MovieChat Forums > Waitress (2007) Discussion > It' s a bummer Shelley was murdered

It' s a bummer Shelley was murdered


Watching the movie, I couldn't ignore the fact that soon Shelley would die (in real life). Freaked me out a bit. And then one scene, she says "I love him forever, until death do we part" and Russell says "I hope not til death!" it was so much like foreshadowing. Almost surprised they left it in the film.

Anyway, her murder makes a strong case against immigration, since it was an illegal alien who did it.

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The problem here is not immigration, but the fact that construction company Bradford General hired an ILLEGAL alien to work on Adrienne apartment complex. I'm a Brit, and if I want to live and work in the US then I would have to go through a vetting process and approved by the INS. Hell, if these guys smell something funny on a holiday visit then I would still be knocked back on general principle - even if my papers were in order.

A visa to the US is like a ticket to a venue which is stamped ROAR, and the Border Guards are the bouncers on the door. It is they who have the final say who gets in.

Maybe if Diego Pillco had been properly vetted, he would have been turned down by the INS and Adrienne Shelly would still be alive. Then again, maybe not, it's a moot point. However, what is undeniably true is that if Bradford General had not been so unethical as to KNOWINGLY violate US law by sending an undocumented alien to work on a supposedly secure building then this horrific murder would never have happened.

All Bradford General wanted to do was save a few bucks, and it cost Adrienne Shelly her life. It is a disgrace that the lawsuit that her family took out against them failed. These cowboys should not be in business.

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First, yes it's hard to watch Waitress without thinking about Adrienne. She was a wonderful actress. I remember her from several Hal Hartley films. "Waitress" showed that she was a talented writer and director as well.

Now, regarding the undocumented worker issue, until we punish employers who hire them, SEVERELY, they will continue to hire anyone with a fake social security card and a fake green card. Can those things be confirmed? Yes. Are employers required to confirm them? No!

That being said, living in Texas, I've found that most undocumented workers walk the straight and narrow because they don't want to get deported. Shelly's killer was the exception, not the rule. The only reason people come into this country is that they know they can find someone who will hire them. Take away that demand, those illegal employers, and the supply will go down.

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Your compassion is overwhelming. Seven whole sentences -- not one of which even mentions Shelley's emerging talent as a director -- before launching into your primary goal, slamming the country's immigration policy. Because no one in the United States ever gets killed by a citizen.

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Your attack on Paula is unjustified and disingenuous.

In her opening paragraph she expresses her sorry at the loss of such a talented writer/director as Adrienne Shelly, and also states that the overwhelming majority of immigrants (including those without documentation) behave in a law-abiding manner because they do not wish to be deported. Perhaps you both should consider the example of the UK in this matter.

In my country, illegal immigrants or 'Ghosts', are subject to serious exploitation by criminal gangs. They are more victims than sinners. This could include being press-ganged into the sex-trade or forced into other, more socially acceptable ways, to earn a dangerous living, such as in the fishing industry. About twelve years ago, dozens of Chinese workers drowned on the beach of Morecame after they were cut off by the tide. This was the subject of a Nick Brommfield film ('Ghosts' - 2006) and resulted in manslaughter convictions for the gang-masters.

The law has now been changed making it unlawful for any landlord to rent property to someone residing in the UK illegally. A sweeping over-reaction that has caused much hardship to people who may well have been BORN in the UK, but because of circumstances (such as fleeing from domestic violence) cannot prove their status. Most landlords decide it is better to be safe than sorry and turn these people away. Many of them end up living on the street.

I personally feel that is grossly unfair for the state to expect either landlords or employers to do their job for them, nevertheless Bradford-General KNEW that Diego Pillco was illegal and therefore an 'unknown quantity'. They gave him full authorisation to Adrienne Shelly's apartment complex and, as a result, she was murdered. As far as I am concerned they should have the subject of a criminal and not a civil prosecution.

As to your other point, in a recent episode of 'I Survived Evil' Charisma Carpenter examined the case of a woman who was raped and almost murdered by a Latino working in the US without papers. She pointed to speculation that, because of his coolness in police custody, the man may have committed similar - or worse - crimes, and not been suspected because his movements were so difficult to trace. Even the DA's office don't know too much about this guy!

Of course, Charisma can be excused for making such a 'racist' statement, because - despite her 'anglo' surname - she is of Spanish/Native American background.

Grow up, John.

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While you make a lot of valid points, you're attacking John for no reason. His response wasn't to Paula, but to the OP. If you view the comments nested then it's a lot easier to see who is replying to whom. Just a tip.

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Thank you, Ten13Grl. Clearly, owenrcarpenter is new to IMDb and is unfamiliar with how the threads work. If he had half a brain, he would notice that the width of my comment extends beyond Paula57's, which indicates that the comment is a response to an above post. But he nonetheless suggests that I "grow up." Owen, if growing up includes understanding who is responding to whom, then I guess it's your responsibility to learn how things actually work.

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Also, the illegal immigrant confessed to the murder. So he was probably eaten away by guilt so it shows he had some decency. Still, hope he rots in jail the rest if his life, though pleading guilty to manslaughter, he probably won't. Shelley was just getting started. Waitress Is the only romcom I can watch, or want to watch repeatedly. Such a tragedy.

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Sorry, Filmtenk. You are giving Diego Pillco too much credit.

Adrienne Shelly's death was a premeditated ritual murder which took place on the Spanish Day of the Dead, though oddly on the Asian (1st Nov) rather than the American (2nd Nov). Spain had colonies all over the world and I guess sometimes people got their wires crossed. It was also sexually-motivated and the result of days or weeks of systematic stalking.

After he killed Adrienne, the 19-year old Pillco cleaned up the evidence, staged a fake suicide to cover his tracks and went back to work as though nothing had happened. It was only after a second CSI team (insisted on by Shelly's husband Andy Ostroy) found a faint shoeprint that the NYPD suspected foul play. The shoeprint was traced back to Pillco several days later and he was arrested. He was still working in the apartment complex, and his colleagues said that she showed no sign of stress or guilt in his day-to-day behaviour.

He confessed in custody, telling the Detectives through a translator that killing Adrienne 'reminded him of stringing up pigs back on the farm'.

However, because of the lack of witnesses, flimsy forensics and the lack of either a lawyer or a diplomatic representative during the interview, the DA offered a plea-bargain rather than take the case to court. Officially this was all just an opportunistic robbery gone bad, and Shelly's death a tragic accident.

Pillco didn't even know who she was. He was stalking Adrienne as a woman and not a celebrity. As far as he was concerned, she was simply an anonymous housewife.

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Thanks for setting the record straight. What an animal, he should never get out of jail, should have prosecuted.

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I agree, Filmtenk. In a ideal world, Pillco would have prosecuted, and convicted - and then executed.

But we live in the real world, and here it would be VERY easy to argue that his confession was extracted through underhand methods and should be suppressed - leaving the DA with no case. In fact Pillco's lawyers were attempting to do exactly that when the DA caved and offered the plea-bargain.

Pillco originally claimed that he beat Adrienne Shelly to death with his fists and a hammer over a noise complaint that escalated into violence, then hanged her corpse to throw the police of the scent. The pathologist said she didn't have a mark on her that was not consistent with suicide.

Even if the case had come to court with the confession entered into the proceedings, the jury could be convinced that - as it was obtained from a teenage suspect with no representation and did not tally with the physical evidence - that they should disregard it. I think it very likely that Pillco would have walked free and the worst he would face is deportation.

The manslaughter plea-bargain isn't good - but it's the lesser of two evils.

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Do you have another bridge for sale, John?

IMDb message board protocols are very clear about such things - as you know very well.

If you are responding directly to the OP or a specific individual then you leave your post IMMEDIATELY below him or her. You only leave you post at the bottom of a thread if you are responding either to the last person on the chain or you are commenting on the thread in general.

It is also considered helpful to refer to the poster you are responding to by their handle, as sometimes there is a glitch in the system and a post ends up in the wrong place. After all, if somebody chucks a brink through my window with a note reading 'Up yours, slaphead', I will assume that it was directed at me rather than Bruce Willis or Patrick Stewart!

By the way Ten13Grl, you may want to avoid being so patronising in future. It might significantly reduce your chances of dying alone and being eaten by your cats.

Just a tip.

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[deleted]

Mean and crotchety bastard? Unquestionably.

Sexist? Bite your tongue, Cealchylle!

I recently hit 50 and since then have been bombarded with cold-callers asking me if I had thought about who would take care of the funeral expenses when I pass away.

I always reply thus: "Everything's already taken care of. I live alone and have two cats..."

You won't need much imagination to guess the rest. LOL!

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Have you learned how things work here yet? Posters don't get to choose where their comments appear in a thread -- only to whom they are responding. If you spent even one quarter as much time learning how things work at IMDb as you do pontificating on your pet hatreds, you might not sound like quite a jerk.

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