Melanie McGuire is currently in a New Jersey jail, awaiting sentencing on July 19. 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. She became known as the Suitcase Killer during her televised 2007 trial. [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]. ABC News also reported that other evidence included McGuire's purported internet search history, which amongst others included "undetectable poisons.". Nothing in Melanie McGuires early life suggested shed turn to murder. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. 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. 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 though Bill and Melanie had two sons together, their marriage swiftly soured. 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. Sacks firmly believes that prosecutors failed to answer key questions in the case. From Austin Butler and Cate Blanchett to a potential Best Supporting Actress toss-up, see who EW thinks will win at the 2023 Oscars. There were two charges, totaling 90 cents, on her statement that proved she had driven to Atlantic City after her husband went missing. There were times I wanted him gone, she told 20/20. Dont accept what youre just being told on the surface. [24][25] On April 29, 2014, McGuire filed a motion for post-conviction relief, alleging ineffective assistance of counsel and newly discovered evidence. 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. But despite her apparent grief, police soon began to suspect that Melanie McGuire had murdered her husband. They searched gun records in the state but found nothing. Dr. On April 23, 2007 McGuire was found guilty by a jury of first-degree murder, perjury, desecration of human remains and possession of a weapon for unlawful means. So I think the police said, Well, prove it. I still feel bothered. Trial photos of Melanie McGuire, a New Jersey nurse best known for being the perpetrator in the media-dubbed "suitcase murder." . 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. Days later, an unidentified man, believed by many to be her stepfather, also contacted E-ZPass and attempted to have the charge removed. Miller eventually testified against Melanie McGuire at her trial. READ NEXT: Melanie McGuire Was Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder of Husband Bill. His head and torso with bullet wounds were found in a medium size suitcase and his arms in a smaller suitcase in the Chesapeake Bay. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. The killer is out there and it's not me. Today, Melanie McGuire is almost 50 and is serving a life sentence at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Clinton. 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. Investigators searched the home for evidence multiple times, checking to see if Bill McGuire had been killed and dismembered there. Like, how could somebody think that I did that?. "My job is not to convince the world. Guilty or not, Melanie McGuire, the so-called Suitcase Killer, remains an object of fascination. The 47-year-old is currently serving a life sentence at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility in Clinton, New Jersey . [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. On June 5, 2005, investigators arrested Melanie McGuire and charged her with first-degree murder. 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. The 2004 case was dubbed the suitcase murder because the victims legs were found in a suitcase that washed up in Virginia Beach. When investigators discovered the affair, they approached Miller. I looked down and theres my 2-year-old. However, not much else about the day was typical. Welcome to the Quantum Realm. 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. 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. Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story: Directed by Nicole L. Thompson. Dig, dig. The Secret in the Suitcase: With David Muir, Amy Robach, Melanie McGuire, William McGuire. 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. She put his remains into a 3-piece suitcase set, and those three pieces were later found in Chesapeake Bay. Dubbed the "Suitcase Killer," she was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison on July 19, 2007, at the age of 34. McGuire, now 47, was convicted of killing and dismembering her husband after a lengthy trial in 2007. 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. 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. Like, how could somebody think that I did that? "I have this Forrest Gump-ian way of touching something and it becomes a hit!" Melanie McGuire married her husband in 1999 and later alleged that he had a gambling problem and a violent temper. Melanie did not incapacitate, shoot [or] use a saw to dismember her husband, said Sacks. [8] She married United States Navy veteran William T. "Bill" McGuire (born September 21, 1964) in 1999. Her defense attorneys argued that anyone could have conducted the searches. I dont know how you would dismember a body and effectively clean that up, said McGuire. It is physically exhausting. Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Melanie McGuire is now serving a lifetime sentence at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in New Jersey, as Entertainment Weekly reports. Before she was charged with murder, Melanie contacted E-ZPass and attempted to have the $0.90 charge removed from her account history. If I wanted to look for something like that, I have a [physicians' desk reference]. McGuire was convicted Monday of killing her. Her 2007 trial became a nationally televised event. William "Bill" McGuire was a husband and father of two. Miller agreed to cooperate with investigators and was never charged in the crime. I panicked, Melanie told 20/20. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. 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. 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. Getty Images. The evidence in this case points to a well-organized, meticulously planned execution of a murder, Prezioso said during the trial. Making matters worse, Melanie McGuire had called the company and attempted to have those charges removed. 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. 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. But she didnt report Bill missing. Melanie and Bill McGuire cut the cake at their wedding. Another important development for investigators was the discovery of Bill McGuire's car. [21] The case has been profiled on television outlets: Snapped Oxygen Network; Dateline NBC; 48 Hours Mystery CBS; and The Investigators TruTV; Deadly Affairs Investigation Discovery, and Forensic Files II, among other true crime television shows. Make up your mind. It also promised to better educate staff and inmates about the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act, and said it had set up an early-warning system to identify problematic behavior by staff. She was given a life sentence on July 19, 2007, and she is currently in jail at the Edna Mahan . Pam Grier reflects on her most iconic roles, from Coffy to Jackie Brown. Thats what happened the night of April 28, 2004, the day Bill McGuire disappeared, according to his wife. Melanie was a nurse at a fertility clinic and Bill was a computer programmer. At least the prison conversations won't be, ahem, boring for Amy Locane. [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 panicked. by 2Paragraphs in Culture, True Crime Murder TV | September 25, 2020. After a 7-week trial, Melanie McGuire was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. She may be eligible for parole after serving 66 years in prison, court documents filed in her case said. Like, how could somebody think that I did that?". 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. https://directappealpodcast.com/. Do you know how hard it is to cut through bone? Candice King as Melanie McGuire in "Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story," which explore the real death of Bill McGuire in 2004. After exiting the older child's school, Melanie started walking toward her vehicle when law enforcement emerged from the bushes, taking her into custody without incident. Indeed, she spent most of her time bringing new life into the world. 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. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. 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. They really turned this place upside down a number of times They couldn't find any forensic evidence whatsoever to establish this was a crime scene.. YouTube [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 McGuire went on trial on March 5, 2007. 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. She said she was unhappy in her marriage. 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. Leave a sympathy message to the family in the guestbook . She was indicted on four additional, relatively smaller charges in October. Prosecutors have always maintained that they believed Melanie McGuire likely had an accomplice. They opened it and found a mans dismembered legs, cut off at the knee. It premiered on 17th June 2022 and is airing exclusively on Lifetime.The show follows the shocking murder of Bill McGuire, so don't miss it - learn how to watch Suitcase Killer The Melanie McGuire Story in Canada on Lifetime.. No matter where you live, the alluring Suitcase Killer The . But Melanie maintains that she did not commit the infamous Suitcase Murder. There's less of a waiting period.. After re-examining her murder conviction over a decade later,. [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. 01: Three suitcases, containing human remains, surfaced in Virginia's Chesapeake Bay in May 2004. ", Through her attorney Jim Wronko, Locane describes McGuire as "very nice and pleasant and smart and helpful.". Melanie McGuire was a former nurse in the United States who was found guilty of murdering her husband on April 28, 2004. You can read the appeal and court decision in full here. With the story debunked, the request for a new trial was withdrawn. The 48-year-old actress and mother of two has been sober since the 2010 crash. 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. Locane is back behind bars for killing Helene Seeman, 60, in a 2010 drunk driving collision in New Jersey's Montgomery Township. Melanie McGuire listens to testimony today during her murder trial. McGuire will not be eligible for parole until she is 100 years old. Would love your thoughts, please comment. She says she is innocent. 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 lived in an apartment Woodbridge, New Jersey. Don't accept what you're just being told on the surface. While the prosecutors claimed, supported by evidence, that Melanie killed her husband in cold blood in the hopes of freely taking up a new life with Bradley Miller, her defense team argued that she was innocent and it was Bill who had issues. I absolutely tried to have those charges taken off because I feared that people would look and think what they ultimately ended up thinking.. We should mention that after Melanie was convicted of the charges against her, her family started a custody battle with Cindy, but to no avail. Melanie McGuire Today: Where Is the Suitcase Killer Now in 2020. 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. 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. Thirteen years have passed since Melanie McGuire's conviction. Melanie claims she's innocent, and hopes that she will be released someday. 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? this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. Once police honed in on Melanie McGuire as the prime suspect, they began wiretapping her phones. All we know is that they havent been in touch with their mother since before she was convicted. She allegedly wanted to spend the rest of her life with her lover, and so, she did what she could to get rid of her husband. 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. On June 5, 2005, authorities arrested Melanie McGuire on first-degree murder charges. Melanie McGuire, a 34-year-old mother of two, maintains that she didn't kill her husband and says the real killer tried to frame her. Melanie Mcguire has been languishing in a prison cell for the past 13 years. After all these years, I still feel hurt. On June 2, 2005, more than a year after the murder, Melanie dropped her children off at child care and preschool. I still feel bothered. "There was no evidence connecting him to this crime.. At the time, the case created a media sensation, with McGuire dubbed the "suitcase killer.". [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. ABCs 20/20: Interview with Melanie McGuire is a two-hour broadcast wherein the suitcase killer opens up about the circumstances that landed her in prison for the rest of her life. 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. [11] Through her attorneys, Joe Tacopina,[12] Steve Turano, and Marc Ward, she pleaded not guilty to the charges. Police also learned that Melanie had been having a long-term affair with a co-worker named Bradley Miller. Melanie went to work at a fertility clinic and Bill began teaching computer science at a technical college. Melanie McGuire says shes innocent and that someone else killed her husband, Bill, in 2004. She pleaded not guilty. 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. And on May 16, a third. 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. 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. Download is FREE. Data from the New Jersey Department of Corrections details cases since they implemented additional measures.