Kriti Mehrotra
As a documentary chronicling the December 3, 1999, deaths of billionaire Edmond Safra and his nurse Vivian Torrente inside the former’s penthouse, Netflix’s ‘Murder in Monaco’ is truly intriguing. That’s because it shines a light on why there is still an air of mystery surrounding the incident, even though it was legally ascertained that they had died from smoke asphyxiation in a fire set by Ted Maher. The financier’s prominence and wealth further gave way to speculations while also garnering the interest of the entire world, yet it also led many to overlook the fact that there was another victim.
Vivian Torrente Was a Proud Family Woman
While not a lot of details regarding Vivian Torrente’s background, early years, or upbringing are publicly available as of writing, we do know she was born around 1947 and had Philippine roots. However, it’s unclear whether she was a descendant or had actually immigrated from there herself before establishing a career as a registered nurse — she earned her license/certification in the US. According to records, by the time the mid-1980s came around, she was actively working while residing in a suburban home in Washington Township, New Jersey, which she shared with her family.
Since Vivian was a happily married mother of two by all accounts, her family comprised her supportive husband Irineo Torrente, their daughter Genevieve Torrente, and their son Jason Torrente. Unfortunately, again, there is not much information about their interpersonal dynamics or societal standing; yet it has been reported that the couple likely faced financial distress briefly around 1985. That’s when they had filed a lawsuit against a business over a deal gone wrong, so when the nurse was eventually hired by Edmond Safra’s personnel team in the 1990s, it definitely helped them a lot.
The financier had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, so he needed constant care whether he was in France, New York, Monaco, or Switzerland, and Vivian was one of his nurses on rotation. As per an interview Genevieve gave to NBC News in the 2000s, she was merely 19 when her mother began working for the reputed Safra family. “(My mother) just told me she got this great job. It pays well. She gets to travel. It’s great, and I get to visit wherever she goes,” the daughter said. But alas, they never got much more time together as the healthcare professional sadly passed away in late 1999.
Vivian Torrente Died Alongside Her Employer
According to records, in the early morning hours of December 3, 1999, Vivian was sharing her overnight shift with a fellow nurse by the name of Ted Maher when everything turned upside down. Their responsibility was to administer medication and sit by their billionaire employer’s bedside as he slept in his penthouse in Monte Carlo, Monaco, but chaos erupted at around 4:30 a.m. That’s when Ted allegedly raised the alarm about two intruders having broken in, driving Edmond and Vivian to seek refuge in the nearby bathroom, which the financier had long ago converted into a panic room.
As per reports, while the duo were locked inside the secure bathroom, Ted set a small fire to ensure the smoke alarms rang out before stumbling into the lobby and asking the guard to call the police. The male nurse had been stabbed, which he claimed was by one of the intruders, but all of it was later ascertained to be a lie to win favor with his employer for fighting the non-existent attackers. According to court records, he had faked panic about the intruders, stabbed himself, and started a small fire in a wastebasket in hopes that emergency services would quickly respond to put it out.
However, owing to Ted’s injury raising concerns about safety, it wasn’t until almost three hours later that firefighters secured the scene, by which point both Edmond and Vivian had sadly passed away. Their cause of death was confirmed to be smoke asphyxiation, as a result of which the surviving nurse was eventually convicted of causing their deaths through arson and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Nevertheless, Vivian’s children later filed a $100 million lawsuit against Edmond’s estate, alleging that he, not Ted, was responsible for her death based on some of the details in her autopsy.
Vivian Torrente’s Children Never Believed Their Mother Died of Smoke Inhalation
As per records, Vivian’s autopsy indicated blood in her thyroid as well as bruising around her neck, which can be indications of strangulation, and there was also Edmond’s blood on her clothes. Therefore, her children believed there had been an intense struggle between the two while they were locked in the panic room, which led to her death. They also claimed their mother’s other injuries were never fully investigated, which is why they chose to file a $100 lawsuit against Edmond’s estate and finally learn the whole truth. From what we can tell based on the lack of publicly available updates on the matter, it appears as if the lawsuit was either dismissed or ultimately dropped by Vivian’s family itself.
Read More: Edmond Safra’s Net Worth at the Time of His Death: How Rich Was the Banker?
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