Where is Ted Maher now? Details explored from the Ed Safra case explored in Netflix’s Murder in Monaco

Ted Maher, the American nurse convicted in the 1999 death of billionaire banker Edmond Safra, is currently serving a nine-year prison sentence at the Central New Mexico Correctional Facility near Albuquerque.

Diagnosed with late-stage throat cancer, he is receiving medical treatment there following his March 2025 conviction for a murder-for-hire plot against his ex-wife. This facility houses older inmates in a minimum-security setting. Ted Maher, now 67 and using the name Jon Green, has faced multiple legal troubles since his release from a prior sentence related to the Safra case.

The Ed Safra case began on December 3, 1999, in Safra's fortified penthouse in Monaco's La Belle Epoque building. Safra, a 67-year-old philanthropist with Parkinson's disease, and his nurse, Viviane Torrente, died from smoke inhalation in a fire started by Ted Maher, who was working an overnight shift.

Ted Maher, a former U.S. Army Green Beret hired four months earlier as a nurse and bodyguard, confessed to setting the blaze in a wastebasket to stage a heroic rescue and gain favor with his employer. No evidence of intruders emerged, leading to his 2002 conviction for arson causing death and a 10-year sentence.

The case drew global attention due to Safra's wealth, estimated at $2.5 billion, and conspiracy theories involving organized crime, though investigations found none. Netflix's three-part documentary Murder in Monaco was released on Netflix on December 17, 2025. 

Murder in Monaco: The events of December 3, 1999

On the night of December 3, 1999, Edmond Safra was in his two-story penthouse in Monaco, a secure building with 24-hour guards and surveillance. The 67-year-old banker, who founded Republic National Bank and donated millions to causes like hospitals and synagogues, relied on round-the-clock nursing due to his Parkinson's disease.

That evening, Ted Maher arrived for an unscheduled overnight shift alongside Torrente, a 52-year-old Filipino nurse and mother of two, as per Biography. At around 4 a.m., Maher called Safra and Torrente to report that two hooded men had entered through the open window and stabbed him in the abdomen a couple of times.

He told them to lock themselves in the bathroom, a safe room that is inlaid with reinforced steel doors and contains a phone. Ted Maher then set a small fire in a wastebasket at the nursing station to set off smoke alarms and bring rescuers, since he did not know Monaco's emergency number and the penthouse did not have any direct alarm.

Bloodied, he stumbled his way to the lobby and alerted security, who called police and firefighters. Firefighters arrived within minutes but faced delays. Safra and Torrente, fearing the attackers, refused to unlock the door despite pleas, believing rescuers were intruders.

Smoke filled the space for over two hours, and both died from inhalation. Safra's wife, Lily, and her granddaughter escaped safely from another area. Initial reports described a possible assassination attempt on the reclusive billionaire, according to People. 

The confession and investigation

Monaco police, led by prosecutor Daniel Serdet, quickly treated the fire as suspicious arson, a crime punishable by life in prison if linked to deaths. No signs of forced entry or intruders appeared on building footage or at the scene; the window Ted Maher mentioned was intact. Maher's stab wounds were shallow and self-inflicted, per medical exams, as reported by People.

Three days later, on December 6, Maher confessed during questioning. He said jealousy over favoritism toward other nurses and fear of losing his $200,000-a-year job drove him to stage the attack for praise. He planned to put out the fire quickly after alarms sounded, but underestimated its spread and his injuries.

Ted Maher signed a statement in French, aided by a translator, but later claimed coercion, alleging police threatened his wife Heidi's safety and fed him false details. Authorities denied this, noting video of calm interviews.

The probe ruled out external plots, despite Safra's past FBI tips on bank laundering. Maher was charged with arson causing death and held without bail, according to NBC. 

The trial and imprisonment

Ted Maher's trial started on November 25, 2002, in Monaco's Criminal Court after nearly three years in custody. He did not deny starting the fire but argued it was a "terrible accident" with no intent to harm. Defense attorney Michael Griffith blamed rescue delays on police believing in armed intruders, saying faster action could have saved lives.

Prosecutors highlighted Maher's "psychologically fragile" state and motive for attention, as per CBS News. After a week of testimony, including from firefighters and experts, the seven-judge panel convicted Maher of arson causing death on December 2, 2002.

He received a 10-year sentence, the maximum for the charge without premeditated murder intent. Lily Safra welcomed the verdict as closure for her family, according to Biography. On January 21, 2003, Ted Maher escaped using smuggled hacksaw blades to cut bars and a rope of trash bags to descend.

He reached Nice, France, but was caught hours later at a hotel. His term was extended by 10 months; he served the rest in a French prison before release in August 2007, as per People. 

Life after release and current status

Deported to the U.S. in 2007, Ted Maher maintained his innocence, recanting the confession in media like a 2008 Dateline interview. His nursing license was revoked in multiple states, including Texas, in 2013 for nondisclosure.

He worked as a truck driver, changed his name to Jon Green, and married Dr. Kim Lark in 2020 after divorcing his third wife, Heidi, who gained custody of their three children, according to People. In May 2022, due to marital problems and the restraining order placed by Lark, Ted Maher broke into her office, stole property like her car, checkbook, gun, and three dogs, and attempted to forge a check worth $44,000.

Arrested in Texas, he pleaded guilty to the charges of larceny and forgery of a check in 2023. During his imprisonment, he paid Greg Markham, an inmate, $2,500 to kill Lark by fentanyl overdose and steal her money, as reported by Biography.

In March 2025, Ted Maher was found guilty of solicitation to commit first-degree murder and subsequently received a maximum sentence of nine years in June 2025. He is now in the Central New Mexico facility and is trying to cope with his diagnosis of cancer in late 2024, as per People.

Watch Murder in Monaco streaming on Netflix.