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. She offered explanations for the stories she told police,. McGuire maintains her innocence, and wants her two adult sons to look into the case for themselves. Melanie did not incapacitate, shoot [or] use a saw to dismember her husband, said Sacks. Melanie McGuire is serving a life sentence in the murder of her husband, Bill McGuire, at a women's correctional facility in New Jersey. Lands and grooves are rifling characteristics that are machine pressed into the barrel of a gun. 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. 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. READ NEXT: Melanie McGuire Was Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder of Husband Bill. And my answer is I can't explain because I don't think it makes any sense either," Wronko told EW earlier this month. 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. She actually obtained the means to incapacitate Bill from her workplace, which eventually became her downfall. ABC News also reported that other evidence included McGuire's purported internet search history, which amongst others included "undetectable poisons.". The film stars Candice King as Melanie McGuire, Michael Roark as William McGuire, Jackson Hurst as Bradley Miller, and Wendie Malick as Patricia Prezioso. However, after five years and two kids, their marriage ended on April 28, 2004, with Melanie killing her husband. by 2Paragraphs in Culture, True Crime Murder TV | September 25, 2020. [Watch on your phone with the ABC GO Digital App found here. 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. There are just too many holes in this story.. Melanie McGuire, who is not eligible for parole until she is 101 years old, said the hardest part is not being there for her children. According to 20/20, the police were able to quickly identify the dismembered man. Check out what's clicking today in entertainment. 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. [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. Bill had a gambling problem, Melanie explained, and after their fight she knew he would be at the casino. Prison inmates are in a closed environment. [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. 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. McGuires case is being featured on a podcast, Direct Appeal. She is nearly out of options in the judicial system, the podcast website said, and now she is appealing to the public for help. She became known as the "Suitcase Killer" during her televised 2007 trial. Melanie went to work at a fertility clinic and Bill began teaching computer science at a technical college. Making matters worse, Melanie McGuire had called the company and attempted to have those charges removed. It's out there," she said. His business partner described him as a good father . She will not be eligible for parole until she is 100 years old. I just burst into tears, Melanie said of learning about her husbands death in a 2007 interview. Melanie McGuire, shown at left during her trial, was convicted of fatally shooting her husband, cutting up his body with a power saw and then stuffing his remains into suitcases she later. Welcome to the Quantum Realm. 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. She maintains her innocence and . Thirteen years have passed since Melanie McGuire's conviction. His wife, Melanie McGuire, a fertility nurse and the mother of his two sons, was eventually convicted of murdering him and dumping his body. Don't accept what you're just being told on the surface. Locane said she worries that her daughters and the public will forget her. 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. Would love your thoughts, please comment. Born on October 8, 1972, Melanie Lyn Slate has spent all of her life in New Jersey growing up in Ridgewood and Middletown Township. But despite her apparent grief, police soon began to suspect that Melanie McGuire had murdered her husband. And about a week later, suitcases containing his body parts began to float to the surface in the Chesapeake Bay. Melanie McGuire was victim Bill's wife, who was accused of his murder and dubbed the "Suitcase Killer" when the case went to trial. McGuire, who was convicted in 2007 of killing her husband Bill McGuire, said the hardest part has been not being able to watch her two sons grow up. They surmised that Melanie had sedated Bill, shot him, and cut up his body. Melanie McGuire listens to testimony today during her murder trial. 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. 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. Like, how could somebody think that I did that? Melanie McGuire told ABC News Amy Robach in a rare interview from prison for "20/20.. Pam Grier reflects on her most iconic roles, from Coffy to Jackie Brown. But Melanie maintains that she did not commit the infamous Suitcase Murder. For her part, Melanie insisted that her husband had stormed out after a fight. Image Credit: ABC News / 20/20 I still feel bothered. 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. [9] McGuire persisted in claiming she was innocent, and claimed her husband had become increasingly moody and unpredictable and was a compulsive gambler. She again pleaded not guilty and was released after posting $10,000 bail. https://t.co/ZGewROXCaQ pic.twitter.com/hlzcKR96Ss. [9] Police released a facial reconstruction sketch of the victim, which an acquaintance of Bill McGuire's recognized. 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. Therefore, more than a year after the incident, on June 7, 2005, Melanie was officially arrested and charged with first-degree murder. She didn't fit the profile, I guess, of a murderer, Shlosberg said. She was given a life sentence on July 19, 2007, and she is currently in jail at the Edna Mahan . Prosecutors believed that McGuire forged the prescription as she had access to this prescription pad. There's less of a waiting period.. by Chilling Crimes July 20, 2020. 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. The Secret in the Suitcase: With David Muir, Amy Robach, Melanie McGuire, William McGuire. Before she was charged with murder, Melanie contacted E-ZPass and attempted to have the $0.90 charge removed from her account history. On June 5, 2005, investigators arrested Melanie McGuire and charged her with first-degree murder. In 1999, she started to work as a nurse at Reproductive Medicine Associates, one of the countrys largest fertility clinics. 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. And on May 16, a third. Melanie McGuire claimed that her gun could not have been the murder weapon since the numbers of lands and grooves on the bullets that came out of Bill McGuire didn't match the number that the manufacturing website said it had made her gun with. The grainy images appeared to show Bill McGuire's car being pulled into a spot, but did not capture who the driver was. Would love your thoughts, please comment. It never made sense.. Read More: Where Is Melanie McGuires Family Now? After re-examining her murder conviction over a decade later, Sacks and Shlosberg, believe Melanie McGuire was wrongfully convicted. It was the 28th of April 2004. She also made inquiries of a friend about how to buy a gun. Melanie and Bill McGuire pictured hugging at an unknown date. This sensational case has thus often been referred to as the Suitcase Murder and has been profiled on several true-crime shows, including Oxygens Snapped, NBCs Dateline, CBS 48 Hours Mystery, IDs Deadly Affairs, and Forensic Files, amongst many others. And shes not the only one who thinks that police arrested the wrong suspect. Suitcase Killer The Melanie McGuire Story is available to watch in Canada with a Philo subscription! Melanie McGuire went on trial on March 5, 2007. However, the state's expert disagreed, testifying that he ran the tests he believed were necessary to link the bags. It is physically exhausting. 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. They insisted he was a compulsive gambler who had become increasingly moody, unpredictable, and tempestuous in the months before his passing. She was sentenced to life in prison. The medical examiner determined that the body had been shot multiple times. [B]ut gone doesnt mean dead.. 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. YouTube She reportedly spent most of her life in New Jersey. With the story debunked, the request for a new trial was withdrawn. Therefore, at the age of 49, Melanie McGuire is currently incarcerated at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Union Township, Hunterdon County. A Wednesday. 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. Melanie claims that Bill pushed her against the wall during a fight, hit her, and tried to choke her with a dryer sheet. Criminologists Dr. Meghan Sacks, and Dr. Amy Shlosberg dig into the evidence on the podcast. After being released on bail, Melanie faced additional charges on October 11, 2005. Dig, dig. The true crime drama sees Candice King take on the role of Melanie McGuire, and here is everything you need to know about her and her role in the case. New Jersey Attorney Generals OfficeOne of the three suitcases that contained parts of Bill McGuires body. 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." Investigators also found trash bags in Melanie McGuire's home that they believed matched those used to wrap parts of Bill McGuire's body. Miller was adamant that he had nothing to do with any crime, and he didnt know anything about this. [11] Through her attorneys, Joe Tacopina,[12] Steve Turano, and Marc Ward, she pleaded not guilty to the charges. Melanie went to work at a fertility clinic and Bill began teaching computer science at a technical college. "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. I still feel bothered. There are times when podcasts and media can shine a light on certain cases where what the government did was not right. McGuire had been married for five years by April 2004. The appeal details the murder, the night of Bill McGuires disappearance, and the disposal of his body. Bradley Miller told a Middlesex County court this afternoon that he lied to a grand jury when he said he stopped having sex with . On May 5, 2004, a couple of fishermen and their children noticed a dark green Kenneth Cole suitcase floating in the waters of the Chesapeake Bay. She said her husband left and that she never saw him again. The investigation into who killed Bill McGuire began in Virginia but eventually moved to New Jersey. In addition to 20/20, her case is being examined in a podcast, Direct Appeal. She filed an appeal to the New Jersey Superior Court, which affirmed her conviction and sentence in 2011. [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. 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. 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. She claimed he walked out on her and the kids . [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. Sacks firmly believes that prosecutors failed to answer key questions in the case. They searched gun records in the state but found nothing. 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 is physically exhausting. 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. 3d 411 - NJ: Appellate Div. Melanie McGuire told the podcast "Direct Appeal" that she is not the suitcase killer, and that the true murderer is still on the loose. 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. [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. 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. Bills car contained a bottle of chloral hydrate, a sedative, and two syringes, which had been prescribed by Bradley Miller. I have a book that I can look in that doesn't leave an internet history, Melanie McGuire told "20/20.". 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 killer is out there and it's not me. The killer is out there and its not me, Melanie told Robach. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. The prosecution argued McGuires motive was her affair with Dr. Bradley Miller, a partner at the medical practice RMA Associates. Leave a sympathy message to the family in the guestbook . After a nearly month and a half long trial, Melanie McGuire was found guilty. Investigators also found Bills car where Melanie suggested it would be Atlantic City. Nothing in Melanie McGuires early life suggested shed turn to murder. 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 . Background Bill McGuire was born in September of 1964. She was later charged with other offences including perjury and desecration of human remains, for which she also pled not guilt. Prosecutors called 64 witnesses, and the defense called 16 witnesses. Melanie and Bill McGuire cut the cake at their wedding. 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. It was a mistake on a gun manufacturer's website. Sara James. She may be eligible for parole after serving 66 years in prison, court documents filed in her case said. Did Melanie McGuire dismember her husband? Melanie was a nurse at a fertility clinic and Bill was a computer programmer. [10] Prosecutors contended her motive for murder was to take up a new life with her lover. [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. 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. William McGuire was 39 when he died. Read More: Where Are William and Melanie McGuires Kids Now? Melanie McGuire, 34-years old, sentenced to life in prison for murdering her husband Photo Source: NJ.com (website) New Jersey Department of Corrections/Find a Grave For the two toddlers, they usually woke up, saw their parents, went to daycare, came back, saw their parents, ate, played, and then slept. 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". Melanie McGuire says shes innocent and that someone else killed her husband, Bill, in 2004. During her arraignment on murder charges, McGuire's case was dubbed the "Suitcase Murder" by various media outlets. "Beware of pretty faces that you find, a pretty face can hide an evil mind." -Johnny Ramistella. On June 5, 2005, investigators arrested Melanie McGuire and charged her with first-degree murder. That night, according to the prosecution, McGuire drugged her husband, shot him dead, and subsequently dismembered his body. McGuire told 20/20 she did not commit the crimes for which she was convicted. This stuff exists, she said on the show. At her televised trial, prosecutors explained that she had drugged Bill, shot him, and dismembered him. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. 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. 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. I still feel bothered. 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. 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. McGuire was convicted Monday of killing her. Melanie McGuire. After they released a sketch to the public, one of Bill McGuires friends soon came forward. Sacks and Shlosberg claim that the tests run by the state's plastic expert were not sufficient to conclusively link the bags found in Melanie McGuires house and the ones used to wrap Bill McGuires body. I grabbed the baby and went to the bathroom right behind me and shut the door. [9] A witness testified that Melanie used the same towels to protect furniture when she moved. 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. Melanie Mcguire has been languishing in a prison cell for the past 13 years. Watch the full story on "20/20" Friday, Sept. 25, at 9 p.m. In 2007, McGuire was convicted of killing and dismembering her husband, Bill. Melanie McGuire and defense attorney Stephen Turano, right, react to the verdict during her trial in New Brunswick, N.J., Monday, April 23, 2007. During her interview with ABC News, McGuire shared a message for her sons, saying: "Make up your mind. McGuire went through a lengthy trial, which was televised on Court TV, from February to April 2007. [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. Investigators searched the home for evidence multiple times, checking to see if Bill McGuire had been killed and dismembered there. He said he was leaving and he wasnt coming back and [that] I could tell my children they didnt have a father.. Bill's body parts were discovered in three suitcases floating in the Chesapeake Bay near Virginia. They shared two children together but their marriage was seemingly not a happy one as McGuire embarked on an affair with Dr. Bradley Miller, who was then a partner at the clinic she worked in, per Fox News. 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. McGuire is lodged at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women, serving a life sentence in Clinton, New Jersey. The podcasters and Melanie McGuire also point to unexplained animal hair found on Bill McGuires dismembered body and noted in investigative reports. People are feeling this way now, but when it's no longer a story, I'll just be forgotten. In 2004, Bill McGuire was found dismembered in three separate dark green Kenneth Cole suitcases that were found in and around the Chesapeake Bay, near Virginia Beach, Virginia. 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. I cannot even think about that. But though she denied parking it there, Melanie later claimed that she had gone to Atlantic City and moved the car to mess with him. Bill worked as a computer program analyst for a Newark, New Jersey college and Melanie worked as a fertility nurse, according to a 2011 appeal filed in her case. Prosecutors have always maintained that they believed Melanie McGuire likely had an accomplice. 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. 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. After a 7-week trial, Melanie McGuire was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. Prezioso said she believed that Melanie McGuire was planting the car in Atlantic City to create an illusion that Bill McGuire was still alive. Like, how could somebody think that I did that? 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. 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. These documents exist. 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. 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 . 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. The body was eventually identified as 39 year-old Bill McGuire, an employee of the New Jersey Institute of Technology, who lived more than 300 miles away in Woodbridge, New Jersey. Melanie says in the past, when theyre angry at each other, its a way of messing with each other, I guess you could say., It sounds beyond ridiculous sitting here saying it and I acknowledge that Its the truth, Melanie McGuire told 20/20.. If youre willing to wear a wire, well believe you, said Sacks. Miller looked at the prescription and he said, Thats not my signature and it appears to be Melanie McGuires handwriting, recalled Prezioso. 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. Two years later, in 1999, she married William Bill McGuire, a US Navy veteran, and started a life with him in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey. 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. 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. 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. I dont know how you would dismember a body and effectively clean that up, said McGuire. I still feel bothered. 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. After all these years, I still feel hurt. On May 11, another suitcase was discovered. They closed the documents on their new house on April 28, but never moved in. In April 2004, defendant conducted internet research to learn about buying a gun and about poisons, sedative drugs, and murder. Dont accept what youre just being told on the surface. Melanie and Bill McGuire pictured in Atlantic City, New Jersey at an unknown date.