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Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Estranged Wife, Mary Richardson Kennedy's death ruled suicide
Mary Kennedy, estranged wife of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., died of asphyxiation due to hanging, a medical examiner said Thursday.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
UPDATE:
(UPI) -- Mary Kennedy, estranged wife of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., died of asphyxiation due to hanging, a medical examiner said Thursday.
The report from the Westchester County, N.Y., medical examiner came after the Bedford Police Department said in a statement it is still investigating the incident to learn what led to the hanging.
Bedford police confirmed Wednesday they were called to "an outbuilding" at a local address owned by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to investigate an unattended death.
The couple married in a civil ceremony in 1994 when Mary Richardson, a designer, was six months pregnant and a month after Kennedy divorced his previous wife, CNN said Thursday.
Robert Kennedy filed for divorce two years ago, but the couple was still married at the time of her death, Kerry A. Lawrence, her family attorney, said.
ORIGNIAL ARTICLE
BEDFORD, N.Y., May 16 (UPI) -- Mary Kennedy, the wife of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., was found dead Wednesday at her home in Bedford, N.Y., authorities confirmed.
No official announcement has been made regarding cause of death, but The (White Plains, N.Y.) Journal News -- citing a source close to the investigation into her death -- reported Mary Kennedy, 52, hanged herself. An autopsy was scheduled for Thursday.
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Mary Kennedy married Robert Kennedy Jr. -- the son of the late U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, D-N.Y. -- in 1994. The couple were the parents of four children.
Mary Kennedy, an architect and designer, had a history of alcohol abuse, including a May 2010 incident in which she called police to her home. She told officers her husband had been "verbally abusive to her and her children," but police officers said she appeared "visibly intoxicated" and "had great difficulty collecting her thoughts and articulating her reasons for calling," the newspaper said.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. filed for divorce two days later, and police were called to the home the day after that when he told officers she intoxicated, the newspaper said, citing official documents. She was charged with driving while intoxicated a few days later, and was arrested another time Aug. 21, 2010.
Mary Kennedy pleaded guilty to a charge of driving while ability impaired, the report said.
"We deeply regret the death of our beloved sister Mary, whose radiant and creative spirit will be sorely missed by those who loved her," her family said in a statement, CNN reported. "Our heart goes out to her children who she loved without reservation."
