Man Served in Scarsdale in Wrongful Death of Wife

A Manhattan man was served papers in Scarsdale on Wednesday in the wrongful death of his wife. Roderick Covlin is a former stock trader and founder of the U.S. Backgammon Federation. He was in his parent's Scarsdale home when the Manhattan public administrator served him with civil suit accusing him of killing his wife Shele Danishefsky Covlin. According to Your Jewish News, the suit charges Covlin with “intentionally, deliberately, willfully, wantonly, maliciously, brutally and without provocation or just cause [strangling, choking, striking, injuring, assaulting, abusing, beating and murdering] his wife.”

Two years ago, on New Year's Eve, Shele Covlin was found dead in the bathtub of her Upper West Side apartment. She was discovered by her 9 nine-year-old daughter.

Covlin had a cut on her head and appeared to have fallen while bathing.

Shele Danishefsky Covlin's death was initially ruled an accident and in keeping with religious tradition, her Orthodox Jewish family refused an autopsy and buried her almost immediately.

But questions quickly arose after her death.

The 47-year-old UBS wealth manager was in the middle of a difficult divorce from her husband Rod Covlin, who lived across the hall of the 68th Street apartment at the time.

That past November, Shele had obtained an order of protection against Rod, and according to an investigation she had expressed to friends that she was fearful of her husband. The night Shele Covlin died, she was just hours away from her January 1 meeting with an estate planner in order to cut Roderick out of her will, worth over $1 million dollars and leave her money to her two children.

Roderick Covlin immediately retained an attorney and was not cooperative with the police.

The District Attorney took up the matter and persuaded the Danishefsky family to exhume her body. Upon examination, there were signs of struggle and strangulation. However, since she had not been embalmed and was in a plain pine coffin there was exposure to the elements. It remains to be seen if this will have any effect on evidence such as DNA.

When contacted, the Manhattan District Attorney's office told me that they cannot comment on active investigations or even confirm or deny them.

Still, sources I spoke to close to the case, who wish not to be identified, say that there may be updates or even charges brought in the new year.

It's fairly unusual that the public administrator would get involved in such a case, however there is a two-year statute of limitations in wrongful-death claims. This suit aims to block Roderick from his wife's assets.

On Thursday December 29 the Daily News reported that a Westchester judge has denied Covlin access to a $1.6 miilion life insurance payment after learning that he is a suspect in his wife’s murder. According to the Daily News, nearly $4 million is at stake.

Shele's brother Philip Danishefsky is seeking custody of her children who are now ages 11 and 5.