Claudine Longet, famed for shooting trial, dies at 84
AP News • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Claudine Longet, French singer and actress known for her manslaughter trial in the fatal shooting of her boyfriend, Olympic skier Vladimir “Spider” Sabich, has died at age 84.
- Longet shot Sabich in 1976 with a Luger pistol, claiming the shooting was accidental; Sabich died from a single gunshot wound to the abdomen.
- She was convicted of negligent homicide in 1977, receiving two years’ probation, a $250 fine, and 30 days in jail, but her entertainment career effectively ended afterward.
- Longet was supported by her ex-husband, singer Andy Williams, during the trial, and later married her defense attorney, Ron Austin, living with him in Aspen.
- A lawsuit from Sabich’s family was settled in 1977 with an agreement preventing Longet from discussing Sabich or the trial publicly.