Ted Maher

Ted Maher

Ted Maher was born on June 9, 1958, in Maine and lived there and in California before his family settled in Upstate New York when he was 12. After serving a stint in the army in the mid-1970s, the former Green Beret received nursing degrees from Dutchess County Community College and Pace University. A brief marriage produced a son, Chris, now 12. In 1993, he wed Heidi Wustrau. The marriage produced two more children, Ian, 5, and Amber, 3. The family makes their home in Stormville, N.Y., about 70 miles north of Manhattan.  

Edmond Safra

Edmond Safra and Vivian Torrente

Victim Edmond Safra, reportedly worth about $2.5 billion, fell 199th on Forbes Magazine's list of the top 200 wealthiest individuals in the world for 1999. Born in 1932 in Beirut, Lebanon, Safra founded Republic National Bank of New York and donated millions to Jewish and other charities. During his life, he lived in Geneva, Brazil, Monaco, New York and other cities. Vivian Torrente, who died in the fire that also claimed Safra's life, was one of eight nurses who treated Safra for Parkinson's Disease and other ailments. Torrente used a cellphone to make six calls on the morning of the fire.

Heidi Maher

Heidi Maher

Heidi Maher, who turns 31 in July, met her husband while both studied nursing at Dutchess County Community College. She teased Ted Maher that he was the handsomest man in the class because he was the only male. The couple lost contact for two years but started dating in 1991 while both attended Pace University and worked at Columbia Presbyterian Center of New York Presbyterian Hospital. They wed on Dec. 12, 1993.

Lily Safra

Lily Safra, who reportedly splits her time now between an apartment in Manhattan and a flat in London, inherited millions when her second husband committed suicide in Brazil. Called "The Gilded Lily" by the London tabloids, Safra was sleeping in a separate wing from her husband and escaped the fire that swept through their Monaco penthouse. Heidi Maher is seeking to depose Lily Safra and eight of her employees in anticipation of a lawsuit. Maher says she was kidnapped by people who used her passport to get Ted Maher to sign a false confession.