Polo-Player Patron Charged In Boyfriend's Death -- Suspect Tells Police She Had Asked For Protection, Saying Relationship Had Ended

WARRENTON, Va. - It could be the plot of a romance novel: The wealthy daughter of an international arms dealer falls for a dashing Argentine polo player and brings him to her magnificent country estate.

But then the polo player turns up dead in the heroine's mansion, shot several times with a handgun, and the heroine is arrested.

Many members of the horsey set in Fauquier County were in shock yesterday when one of their own - Susan Cummings, 35 - was charged with first-degree murder in the death of Roberto Villegas, an internationally ranked polo player on a team sponsored by Cummings. He was found dead Sunday in the mansion on the 300-acre estate where Susan Cummings and her twin sister, Diana, have lived for 13 years.

Friends say Villegas, 38, and Susan Cummings had dated for about 18 months and appeared to be in love.

"They held hands a lot," said Betsy Branscome, the horse-and-field sports editor of the Fauquier Times-Democrat and a friend of Susan Cummings. "It was very sweet."

It also may have been a facade.

At a bond hearing yesterday, Cummings' attorney, Blair Howard, painted a grim portrait of the couple's relationship, saying that Cummings and Villegas had ended their liaison and that Cummings had met with a Fauquier County sheriff's investigator recently because she feared Villegas would harm her. He said Cummings had been scheduled to meet with investigators again yesterday to ask for a restraining order against the polo player.

Howard said Cummings bore scratches on her left arm and right cheek that were the result of a confrontation Sunday with Villegas. He would not detail how the confrontation began or how Cummings was injured, but he said Cummings acted in self-defense.

"I think she was scared to death," Howard said after the hearing, at which Cummings was released on $75,000 bond. "She was frightened for her life. I think she did the only move when she was cornered that was available and tried to protect her life.

"We absolutely deny any suggestions that she murdered this man."

Fauquier Sheriff Joe Higgs confirmed that Cummings had met with an investigator about two weeks ago but declined to specify the reason for the meeting.

Friends described Cummings as quiet and reserved. She is an accomplished horsewoman who became interested in polo about two years ago.

Friends said that Susan's sister Diana lives in a small cottage on the estate, Ashland Farm, and that Susan lives in the main dwelling, a 200-year-old stone building.

Much of the wealth of the Cummings sisters is said to come from their father, Samuel Cummings, a former CIA employee who has called himself the "leading (arms) trader in the world." His firm, Interarms, is based in Alexandria, Va., but he lives abroad.

Friends say Susan Cummings was Villegas' polo sponsor - known in the sport as a patron. Villegas worked on Cummings' estate. According to others in polo circles, she bought him several ponies - which can cost $15,000 to $20,000 each - and paid for their upkeep. In return, Villegas played on Cummings' Ashland Farm team, which was part of Great Meadow Polo Club, one of 33 clubs in the Eastern Circuit.

Villegas "was nice to everyone, a true gentleman and very polite," said Richard Varge, president of the Great Meadow Polo Club. "He never caused trouble on or off the field. This has been really devastating."

At the bond hearing before Fauquier General District Judge Charles Foley, neighbors described Susan as a quiet and gentle woman who enjoys bottle-feeding newborn animals.

"She loves animals," said Jock Queen, who farms Ashland Farm and the sisters' estate in Culpeper. "She wouldn't hurt anything. . . . She's a wonderful gal."