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RFK Jr's Estranged Wife Found Dead

Mary Kennedy, 52, had battled drug and alcohol abuse

By the Associated Press

Posted May 16, 2012 6:32 PM CDT | Updated May 16, 2012 6:57 PM CDT

(AP) – Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s estranged wife, Mary Richardson Kennedy, who had fought drug and alcohol problems, was found dead in her home near New York City today. Attorney Kerry Lawrence, who had represented her in a drunken-driving case, said he didn't know the cause of her death at age 52. An autopsy was scheduled for tomorrow. The former Mary Richardson married Robert Kennedy Jr., a prominent environmental lawyer and the son of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy, in 1994. The couple had four children, the youngest born in July 2001.

Mary Kennedy had two high-profile arrests around the time her husband filed for divorce in 2010. She was charged later that year with driving under the influence of drugs, not long after she pleaded guilty to drunken driving when police reported seeing her car hit a curb outside a school near her home. Police said she had a blood-alcohol level of 0.11%; the legal limit is 0.08%. Her license was suspended.

In this 2009 file photo, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife, Mary, arrive for Ted Kennedy's funeral in Boston. They divorced the next year.
In this 2009 file photo, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife, Mary, arrive for Ted Kennedy's funeral in Boston. They divorced the next year.   (BRIAN SNYDER)
A 2008 photo of Mary Richardson Kennedy.
A 2008 photo of Mary Richardson Kennedy.   (Andy Kropa)
FILE - This Sept. 18, 2008 file photo shows Mary Richardson Kennedy,  the estranged wife of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.  in New York. An attorney on Wednesday, May 16, 2012 said Mary Kennedy has been found dead on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s property in Bedford, N.Y.
FILE - This Sept. 18, 2008 file photo shows Mary Richardson Kennedy, the estranged wife of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in New York. An attorney on Wednesday, May 16, 2012 said Mary Kennedy has been found...   (Andy Kropa)
In this 2009 file photo, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., right, and wife Mary Richardson Kennedy arrive at the premiere of The Pink Panther 2 at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York.
In this 2009 file photo, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., right, and wife Mary Richardson Kennedy arrive at the premiere of "The Pink Panther 2" at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York.   (Peter Kramer)
In this May 6, 2004, file photo, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., right, and wife Mary Richardson Kennedy arrive at the Natural Resources Defense Council fundraiser in Los Angeles.
In this May 6, 2004, file photo, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., right, and wife Mary Richardson Kennedy arrive at the Natural Resources Defense Council fundraiser in Los Angeles.   (CHRIS URSO)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 11 comments
sari
May 17, 2012 4:15 AM CDT
says no to drunk 
fractal
May 17, 2012 12:50 AM CDT
Reports on the news say she hung herself in the garage.
cheongyei
May 17, 2012 12:33 AM CDT
Never liked him, the wrong one is gone.

Copyright 2013 Newser, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. AP contributed to this report.

 

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