Charges dropped against woman in socialite's beating death

ASPEN, Colo. - Charges have been dropped against one of three people accused of murdering a Colorado socialite, reports CBS Denver.

The district attorney cleared Nancy Styler, 62, in the killing of 57-year-old Nancy Pfister, an Aspen socialite whose body was found in a closet at her home in February, according to the station.

Styler's husband William, 65, and 56-year-old Katherine Carpenter are still facing charges. Pfister had rented her home to the Stylers last fall, and the victim posted on Facebook a month before her death that her tenants were failing to pay rent and utilities. Carpenter was a friend of Pfister and collected rent and managed the home while she was away.

Pitkin County coroner J. Steven Ayers said in April that Pfister died of blunt force injury to the head and had been dead about 36 hours before her body was found on Feb. 26.

A statement released Tuesday by the district attorney's office said additional evidence found this week prompted them to drop charges against Nancy Styler, CBS Denver reports. "With the new information received and a lack of other evidence refuting the new information the district attorney could not prove that Ms. Styler was involved in the crimes," the statement said.

It is unclear what new evidence was uncovered.

The district attorney's office said a motion was filed "to dismiss.... the charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and accessory after the fact to first-degree murder... against Ms. Styler."

The victim's father founded Buttermilk Ski Resort in Aspen.