1966 death of Doris Duke employee an accident, review finds

The city manager in Newport, Rhode Island, is standing by the city police department’s review of the 1966 death of an employee of wealthy heiress Doris Duke

The city manager in Newport, Rhode Island, is standing by the city police department's review of the 1966 death of an employee of wealthy heiress Doris Duke that found that there is no new information that would change the result of the original investigation that determined it was an accident.

Police opened the review into the death of Eduardo Tirella in July after a witness who had never before talked to police came forward after reading the book “Homicide at Rough Point," by Peter Lance. The author and journalist who grew up in Newport suggested Duke, who died in 1993, acted with intent when she struck Tirella with a car at her mansion.

That witness, Bob Walker, 68, was a 13-year-old paperboy at the time who was first upon the scene, and his account differed from official versions of what happened.

But while Detective Jacque Wuest, who conducted the review, found Walker to be “credible," she concluded in a statement to Lance last week: "There is no new evidence that would change the previous conclusion in this matter, nor is there any new evidence that warrants further review.”