They searched gun records in the state but found nothing. In an interview, Melanie said that Bill had gambling troubles and took his frustrations out on her, while Bill's stepfather noted that he had a split personality that vacillated between kind and manipulative (via YouTube). In an . Supreme Court declined to hear it in 2016. In the end, My Central Jersey reports that McGuire was found guilty in 2007 of murdering Bill and. 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? She may be eligible for parole after serving 66 years in prison, court documents filed in her case said. As improbable as it sounds, Melanie McGuire said she actually stumbled upon her husband's car. Prezioso said she believed that Melanie McGuire was planting the car in Atlantic City to create an illusion that Bill McGuire was still alive. His wife, Melanie McGuire, a fertility nurse and the mother of his two sons, was eventually convicted of murdering him and dumping his body. When a bullet passes through, its smooth surface becomes imprinted with the same number of lands and grooves as the barrel. The 49-year-old insists that Bill's gambling habits got him into trouble with the wrong crowd (via YouTube). . Melanie then became the prime suspect in the investigation. Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. 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. Just weeks after Melanie McGuire was found guilty, she appealed her case, claiming that Bill was $90,000 in debt to loan sharks in the mob (via NJ.com). On an episode of "20/20," Melanie said (via My Central Jersey), "There were times I wanted him [Bill] gone, but gone doesn't mean dead.". Dr. InMay 2004 his body parts were found stuffed into three matching black and green Kenneth Cole Reaction suitcases thrown into the Chesapeake Bay near Virginia Beach. Melanie McGuire admitted to having an affair with Miller. Crime:McGuire was convicted at trial in 2007 of drugging, fatally shooting and then dismembering her husband William T. McGuire at their home in Woodbridge in 2004. (Photos via New Jersey News Photos and state Department of Corrections), Woodbridge mom's killer behind bars for good after two trials. She told her sons, now adults, to look into the case for themselves. 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). McGuire must serve 85 percent of her sentence before becoming eligible for parole. In the early morning hours of April 29, 2004, the day her husband disappeared, Melanie McGuire said that they had a violent fight and claimed that he choked her with a dryer sheet and hit her before leaving the house. Philip Seidle, a former Neptune police sergeant, is pictured in court in 2016, and in his most recent prison mugshot. (Photos from file and state Department of Corrections), Convicted killer of 2 young women seeking DNA test to clear him of slaying. 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.. 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. Her 2007 trial became a nationally televised event. Her earliest release date is Aug. 3, 2044. "Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story" starring Candice King as McGuire, is set to premiere at 8 p.m. June 18 on the Lifetime network. Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. In June 2005, Melanie McGuire was arrested and charged with Bill's murder . Bill McGuire, 39, disappeared April 28, 2004, shortly after announcing to his friends that he and his wife had just closed the sale of their first home, according to an appeal filed in her case. Crime:James Zarate, 14, and Jonathan Zarate, 18, invited neighbor Jennifer Parks, 16, to their house and then gagged, stabbed,and dismembered her in 2005. Melanie McGuire v. Attorney General New Jersey, et al A police investigation determined Melanie McGuire went to Pennsylvania two days before the murder and purchased a gun and bullets of the same size that killed William McGuire. We looked very closely at Dr. Miller, said Prezioso. They were in for a horrific discovery (via YouTube). McGuire is lodged at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women, serving a life sentence in Clinton, New Jersey. Five days after Bill McGuire went missing, investigators said Melanie McGuire made another bizarre road trip, this time to Delaware. Investigators also found trash bags in Melanie McGuire's home that they believed matched those used to wrap parts of Bill McGuire's body. Tell us. Melanie McGuire Today: Where Is the Suitcase Killer Now in 2020? 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. Sentence: Judge Dennis Cavanaugh gave Bergrin six life sentences, plus multiple concurrent sentences, for the 23 charges. The New Jersey fertility nurse was sentenced to life in prison back in 2007 for murdering her husband Bill in April 2004. Next: What is the Lifetime movie Dirty . (File photo from New Jersey News Photos). Name: Richard Cottingham Crime: Cottingham, a Lodi resident,killed six women in New Jersey and New York between 1967 and 1980. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. His crimes were discovered in May 1980, when a maid at a Hasbrouck Heights motel heard Cottingham's next intended victim an 18-year-old woman screaming from inside his room. He ultimately was convicted of two murders and three kidnappings in New Jersey, in addition to the murder of three women in New York. On June 5, 2005, authorities arrested Melanie McGuire on first-degree murder charges. Meghan Sacks and Amy Schlosberg are the hosts of the podcast "Direct Appeal" and Fairleigh Dickinson University criminology professors. Sentence: Cullen is serving 11 consecutive life sentences for the 22 murders in New Jersey. 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. Data from the New Jersey Department of Corrections details cases since they implemented additional measures. James Zarateappealed for years to have his sentence reduced, with his attorney claiming he was influenced by his older brother. Melanie McGuire v. Attorney General New Jersey, et al - UniCourt Just a few days later, a second dark green suitcase washed ashore on Fisherman Island, New York (via People). The Georgia Department of Corrections protects and serves the public by managing offenders and helping to provide a safe and secure environment for the state's residents. 'Suitcase Killer' Melanie McGuire defends innocence from inside prison The facility actually houses young adults. McGuire got the unfortunate luggage nickname after she was convicted of drugging her husband, shooting him to death, and stuffing his dismembered body into three dark green suitcases that were later found in the Chesapeake Bay. Michelle Lodzinski sentenced to 30 years for the murder of her son Michelle. Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women - Wikipedia What's happened with their appeals? Last year,a judge rejected a separate request for post-conviction relief in which McGuire had claimed her defense attorney provided ineffective counsel. [22] She must serve more than 63 years before she is eligible for parole. Kanka's death inspired Megan's Law statutes at the federal level and in states throughout the country, requiring sex offenders to register with local authorities. 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. Creato was accused of killing Brendan, 3,because his 17-year-old girlfriend didn't like that he was a dad and was breaking up with him. He probably would have broken my cheek if [the hit] had been a closed fist, Melanie McGuire said. Police also learned that Melanie had been having a long-term affair with a co-worker named Bradley Miller. 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. NJ will close Edna Mahan Correctional Facility, Gov. Murphy says Melanie McGuire is serving a life sentence in the murder of her husband, Bill McGuire, at a women's correctional facility in New Jersey. What's happened with their appeals? New Jersey Department of Corrections/Find a Grave What's happened with their appeals? Watch the full story on "20/20" Friday, Sept. 25, at 9 p.m. 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. After killing her, he held a gun to his head during a 45-minute standoff with police. (Times of Trenton file photo/Department of Corrections), He raped and killed a young artist, then killed a guy on death row. Melanie has claimed that she didn't have effective representation in the courtroom, reports My Central Jersey. No one plugged the serial number of my gun into a website to find out what the specifications were, said Melanie McGuire. [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. When investigators processed Bill McGuire's car, they also found a bottle of the sedative chloral hydrate and two syringes. 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. Crime: After splitting with his wife, the Neptune police sergeant was upset because he felt like he wasn't getting enough time with their nine children. James Koedatich, shown at left in court in 1983, is serving two life sentences for killing 18-year-old Parsippany high school student Amie Hoffman and 25-year-old Mendham Township resident Deirdre O'Brien. Podcasters believe Melanie McGuire is wrongfully convicted: Part 10. After another five days, a third suitcase appeared. Daniels and Jenoff have both been released after serving 23-year terms. Prosecutors believed that McGuire forged the prescription as she had access to this prescription pad. (Matt Rainey & The Star-Ledger/Department of Corrections), Man killed, dismembered 2 because of message from God. "I won't be home until my oldest is 18 and my youngest is 16," she told EW. Sentence? His earliest release date is April 4, 2027. Prosecutors argued that McGuire killed her husband, 39, in their Woodbridge townhouse so she could be with the. Prezioso is certain that Bill McGuires murderer is the woman who was convicted and is now sitting in prison. 2011 - Google Scholar", "N.J. appeals court upholds life sentence for convicted suitcase killer Melanie McGuire", "State v. McGuire, 27 A. What Happened To Melanie McGuire, The Suitcase Killer. I believe that the evidence presented to the jury told the jury what happened," Prezioso said. Dig, dig. It is physically exhausting. 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. Cullen has not appealed his convictions in New Jersey, court records indicate. However, McGuire was acquitted of the two counts of hindering apprehension, as well as tampering with evidence and possession of Xanax without prescription. 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. AP Among the trans women inmates housed at Edna Mahan are Michelle. The investigation into who killed Bill McGuire began in Virginia but eventually moved to New Jersey. But this was the first time somebody was basically saying, We hear you, said Melanie McGuire. State Superior Court Judge Angela Borkowski gave Locane more time after the punishmentfor her original conviction (second-degree vehicular homicide and assault by an auto), which was deemed too lenient. Sentence: The jury in Fortin's first trial sentenced him to death. 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. They were confident Miller was not involved in the crime but were never able to bring charges against anyone else. These documents exist. McGuire's conviction was affirmed by an appeals court on March 16, 2011. 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. Court records do not indicate Cottingham has appealed his convictions in New Jersey. This docket was last retrieved on May 24, 2021. ADVERTISEMENT Who stars in 'Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story?' 'Suitcase killer' Melanie McGuire | The Tape Room - FOX 5 New York Melanie McGuire, currently serving her prison sentence at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Hunterdon County. On 04/19/2021 Melanie McGuire filed a Prisoner - Other Prisoner lawsuit against Attorney General New Jersey. Sentence: Harris was originally sentenced to death, but the state abolished the death penalty before he was executed. Despite her conviction, Melanie maintains her innocence. [11] Through her attorneys, Joe Tacopina,[12] Steve Turano, and Marc Ward, she pleaded not guilty to the charges. (Photos from The Record via Northeast News Consortium and the state Department of Corrections), Bergen County serial killer serving time in Trenton for 3 slayings. Melanie McGuire defends her innocence from inside prison in 2019, over a decade after she was convicted. [5], Melanie Lyn Slate grew up in Ridgewood and Middletown Township, New Jersey, attending Middletown High School South. [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. Police quickly found his car in a parking lot there. Crime: Pennsylvania artist Kristen Huggins, 22, was in Trenton to paint a mural in 1992 when Harris carjacked, kidnapped, raped and murdered her. McGuire, 48, a former Woodbridge resident who had worked as a fertility nurse, has already served 13 years of her life sentence. A jury convicted McGuire in 2007, and she was sentenced to life in prison plus five years. Rosario "Russell" Miraglia is pictured at a court appearance in 2008 and in a recent prison photo. It was a mistake on a gun manufacturer's website. That requires two drivers so certainly that means someone helped her, said Prezioso. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Where are they now:Records show Timmendequas, now 57, is serving his sentence at the New Jersey State Prison in Trenton. Miller eventually testified against Melanie McGuire at her trial. The New Jersey couple occasionally had fights and broke up from time to time but always got back together (via YouTube). Melanie McGuire insists she did not murder her husband in interview [9] The couple had two sons and lived in a Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, apartment, but planned to move that month to a larger home in Warren County. He had been married to Melanie McGuire and it was soon discovered that she was his killer. Crime: Creato called 911 on an October morning in 2015, reporting he woke up and his son was gone. She does have an interesting new cellmate: In 2020, Melanie began sharing a cell with former actress Amy Locane, who starred in the TV show "Melrose Place." She must serve 63 years of the sentence before she is eligible for parole. Her earliest possible parole date is May 20, 2073, according to the Department of Corrections. Protesters call for transgender women to be removed from all-female NJ Melanie recounted an example when Bill got a speeding ticket, he became so enraged that he told her he was going to return home and kill her. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. What's happened with their appeals? But many are still behind bars, and will only get out as old men or women. Like, how could somebody think that I did that? 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. So I think the police said, Well, prove it. APP.com reported that he is locked up alone in a maximum-security cell. [9] The footage was blurry and the police weren't able to identify the person in the video. In recent years, McGuire has publicly stated that she did not murder Bill. The case status is Pending - Other Pending. 'Suitcase killer' Melanie McGuire's case the focus of new TV movie Do you know how hard it is to cut through bone? Jonathan Zarate's argument for a new trial claiming that his lawyer was ineffective and evidence shouldn't have been allowed wasnot successful. Some will spend the rest of their days within prison walls. He said he was leaving and he wasnt coming back and [that] I could tell my children they didnt have a father.. ET on ABC. Steven Fortin, shown at left during one of his first court appearances in 1994, is serving life without parole for the killing of Melissa Padilla, a 25-year-old mother of four in Woodbridge. Prezioso believed the "human sawdust" was the result of Bill McGuire's dismemberment. His body was found in three separate suitcases in the Chesapeake Bay, which led to McGuires nickname, the Suitcase Killer.. [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. New Jersey will close its only prison for women after years of documented physical and sexual abuses of inmates by guards. 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=1151299073, American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment, Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by New Jersey, People from Middletown Township, New Jersey, People from Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, All articles with bare URLs for citations, Articles with bare URLs for citations from March 2022, Articles with PDF format bare URLs for citations, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 23 April 2023, at 04:25. But after 10, 20, or 30 years in prison, faces have faded from some memories. ", a judge rejected a separate request for post-conviction relief. The pair had wed in 1999 and shared two young sons together. Rebecca Everett and Thomas Moriarty | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, who worked at a number of hospitals in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, killed six women in New Jersey and New York, helping run a New York City escort service, "might have been the subject of a sophocles tragedy in olden times or a Scorsese film these days. Richard Cottingham, shown at left in court after a murder conviction in 1982, is serving the equivalent of hundreds of years in prison for killing three women in New Jersey between 1967 and 1980. McGuire's husband, Bill McGuire, was shot and dismembered in 2004, and his body parts were found in three different suitcases in the Chesapeake Bay area (via ABC News).The gruesome way McGuire's body was disposed of led the press to nickname the accused the "suitcase killer." She didn't fit the profile, I guess, of a murderer, Shlosberg said. And my answer is I can't explain because I don't think it makes any sense either," Wronko told EW earlier this month. Before she was charged with murder, Melanie contacted E-ZPass and attempted to have the $0.90 charge removed from her account history. Sentence: The plea deal got him a 10-year sentence, and he will be eligible for parole on July 9, 2024. Miraglia lost an appeal in 2013, failing to convince the state Appellate Court that he hadn't been competent to stand trial, among other things. 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. Like, how could somebody think that I did that? she said on 20/20. After all these years, I still feel hurt," McGuire told "20/20", For some, it mightve seemed like a real-life episode of The Sopranos.. Per ABC News, she received a life sentence and is now incarcerated at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility in New Jersey . His 2017 trial ended in a hung jury and he pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter a few months later, though he never said how he caused the boy's death. It shows no inmates or staff at the facility had confirmed positive test results between August 22, 2020, and September 25, 2020. nj.com/tips. McGuire is an inmate at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Union Township, Hunterdon County. Their appeals didn't get them anywhere. may be available from PACER. After a nearly month and a half long trial, Melanie McGuire was found guilty. . McGuire maintains her innocence, and wants her two adult sons to look into the case for themselves. Melanie McGuire was 31 and a mother of two when she was charged with killing and dismembering her husband of five years, William McGuire. Department of Corrections | Georgia.gov William McGuire died from gunshot wounds to the head and chest. After seeing this report Melanie McGuire told Miller a story that prosecutors later called preposterous. A jury in 2007 sentenced Timmendequas to death for Kanka's murder, but his sentence was commuted to life without parole when the Legislature abolished the death penalty in 2007. He claimed he was on a mission from God to "close the gates of hell"through the killings. He faces anothersix life sentences for his crimes in Pennsylvania. As McGuire maintains her innocence, she is running out of appeal options. Woodbridge's Melanie McGuire Story Will Be Lifetime Movie June 18 I still feel bothered. Did star lawyer botch suitcase murder case? - Daily Record Once Melanie spots Bills car from the highway, she decides shes going to move his car, said Shlosberg. Her parole eligibility date is listed as May 20, 2073, according to the New Jersey Department of Corrections. The prescription for chloral hydrate came from Millers prescription pad. Melanie gives authorities theories about her husband's death but what's the truth? This suitcase was found to contain the head and torso with three bullet wounds, two in the chest and one in the head. His earliest parole date is Dec. 13, 2040. With the story debunked, the request for a new trial was withdrawn. Melanie McGuire said her husband Bill assaulted her during an argument then left. So where are New Jersey's infamous felons now? What's happened with their appeals? of Corrections) WOODBRIDGE, NJ For anyone. He's now serving two life sentences for the killings. An application for a federal appeal was rejected in December 2021. William McGuire, a Navy veteran who worked as a computer analyst,was last seen alive at the couple's home in Woodbridge just days after theyhad purchased a $500,000 home in Hunterdon County. She was convicted at trial in 2016. Jesse Timmendequas, shown at court during his 1997 trial in the killing of Megan Kanka, is serving a sentence of life without parole after the New Jersey Legislature abolished the death penalty in 2007.
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