MURDER IN POLO LAND

By Richard Lacayo

A few of the appurtenances of wealth are well known--the Range Rovers and Rolexes, the little Chanel purses and the personal chefs trained in the Pritikin diet. But in the horse country around Warrenton, Va., a lustrous green pocket one hour from Washington where the Mellons and Kennedys have homes, the wealthy have a little-known luxury. It's the imported Argentine polo player, a man who can do a lot for your game--and if you happen to be one of the available local horsewomen, escort you home afterward.

The culture of versatile Latin polo pros might have remained an obscure local custom but for one thing. Last week Susan Cummings, 35, the daughter of a billionaire arms dealer, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the death of Roberto Villegas, 38, an internationally ranked Argentine polo star who coached her, trained her horses and played for her Ashland Farm team. On Sunday, Sept. 7, when Fauquier County authorities arrived at the 300-acre estate where Cummings and her twin sister Diana live, they found Villegas dead on the kitchen floor with multiple bullet wounds to the neck and chest. Four spent shell casings and a pistol were on the floor in the hall leading to the kitchen.

Though friends report having seen the couple together at a party as recently as two days before the killing, Cummings' attorney, Blair Howard, says she had recently ended their relationship and lived in fear of him since. Police confirm that Cummings met with them a few weeks before the shooting. "I think she was scared to death," Howard says. When he met her in jail, he adds, Cummings had long scratches on her left arm and red marks on the right side of her face.

Among the normally low-profile rich of the horsey set, who like to enjoy their perquisites in peace, the killing has caused quite an upheaval. Cummings and her sister are daughters of Samuel Cummings, a former CIA employee who has been described as one of the world's largest private arms dealers. The girls were born in Switzerland, but they moved in 1983 to the rolling farm their father bought for them. Friends say both sisters are reclusive but that Susan was the more introverted. "Fragile" and "gentle" are typical words for her. Clerks at the shops in Warrenton say she rarely smiled and usually let Villegas do the talking.

Villegas was the son of an Argentine farmhand who was a groom in his native country before entering the U.S. eight years ago. After playing in Florida and Texas, he became one of five Argentines on the 39-member Warrenton-area polo team. The dashing "Argies" routinely attract adoring female groupies, and the relationship between the sexy polo pro and the shy heiress was nothing unusual. Villegas and Cummings met two years ago at the Willow Run Polo school, a magnet for the Argentine players, many of whom are boarded on farms owned by the people they call their patrones. Cummings was learning the game. Villegas was a handsome professional who inspired the students with his horsemanship. "They idolized him," says Willow Run owner Jean-Marie Turon. "I think she fell in love with him then."

Polo pros and local patrones describe Villegas as a good-natured man who never lost his temper, even during rough-and-tumble matches. "He just wanted to have fun," says Bart Frye, a patrone. Villegas did have fun with Cummings. She is said to have bought polo ponies from him; a good pony can sell for up to $20,000. She had fun too. By the beginning of this year the pair were often seen on the circuit holding hands. Through the summer, the couple played in matches side by side. In a game still dominated by men, the sight of Cummings, her blond hair flying out from beneath her helmet, was striking.

One characteristic Susan inherited from her more flamboyant father was a fondness for weapons. Villegas bragged to his polo buddies that his girlfriend was an expert shot. A disagreement over the ponies' care apparently preceded the shooting of Villegas. Polo is hard on the horses, which must stop on a dime while in full gallop and make sudden turns so riders can chase the ball. Friends say Cummings, a committed animal lover, did not want her ponies to play two days in a row. Villegas, who had been in a match on Saturday, Sept. 6, was scheduled to play again on the day he was killed.

One other casualty of the shooting may yet be the cordial relations between the Argentines and their Virginia friends and employers. The Virginians speak of Cummings' gentleness. Some of the Argentines predict bitterly that she will get off. "She had the power in the relationship," says local pro Rodrigo Salinas. "She had the money." But if the horse-crazy Virginians want to sustain their polo culture, they will probably find some way to patch things up. After all, it is the Argentines who score most of the goals.

--Reported by Nina Burleigh/Washington

With reporting by NINA BURLEIGH/WASHINGTON