Sarah Ferguson reveals her long-time personal assistant was murdered in Texas – as Duchess of York says she is ‘shocked and saddened’
- The body of Jenean Chapman, 46, was found Monday at her Dallas home.
Sarah Ferguson has paid tribute to her former personal assistant after she was murdered in the US.
The Duchess of York said she was “shocked and saddened” to learn of the death of Jenean Chapman, who previously worked with the royal family member.
The 63-year-old said Ms Chapman, 46, was a “loyal, hardworking, beautiful and fun-loving” woman and was committed to helping her family pay for her funeral costs.
Ms. Chapman’s body was found by police in her Dallas, Texas, apartment on Monday, just five months after she moved to the city.
A 48-year-old man, James Patrick, was arrested Wednesday by police in Austin, Texas, on suspicion of her murder. NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth reported. He remains in detention.
Sarah Ferguson has paid tribute to her former personal assistant Jenean Chapman after she was murdered in Texas. Pictured: The Duchess of York (left) in a car with Mrs Chapman (right)
Jenean Chapman’s body was found by police in her apartment in Dallas, Texas, on Monday afternoon.
Ms Chapman began working with the Duchess of York as her first job after graduating from Syracuse University in New York with a degree in television, film and production.
In a statement posted on her Instagram page, she wrote: “I am shocked and saddened to learn that Jenean Chapman, who worked with me as my personal assistant many years ago, was murdered in Dallas at the age of Only 46 years old. A suspect is in custody. .
“Jenean was loyal, hardworking, beautiful and fun and my heart breaks for her family and friends. I heard from her a few months ago and she seemed so happy. His family is raising money to transport his body to New York and pay legal and funeral costs.
“I will donate and support the family in any way I can – please help me if you can by clicking the link in my bio.”
According to a LinkedIn page, Ms. Chapman worked with Sarah Ferguson for four years between 2001 and 2005, where she contributed to the Duchess’s travel, press and tour projects, as well as managing her research and diary.
Ms. Chapman’s family said that after living in New York, she worked in San Francisco before heading to Dallas for a new job.
Speaking to reporters after her body was found, Ms Chapman’s sister Nicole Marshall said: “She was a force to be reckoned with, she was a role model.
“He was an extraordinary person and I still admire him. I still look up to it as what I wanted to achieve in my corporate career.
Another sister, Crystal Marshall, said: “Her first job after university was working with Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York.
“So she worked with the royal family as a personal assistant, and then from there she worked at Def Jam, so she worked with the Simmons family.”
Nicole added: “She was just an accomplished intellectual. He was a kind and compassionate person. She had a heart made of mush.
Police discovered Ms. Chapman’s body in her apartment on Elm Street, Dallas, around 1:15 p.m. on Monday, September 25.
His death was initially investigated as “unexplained” before an autopsy determined his death was a homicide.
A day later, James Patrick, 48, was arrested by University of Texas police on suspicion of murder.
Ms. Chapman’s family organized a fundraiser to help cover the cost of transporting her body from Texas to New York and funeral costs. You can see this here.
