Leave a sympathy message to the family in the guestbook . ET on Saturday, June 18 on the Lifetime network. But she didnt report Bill missing. McGuire told 20/20 she did not commit the crimes for which she was convicted. [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. Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for WomenMelanie McGuire prison record. Powered by. I still feel bothered. She became known as the Suitcase Killer during her televised 2007 trial. But just 48 hours later, 31-year-old Melanie requested a restraining order against him, alleging that he'd gotten violent during a fight the night before inside their New Jersey home. Today, Melanie McGuire is almost 50 and is serving a life sentence at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Clinton. Now her children have neither a mother or a father, neither one, because of Melanie McGuire. ET on ABC. Melanie McGuire was victim Bill's wife, who was accused of his murder and dubbed the "Suitcase Killer" when the case went to trial. It doesn't make any sense.' Melanie McGuire defends her innocence from inside prison in 2019, over a decade after she was convicted. In 1999, she started to work as a nurse at Reproductive Medicine Associates, one of the countrys largest fertility clinics. 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. After finishing high school, she enrolled at Rutgers University for a double major in math and psychology, which she achieved in 1994. 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 didn't fit the profile, I guess, of a murderer, Shlosberg said. Investigators searched the home for evidence multiple times, checking to see if Bill McGuire had been killed and dismembered there. [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. She told her sons, now adults, to look into the case for themselves. There were two charges, totaling 90 cents, on her statement that proved she had driven to Atlantic City after her husband went missing. YouTubeMelanie McGuire married her husband in 1999 and later alleged that he had a gambling problem and a violent temper. 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 didnt fit the profile, I guess, of a murderer, Shlosberg told 20/20. McGuire had a message for her sons, who are now adults, "Make up your mind. [9] A witness testified that Melanie used the same towels to protect furniture when she moved. Prison inmates are in a closed environment. After all these years, I still feel hurt, Melanie 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. Sometimes, she said, hed get violent with her. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. 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. With the story debunked, the request for a new trial was withdrawn. https://t.co/ZGewROXCaQ pic.twitter.com/hlzcKR96Ss. These documents exist. In a new episode of "20/20," co-anchor Amy Robach sits down for the first on-camera interview with Melanie McGuire since she was sentenced to life in prison 13 . 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. She suggested that her husband had been killed over his gambling debts, claiming that he was the one whod insisted that she buy a gun in the first place. Image Credit: ABC News / 20/20 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. While she admitted to her affair with Miller, she maintains she did not kill Bill McGuire. [10] Prosecutors contended her motive for murder was to take up a new life with her lover. Melanie went to work at a fertility clinic and Bill began teaching computer science at a technical college. They searched gun records in the state but found nothing. Miller also said in his . [9] Police released a facial reconstruction sketch of the victim, which an acquaintance of Bill McGuire's recognized. 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. These documents exist. [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]. No one plugged the serial number of my gun into a website to find out what the specifications were, said Melanie McGuire. The evidence in this case points to a well-organized, meticulously planned execution of a murder, Prezioso said during the trial. Guilty or not, Melanie McGuire, the so-called Suitcase Killer, remains an object of fascination. Don't accept what you're just being told on the surface. Another important development for investigators was the discovery of Bill McGuire's car. Like, how could somebody think that I did that? she said on 20/20. Don't accept what you're just being told on the surface. Like, how could somebody think that I did that?". Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. She said in a moment of admitted irrationality she decided to drive down there and look for his car. 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. 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. 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? 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; After all, when Bill was murdered in 2004, he and Melanie were the proud parents of two beautiful young boys. I still feel bothered. McGuire appealed her case, saying she did not receive a fair trial. The news outlet reported in June, 2020, COVID-19 was spreading because of a low supply of protective masks, poorly enforced social distancing measures, and inadequate quarantining of infected inmates. 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. I guess it is comforting [that people are interested]. It was a mistake on a gun manufacturer's website. I grabbed the baby and went to the bathroom right behind me and shut the door. 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. They insisted he was a compulsive gambler who had become increasingly moody, unpredictable, and tempestuous in the months before his passing. She later told police that she believed he'd gone to Atlantic City to gamble as he had a penchant for doing so. Melanie McGuire denies this, pointing to the fact that there are hundreds of miles between Delaware and Virginia Beach. [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. Youre talking about hours [of driving] and there isnt enough time, said McGuire. His wife, Melanie McGuire, a fertility nurse and the mother of his two sons, was eventually convicted of murdering him and dumping his body. The appeal details the murder, the night of Bill McGuires disappearance, and the disposal of his body. 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. "After all these years, I still feel hurt. Melanie went to Middletown High School South and. We were not gathering evidence from a gun manufacturer's website. That same year, she married her husband, a U.S. Navy veteran named William Bill McGuire. For her part, Melanie insisted that her husband had stormed out after a fight. After all these years, I still feel hurt. Her 2007 trial became a nationally televised event. Check out what's clicking today in entertainment. He said he was leaving and he wasnt coming back and [that] I could tell my children they didnt have a father.. The killer is out there and its not me, Melanie told Robach. Born on October 8, 1972, Melanie Lyn Slate has spent all of her life in New Jersey growing up in Ridgewood and Middletown Township. by Chilling Crimes July 20, 2020. Dig, dig., 20/20 airs Fridays at 9 pm on ABC, right after Americas Funniest Home Videos at 8 pm. Melanie and Bill McGuire pictured in Atlantic City, New Jersey at an unknown date. 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. 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. Dr. 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. [9] Green fibers had been found on one of the bullets lodged in Bill's chest; the fibers were identified as polyester fill, a common material found in household furniture.