A jury convicted McGuire in 2007, and she was sentenced to life in prison plus five years. Dig, dig., 20/20 airs Fridays at 9 pm on ABC, right after Americas Funniest Home Videos at 8 pm. The case involved 21 witnesses qualified as experts, hundreds of pieces of evidence and 21 days of testimony. She was sentenced to life in prison on July 19, 2007. So she drove around until she found his car and then moved it as a prank. Dig, dig." Suitcase Killer: The. They opened it and found a mans dismembered legs, cut off at the knee. Who Is Melanie McGuire? That night, according to the prosecution, McGuire drugged her husband, shot him dead, and subsequently dismembered his body. There are times when podcasts and media can shine a light on certain cases where what the government did was not right. After a nearly month and a half long trial, Melanie McGuire was found guilty. The investigation into who killed Bill McGuire began in Virginia but eventually moved to New Jersey. Thirteen years have passed since Melanie McGuire's conviction. His body was found in three separate suitcases in the Chesapeake Bay, which led to McGuires nickname, the Suitcase Killer.. [13] She was also convicted of the lesser charges of perjury, desecration of human remains, and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. I guess it is comforting [that people are interested]. by Sarah Jae Leiber Sep. 21, 2020. She will not be eligible for parole until she has served 66 years in prison. 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. As of June 22, 2020, two inmates had died of COVID-19. From Austin Butler and Cate Blanchett to a potential Best Supporting Actress toss-up, see who EW thinks will win at the 2023 Oscars. ", Credit: Jean-Paul Aussenard/WireImage; ABC, Amy Locane's prison cell roommate is the notorious Suitcase Killer. 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. 0:45. [9] Police released a facial reconstruction sketch of the victim, which an acquaintance of Bill McGuire's recognized. Three suitcases were found washed up, inside each were the remains. "Beware of pretty faces that you find, a pretty face can hide an evil mind." -Johnny Ramistella. "I won't be home until my oldest is 18 and my youngest is 16," she told EW. The 48-year-old actress and mother of two has been sober since the 2010 crash. 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. Like, how could somebody think that I did that? she said on 20/20. That requires two drivers so certainly that means someone helped her, said Prezioso. Sara James. They surmised that Melanie had sedated Bill, shot him, and cut up his body. Candice King as Melanie McGuire in "Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story," which explore the real death of Bill McGuire in 2004. It sounds beyond ridiculous sitting here saying it and I acknowledge that Its the truth, she later told 20/20. The media soon dubbed the case the Suitcase Murder.. We looked very closely at Dr. Miller, said Prezioso. During her conversation with ABCs Amy Robach, Melanie continued to insist on her innocence. This stuff exists, she said on the show. 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". [9] A witness testified that Melanie used the same towels to protect furniture when she moved. After all these years, I still feel hurt. 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. She became known as the "Suitcase Killer" during her televised 2007 trial. Prezioso said she has no doubt Melanie McGuire's gun was the murder weapon. A nurse said her husband walked out on her. 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. [1], By April 2004, the McGuires had been married for five years. During the 20/20 interview, Melanie sends a message to her now adult sons, whom she hasnt had contact with since her 2007 trial. With Candice King, Michael Roark, Tristan Laurence, Jackson Hurst. And then, two years later, they were blessed with another baby boy. [9] The footage was blurry and the police weren't able to identify the person in the video. I have a book that I can look in that doesn't leave an internet history, Melanie McGuire told "20/20.". Youre talking about hours [of driving] and there isnt enough time, said McGuire. After all, when Bill was murdered in 2004, he and Melanie were the proud parents of two beautiful young boys. Upon further investigation, police discovered a security video of the car being moved in the early morning hours of April 30, 2004. By that point, the two had only flirted and corresponded via e-mail, only for a romance to blossom. Watch new at 9/8c on ABC. Melanie McGuire was a former nurse in the United States who was found guilty of murdering her husband on April 28, 2004. Melanie McGuire said that Bill McGuire had asked her to buy the gun for him since he had a felony conviction from a bad driving record, which barred him from purchasing one on his own. William McGuire was 39 when he died. Then, they looked in Pennsylvania. 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. A dramatization of the romance and marriage of the McGuires, the 2004 murder of Bill, the investigation, and the subsequent trial of Melanie, who who dismembered and disposed of her husband's body in suitcases. ET on ABC. Dubbed the Suitcase Killer, she was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison on July 19, 2007, at the age of 34. A top priority for New Jersey investigators was determining if Melanie McGuire had ever owned a gun. For her part, Melanie insisted that her husband had stormed out after a fight. Like, how could somebody think that I did that?". Melanie Mcguire has been languishing in a prison cell for the past 13 years. He was 39 years old. I absolutely tried to have those charges taken off because I feared that people would look and think what they ultimately ended up thinking.. 2011 - Google Scholar", "N.J. appeals court upholds life sentence for convicted suitcase killer Melanie McGuire", "State v. McGuire, 27 A. To this day, Melanie maintains that she did not kill her husband, dismember him, and dispose of his body parts in suitcases. They insisted he was a compulsive gambler who had become increasingly moody, unpredictable, and tempestuous in the months before his passing. 1:15. Melanie worked as a fertility clinic nurse, while Bill worked as a computer programmer. [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. Melanie did try to appeal her case and later get relief from her long sentence, but her petitions were denied. Like, how could somebody think that I did that? https://t.co/f9HrMsbxkY. 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. She became known as the Suitcase Killer during her televised 2007 trial. Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. [5], Melanie Lyn Slate grew up in Ridgewood and Middletown Township, New Jersey, attending Middletown High School South. The killer is out there and its not me, Melanie told Robach. She was given a life sentence on July 19, 2007, and she is currently in jail at the Edna Mahan . That same year, she married her husband, a U.S. Navy veteran named William Bill McGuire. "After all these years, I still feel hurt. The evidence in this case points to a well-organized, meticulously planned execution of a murder, Prezioso said during the trial. https://t.co/ZGewRPfd2o pic.twitter.com/i4dBUBR7PJ. He probably would have broken my cheek if it had been a closed fist, Melanie McGuire told 20/20. Melanie McGuire Today: Where Is the Suitcase Killer Now in 2020? Melanie McGuire has been dubbed the Suitcase Killer by the media for her role in butchering her own husband, William Bill McGuire, before packing up his remains into three suitcases and then disposing of them in the Chesapeake Bay. https://t.co/ZGewROXCaQ pic.twitter.com/hlzcKR96Ss. Melanie McGuire is serving a life sentence in the murder of her husband, Bill McGuire, at a womens correctional facility in New Jersey. The appeal raised many claims contending she did not receive a fair trial, including prosecutorial misconduct, failure to consider a mitigating factor, a tainted jury, and exposure of the jury to inflammatory media accounts. After pulling the surveillance footage from the parking lot, however, investigators were disappointed. I still feel bothered. When investigators discovered the affair, they approached Miller. It is physically exhausting. Today, Melanie McGuire is almost 50 and is serving a life sentence at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Clinton. There was. She offered explanations for the stories she told police,. 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. At the time, the local media also reported this detail about the parking lot's surveillance cameras. It was the 28th of April 2004. For the first time in years, she says she has hope that an explosive new podcast, "Direct Appeal," could help exonerate her. Indeed, she spent most of her time bringing new life into the world. Did Melanie McGuire dismember her husband? 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. 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. 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). I still feel bothered. Melanie claims she's innocent, and hopes that she will be released someday. by Chilling Crimes July 20, 2020. Dig, dig. Powered by. 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. "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. So I think the police said, Well, prove it. [6][7] She enrolled at Rutgers University with a double major in math and psychology and graduated in 1994. McGuire went through a lengthy trial, which was televised on Court TV, from February to April 2007. Miller was also married with children. There are just too many holes in this story.. Bill McGuire, 39, put a down payment down on a $500,000 house for the couple and their two young sons in April 2004. After all these years, I still feel hurt. "There was no evidence connecting him to this crime.. She maintains her innocence and . Or, learn about Stacey Castor, the Black Widow who killed two of her husbands with antifreeze. 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. Nothing in Melanie McGuires early life suggested shed turn to murder. Also if the crime scene didnt happen [at the family home] and shes home with her children all night, where is this happening? Where Are William and Melanie McGuires Kids Now. Prezioso is certain that Bill McGuires murderer is the woman who was convicted and is now sitting in prison. On June 5, 2005, investigators arrested Melanie McGuire and charged her with first-degree murder. Melanie McGuire was victim Bill's wife, who was accused of his murder and dubbed the "Suitcase Killer" when the case went to trial. He had been married to Melanie Lyn Slate McGuire for about five years had two beautiful sons with her. Dont accept what youre just being told on the surface. Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. Melanie McGuire married her husband in 1999 and later alleged that he had a gambling problem and a violent temper. It was a mistake on a gun manufacturer's website. 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. At least the prison conversations won't be, ahem, boring for Amy Locane. YouTubeMelanie McGuire married her husband in 1999 and later alleged that he had a gambling problem and a violent temper. The medical examiner determined that the body had been shot multiple times. Born on October 8, 1972, Melanie Lyn Slate has spent all of her life in New Jersey growing up in Ridgewood and Middletown Township. [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. Melanie McGuire listens to testimony today during her murder trial. Like, how could somebody think that I did that? https://t.co/f9HrMsbxkY. 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. 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. ABC News correspondent Amy Roach sits down for the first on-camera interview with Melanie McGuire since she was sentenced 13 years ago in 2007 to life in prison for the murder of her husband and father of her two children, William Bill McGuire. Prosecutors believed that McGuire forged the prescription as she had access to this prescription pad. READ NEXT: Melanie McGuire Today: Where Is the Suitcase Killer Now in 2020? I still feel bothered. After all these years, I still feel hurt. Prosecutors argued that she killed her husband so. Melanie Griffith set the Internet on fire. Melanie did not incapacitate, shoot [or] use a saw to dismember her husband, said Sacks. In September 2020 McGuire took part in a rare interview with ABC News, in which she continued to profess her innocence for the crime. Melanie McGuire defends her innocence from inside prison in 2019, over a decade after she was convicted. These documents exist. She will not be eligible for parole until she is 100 years old. On May 11, another suitcase was discovered. 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. 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. In 2004, three separate dark green Kenneth Cole suitcases, containing pieces of a dismembered body, were found in and around the Chesapeake Bay, near Virginia Beach, Virginia. After finishing high school, she enrolled at Rutgers University for a double major in math and psychology, which she achieved in 1994. She didn't fit the profile, I guess, of a murderer, Shlosberg said. If youre willing to wear a wire, well believe you, said Sacks. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Less than a year later, the McGuires had their first son. Melanie McGuire says shes innocent and that someone else killed her husband, Bill, in 2004. However, not much else about the day was typical. The podcast hosts and Melanie McGuire herself, raise questions about whether it's even possible the gun she purchased was the murder weapon. 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. 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. They lived in an apartment Woodbridge, New Jersey. Though a jury agreed and sentenced Melanie McGuire to life in prison, the so-called Suitcase Killer has long insisted upon her innocence. [10] Prosecutors contended her motive for murder was to take up a new life with her lover. 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 didn't happen [at the family home] and she's home with her children all night, where is this happening? Before she was charged with murder, Melanie contacted E-ZPass and attempted to have the $0.90 charge removed from her account history. Once police honed in on Melanie McGuire as the prime suspect, they began wiretapping her phones. McGuire told 20/20 she did not commit the crimes for which she was convicted. Sometimes, she said, hed get violent with her. She claimed he walked out on her and the kids . Dig, dig.". She was accused and convicted of murdering and dismembering her husband, William Bill McGuire, after which she packed him up in three suitcases and threw him into the Chesapeake Bay. He said he was leaving and he wasnt coming back and [that] I could tell my children they didnt have a father.. "I panicked. She told her sons, now adults, to look into the case for themselves. Make up your mind. They searched gun records in the state but found nothing. Watch the full story on "20/20" Friday, Sept. 25, at 9 p.m. She then graduated from the Charles E. Gregory School of Nursing (now Raritan Bay Medical Center) in 1997 with a nursing diploma. 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. 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. Watch the full story on "20/20" Friday, Sept. 25, at 9 p.m. After re-examining her murder conviction over a decade later, Sacks and Shlosberg, believe Melanie McGuire was wrongfully convicted. Melanie had to withdraw her appeal after the prosecutors debunked the story, and so, on July 19, 2007, she was sentenced to life in prison. She pleaded not guilty to all indictments and soon posted an accumulated bail of over $2 million. Melanie McGuire was found guilty of murdering Bill McGuire, 39, in April 2004. His wife, Melanie McGuire, a fertility nurse and the mother of his two sons, was eventually convicted of murdering him and dumping his body. Melanie and Bill McGuire were married in 1999 and had two sons at the time of his death. 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. 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. While she admitted to her affair with Miller, she maintains she did not kill Bill McGuire. 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. How Marvel went big with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. After a nearly month and a half long trial, Melanie McGuire was found guilty. 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 was convicted in the grisly murder of her husband, Bill McGuire, whose body was found dismembered in suitcases in the Chesapeake Bay. 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. 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. [Watch on your phone with the ABC GO Digital App found here. Guilty or not, Melanie McGuire, the so-called Suitcase Killer, remains an object of fascination. Criminologists Dr. Meghan Sacks, and Dr. Amy Shlosberg dig into the evidence on the podcast. 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 . 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. [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]. https://directappealpodcast.com/. Download is FREE. The appeal details the murder, the night of Bill McGuires disappearance, and the disposal of his body. After they released a sketch to the public, one of Bill McGuires friends soon came forward. The podcast, hosted by Fairleigh Dickinson University criminology professors Meghan Sacks and Amy Schlosberg questions Melanie McGuire's guilt and suggests that there is evidence in the case that never received the legal scrutiny it deserved. [B]ut gone doesnt mean dead.. Bill McGuire was murdered by his wife Melanie McGuire, and his body was found near Virginia Beach's Chesapeake Bay in 2004. 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.
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