Like, how could somebody think that I did that?. 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.. 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. 2011 - Google Scholar", "N.J. appeals court upholds life sentence for convicted suitcase killer Melanie McGuire", "State v. McGuire, 27 A. 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. [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. The media soon dubbed the case the Suitcase Murder.. [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. "After all these years, I still feel hurt. Sometimes, she said, hed get violent with her. Melanie did not incapacitate, shoot [or] use a saw to dismember her husband, said Sacks. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. She said in a moment of admitted irrationality she decided to drive down there and look for his car. Actress Candice King who is best known for her work in the Vampire Diaries will play McGuire. Her 2007 trial became a nationally televised event. Melanie worked as a fertility clinic nurse, while Bill worked as a computer programmer. Melanie McGuire, the Suitcase Killer, gave a rare interview to Amy Robach of ABC News in September 2020. Prezioso said she has no doubt Melanie McGuire's gun was the murder weapon. Download is FREE. According to PEOPLE, Melanie claimed that Bill had a gambling problem and a volatile temper. 'Suitcase killer' Melanie McGuire maintains innocence in prison TV Melanie went to work at a fertility clinic and Bill began teaching computer science at a technical college. 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. 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. Prosecutors believed that McGuire forged the prescription as she had access to this prescription pad. Or, learn about Stacey Castor, the Black Widow who killed two of her husbands with antifreeze. But Melanie maintains that she did not commit the infamous Suitcase Murder. I have a book that I can look in that doesn't leave an internet history, Melanie McGuire told "20/20.". Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story airs at 8 p.m. Dubbed the "Suitcase Killer," she was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison on July 19, 2007, at the age of 34. 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. Also if the crime scene didnt happen [at the family home] and shes home with her children all night, where is this happening? All we know is that they havent been in touch with their mother since before she was convicted. He probably would have broken my cheek if [the hit] had been a closed fist, Melanie McGuire said. A few days later, a suitcase surfaced in a bay miles away with a horrifying discovery inside. Powered by. 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. 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. The film stars Candice King as Melanie McGuire, Michael Roark as William McGuire, Jackson Hurst as Bradley Miller, and Wendie Malick as Patricia Prezioso. 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. Did Melanie McGuire dismember her husband? 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. Youre talking about hours [of driving] and there isnt enough time, said McGuire. Melanie went to work at a fertility clinic and Bill began teaching computer science at a technical college. 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. 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. Her trial began in March 5, 2007. Thirteen years have passed since Melanie McGuire's conviction. 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. At her televised trial, prosecutors explained that she had drugged Bill, shot him, and dismembered him. It says: The State alleged that defendant wanted to end her marriage to Bill but also had concerns about divorce. Where Is Bill Mcguire Now? The Suitcase Killer Melanie Mcguire Husband Bill had a gambling problem, Melanie explained, and after their fight she knew he would be at the casino. McGuire told 20/20 she did not commit the crimes for which she was convicted. Make up your mind. Melanie McGuire listens to testimony today during her murder trial. But, after that fateful April day, when the sun rose, their father was nowhere to be found. 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. Melanie did try to appeal her case and later get relief from her long sentence, but her petitions were denied. In the meantime, the two young McGuire children, ages 5 and 7, are being raised by Bill's sister, Cindy Ligosh. [5], Melanie Lyn Slate grew up in Ridgewood and Middletown Township, New Jersey, attending Middletown High School South. 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. McGuire appealed her case, saying she did not receive a fair trial. At the time, the case created a media sensation, with McGuire dubbed the "suitcase killer.". She didnt fit the profile, I guess, of a murderer, Shlosberg told 20/20. 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. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Melanie McGuire denies this, pointing to the fact that there are hundreds of miles between Delaware and Virginia Beach. Please review our privacy policy here: https://heavy.com/privacy-policy/, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. I just wanted to get away from him at that point. 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. We were not gathering evidence from a gun manufacturer's website. Bills car contained a bottle of chloral hydrate, a sedative, and two syringes, which had been prescribed by Bradley Miller. And on May 16, a third. It doesn't make any sense.' With Candice King, Michael Roark, Tristan Laurence, Jackson Hurst. Prosecutors have always maintained that they believed Melanie McGuire likely had an accomplice. 1:15. 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". 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. [9] The footage was blurry and the police weren't able to identify the person in the video. 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. 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. 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 . Who Is Melanie McGuire, From Lifetime's 'Suitcase Killer'? | True Crime Melanie McGuire, The 'Suitcase Killer' Who Dismembered Her Husband 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. Melanie McGuire, a New Jersey woman who was sentenced to life in prison, in 2007, for the murder of her husband Bill McGuire, discusses the case and maintains her innocence; Bill called his friends to happily tell them the news. After all these years, I still feel hurt. Sex, Lies and Secret Lives - ABC News There are just too many holes in this story.. September 26, 2020 Examined Dont accept what youre just being told on the surface. Her defense lawyers have not said if McGuire will testify . "There was no evidence connecting him to this crime.. 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. Woodbridge Township, NJ - The Suitcase Killer - Melanie McGuire New Jersey Department of Corrections/Find a Grave, Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women, Data from the New Jersey Department of Corrections, Melanie McGuire Was Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder of Husband Bill. Melanie McGuire admitted to having an affair with a doctor at the fertility clinic where she worked. We looked very closely at Dr. Miller, said Prezioso. In April 2004, Melanie and Bill McGuire seemed to have it all: successful careers, two young sons and a new $500,000 home. "People ask me, 'Explain this. McGuire went through a lengthy trial, which was televised on Court TV, from February to April 2007. Check out what's clicking today in entertainment. 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. The 48-year-old actress and mother of two has been sober since the 2010 crash.