What is the story of Carolyn Warmus, the ‘Fatal Attraction’ murderer? Who is she, and where is she now?

Everyone knows the classic erotic thriller starring Michael Douglas and Glenn Close. Produced at a time when the genre was booming, Fatal Attraction posits an extramarital affair gone deadly.

But in a strange twist, life imitated art not soon after. Carolyn Warmus struck up an affair with Paul Solomon in the late ‘80s in a case that mirrored the film uncomfortably. Even blonde like Close’s character Alex from the film, it wasn’t long before the tabloids dubbed Warmus The Fatal Attraction killer. Per Oxygen, Warmus met Solomon in Westchester County as a school teacher, and the two quickly entered into an affair. According to crimelibrary.com, Solomon was known for stepping outside the bounds of his marriage, and Warmus wasn’t the first. However, in this situation, things made a horrific turn.

In 1989, Solomon met Warmus for a covert date, and he returned to his apartment to find that his wife, Betty Jeanne Solomon, had died from gunshot wounds. It took a year, but authorities closed in on Warmus as the murderer. On the night in question, Solomon left his wife, and authorities concluded that Warmus had gone to his apartment and killed Betty Jeanne. Warmus then met up with Solomon as planned, who was none the wiser. It would seem that with Solomon’s wife out of the picture, Warmus could be with her boyfriend in earnest. The opposite transpired. Solomon broke things off, and by 1990, Warmus was arrested.

Carolyn Warmus inspired many reactions in the media

The resulting trial of Warmus garnered widespread attention. In addition to the similarities of Fatal Attraction, evidence piled up against her to an alarming degree. Even though she stressed her innocence publicly, there was little doubt in the jury’s mind if she was guilty. The New York Times reported that Warmus had bought a gun from private investigator Vincent Parco, the very same gun used in the murder. That and the apparent motive, the accused murderer, was a figure practically made for the tabloids.

Hollywood seemed to think so, too, as a television movie quickly materialized. In 1992, ABC premiered A Murderous Affair: The Carolyn Warmus Story. The film boasted that it took its material from court transcripts, a far cry from the ripped-from-the-headlines content that Lifetime produces. Starring Virginia Madsen as the title character, The Carolyn Warmus Story cast many stars of the time, including Chris Sarandon and William H. Macy. But Warmus’ story was far from over.

After 27 years in prison, CNN reported that the convicted killer was released in July 2019. She continued to advocate for her innocence by lobbying for DNA tests that could exonerate her, per lohud.com. No DNA testing results ever came about in the case, and Warmus remains a free woman regardless.