Murder at Foxcatcher Farm: The Rise and Fall of John du Pont
A Fortune, a Farm, and a Fantasy World
The name du Pont is practically American royalty — a family fortune built on gunpowder, chemicals, and industry, worth billions and spread across generations. Into this dynasty came John Eleuthère du Pont, born with every privilege imaginable: sprawling estates, private schools, and the kind of wealth where no one ever tells you “no.”
But John was never comfortable in the high-society world he was born into. Instead, he drifted through hobbies and obsessions: seashells, stamps, birds. He collected so much that he founded the Delaware Museum of Natural History just to house his stuff. One of his prized possessions? A nearly million-dollar postage stamp he was so paranoid about that he once slept with it under his pillow. If that doesn’t scream eccentric heir energy, I don’t know what does.
Then came his grandest obsession: sports, especially wrestling. In the 1980s, John poured his fortune into building Foxcatcher Farm, a state-of-the-art training facility on his Pennsylvania estate. He recruited top athletes, offering salaries, housing, and the promise of Olympic glory. For a while, it worked. Team Foxcatcher became a powerhouse, and John relished his role as benefactor — and self-styled “Coach,” despite his lack of actual skill.
From Quirky to Concerning
If John had just stayed a quirky, lonely millionaire with odd hobbies, Foxcatcher might have remained a harmless curiosity. But his eccentricities began tilting into something darker, especially after his mother’s death in 1988. Without her restraint, John’s paranoia snowballed.
He became convinced people were tunneling under his mansion. He ordered staff to dig up the grounds looking for imaginary passageways. He declared that ghosts haunted the estate, that wrestlers could control the weather, and that treadmills had to be banished from the gym. He suddenly hated the color black — getting rid of black cars, black clothes, even reportedly excluding Black athletes. He drove cars into ponds. Twice. On consecutive days. With a wrestling official riding shotgun the second time.
And all the while, he stockpiled weapons, bought an armored personnel carrier, and patrolled his estate like a general preparing for war. Wrestlers saw it, friends saw it, officials saw it. There were so many opportunities to step in, but few people did. Why? Because John was rich, powerful, and the guy writing their checks. His money insulated him from consequences until it was too late.
Dave Schultz: The Anchor
One man tried to keep John grounded: Dave Schultz, Olympic gold medalist and universally beloved figure in the wrestling community. Dave, his wife Nancy, and their kids lived on Foxcatcher Farm, and Dave acted as both coach and peacekeeper. Where others rolled their eyes or walked away, Dave stayed — smoothing over John’s conflicts, humoring his delusions, and protecting the wrestlers under John’s roof.
But by the mid-90s, even Dave became the target of John’s paranoia. John grew convinced Dave — along with coach Rob Calabrese — could literally manipulate the weather against him. In John’s fractured mind, admiration twisted into jealousy, then fear.
Murder at Foxcatcher
On January 26, 1996, it all came to a head. John drove up to Dave’s house on the estate, rolled down his window, and asked: “Do you have a problem with me?” Before Dave could respond, John pulled a revolver and shot him three times. Nancy Schultz ran outside just in time to see her husband collapse. Dave died in her arms.
John sped away to his mansion and barricaded himself inside, triggering a two-day standoff with police. Officers knew he was heavily armed, possibly with explosives. Eventually, they cut his heat and power. When John stepped outside to check his boiler, police moved in and arrested him without a shot fired.
Trial and Aftermath
The trial in 1997 centered on John’s mental state. The defense argued he was insane — a paranoid schizophrenic lost in delusions of tunnels, conspiracies, and ghosts. The prosecution countered that while John was mentally ill, he still knew what he’d done was wrong. After all, he fled, lawyered up, and hid.
The jury found him guilty but mentally ill of third-degree murder. He was sentenced to 13 to 30 years in prison. It was the first and only time a member of the Forbes 400 richest Americans was convicted of murder.
Dave Schultz’s death devastated the wrestling community. He wasn’t just a champion — he was a mentor, a friend, and the sport’s heart. Nancy Schultz, left to raise their children alone, later won a massive civil settlement against John’s estate. She used it to continue Dave’s legacy, supporting wrestlers through the Dave Schultz Wrestling Foundation.
As for John, he died in prison in 2010 at age 72. In a final bizarre twist, he requested to be buried in a red Foxcatcher wrestling singlet. His fortune largely went to a Bulgarian wrestler he idolized.
Legacy
Today, Foxcatcher Farm is gone, its mansion demolished, its land parceled out for schools and housing. But the story endures — in documentaries, in the Oscar-nominated film Foxcatcher, and in the memories of those who knew Dave Schultz.
It’s a story about wealth, power, and untreated illness colliding with devastating results. It’s about red flags ignored, eccentricities excused, and the cost of silence. And at its center is the heartbreaking irony: John du Pont wanted respect and legacy, but the world remembers him only as the paranoid millionaire who murdered his friend. Dave Schultz, on the other hand, is remembered for his talent, his generosity, and his enduring impact on wrestling.
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Resources:
📚 Books & Memoirs
Bissinger, B. (1996). Shooting for the gold: The Dave Schultz story and the tragedy at Foxcatcher. HarperCollins.
Schultz, M., & Thomas, D. (2014). Foxcatcher: The true story of my brother’s murder, John du Pont’s madness, and the quest for Olympic gold. Dutton.
📰 News & Magazines
Rosenfeld, M. (1996, February 10). Rich Man, Poor Man. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com
People Staff. (2016, April 27). Nancy Schultz revisits Foxcatcher farm where her husband was murdered. People. https://people.com
Goldberg, D. (1997, January 20). Du Pont Gets 13-30 Years in Slaying. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com
Bergstrom, T. A. (2000, Fall). The Cruel and Bitter Reality of Mental Illness Commonwealth v. John du Pont. Philidelphia Bar Association. https://www.philidelphiabar.org
Pirro, J. F. (2014, April 22). The Foxcatcher Murder. Delaware Today. https://www.delawaretoday.com
Medium, The Forbidden Bookshelf. (2015, January 16). The Tragedy of John du Pont. Medium, The Forbidden Bookshelf. https://www.Medium.com
🎥 Documentaries & Films
Bennett, J. (Director). (2016). Team Foxcatcher [Film]. Netflix.
Miller, B. (Director). (2014). Foxcatcher [Film]. Annapurna Pictures.
⚖️ Court & Legal References
Commonwealth v. du Pont, 730 A.2d 970 (Pa. 1999).
McGettigan, J., & McAndrews, D. (1997). Prosecution trial notes and commentary on Commonwealth v. du Pont. Delaware County Court Records.
🌐 Online Resources
Encyclopedia.com. (2025). John du Pont trial: 1997. In Great American Trials. https://www.encyclopedia.com
Iowa State University Athletics. (n.d.). Remembering Dave Schultz. Retrieved from https://cyclones.com
Further Reading & Viewing
- Sports Illustrated – “Fatal Obsession”
A deep dive from 1996 that captures the shockwaves through the wrestling community. - ESPN – “The Prince of Pennsylvania”
An exploration of the turbulent relationship between Olympic wrestling brothers Mark and Dave Schultz and their eccentric benefactor, John du Pont. - People Magazine – Nancy Schultz revisits Foxcatcher Farm
An emotional look at Nancy returning to the property years later. - The Washington Post – The Twisted Saga of John du Pont
A strong piece contextualizing his family, wealth, and unraveling.
Read it here - Netflix Documentary – Team Foxcatcher
Firsthand interviews, including Nancy Schultz, telling the story of life at Foxcatcher.
Watch on Netflix - Film – Foxcatcher (2014)
The Oscar-nominated dramatization starring Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, and Mark Ruffalo.
See on IMDb
⏱️ If You Only Have Time for One…
- Article: “Fatal Obsession” – Sports Illustrated (1996). Written just weeks after the murder, it captures the raw shock and the bizarre details as they unfolded.
- Documentary: Team Foxcatcher on Netflix. Firsthand accounts from Nancy Schultz and others who lived on the estate, offering the most human look at the tragedy.
