Filling the Void

In dealing with the pain of her loss, Kathy says she developed a shopping addiction. "I'd get so upset, I'd go shopping and I'd feel good when I left," Kathy says. "I'd forget about all that other stuff."

Newspapers and tabloids reported that Kathy's "spending rampage" led her to burn through millions of dollars on lavish home improvements, designer clothes, shoes and purses, infuriating the public. "I have about 300 pairs of designer shoes," she says. "I renovated the whole house. … I spent about $1 million on the house." She says she also spent thousands on plastic surgery for friends, including breast reductions, eye lifts, and Botox.

Was Kathy's spending spiraling out of control? "After I lost my husband, I had no control," she says. "They put me on medications for anxiety. I don't know what 'out of control' is after you have your husband brutally murdered and your whole life collapses."