| Murder in the Hamptons | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Jerry Ciccoritti |
| Written by | Robert L. Freedman Michael Shnayerson |
| Starring | Poppy Montgomery David Sutcliffe Shawn Christian |
| Distributed by | Muse Entertainment Enterprises |
Release date | July 11, 2005 |
Running time | 120 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
Murder in the Hamptons (also known as Million Dollar Murder) is a true story made-for-TV movie, based on the events leading to the murder of multi-millionaire Ted Ammon and the conviction of Ted's estranged wife's lover Daniel Pelosi.
The movie is told through various points of view in a semi-documentary. Generosa (Poppy Montgomery) is a struggling artist who sells real estate, and one day, when client Ted (David Sutcliffe) fails to show up, she goes over to confront him. They soon fall in love, get married and are happy for several years during which time they adopt twin orphans: Alexa Ammon (Aislinn Paul) and Greg Ammon (Munro Chambers). Whether a result of being a mother or from an organic or drug-induced biochemical imbalance, Generosa becomes increasingly paranoid accusing Ted of, among other indiscretions, adultery. Her erratic behavior tears the marriage apart, thereby unleashing a very contentious divorce procedure with Generosa demanding custody of the twins, ownership of their house in the Hamptons and, if possible, all of Ted's wealth. She even resorts to lying to the children about Ted in an attempt to turn them against him.
Unable to come to an agreement, Generosa and the twins stay at a hotel where she meets her contractor Daniel "Danny" Pelosi (Shawn Christian), and the two start a relationship, with him pushing her to hold out for money from Ted. When Ted is murdered, she inherits all of Ted's estate; three months thereafter, she and Danny get married. She holds back the truth about Ted's death from her children by telling them that Ted committed suicide by drinking alcohol, along with swallowing pills. They eventually come under police suspicion. Generosa learns that she's dying from breast cancer.
Danny wants custody of the kids, but Generosa rejects the idea because he'd been partying and spending her money carelessly. She changes her will, leaving Danny with only $2,000,000, $1,000,000 to her housekeeper and nanny, Kaye, and the remainder of her wealth to her children. Kaye also receives custody of the children and soon, she sends Greg away to a private school, while his sister remains behind. Some time after Generosa's death, Danny is arrested for Ted's murder. In 2004, Danny is found guilty and he is sentenced to 25 years to life.
