On April 28, 2004, the last day anyone ever saw Bill alive, Melanie had dropped off their sons, aged 2 and 4, at their daycare as routine at around 8:20 am. Days later, an unidentified man, believed by many to be her stepfather, also contacted E-ZPass and attempted to have the charge removed. 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. Prosecutors called 64 witnesses, and the defense called 16 witnesses. Melanie worked as a fertility clinic nurse, while Bill worked as a computer programmer. 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. It is physically exhausting. [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. One contained a torso and a head, the other a mans thighs and pelvis, according to Oxygen. That same year, she married her husband, a U.S. Navy veteran named William Bill McGuire. A staff writer for All That's Interesting, Kaleena Fraga has also had her work featured in The Washington Post and Gastro Obscura, and she published a book on the Seattle food scene for the Eat Like A Local series. She became known as the "Suitcase Killer" during her televised 2007 trial. Sacks firmly believes that prosecutors failed to answer key questions in the case. Melanie McGuire is an American former nurse who was found guilty of killing her husband, Bill McGuire, on April 28, 2004, in a case called the "suitcase murder" by the media. But, after that fateful April day, when the sun rose, their father was nowhere to be found. 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. That requires two drivers so certainly that means someone helped her, said Prezioso. Lifetime is planning to release a movie about her case, Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story in June 2022. The body parts belonged to a New Jersey father of two named Bill McGuire, and police soon suspected that his wife, Melanie McGuire, had killed him. [1], By April 2004, the McGuires had been married for five years. McGuire was convicted Monday of killing her. Melanie McGuires story made national headlines in the mid-2000s, when she was charged with first-degree murder and dubbed the Suitcase Killer by some in the media. I believe that the evidence presented to the jury told the jury what happened," Prezioso said. 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. She wished to avoid purchasing a house at substantial expense and beginning a new phase in a marriage she regretted. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? 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. https://directappealpodcast.com/. ], 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. 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. During the 20/20 interview, Melanie sends a message to her now adult sons, whom she hasnt had contact with since her 2007 trial. McGuire had a message for her sons, who are now adults, "Make up your mind. There's less of a waiting period.. 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. McGuire will not be eligible for parole until she is 100 years old. Did Melanie McGuire dismember her husband? Once Melanie spots Bills car from the highway, she decides shes going to move his car, said Shlosberg. Melanies not the only person who believes that the police got it wrong. William McGuire was 39 when he died. Melanie McGuire has had no contact with them since before the verdict. https://t.co/ZGewROXCaQ pic.twitter.com/hlzcKR96Ss. 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". "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. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. It says: The State alleged that defendant wanted to end her marriage to Bill but also had concerns about divorce. Melanie McGuire says she isnt hoping for prison release, in a new jailhouse interview with @ARobach Friday at 9/8c during a new #ABC2020. [11] Through her attorneys, Joe Tacopina,[12] Steve Turano, and Marc Ward, she pleaded not guilty to the charges. 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". And on May 16, a third. This chart demonstrates the significant drop in active cases from approximately 800 active inmate cases in DOC facilities at the peak of the pandemic, the DOC website says. I still feel bothered. Melanie McGuire's defense team focused on the lack of physical evidence, insisting it was more likely that Bill McGuire was murdered as the result of his gambling, than at the hands of his diminutive wife. On April 28, 2004, the last day anyone ever saw Bill alive, Melanie had dropped off their sons, aged 2 and 4, at their daycare as routine at around 8:20 am. According to PEOPLE, Melanie claimed that Bill had a gambling problem and a volatile temper. A four-count indictment came down from a state grand jury. 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. READ NEXT: Melanie McGuire Today: Where Is the Suitcase Killer Now in 2020? Police also found a number of suspicious internet searches on the McGuires home computer, including questions like: how to purchase guns illegally, how to commit murder, and undetectable poisons. And they believed that the garbage bags in the McGuire home matched the bags wrapped around Bill McGuires dismembered body. Therefore, more than a year after the incident, on June 7, 2005, Melanie was officially arrested and charged with first-degree murder. Guilty or not, Melanie McGuire, the so-called Suitcase Killer, remains an object of fascination. Who Is Melanie McGuire? "I have this Forrest Gump-ian way of touching something and it becomes a hit!" She maintains her innocence, having recently told 20/20 that "after all these years, I still feel hurt. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. She said in a moment of admitted irrationality she decided to drive down there and look for his car. So I think the police said, Well, prove it. One contained legs, another a pelvis, and the third a torso and head. The evidence that was at trial was from ballistic experts.. Dig, dig. Melanie McGuire told the podcast "Direct Appeal" that she is not the suitcase killer, and that the true murderer is still on the loose. https://t.co/ZGewROXCaQ pic.twitter.com/hlzcKR96Ss. She didnt fit the profile, I guess, of a murderer, Shlosberg told 20/20. This episode takes you through the case and trial, while showing Melanie being interviewed on an episode of 20/20 in 2007, and showing Melanie speak from prison today. ", Through her attorney Jim Wronko, Locane describes McGuire as "very nice and pleasant and smart and helpful.". 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. [B]ut gone doesnt mean dead.. She was given a life sentence on July 19, 2007, and she is currently in jail at the Edna Mahan . In April 2004, Melanie and Bill McGuire seemed to have it all: successful careers, two young sons and a new $500,000 home. The chart below captures the current COVID cases within the inmate and staff population, following Phase 2 testing, which includes retesting those individuals who were previously negative. Melanie Mcguire has been languishing in a prison cell for the past 13 years. There are times when podcasts and media can shine a light on certain cases where what the government did was not right. Melanie McGuire is serving a life sentence in the murder of her husband, Bill McGuire, at a women's correctional facility in New Jersey. [9] On May 11, a second larger suitcase was found on the beach of Fisherman Island National Wildlife Refuge, by a graduate student cleaning up litter on the beach. Melanie Lyn McGuire (ne Slate; born October 8, 1972)[3] is an American former nurse who was convicted of murdering her husband on April 28, 2004, in what media dubbed the "suitcase murder". Like, how could somebody think that I did that? https://t.co/f9HrMsbxkY. As of June 22, 2020, two inmates had died of COVID-19. 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. Its out there., 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." New Jersey Department of Corrections/Find a Grave Melanie McGuire married her husband in 1999 and later alleged that he had a gambling problem and a violent temper. Watch the full story on "20/20" Friday, Sept. 25, at 9 p.m. Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. 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. 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. This is not one of those cases, said Prezioso. [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]. Melanie McGuire listens to testimony today during her murder trial. 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. New Jersey Attorney Generals OfficeOne of the three suitcases that contained parts of Bill McGuires body. These documents exist. After all these years, I still feel hurt," McGuire told "20/20", For some, it mightve seemed like a real-life episode of The Sopranos.. 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. McGuire maintains her innocence, and wants her two adult sons to look into the case for themselves. Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. 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. Also if the crime scene didnt happen [at the family home] and shes home with her children all night, where is this happening? [Watch on your phone with the ABC GO Digital App found here. 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". As Dr. Bradley Miller testified in the Melanie McGuire court case, there was an ongoing affair between himself and Melanie when Bill McGuire was killed. 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. 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. 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. Therefore, at the age of 49, Melanie McGuire is currently incarcerated at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Union Township, Hunterdon County. 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. I still feel bothered. A Wednesday. Melanie McGuire was found guilty of murdering Bill McGuire, 39, in April 2004. Prosecutors allege that McGuire, 34, shot him to death, sliced his body into four pieces with a power saw and then dumped his remains in the Chesapeake Bay. Download is FREE. Indeed, she spent most of her time bringing new life into the world. Now the former fertility nurse is 47 years old and spending her life sentence in Edna Mahan Correctional Facility in Clinton, New Jersey. Less than a year later, the McGuires had their first son. by Sarah Jae Leiber Sep. 21, 2020. For the two toddlers, they usually woke up, saw their parents, went to daycare, came back, saw their parents, ate, played, and then slept. [9], On May 5, 2004, the first suitcase, containing human legs, was found by two fishermen and two children floating near the Chesapeake Bay BridgeTunnel's fourth artificial island, and a murder investigation was launched. Miller was also married with children. Suitcase Killer The Melanie McGuire Story is available to watch in Canada with a Philo subscription! We were not gathering evidence from a gun manufacturer's website. says the actress. William "Bill" McGuire was a husband and father of two. 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 brought in the luminol, and they also pulled down parts of the walls. After all, when Bill was murdered in 2004, he and Melanie were the proud parents of two beautiful young boys. Prosecutors also pointed to Melanie McGuire's supposed internet searches in the days leading up to Bill McGuires disappearance. According to 20/20, the police were able to quickly identify the dismembered man. The jury deliberated for three days before convicting her of all four counts lodged against her in the first indictment, and acquitted her of the eight counts filed in the second indictment. 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. Welcome to the Quantum Realm. So she drove around until she found his car and then moved it as a prank. After they released a sketch to the public, one of Bill McGuires friends soon came forward. Dr. 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. He ran tests, but he didn't do all the tests that you actually need to definitively say whether these bags match, added Sacks. With the story debunked, the request for a new trial was withdrawn. by Chilling Crimes July 20, 2020. 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. 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. It shows no inmates or staff at the facility had confirmed positive test results between August 22, 2020, and September 25, 2020. Bill McGuire, 39, went missing on April 29, 2004. For her part, Melanie insisted that her husband had stormed out after a fight. When investigators discovered the affair, they approached Miller. They recovered searches including: How to purchase guns illegally, How to commit murder, Undetectable poisons and, generally, how to sedate or kill someone, according to investigators. The Suitcase Killer, Melanie McGuire Story shows the real-life incident that occurred in 2004 in New Jersey, when Melanie, a local nurse killed her husband, William, a computer programmer, and dismembered his body and packed them in a suitcase, and dumped them in the Chesapeake Bay. Candice King as Melanie McGuire in "Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story," which explore the real death of Bill McGuire in 2004. Through record tracing, they found out that the chloral hydrate was picked up at a Walgreens pharmacy just down the road from the McGuire children's daycare on the morning that Bill McGuire disappeared. I just burst into tears, Melanie said of learning about her husbands death in a 2007 interview. Image Credit: ABC News / 20/20 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. I cannot even think about that. She again pleaded not guilty and was released after posting $10,000 bail. 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. Most recently, though, it has been the subject of ABCs 20/20, in an episode entitled Interview with Melanie McGuire, where we get Melanies complete perspective for the first time. Upon further investigation, police discovered a security video of the car being moved in the early morning hours of April 30, 2004. Melanie McGuire is serving a life sentence in the murder of her husband, Bill McGuire, at a women's correctional facility in New Jersey. But when fishermen discovered a suitcase stuffed with Bill's remains just days after the couple had closed on their new dream home . McGuire appealed her case, saying she did not receive a fair trial. They discovered that Melanie had bought a gun in Pennsylvania two days before Bill went missing and that she was having an affair with a doctor at her practice, Bradley Miller. 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 . Three suitcases were found washed up, inside each were the remains. Sara James. His wife, Melanie McGuire, a fertility nurse and the mother of his two sons, was eventually convicted of murdering him and dumping his body. fort bragg special missions unit assessment and selection, prosun tanning beds, mobile homes for rent in splendora,