After reading about Melanie McGuire and the Suitcase Murder, discover the story of Nancy Brophy, the woman who wrote How To Murder Your Husband and may have indeed murdered her husband. I still feel bothered. Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story airs at 8 p.m. She offered explanations for the stories she told police,. [9] Police released a facial reconstruction sketch of the victim, which an acquaintance of Bill McGuire's recognized. After they released a sketch to the public, one of Bill McGuires friends soon came forward. Youre talking about hours [of driving] and there isnt enough time, said McGuire. She maintains her innocence, having recently told 20/20 that "after all these years, I still feel hurt. Her defense lawyers have not said if McGuire will testify . Shes now a 47-year-old inmate at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility in Clinton, New Jersey, where she claims that shes not only innocent of killing her husband but that his real killer is still out there. [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. Like, how could somebody think that I did that?". On June 5, 2005, investigators arrested Melanie McGuire and charged her with first-degree murder. The media soon dubbed the case the Suitcase Murder.. During the next three days, according to the State, and likely with the help of an accomplice as yet unidentified, defendant caused Bills body to be cut into sections with a reciprocating saw and a knife, wrapped the body in industrial-type garbage bags sealed with adhesive tape, and packed it into the matching set of luggage. In this special, she speaks up about her innocence, her troubled marriage, her affair with Dr. Bradley Miller, and how she wishes she could still be a part of her childrens lives. Dig, dig. How Many Children Did Melanie Mcguire Have With Husband William Mcguire "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. But when fishermen discovered a suitcase stuffed with Bill's remains just days after the couple had closed on their new dream home . Miller was also married with children. But despite her apparent grief, police soon began to suspect that Melanie McGuire had murdered her husband. Lifetime's new film Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story explores the shocking death of Bill McGuire on April 28, 2004. However, prosecutors established that the informant was "entirely incredible and routinely and habitually fabricates stories" according to a New Jersey State Police investigation, before recanting and accusing McGuire's attorney of suborning perjury. 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. [23] On September 20, 2011, the New Jersey Supreme Court declined to hear her further appeal. Did star lawyer botch suitcase murder case? 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.She will not be eligible for parole until she is 100 . She will not be eligible for parole until she is 100 years old. Melanie Lyn McGuire (ne Slate; born October 8, 1972) is an American former nurse who was convicted of murdering her husband on April 28, 2004, in what media dubbed the "suitcase murder". The Best Friends - Direct Appeal Friday on #ABC2020: The co-hosts of the @directappeal podcast tell @ARobach why they believe Melanie McGuire was wrongfully convicted: I dont think that there was enough evidence to convict her. https://t.co/ZGewROXCaQ pic.twitter.com/qJfD3ATBkD. They were confident Miller was not involved in the crime but were never able to bring charges against anyone else. 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. She will not be eligible for parole until she has. Melanie McGuire was convicted in the grisly murder of her husband, Bill McGuire, whose body was found dismembered in suitcases in the Chesapeake Bay. 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 . NEW BRUNSWICK - Attorney General Anne Milgram and Criminal Justice Director Gregory A. Paw announced that Melanie McGuire was sentenced to life in prison today for the 2004 shooting death of her husband, William McGuire, whose severed remains were found in three suitcases along the Virginia coast. After being released on bail, Melanie faced additional charges on October 11, 2005. Melanie McGuire married her husband in 1999 and later alleged that he had a gambling problem and a violent temper. She was indicted on four additional, relatively smaller charges in October. Also if the crime scene didnt happen [at the family home] and shes home with her children all night, where is this happening? Their theory was that this nurse, who was kind of so meticulous, had somehow just forgotten to wipe the bottom of her shoes, that she accidentally tracked these human sawdust particles of Bill's body from the house to the car, said John Glatt, a true crime author who wrote To Have and To Kill, a book about Melanie McGuires case. Investigators searched the home for evidence multiple times, checking to see if Bill McGuire had been killed and dismembered there. ABC dug into the case and interviewed McGuire in prison for their two-hour 20/20 special, Suitcase Killer, which airs at 9 p.m. Eastern time Friday, September 25, 2020. His wife, Melanie McGuire, a fertility nurse and the mother of his two sons, was eventually convicted of murdering him and dumping his body. https://t.co/ZGewRPfd2o pic.twitter.com/i4dBUBR7PJ. Do you know how hard it is to cut through bone? After all, a medical-grade towel found with Bills body matched those stocked at the clinic as well as those she kept at her home. Where Are William and Melanie McGuires Kids Now. She then graduated from the Charles E. Gregory School of Nursing (now Raritan Bay Medical Center) in 1997 with a nursing diploma. Melanie, who grew up in Brick, and William McGuire were married in 1999 and had lived with their two sons in Woodbridge at the time of the murder. In the meantime, the two young McGuire children, ages 5 and 7, are being raised by Bill's sister, Cindy Ligosh. There were two charges, totaling 90 cents, on her statement that proved she had driven to Atlantic City after her husband went missing. Melanie then became the prime suspect in the investigation. The 62-year-old actress posted a jaw-dropping selfie on Instagram Tuesday night, featuring the . Like, how could somebody think that I did that? https://t.co/f9HrMsbxkY. Bill McGuire, 39, went missing on April 29, 2004. After all these years, I still feel hurt, Melanie said. The podcasters and Melanie McGuire also point to unexplained animal hair found on Bill McGuires dismembered body and noted in investigative reports. According to 20/20, the police were able to quickly identify the dismembered man. [9] Melanie later claimed she had moved the car as a "prank",[8] even though she had applied for a protection from abuse order days earlier after allegedly being slapped by her husband. But just 48 hours later, 31-year-old Melanie requested a restraining order against him, alleging that he'd gotten violent during a fight the night before inside their New Jersey home. Sacks firmly believes that prosecutors failed to answer key questions in the case. [9] McGuire persisted in claiming she was innocent, and claimed her husband had become increasingly moody and unpredictable and was a compulsive gambler. Melanie McGuire. That night, according to the prosecution, McGuire drugged her husband, shot him dead, and subsequently dismembered his body. She was given a life sentence on July 19, 2007, and she is currently in jail at the Edna Mahan . 2011 - Google Scholar", "N.J. appeals court upholds life sentence for convicted suitcase killer Melanie McGuire", "State v. McGuire, 27 A. Dig, dig. 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. Melanie McGuire says shes innocent and that someone else killed her husband, Bill, in 2004. Prosecutors believed that Melanie McGuires motive to kill her husband came from her desire to start a new life with her lover, Dr. Bradley Miller, a partner at the medical practice RMA Associates, where she worked as a nurse. Melanie was a nurse at a fertility clinic and Bill was a computer programmer. Melanie McGuire | Trial photos | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers Don't accept what you're just being told on the surface. Lands and grooves are rifling characteristics that are machine pressed into the barrel of a gun. Melanie McGuire was victim Bill's wife, who was accused of his murder and dubbed the "Suitcase Killer" when the case went to trial. ", Through her attorney Jim Wronko, Locane describes McGuire as "very nice and pleasant and smart and helpful.". Prosecutor: Wife meticulously planned hacking - NBC News How Many Children Did Melanie Mcguire Have With Husband William Mcguire Watch the full story on "20/20" Friday, Sept. 25, at 9 p.m. Investigators also found Bills car where Melanie suggested it would be Atlantic City. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? It was a mistake on a gun manufacturer's website. Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. In addition, Melanie was 38-weeks pregnant with her second child when the relationship started, based on reporting from New Jersey-based news outlet CentralJersey.com. 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. Prosecutors argued that she killed her husband so. For the two toddlers, they usually woke up, saw their parents, went to daycare, came back, saw their parents, ate, played, and then slept. 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. 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. After re-examining her murder conviction over a decade later, Sacks and Shlosberg, believe Melanie McGuire was wrongfully convicted. Lover admits lying about affair with McGuire - nj.com But though both the podcast and the making of the movie have brought attention to the Suitcase Murder, it doesnt change the fact that Melanie McGuire is behind bars. Meanwhile, investigators found more and more evidence that suggested that Melanie McGuire had killed her husband. The Superior Court of New Jersey affirmed her verdict and sentence in 2011. NEW BRUNSWICK - Attorney General Stuart Rabner and Criminal Justice Director Gregory A. Paw announced that Melanie McGuire was found guilty of murder today in the 2004 shooting death of her husband, William McGuire, whose severed remains were found in three suitcases along the Virginia coast in May 2004. 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. 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. Meghan Sacks and Amy Schlosberg are the hosts of the podcast "Direct Appeal" and Fairleigh Dickinson University criminology professors. Like, how could somebody think that I did that? she said on 20/20. 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. Suitcase Killer The Melanie McGuire Story is available to watch in Canada with a Philo subscription! Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story: Directed by Nicole L. Thompson. She graduated from Oberlin College, where she earned a double degree in American History and French. Did Melanie McGuire dismember her husband? - NBC News 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 . The prosecution argued McGuires motive was her affair with Dr. Bradley Miller, a partner at the medical practice RMA Associates. Before she was charged with murder, Melanie contacted E-ZPass and attempted to have the $0.90 charge removed from her account history. [14], Shortly after her conviction, but before sentencing, McGuire appealed for a new trial on the basis of the story of jailhouse informant Christopher Thieme that her husband was deeply in debt and may have been killed by Atlantic City mobsters. Her bail was raised to $2.1million ($2.9 million today), but she was again released. Yesterday, more than a year after the three grisly discoveries, Melanie McGuire, 32, of Brick, N.J., was charged with first-degree murder in the April 29, 2004, slaying of her husband of four. [21] The case has been profiled on television outlets: Snapped Oxygen Network; Dateline NBC; 48 Hours Mystery CBS; and The Investigators TruTV; Deadly Affairs Investigation Discovery, and Forensic Files II, among other true crime television shows. Soon after William and Melanie McGuire tied the knot in 1999, they welcomed their first child, a son, in 2000. He did not return a call from the seller later that evening. By that point, the two had only flirted and corresponded via e-mail, only for a romance to blossom. 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. During her conversation with ABCs Amy Robach, Melanie continued to insist on her innocence. She's now a 47-year-old inmate at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility in Clinton, New Jersey, where she claims that she's not only innocent of killing her husband but that his real killer is still out there. Prosecutors have always maintained that they believed Melanie McGuire likely had an accomplice. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. According to some reports, in 2007, during Melanies murder trial, Cindy put it into evidence that both of her sister-in-laws children, then aged 5 and 7, had been positively diagnosed with autism. Miller was adamant that he had nothing to do with any crime, and he didnt know anything about this. A few days later, a suitcase surfaced in a bay miles away with a horrifying discovery inside. Melanie and Bill McGuire were married in 1999 and had two sons at the time of his death. [29], Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women, Possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, Fisherman Island National Wildlife Refuge, Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story, "Melanie McGuire Found Guilty of Murder in 2004 Shooting Death and Dismemberment of Her Husband", "Melanie McGuire, SBI Number: 000319833C", "Author to sign copies of Melanie McGuire book", "Case 120: Bill McGuire from Casefile True Crime", "Wife arrested in gory dismemberment murder", "General Discussion - Melanie McGuire guilty as hell", "Defense to withdraw motion for McGuire retrial", "Bit player in infamous N.J. murder case charged in bizarre murder-for-hire plot", "Man gets jail for plotting to kill online crush", https://www.state.nj.us/grc/decisions/pdf/2014-275.pdf, "McGuire sentenced to life in prison for suitcase murder", "State v. McGuire, 16 A. "After all these years, I still feel hurt. Did Melanie McGuire dismember her husband? McGuire's conviction was affirmed by an appeals court on March 16, 2011. Family and friends can send flowers and/or light a candle as a loving gesture for their loved one. A jury convicted McGuire in 2007, and she was sentenced to life in prison plus five years. On April 26, 2004, Melanie had purchased a .38 caliber handgun from a store in Easton, Pennsylvania; Bill had been killed with a .38 caliber handgun with wadcutter bullets. Melanie McGuire says 'it's a coincidence' she bought gun before husband disappeared McGuire said she spoke in a new "20/20" interview, 16 years after she was convicted of murdering her husband . We should mention that after Melanie was convicted of the charges against her, her family started a custody battle with Cindy, but to no avail. This stuff exists, she said on the show. Melanie McGuire is serving a life sentence in the murder of her husband, Bill McGuire, at a women's correctional facility in New Jersey. "I can't even fathom that. Though a jury agreed and sentenced Melanie McGuire to life in prison, the so-called Suitcase Killer has long insisted upon her innocence. He probably would have broken my cheek if [the hit] had been a closed fist, Melanie McGuire said. She drugged him, shot him (in the head and chest) to death, and subsequently dismembered his remains. Immediately after murdering Bill, according to the State, defendant embarked on a plan to conceal the crimes and to create the appearance that Bill had abandoned his family, his job, and his new house after a violent argument with her. Where Are William and Melanie McGuire's Kids Now? - The Cinemaholic Bradley Miller told a Middlesex County court this afternoon that he lied to a grand jury when he said he stopped having sex with . She told her sons, now adults, to look into the case for themselves. After re-examining her murder conviction over a decade later,. She told Miller that she was furniture shopping, according to Prezioso, who said she believes that is when Melanie McGuire drove the suitcases with her husbands remains to Chesapeake Bay. A top priority for New Jersey investigators was determining if Melanie McGuire had ever owned a gun. (Video By Bumper. "My job is not to convince the world. Do you know how hard it is to cut through bone? She didn't fit the profile, I guess, of a murderer, Shlosberg said. She said her husband left and that she never saw him again. Download is FREE. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. YouTubeMelanie McGuire says shes innocent and that someone else killed her husband, Bill, in 2004. His business partner described him as a good father . Author John Glatt wrote a book about the case, entitled To Have and To Kill. The McGuire family resided in a Woodbridge Township apartment but had plans to move to a much larger home in Warren County by the end of April. [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. Melanie and Bill McGuire cut the cake at their wedding. Less than a year later, the McGuires had their first son. 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. They opened it and found a mans dismembered legs, cut off at the knee. Five days after Bill McGuire went missing, investigators said Melanie McGuire made another bizarre road trip, this time to Delaware. It was reliving it. She wished to avoid purchasing a house at substantial expense and beginning a new phase in a marriage she regretted. CNN.com - Transcripts However, after five years and two kids, their marriage ended on April 28, 2004, with Melanie killing her husband. Melanie went to Middletown High School South and. "20/20" The Secret in the Suitcase (TV Episode 2020) - IMDb Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. Prosecutors called 64 witnesses, and the defense called 16 witnesses. Melanie McGuire and defense attorney Stephen Turano, right, react to the verdict during her trial in New Brunswick, N.J., Monday, April 23, 2007. But she didnt report Bill missing. They recorded her calls with family and friends, including Miller, with whom she was having the affair.