More than a year later, on October 26, 2006, McGuire was charged with two counts of hindering apprehension for allegedly writing letters to police aimed at getting them off her trail. Youre talking about hours [of driving] and there isnt enough time, said McGuire. These documents exist. Born on October 8, 1972, Melanie Lyn Slate has spent all of her life in New Jersey growing up in Ridgewood and Middletown Township. She said in a moment of admitted irrationality she decided to drive down there and look for his car. [23] On September 20, 2011, the New Jersey Supreme Court declined to hear her further appeal. Melanie and Bill McGuire pictured hugging at an unknown date. Please review our privacy policy here: https://heavy.com/privacy-policy/, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. Investigators also found Bills car where Melanie suggested it would be Atlantic City. Check out what's clicking today in entertainment. It is physically exhausting. I still feel bothered. It doesn't make any sense.' She was indicted on four additional, relatively smaller charges in October. Melanie McGuire, now 47, maintains her innocence from the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Clinton, New Jersey, the state's only women's prison where there are approximately 500. She was given a life sentence on July 19, 2007, and she is currently in jail at the Edna Mahan . The film stars Candice King as Melanie McGuire, Michael Roark as William McGuire, Jackson Hurst as Bradley Miller, and Wendie Malick as Patricia Prezioso. (Video By Bumper. McGuire began drinking heavily and gambling regularly in Atlantic City soon after the couple returned to New Jersey around 1990, said Ms. Paulk, who now lives in Milford, N.Y. ''It went downhill . Bills car contained a bottle of chloral hydrate, a sedative, and two syringes, which had been prescribed by Bradley Miller. He was 39 years old. Melanie claims she's innocent, and hopes that she will be released someday. "And I'm driving down, and I take the first pass on this, on this highway, and I see a dark sedan, and lo and behold, there it is, Melanie McGuire said. The New Jersey fertility nurse was sentenced to life in prison back in 2007 for murdering her husband Bill in April 2004. So she drove around until she found his car and then moved it as a prank. Melanie McGuire is serving a life sentence in the murder of her husband, Bill McGuire, at a women's correctional facility in New Jersey. The case involved 21 witnesses qualified as experts, hundreds of pieces of evidence and 21 days of testimony. After finishing high school, she enrolled at Rutgers University for a double major in math and psychology, which she achieved in 1994. At that time, Melanie was a nurse at a fertility clinic and had managed to have a long-standing affair with one of the doctors there, Bradley Miller. 2011 - Google Scholar", "N.J. appeals court upholds life sentence for convicted suitcase killer Melanie McGuire", "State v. McGuire, 27 A. Melanie McGuire, 34-years old, sentenced to life in prison for murdering her husband Photo Source: NJ.com (website) Prosecutors called 64 witnesses, and the defense called 16 witnesses. Melanie McGuire, the Suitcase Killer, gave a rare interview to Amy Robach of ABC News in September 2020. Dig, dig.". The killer is out there and it's not me. She was immediately booked into the Middlesex County Adult Correctional Center on first-degree murder charges, but made her $750,000 bail ($1.04 million today). But this was the first time somebody was basically saying, We hear you, said Melanie McGuire. Dig, dig., 20/20 airs Fridays at 9 pm on ABC, right after Americas Funniest Home Videos at 8 pm. In September 2020 McGuire took part in a rare interview with ABC News, in which she continued to profess her innocence for the crime. [4] She was sentenced to life in prison on July 19, 2007, and is serving her sentence at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Clinton, New Jersey. Days later, an unidentified man, believed by many to be her stepfather, also contacted E-ZPass and attempted to have the charge removed. A grand jury returned a second indictment in 2006, charging her with eight additional counts regarding anonymous communications, according to the appeal filed in her case. Her penalty is actually categorized as the following: life in prison for first-degree murder; life in prison for the possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose; 10 years for desecrating human remains; and five years for perjury. The Departments virus mitigation tactics, along with its universal testing initiative of staff and inmates, has controlled the spread of COVID-19 within NJDOC facilities. She reportedly spent most of her life in New Jersey. Bill and Melanie McGuire in happier days. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. As of June 22, 2020, two inmates had died of COVID-19. With Candice King, Michael Roark, Tristan Laurence, Jackson Hurst. Melanie McGuire - Wikipedia. [9] Police received a tip from a private towing company employee who said he towed a 2002 Nissan Maxima (Bill McGuire's car) from the Flamingo Motel in Atlantic City, on May 8, 2004. Melanie then became the prime suspect in the investigation. Dig, dig. During her trial, Miller protested McGuire's innocence, testifying that she had called him on April 28 to say that she was going to tell her husband she wanted a divorce after they had closed the deal on a new home, ABC News reported. It was hard. On June 2, 2005, more than a year after the fact, Melanie was charged with first-degree murder, leading to her sons being taken and placed into a much safer home for them to grow up in. Dont accept what youre just being told on the surface. William and Melanie McGuires children, whose names are not revealed in any public records for their own privacy and safety, were placed with Bills elder sister, Cindy Ligosh. by Sarah Jae Leiber Sep. 21, 2020. Melanie McGuire told the podcast "Direct Appeal" that she is not the suitcase killer, and that the true murderer is still on the loose. Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for WomenMelanie McGuire prison record. In the early morning hours of April 29, 2004, the day her husband disappeared, Melanie McGuire said that they had a violent fight and claimed that he choked her with a dryer sheet and hit her before leaving the house. Melanie McGuire, The Suitcase Killer Who Murdered And Dismembered Her Husband. There are just too many holes in this story.. Data from the New Jersey Department of Corrections details cases since they implemented additional measures. Getty Images. Her defense attorneys argued that anyone could have conducted the searches. But police soon found that the couple had a deeply unhappy marriage, that Melanie had begun an affair with a co-worker, and that someone in the McGuires home had searched for things like how to commit murder online. It's out there," she said. She drugged him, shot him (in the head and chest) to death, and subsequently dismembered his remains. Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story airs at 8 p.m. She will not be eligible for parole until she is 100 years old. A nurse said her husband walked out on her. Melanie's receipt for the gun also listed an unspecified purchase of $9.95; there were only two items in the store for that amount, and one of them was a box of wadcutter bullets. Like, how could somebody think that I did that? she said on 20/20. Bill McGuire, 39, put a down payment down on a $500,000 house for the couple and their two young sons in April 2004. Powered by. A Wednesday. She said that they believe the garbage bags were a prop to sway the jury. Melanie did not incapacitate, shoot [or] use a saw to dismember her husband, said Sacks. Melanie and Bill McGuire pictured in Atlantic City, New Jersey at an unknown date. Do you know how hard it is to cut through bone? Would love your thoughts, please comment. For her part, Melanie insisted that her husband had stormed out after a fight. The circumstantial evidence against Melanie McGuire was mounting by this point, but investigators were still having trouble finding any physical evidence that would link Melanie McGuire to her husband's murder, according to Sacks. Born on October 8, 1972, Melanie grew up in Ridgewood, New Jersey, majored in statistics at Rutgers University, and enrolled in nursing school, according to The New York Times. The killer is out there and its not me, Melanie told Robach. During the 20/20 interview, Melanie sends a message to her now adult sons, whom she hasnt had contact with since her 2007 trial. Speaking to ABC News' Amy Robach for 20/20, she said: "I'm doing this because there's a murderer walking around. Prezioso said she believed that Melanie McGuire was planting the car in Atlantic City to create an illusion that Bill McGuire was still alive. Read More: Where Are William and Melanie McGuires Kids Now? The plastic bags that contained Bill's body parts and the bags that contained Bill's clothes, which Melanie had given away to a friend, were demonstrated by forensics to have been manufactured on the same assembly line within hours of one another. After re-examining her murder conviction over a decade later, Sacks and Shlosberg, believe Melanie McGuire was wrongfully convicted. Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. Bill McGuire, 39, went missing on April 29, 2004. [9] Her E-ZPass tag was recorded at a toll booth in Delaware two days after the murder; she claimed that this was the result of her going furniture shopping in Delaware, since it has no sales tax. After re-examining her murder conviction over a decade later,. Like, how could somebody think that I did that? [9] The couple had two sons and lived in a Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, apartment, but planned to move that month to a larger home in Warren County. She pleaded not guilty. Dig, dig. They opened it and found a mans dismembered legs, cut off at the knee. When investigators processed Bill McGuire's car, they also found a bottle of the sedative chloral hydrate and two syringes. Police discovered Bill's car in Atlantic City and when they obtained surveillance footage, they discovered that McGuire had used a highway toll twice to drive to the location, and that she'd attempted to have the charges removed, per ABC News. [26], On September 25, 2014, McGuire appeared in court with her new attorney Lois DeJulio, a public defender, to try to get a hearing that could overturn her 2007 murder conviction, on the grounds that her previous legal representation by Joe Tacopina was inadequate or ineffective. So, as soon as the topic of custody arose, the two boys were sent to them, especially since Bill and Cindy were already great parents to their own adult children: Laura Ligosh and Max Ligosh. Melanie McGuire said she's speaking in a new #ABC2020 interview tonight with @ARobach, 16 years after she was convicted of murdering her husband, because she believes "the killer is out there and it's not me." Dont accept what youre just being told on the surface. She is currently incarcerated at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Clinton, New Jersey, according to her prison records. Fairleigh Dickinson University criminology professors Meghan Sacks and Amy Shlosberg have an entire podcast called Direct Appeal dedicated to questioning Melanies conviction. Today, Melanie McGuire is almost 50 and is serving a life sentence at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Clinton. Though a jury agreed and sentenced Melanie McGuire to life in prison, the so-called Suitcase Killer has long insisted upon her innocence. "After all these years, I still feel hurt. I'm a nurse or I was a nurse, and I don't need to look up things like that. "I have this Forrest Gump-ian way of touching something and it becomes a hit!" During her interview with ABC News, McGuire shared a message for her sons, saying: "Make up your mind. The Superior Court of New Jersey affirmed her verdict and sentence in 2011. The request was subsequently denied. She didn't fit the profile, I guess, of a murderer, Shlosberg said. I panicked, Melanie told 20/20. Author John Glatt wrote a book about the case, entitled To Have and To Kill. I still feel bothered. McGuire will not be eligible for parole until she is 100 years old. It shows no inmates or staff at the facility had confirmed positive test results between August 22, 2020, and September 25, 2020. Almost three years after the crime, McGuire's murder trial commenced at the Middlesex County Courthouse in New Brunswick, New Jersey on March 5, 2007. The news outlet reported in June, 2020, COVID-19 was spreading because of a low supply of protective masks, poorly enforced social distancing measures, and inadequate quarantining of infected inmates. Melanie McGuire defends her innocence from inside prison in 2019, over a decade after she was convicted. Who Is Melanie McGuire? Would love your thoughts, please comment. McGuire testified that during their argument her husband had become violent and he threatened to take their children away before leaving the home by himself, per CBS News. "Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story" premieres June 18 at 8 pm on Lifetime. A top priority for New Jersey investigators was determining if Melanie McGuire had ever owned a gun. State Superior Court Judge Angela Borkowski gave Locane more time after the punishmentfor her original conviction (second-degree vehicular homicide and assault by an auto), which was deemed too lenient. There are times when podcasts and media can shine a light on certain cases where what the government did was not right. ], Pretty Little Liars Reboot Is Coming-of-RAGE Horror with More Murder, Cast of Pretty Little Liars, 2017, l-r: Troian Bellisario, Ashley Benson, Lucy Hale, Shay Mitchell, (cropped) photo: Dominick D / CC BY-SA, 2012-2023, 2paragraphs Productions, LLC. A four-count indictment came down from a state grand jury. I still feel bothered. 0:45. She also made inquiries of a friend about how to buy a gun. William "Bill" McGuire was having a great day. Melanie McGuire denies this, pointing to the fact that there are hundreds of miles between Delaware and Virginia Beach. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Thirteen years have passed since Melanie McGuire's conviction. Download is FREE. To drive from New Jersey to the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia requires driving through Delaware, and the first suitcase turned up the very next day, Prezioso said. Her 2007 trial became a nationally televised event. However, McGuire was acquitted of the two counts of hindering apprehension, as well as tampering with evidence and possession of Xanax without prescription. Pam Grier reflects on her most iconic roles, from, State Superior Court Judge Angela Borkowski gave Locane more time after the punishment, Wrong Turn: The tragic story of former It Girl Amy Locane, Amy Locane to be re-sentenced for fatal auto crash, Amy Locane recalls drunk-driving crash in post-prison interview. After a nearly month and a half long trial, Melanie McGuire was found guilty. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. Dig, dig. [8] She married United States Navy veteran William T. "Bill" McGuire (born September 21, 1964) in 1999. Melanie McGuire was found guilty of murdering Bill McGuire, 39, in April 2004. Meghan Sacks and Amy Schlosberg are the hosts of the podcast "Direct Appeal" and Fairleigh Dickinson University criminology professors. They knew that Pennsylvania was close and a lot of people will go to Pennsylvania for firearms because gun laws are more lax, Sacks said. She offered explanations for the stories she told police, such as her claim she stumbled across her husbands car in Atlantic City and moved it. However, not much else about the day was typical. Actress Candice King who is best known for her work in the Vampire Diaries will play McGuire. Miller eventually testified against Melanie McGuire at her trial. [15][16][17][18][19] On July 19, 2007, at the age of 34, McGuire was sentenced to life in prison.[20]. He did not return a call from the seller later that evening. Her bail was raised to $2.1million ($2.9 million today), but she was again released. Melanie McGuire has had no contact with them since before the verdict. However, the state's expert disagreed, testifying that he ran the tests he believed were necessary to link the bags. Sacks firmly believes that prosecutors failed to answer key questions in the case. Prezioso is certain that Bill McGuires murderer is the woman who was convicted and is now sitting in prison. YouTube I believe that the evidence presented to the jury told the jury what happened," Prezioso said. The 2004 case was dubbed the suitcase murder because the victims legs were found in a suitcase that washed up in Virginia Beach. Like, how could somebody think that I did that?". Sometimes, she said, hed get violent with her. Police identified the man in the suitcases as 39-year-old William McGuire, from Woodbridge New Jersey, and they quickly focused their attention on Bill's wife, Melanie McGuire, who did not report him missing. She bought a gun two days before his disappearance in Pennsylvania, but said she did so for her husband, and speculated he was having trouble with someone. Five days after Bill McGuire went missing, investigators said Melanie McGuire made another bizarre road trip, this time to Delaware. In April 2004, Melanie and Bill McGuire seemed to have it all: successful careers, two young sons and a new $500,000 home. Melanie McGuire was victim Bill's wife, who was accused of his murder and dubbed the "Suitcase Killer" when the case went to trial. The Twisted Case of Melanie McGuire That Chapter 1.81M subscribers Subscribe 64K 1.8M views 9 months ago 2004, Chesapeake Bay. She graduated from Oberlin College, where she earned a double degree in American History and French. McGuire, 34, a mother of two, is charged with first-degree murder in the April 2004 killing of her husband, 39-year-old state computer analyst William T. McGuire. It also promised to better educate staff and inmates about the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act, and said it had set up an early-warning system to identify problematic behavior by staff. Police quickly found his car in a parking lot there. The evidence that was at trial was from ballistic experts.. Her trial began in March 5, 2007. Image Credit: ABC News / 20/20 Watch new at 9/8c on ABC. Although investigators were unable to find physical evidence of murder inside the McGuire's home, they were able to find small pieces of Bill McGuire's flesh -- evidence that would eventually be referred to in the media as human sawdust -- from the car. Bill McGuire was murdered by his wife Melanie McGuire, and his body was found near Virginia Beach's Chesapeake Bay in 2004. Melanie and Bill McGuire were married in 1999 and had two sons at the time of his death. At her televised trial, prosecutors explained that she had drugged Bill, shot him, and dismembered him. With all of her appeals exhausted, Melanie McGuire said she participated in the podcast hoping that new evidence might be discovered that could lead to her exoneration. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. McGuire was convicted Monday of killing her. She was sentenced to life in prison on July 19, 2007. A New Jersey grand jury indicted McGuire on charges of first-degree murder, second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, second-degree desecration of human remains and third-degree perjury in October 2005. In the interview, she continued to say that she was innocent and asked her sons to look into the case and not believe what they were seeing. It was a mistake on a gun manufacturer's website. [9] The footage was blurry and the police weren't able to identify the person in the video. His business partner described him as a good father . 1:15. He said he was leaving and he wasnt coming back and [that] I could tell my children they didnt have a father.. [9] Police believed that she used a syringe and prescription from her work to obtain the drug used as a means to incapacitate her husband.[11]. Investigators discovered that the parking lot had surveillance cameras, and they pulled the security footage thinking they had stumbled upon a smoking gun that would show who dumped Bill McGuire's car. [27][28], In 2022, Lifetime produced a movie called Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story as part of its "Ripped from the Headlines" series of movies for television. She later told police that she believed he'd gone to Atlantic City to gamble as he had a penchant for doing so. The prescription for chloral hydrate came from Millers prescription pad. I looked down and theres my 2-year-old. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Offers may be subject to change without notice. The appeal details the murder, the night of Bill McGuires disappearance, and the disposal of his body. New Jersey fertility clinic nurse Melanie McGuire stands accused of murdering her husband, William, in 2004. NEW BRUNSWICK - Melanie McGuire the former Woodbridge resident convicted of killing her husband, dismembering his body, packing it in suitcases and tossing it off a bridge in Virginia . Dubbed the Suitcase Killer, she was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison on July 19, 2007, at the age of 34. Melanie McGuire Was Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder of Husband Bill, Please review our privacy policy here: https://heavy.com/privacy-policy/, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. We were not gathering evidence from a gun manufacturer's website. New Jersey Department of Corrections/Find a Grave They closed the documents on their new house on April 28, but never moved in. Melanie McGuire explained that the night after Bill McGuire went missing, she was becoming angrier at her husband and suspected she knew where he was: Atlantic City. Once police honed in on Melanie McGuire as the prime suspect, they began wiretapping her phones. That night, according to the prosecution, McGuire drugged her husband, shot him dead, and subsequently dismembered his body. After all these years, I still feel hurt. There's less of a waiting period.. "I can't even fathom that. These documents exist. Therefore, from what we can tell, even today, as young men, William and Melanies sons reside in New Jersey with their aunt, uncle, and cousins the only family theyve ever known. They insisted he was a compulsive gambler who had become increasingly moody, unpredictable, and tempestuous in the months before his passing. It never made sense.. But despite her apparent grief, police soon began to suspect that Melanie McGuire had murdered her husband. "People ask me, 'Explain this. [9] Police released a facial reconstruction sketch of the victim, which an acquaintance of Bill McGuire's recognized. The Melrose Place actresswho is now serving a second sentence at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in New Jerseyshares a prison cell with Melanie McGuire, the infamous "Suitcase Killer." She was sentenced to life in prison on July 19, 2007 and is serving her sentence at the Edna. They surmised that Melanie had sedated Bill, shot him, and cut up his body. Investigators also found trash bags in Melanie McGuire's home that they believed matched those used to wrap parts of Bill McGuire's body. "My job is not to convince the world. McGuire had been married for five years by April 2004. ET on Saturday, June 18 on the Lifetime network. Meghan Sacks, host of podcast "Direct Appeal" and Fairleigh Dickinson University criminology professor questions Melanie McGuire's guilt. On July 19, 2007 she was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole until she is 100 years old. She suggested that her husband had been killed over his gambling debts, claiming that he was the one whod insisted that she buy a gun in the first place. So I think the police said, Well, prove it. Sacks seconded her co-host, saying: Melanie did not incapacitate, shoot [or] use a saw to dismember her husband. Like, how could somebody think that I did that? she said on 20/20. Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. This is not one of those cases, said Prezioso. I absolutely tried to have those charges taken off because I feared that people would look and think what they ultimately ended up thinking," McGuire said. Lifetime's new film Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story explores the shocking death of Bill McGuire on April 28, 2004. Trial photos of Melanie McGuire, a New Jersey nurse best known for being the perpetrator in the media-dubbed "suitcase murder." . by 2Paragraphs in Culture, True Crime Murder TV | September 25, 2020. My job is to convince the jury. Sara James. She allegedly wanted to spend the rest of her life with her lover, and so, she did what she could to get rid of her husband. She will not be eligible for parole until she has. September 26, 2020 Examined There are just too many holes in this story.. There were two charges, totaling 90 cents, on her statement that proved she had driven to Atlantic City after her husband went missing. Therefore, more than a year after the incident, on June 7, 2005, Melanie was officially arrested and charged with first-degree murder. She said her husband left and that she never saw him again. "After all these years, I still feel hurt. Melanie McGuire, the 34-year-old fertility clinic nurse convicted of killing her husband and stuffing his remains into suitcases, was sentenced to life in prison this morning. Miller was adamant that he had nothing to do with any crime, and he didnt know anything about this. It premiered on 17th June 2022 and is airing exclusively on Lifetime.The show follows the shocking murder of Bill McGuire, so don't miss it - learn how to watch Suitcase Killer The Melanie McGuire Story in Canada on Lifetime.. No matter where you live, the alluring Suitcase Killer The . Prezioso said the evidence presented by the states computer forensic expert at trial was robust and Melanie McGuires legal team presented their own expert as well. And on May 16, a third. Melanie McGuire listens to testimony today during her murder trial. READ NEXT: Melanie McGuire Was Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder of Husband Bill. During the investigation, incriminating evidence against Melanie was uncovered. McGuire was sentenced to 63 years, eight months and 30 days to life for first-degree murder, five to 10 years for desecration of human remains, two years and six months to five years for third-degree perjury, and a maximum sentence of life for second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, according to her prison record. "It turned out that when the record check was done with Pennsylvania, a record came back that Melanie McGuire had purchased a gun," said Patti Prezioso, the lead investigator and prosecutor at Melanie McGuire's trial. They were confident Miller was not involved in the crime but were never able to bring charges against anyone else. Upon further investigation, police discovered a security video of the car being moved in the early morning hours of April 30, 2004. They recorded her calls with family and friends, including Miller, with whom she was having the affair. Murders A-Z is a collection of true crime stories that take an in-depth look at both little-known and famous murders throughout history. These documents exist. She will not be eligible for parole until she has served 66 years in prison. Over a period of 12 days in May 2004, three dark green suitcases were discovered in and near the Chesapeake Bay. Melanie McGuire admitted to having an affair with Miller. I still feel bothered. ET on ABC READ NEXT: Melanie McGuire Today: Where Is the Suitcase Killer Now in 2020? "There was no evidence connecting him to this crime.. After all, when Bill was murdered in 2004, he and Melanie were the proud parents of two beautiful young boys. Therefore, at the age of 49, Melanie McGuire is currently incarcerated at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Union Township, Hunterdon County. 3d 948 - NJ: Supreme Court 2011 - Google Scholar", "N.J. Supreme Court won't hear appeal of convicted 'suitcase killer', "Convicted killer Melanie McGuire seeking post-conviction relief in June hearing", "Suitcase killer Melanie McGuire seeks new review of evidence", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Melanie_McGuire&oldid=1142209125, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 02:58. [5], Melanie Lyn Slate grew up in Ridgewood and Middletown Township, New Jersey, attending Middletown High School South.
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