Julia Roberts has remained silent over the death of her troubled half-sister Nancy Motes, but privately a struggle is going on between the Hollywood star’s family and her late sibling’s devastated fiancé.
A source exclusively tells Page Six that John Dilbeck, whom Motes planned to marry in May, is planning on asserting his right to be a beneficiary of her estate based on their years together and to keep control of her possessions.
The source tells us: “Julia and her mother had tried for a long time, for years, to get Nancy to go into rehab, and she repeatedly refused. They did not approve of John and felt that he was a bad influence on her. But you can’t tell someone of Nancy’s age whom not to date. She was living in a tiny apartment with John, his brother and a child.
“While Nancy wasn’t a wealthy woman, she would have had gifts given to her by Julia as well as intimate family pictures.
“There is a fear that John could be holding Nancy’s personal items hostage and possibly sell them to the highest bidder. If Nancy had photos and wrote a diary, describing her feelings towards her sister, he could use them.”
Nancy took an overdose after writing a suicide note, which allegedly contained dark secrets about the “Pretty Woman” star that she wanted to be made public, Conner Dilbeck, John’s brother, has claimed in an interview.
John found his fiancée’s body in the bath Sunday, the day before Julia was due to be at an Oscar nominees lunch. She is up for Best Supporting Actress for “August: Osage County.”
Conner claims Julia inflicted “pure cruelty” on her sister and Nancy’s suicide letter was a desperate attempt to expose the alleged treatment.
Conner claimed the note is eight pages long, and Motes deliberately timed her apparent overdose to destroy Julia’s Oscar chances. The note is believed to be in the possession of police — who have not confirmed its contents to Julia’s family.
A source countered, “Julia has been nominated for other awards. Timing a suicide doesn’t make sense.” Roberts’ rep declined to comment.