[23] On September 20, 2011, the New Jersey Supreme Court declined to hear her further appeal. Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for WomenMelanie McGuire prison record. 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. Melanie McGuire is now serving a lifetime sentence at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in New Jersey, as Entertainment Weekly reports. There are just too many holes in this story.. My job is to convince the jury. Also if the crime scene didnt happen [at the family home] and shes home with her children all night, where is this happening? Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story: Directed by Nicole L. Thompson. She said that they believe the garbage bags were a prop to sway the jury. 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 . 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. 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 . At her televised trial, prosecutors explained that she had drugged Bill, shot him, and dismembered him. Melanie McGuire defends her innocence from inside prison in 2019, over a decade after she was convicted. She was sentenced to life in prison on July 19, 2007. McGuire was charged with first-degree murder on June 2, 2005, for which she pleaded not guilty, and she made bail. She told her sons, now adults, to look into the case for themselves. [9] Police released a facial reconstruction sketch of the victim, which an acquaintance of Bill McGuire's recognized. 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. Bill had a gambling problem, Melanie explained, and after their fight she knew he would be at the casino. The appeal details the murder, the night of Bill McGuires disappearance, and the disposal of his body. Youre talking about hours [of driving] and there isnt enough time, said McGuire. [1] She graduated, second in her class, from the Charles E. Gregory School of Nursing (now Raritan Bay Medical Center) in 1997 with a nursing diploma. On July 19, 2007 she was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole until she is 100 years old. From Austin Butler and Cate Blanchett to a potential Best Supporting Actress toss-up, see who EW thinks will win at the 2023 Oscars. "Beware of pretty faces that you find, a pretty face can hide an evil mind." -Johnny Ramistella. The very next day, Melanie spoke with divorce attorneys and attempted to file for a restraining order. ], 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. For the first time in years, she says she has hope that an explosive new podcast, "Direct Appeal," could help exonerate her. She also made inquiries of a friend about how to buy a gun. Melanie did not incapacitate, shoot [or] use a saw to dismember her husband, said Sacks. The 47-year-old is currently serving a life sentence at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility in Clinton, New Jersey . 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. 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. She adds, Is she trying to say that the man who was so excited to be buying this house, because he wanted to have this house for the wife that he loved and his children, that at the same time trying to kill her? 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. She reportedly spent most of her life in New Jersey. She graduated from Oberlin College, where she earned a double degree in American History and French. Watch new at 9/8c on ABC. There are just too many holes in this story.. Speaking to ABC News' Amy Robach for 20/20, she said: "I'm doing this because there's a murderer walking around. YouTube She claimed he walked out on her and the kids . 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. 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. I still feel bothered. He was 39 years old. Now her children have neither a mother or a father, neither one, because of Melanie McGuire. At trial, prosecutors presented an apparent mountain of circumstantial evidence against Melanie McGuire in Bill McGuires disappearance and murder. by Chilling Crimes July 20, 2020. Melanie McGuire, 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 Superior Court of New Jersey affirmed her verdict and sentence in 2011. Bill McGuire's body was found around Chesapeake Bay near Virginia Beach, Virginia, his corpse had been shot and then dismembered, and he was put in three separate suitcases which were found in May 2004. "My job is not to convince the world. 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. However, McGuire was acquitted of the two counts of hindering apprehension, as well as tampering with evidence and possession of Xanax without prescription. Nothing in Melanie McGuires early life suggested shed turn to murder. When investigators discovered the affair, they approached Miller. "I won't be home until my oldest is 18 and my youngest is 16," she told EW. Lands and grooves are rifling characteristics that are machine pressed into the barrel of a gun. Melanie did file for a re-trial before her sentencing on the basis that her husband was deeply in debt and may have been killed by Atlantic City mobsters, but to no avail. 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. McGuire maintains her innocence, and wants her two adult sons to look into the case for themselves. Investigators, however, found it highly suspicious that Melanie had then tried to have 90-cent EZ Pass toll charges, which proved shed gone to Atlantic City, removed from her account. The pair lived in Woodbridge, New Jersey where Bill worked at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and McGuire was a fertility clinic nurse in Morristown. Miller was also married with children. Make up your mind. 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. But despite her apparent grief, police soon began to suspect that Melanie McGuire had murdered her husband. Suitcase Killer The Melanie McGuire Story is available to watch in Canada with a Philo subscription! Yet, in the end, it turned out that shed lied about it all. Her trial began in March 5, 2007. The request was subsequently denied. Its out there.. Getty Images. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. After a nearly month and a half long trial, Melanie McGuire was found guilty. The victim, a coroner found, had been shot multiple times. 1:15. The bullets that came out of my husband had six lands and grooves," said Melanie McGuire. Melanie Griffith set the Internet on fire. On April 23, 2007, McGuire's murder trial jury found her guilty of first-degree murder, finding that the evidence established her culpability for the murder beyond a reasonable doubt. She was given a life sentence on July 19, 2007, and she is currently in jail at the Edna Mahan . The 2004 case was dubbed the suitcase murder because the victims legs were found in a suitcase that washed up in Virginia Beach. It is physically exhausting. [1], By April 2004, the McGuires had been married for five years. Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. Nevertheless, because all the evidence was against her, a jury found her guilty of murder, unlawful possession of a weapon, desecrating human remains, and perjury on April 23, 2007. They opened it and found a mans dismembered legs, cut off at the knee. A few weeks later, once Bills body was discovered and Melanie was identified as the prime suspect, Dr. Bradley had asked her to swear upon her childrens life that she had no hand in this homicide, which she did. After they released a sketch to the public, one of Bill McGuires friends soon came forward. Melanie McGuire admitted to having an affair with Miller. 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. Dubbed the "Suitcase Killer," she was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison on July 19, 2007, at the age of 34. Melanie claims that Bill pushed her against the wall during a fight, hit her, and tried to choke her with a dryer sheet. [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. ET on ABC. 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. Melanie and Bill McGuire pictured in Atlantic City, New Jersey at an unknown date. McGuire offered a message to her sons on 20/20, who are now adults, encouraging them to look deeper into the case and find the truth for themselves. But Melanie maintains that she did not commit the infamous Suitcase Murder. The Twisted Case of Melanie McGuire That Chapter 1.81M subscribers Subscribe 64K 1.8M views 9 months ago 2004, Chesapeake Bay. And about a week later, suitcases containing his body parts began to float to the surface in the Chesapeake Bay. 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. 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, sentenced to life in prison for killing her husband in a case known as the "Suitcase Murder," filed a petition in New Jersey Superior Court Thursday asking a judge for more. The case is being featured on a two-hour ABC special, Suitcase Killer, which airs Friday, September 25, 2020 at 9 p.m. Eastern time. On May 11, another suitcase was discovered. It sounds beyond ridiculous sitting here saying it and I acknowledge that Its the truth, she later told 20/20. Therefore, more than a year after the incident, on June 7, 2005, Melanie was officially arrested and charged with first-degree murder. Melanie McGuire Today: Where Is the Suitcase Killer Now in 2020? Prezioso believed the "human sawdust" was the result of Bill McGuire's dismemberment. WOODBRIDGE - Former township resident Melanie McGuire has spent 13 years in prison after receiving a life sentence for the death of her husband, William McGuire, but in a new television. Melanie McGuire is currently in a New Jersey jail, awaiting sentencing on July 19. I still feel bothered. One of the three suitcases that contained parts of Bill McGuires body. Melanie McGuire - Wikipedia. I guess it is comforting [that people are interested]. There were five lands and grooves that my weapon was said to have made based on the company's website. Dont accept what youre just being told on the surface. According to 20/20, the police were able to quickly identify the dismembered man. Melanie did try to appeal her case and later get relief from her long sentence, but her petitions were denied. She pleaded not guilty to all indictments and soon posted an accumulated bail of over $2 million. Also if the crime scene didn't happen [at the family home] and she's home with her children all night, where is this happening? This stuff exists, she said on the show. [9] Melanie admitted that the couple owned the same set of luggage that the body was found in, a matching three-piece set of Kenneth Cole suitcases. 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. Custody of McGuire's two sons was given to her husband's sister, Cindy Ligosh, when she was convicted, and McGuire has not seen them since. In 1999, she started to work as a nurse at Reproductive Medicine Associates, one of the countrys largest fertility clinics. The evidence that was at trial was from ballistic experts.. 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". Candice King as Melanie McGuire in "Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story," which explore the real death of Bill McGuire in 2004. ET on ABC [22] She must serve more than 63 years before she is eligible for parole. The court awarded custody of her two sons to Bill McGuires sister, Cindy Ligosh, and Melanie McGuire has had no contact with them since her trial. Wronko, who is also Locane's boyfriend, is appealing the new sentence, which he believes violates her double jeopardy protections. There were times I wanted him gone, she told 20/20. Although detectives did not find what they were looking for on the surveillance footage, they were able to find something curious on Melanie McGuires statement from her electronic toll payment company, EZ Pass. Of course, since we do not know either of their names, we have no way of digging up any other credible information concerning their current standing. Melanie McGuire says she is innocent, and wants her sons to know she did not kill their father, she said in interviews with 20/20. Sacks firmly believes that prosecutors failed to answer key questions in the case. https://directappealpodcast.com/. Watch the full story on "20/20" Friday, Sept. 25, at 9 p.m. He lived with his wife Melanie and their two boys in an apartment in Woodbridge, New Jersey, United States. He ran tests, but he didn't do all the tests that you actually need to definitively say whether these bags match, added Sacks. A Wednesday. The film stars Candice King as Melanie McGuire, Michael Roark as William McGuire, Jackson Hurst as Bradley Miller, and Wendie Malick as Patricia Prezioso. The 48-year-old actress and mother of two has been sober since the 2010 crash. McGuire and Miller began their affair in 2002 when she was pregnant with her second child, and their relationship continued until June 2005 when she was charged with her husband's murder. Her bail was raised to $2.1million ($2.9 million today), but she was again released. Locane is back behind bars for killing Helene Seeman, 60, in a 2010 drunk driving collision in New Jersey's Montgomery Township. And my answer is I can't explain because I don't think it makes any sense either," Wronko told EW earlier this month. She put his remains into a 3-piece suitcase set, and those three pieces were later found in Chesapeake Bay. Locane said she worries that her daughters and the public will forget her. YouTubeMelanie McGuire married her husband in 1999 and later alleged that he had a gambling problem and a violent temper. At least the prison conversations won't be, ahem, boring for Amy Locane. ", Credit: Jean-Paul Aussenard/WireImage; ABC, Amy Locane's prison cell roommate is the notorious Suitcase Killer. [5], Melanie Lyn Slate grew up in Ridgewood and Middletown Township, New Jersey, attending Middletown High School South. [9] A witness testified that Melanie used the same towels to protect furniture when she moved. 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. Following the 2018 investigation into allegations of sexual abuse at the prison, the DOC released a statement in April, 2020, saying reforms were introduced at the prison to make it easier for inmates to report sexual abuse. Melanie McGuire/Bill McGuire. She said in a moment of admitted irrationality she decided to drive down there and look for his car. 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. ", Through her attorney Jim Wronko, Locane describes McGuire as "very nice and pleasant and smart and helpful.". Leave a sympathy message to the family in the guestbook . During her conversation with ABCs Amy Robach, Melanie continued to insist on her innocence. Watch new at 9/8c on ABC. [11] Through her attorneys, Joe Tacopina,[12] Steve Turano, and Marc Ward, she pleaded not guilty to the charges. "After all these years, I still feel hurt. Melanie McGuire told the podcast "Direct Appeal" that she is not the suitcase killer, and that the true murderer is still on the loose. As a year passed and the investigations continued, on October 26, 2006, Melanie was charged with two more counts of hindering apprehension for allegedly writing letters to the police department to get them off her trail. She was sentenced to life in prison on July 19, 2007 and is serving her sentence at the Edna. [B]ut gone doesnt mean dead.. This suitcase was found to contain the head and torso with three bullet wounds, two in the chest and one in the head. Bills car contained a bottle of chloral hydrate, a sedative, and two syringes, which had been prescribed by Bradley Miller. It's out there," she said. Like, how could somebody think that I did that? she said on 20/20. Melanie McGuire, the Suitcase Killer, gave a rare interview to Amy Robach of ABC News in September 2020. But, after that fateful April day, when the sun rose, their father was nowhere to be found. Dig, dig.". 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. Another important development for investigators was the discovery of Bill McGuire's car. Before she was charged with murder, Melanie contacted E-ZPass and attempted to have the $0.90 charge removed from her account history. 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. However, the state's expert disagreed, testifying that he ran the tests he believed were necessary to link the bags. Powered by. New Jersey Attorney Generals OfficeOne of the three suitcases that contained parts of Bill McGuires body. We heard from Barbara, a close friend of Melanie's, who has witnessed Melanie's ups and downs.I cant think of anyone more qualified to give an opinion on Melanie's behavior and emotional status. She was indicted on four additional, relatively smaller charges in October. But this was the first time somebody was basically saying, We hear you, said Melanie McGuire. [9] Green fibers had been found on one of the bullets lodged in Bill's chest; the fibers were identified as polyester fill, a common material found in household furniture. All we know is that they havent been in touch with their mother since before she was convicted. After his body was found and detectives notified Melanie McGuire of her husband's death, she told them to look for Bill McGuires missing car in Atlantic City -- she claimed he had a gambling problem and frequented the city. For the two toddlers, they usually woke up, saw their parents, went to daycare, came back, saw their parents, ate, played, and then slept. Investigators also found Bills car where Melanie suggested it would be Atlantic City. When investigators processed Bill McGuire's car, they also found a bottle of the sedative chloral hydrate and two syringes. Colombia Finds Two New Shipwrecks Near The Site Of An 18th-Century Spanish Galleon That Sank With Billions In Treasure, The Life And Death Of JFK Jr., The Beloved Son Of John F. Kennedy, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch.