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." (NJ Dept. ", Through her attorney Jim Wronko, Locane describes McGuire as "very nice and pleasant and smart and helpful.". Her defense attorneys argued that anyone could have conducted the searches. 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. She's ineligible for parole until the age of 101, as reported by ABC News in 2020. Phil Murphy announced Monday. Lodzinski's attorney also argued jurors did not have sufficient evidence to convict her. She put his remains into a 3-piece suitcase set, and those three pieces were later found in Chesapeake Bay. Melanie McGuire is serving a life sentence in the murder of her husband, Bill McGuire, at a womens correctional facility in New Jersey. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Melanie maintains that she is innocent and worries that the real suitcase killer is still out in the world somewhere. She was convicted at trial in 2016. Inmates reported being beaten while handcuffed at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility in New Jersey, the state's only prison for women. But this was the first time somebody was basically saying, We hear you, said Melanie McGuire. There were two charges, totaling 90 cents, on her statement that proved she had driven to Atlantic City after her husband went missing. An application for a federal appeal was rejected in December 2021. McGuire, 48, a former Woodbridge resident who had worked as a fertility nurse, has already served 13 years of her life sentence. As Melanie tells it, Bill accused her of not watching their child while doing laundry, saying that there was a choking hazard from a dryer sheet (via YouTube). In the end, My Central Jersey reports that McGuire was found guilty in 2007 of murdering Bill and. After a few years, the marital dynamics began to shift. I looked down and theres my 2-year-old. Melanie McGuire is now serving a lifetime sentence at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in New Jersey, as Entertainment Weekly reports. 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. Investigators searched the home for evidence multiple times, checking to see if Bill McGuire had been killed and dismembered there. Crime: Bergrin was formerly an Army major, a federal prosecutor and a high-profile Newark-based defense attorney whose clients were rappers and drug kingpins. Harris, who has served 24 years, is held in New Jersey State Prison in Trenton. 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. Send any friend a story As a subscriber, you have 10 gift . His first conviction was overturned by the state Supreme Court, which ruled the judge's questioning of prospective jurors had been inadequate. Melanie McGuire Today: Where Is She Now in 2020? | Heavy.com After being released on bail, Melanie faced additional charges on October 11, 2005. Video Convicted murderer Melanie McGuire says she's - ABC News The federal courts upheld his conviction, and in its decision said Bergrin's downfall "might have been the subject of a sophocles tragedy in olden times or a Scorsese film these days.". He ran tests, but he didn't do all the tests that you actually need to definitively say whether these bags match, added Sacks. Where are they now? Where are they now? Making a splash: A deep dive into the live-action, 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. He's next scheduled to appear in court in July, records show. 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. 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. What's happened with their appeals? Some got reduced sentences in plea dealsor just did their time, and they left prison and restarted their lives on the outside. A jury found the killing was self defense. Melanie McGuire was 31 and a mother of two when she was charged with killing and dismembering her husband of five years, William McGuire. Author John Glatt wrote a book about the case, entitled To Have and To Kill. Then he hired congregant Len Jenoff and Paul Danielsto beat his wife to death and make it look like a botched robbery. More: NJ case of 5-year-old's death and mom Michelle Lodzinski appears on NBC's 'Dateline'. He ultimately was convicted of two murders and three kidnappings in New Jersey, in addition to the murder of three women in New York. Thirteen years have passed since Melanie McGuire's conviction. I have a book that I can look in that doesn't leave an internet history, Melanie McGuire told "20/20.". Although investigators were unable to find physical evidence of murder inside the McGuire's home, they were able to find small pieces of Bill McGuire's flesh -- evidence that would eventually be referred to in the media as human sawdust -- from the car. Sentence: Harris was originally sentenced to death, but the state abolished the death penalty before he was executed. (Matt Rainey & The Star-Ledger/Department of Corrections), Man killed, dismembered 2 because of message from God. Thirteen years have passed since Melanie McGuire's conviction. 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. 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. At trial, his defense attorneys claimed he was not guilty by way of insanity but Miraglia maintained that he was not mentally ill. They were confident Miller was not involved in the crime but were never able to bring charges against anyone else. Have a tip? Police also learned that Melanie had been having a long-term affair with a co-worker named Bradley Miller. 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. The New Jersey Supreme Court has denied her petition for sentence relief. The state will close the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Hunterdon County, Gov. [27][28], In 2022, Lifetime produced a movie called Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story as part of its "Ripped from the Headlines" series of movies for television. (Star-Ledger and state Department of Corrections photos), Woman who killed, dismembered husband doing life in women's prison. That night, according to the prosecution, McGuire drugged her husband, shot him dead, and subsequently dismembered his body. In May 2004, a fisherman and his child were sailing the Chesapeake Bay when they spotted something odd floating in the water. Melanie McGuire denies this, pointing to the fact that there are hundreds of miles between Delaware and Virginia Beach. Sentence: The jury in Fortin's first trial sentenced him to death. 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. I still feel bothered. The film stars Candice King as Melanie McGuire, Michael Roark as William McGuire, Jackson Hurst as Bradley Miller, and Wendie Malick as Patricia Prezioso.[29]. Crime: Cullen, a nurse who worked at a number of hospitals in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in 2005 to killing a total of 29 patients between the two states, beginning in 1988. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. It is physically exhausting. McGuire's conviction was affirmed by an appeals court on March 16, 2011. "There was no evidence connecting him to this crime.. Where are they now? Wilson-Seidle died from her injuries. It was the timing of that purchase, though, that really caught the eye of investigators: It happened just two days before Bill McGuire went missing. Melanie McGuire is serving a life sentence in the murder of her husband, Bill McGuire, at a women's correctional facility in New Jersey. 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. They pulled out the piping, pulling floorboards up, said Sacks. There were five lands and grooves that my weapon was said to have made based on the company's website. ADVERTISEMENT Who stars in 'Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story?' There are times when podcasts and media can shine a light on certain cases where what the government did was not right. Melanie gives authorities theories about her husband's death but what's the truth? New Jersey will close its only prison for women after years of documented physical and sexual abuses of inmates by guards. The 49-year-old insists that Bill's gambling habits got him into trouble with the wrong crowd (via YouTube). What's happened with their appeals? 'Suitcase killer' Melanie McGuire's case the focus of new TV movie Robinson hasn't filed any appeals, according to court records. Lodzinski tried to get her conviction thrown out on the grounds the jury had been tainted by a foreman's independent research about the case. The one where EW follows up with the cast. 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. But by the penalty phase of the second trial, the state of New Jersey had repealed the death penalty. She was found guilty and the former nurse remains held at the troubled Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Clinton, where she is serving a life sentence. Over the next three weeks his dismembered body is found in suitcases in the bay. 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. After another five days, a third suitcase appeared. Per ABC News, she received a life sentence and is now incarcerated at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility in New Jersey. So where are New Jersey's infamous felons now? 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. 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 v. Attorney General New Jersey, et al It was hard. (File photo/Department of Corrections), It took a quarter century to convict mom who killed 5-year-old son. She's now a 47-year-old inmate at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility in Clinton, New . With the story debunked, the request for a new trial was withdrawn. She must serve 63 years of the sentence before she is eligible for parole. NJ mom Melanie McGuire insists from prison she's not the - Knewz She says she is innocent. Where are they now? 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.. A more recent docket listing "I can't even fathom that. Meghan Sacks, host of podcast "Direct Appeal" and Fairleigh Dickinson University criminology professor questions Melanie McGuire's guilt. Data from the New Jersey Department of Corrections details cases since they implemented additional measures. What's happened with their appeals? Making matters worse, Melanie McGuire had called the company and attempted to have those charges removed. 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. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. What's happened with their appeals? In recent years, McGuire has publicly stated that she did not murder Bill. (File photo from New Jersey News Photos). Charles Cullen, shown left in court and at right in a Department of Corrections photo, pleaded guilty to killing 29 hospital patients while working as a nurse in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Melanie McGuire v. Attorney General New Jersey, et al, ATTORNEY GENERAL NEW JERSEY and ADMINISTRATOR EDNA MAHAN CORRECTIONAL FACILITY. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Days later, an unidentified man, believed by many to be her stepfather, also contacted E-ZPass and attempted to have the charge removed. Sentence: 30 years to life in prison. Name: Richard Cottingham Crime: Cottingham, a Lodi resident,killed six women in New Jersey and New York between 1967 and 1980. Like, how could somebody think that I did that?" [11] Through her attorneys, Joe Tacopina,[12] Steve Turano, and Marc Ward, she pleaded not guilty to the charges. [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. Disclaimer: Justia Dockets & Filings provides public litigation records from the federal appellate and district courts. Crime: Creato called 911 on an October morning in 2015, reporting he woke up and his son was gone. The investigation began after the body parts were discovered and Melanie McGuire was identified as a main suspect. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. "My job is not to convince the world. Her bail was raised to $2.1million ($2.9 million today), but she was again released. She may be eligible for parole after serving 66 years in prison, court. 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. Days later, an unidentified man, believed by many to be her stepfather, also contacted E-ZPass and attempted to have the charge removed. 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. He took her out of the yard, sexually assaulted and strangled her, and left her body in a nearby yard. Melanie McGuire appears at Middlesex County Superior Court, fter serving seven years of a life sentence, Melanie McGuire - the former Woodbridge woman convicted of killing her husband, dismembering his body and packing it in suitcases and tossing it off a bridge in Virginia - returned to court Thursday, a prison interview in which McGuire maintainedher innocence, NJ case of 5-year-old's death and mom Michelle Lodzinski appears on NBC's 'Dateline', Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. The remains belonged to Bill McGuire, who was 39 years old and had two sons. A jury convicted McGuire in 2007, and she was sentenced to life in prison plus five years. Watch new at 9/8c on ABC. McGuire, 49, a former fertility nurse who was nicknamed the "suitcase killer," was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted in April 2007 of murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, desecration of human remains and perjury in the death of her husband, William McGuire. She was sentenced to life in prison on July 19, 2007. While on death row, Harris punched, kicked and stomped to death a fellow death row inmate, Robert "Mudman" Simon, who had been convicted of killing Franklin Township police Sgt. High-profile attorney ran prostitution ring, arranged murder. They were in for a horrific discovery (via YouTube). Did star lawyer botch suitcase murder case? - Daily Record Their appeals didn't get them anywhere. ", Credit: Jean-Paul Aussenard/WireImage; ABC, Amy Locane's prison cell roommate is the notorious Suitcase Killer. A second trial in 2007 ended in the same verdict. Prosecutors argued that McGuire killed her husband, 39, in their Woodbridge townhouse so she could be with the. His remains were found nearly a year later in a marshy area in Edison not far from her former workplace. Meghan Sacks and Amy Schlosberg are the hosts of the podcast "Direct Appeal" and Fairleigh Dickinson University criminology professors. He faces anothersix life sentences for his crimes in Pennsylvania. Where are they now? Melanie McGuire Sentenced to Life for Murder of Husband | Heavy.com We've checked in on some of the state's most notorious killers who are still behind bars, to reflect on their crimes and see whether there's any chance they'll be back on the street anytime soon. Gov. In June 2005, Melanie McGuire was arrested and charged with Bill's murder . Through record tracing, they found out that the chloral hydrate was picked up at a Walgreens pharmacy just down the road from the McGuire children's daycare on the morning that Bill McGuire disappeared. Jonathan Zarate's argument for a new trial claiming that his lawyer was ineffective and evidence shouldn't have been allowed wasnot successful. A judge in October 2016 rejected both claims. A 46-second preview of the movie shows a woman finding a suitcase on the beach and then moving away as she opens it. No one plugged the serial number of my gun into a website to find out what the specifications were, said Melanie McGuire. The Melrose Place actresswho is now serving a second sentence at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in New Jerseyshares a prison cell with Melanie McGuire, the infamous "Suitcase Killer." Possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women, 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. Where are they now? 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. What's happened with their appeals? 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. Her body was found in a recycling bin nearby days later, and both Robinson, 15, and his brother, Dante Robinson, 17, were arrested. McGuire was arrested about a year after the suitcases were found in Virginia. On June 2, 2005, more than a year after the murder, Melanie dropped her children off at child care and preschool. William McGuire died from gunshot wounds to the head and chest. His body was found in three separate suitcases in the Chesapeake Bay, which led to McGuires nickname, the Suitcase Killer.. Whatever Happened To The Suitcase Killer Melanie McGuire's Two - MSN [9] Bill and Melanie owned a green couch, and investigators theorized that the murderer used a pillow or couch cushion as a makeshift silencer to shoot Bill. 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. Wronko, who is also Locane's boyfriend, is appealing the new sentence, which he believes violates her double jeopardy protections. https://t.co/ZGewRPfd2o pic.twitter.com/i4dBUBR7PJ. She says he then pinned her to the wall, hit her, and tried to choke her with the dryer sheet. Crime: Autumn Pasquale, 12, disappeared after riding her bike to Robinson's home in Clayton, where he promised to work on her bike in 2012. Sentence: 17 years in prison. The New Jersey Supreme Court has denied her petition for sentence relief. 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. When a bullet passes through, its smooth surface becomes imprinted with the same number of lands and grooves as the barrel. The medical examiner determined that the body had been shot multiple times. Melanie McGuire defends her innocence from inside prison in 2019, over a decade after she was convicted. For the first time in years, she says she has hope that an explosive new podcast, "Direct Appeal," could help exonerate her. The New Jersey couple occasionally had fights and broke up from time to time but always got back together (via YouTube). The friend, Vladimir Basilio,testified that Jonathan taunted his younger brother into taking part in the killing by saying he didn't have the guts to do it, but Jonathan told police he did it because Parks insulted his brother. Tell us. The pair had wed in 1999 and shared two young sons together. Sacks firmly believes that prosecutors failed to answer key questions in the case. The 48-year-old actress and mother of two has been sober since the 2010 crash. [10] Prosecutors contended her motive for murder was to take up a new life with her lover. Melanie McGuire, the former Woodbridge resident convicted of killing her husband, cutting his body into pieces and discarding them inside suitcases thrown into the Chesapeake Bay, will return to the national spotlight this month with the debut of a new movie. His earliest parole date is June 20, 2030. 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. Melanie Lyn McGuire (ne Slate; born October 8, 1972)[3] is an American former nurse who was convicted of murdering her husband on April 28, 2004, in what media dubbed the "suitcase murder". of Corrections) WOODBRIDGE, NJ For anyone. 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? Prosecutors said Melanie McGuire then stuffed her husband's remains into weighted suitcases she later dumped into the Chesapeake Bay. McGuire is an inmate at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Union Township, Hunterdon County. Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. 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. Her earliest possible parole date is May 20, 2073, according to the Department of. From mob hits to serial killings, New Jersey certainly has its fair share of grisly murders. Where are they now? But in 2009, he was arrested with several associates and charged with, among other things, orchestrating the murder of a witness, racketeering, promoting prostitution, and money laundering. 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. The appellate court upheld the decision and theSupreme Court declined to hear it in 2016. And Lifetime will revive the sensational story once again when it releases a fictional movie about the McGuire suitcase killer on June 22, 2022 (via Yahoo). The Melrose Place actresswho is now serving a second sentence at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in New Jerseyshares a prison cell with Melanie McGuire, the infamous. 31 Guards Suspended at a Women's Prison Plagued by Sexual Violence There are just too many holes in this story.. David Cooper, in a mugshot after the death of Latasha Goodman, and his recent prison photo. 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.