[22] She must serve more than 63 years before she is eligible for parole. I have a book that I can look in that doesn't leave an internet history, Melanie McGuire told "20/20.". This suitcase was found to contain the head and torso with three bullet wounds, two in the chest and one in the head. Heavy writes that at the time of his murder, Bill was married to Melanie McGuire. [9] McGuire persisted in claiming she was innocent, and claimed her husband had become increasingly moody and unpredictable and was a compulsive gambler. 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." It was reliving it. McGuire told 20/20 she did not commit the crimes for which she was convicted. 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. Meghan Sacks, host of podcast "Direct Appeal" and Fairleigh Dickinson University criminology professor questions Melanie McGuire's guilt. Wronko, who is also Locane's boyfriend, is appealing the new sentence, which he believes violates her double jeopardy protections. Like, how could somebody think that I did that? Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. A four-count indictment came down from a state grand jury. 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. Despite her conviction, Melanie maintains her innocence. 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. Last year,a judge rejected a separate request for post-conviction relief in which McGuire had claimed her defense attorney provided ineffective counsel. Melanie gives authorities theories about her husband's death but what's the truth? The New Jersey fertility nurse was sentenced to life in prison back in 2007 for murdering her husband Bill in April 2004. Investigators said Cullen killed the patients with overdoses of various drugs injected into their IV bags. Supreme Court declined to hear it in 2016. A state appeals court in 2011 rejected McGuire's argument she was denied a fair 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). Wilson-Seidle died from her injuries. AP Among the trans women inmates housed at Edna Mahan are Michelle. 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. It was hard. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. 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. Prezioso believed the "human sawdust" was the result of Bill McGuire's dismemberment. Melanie McGuire/Bill McGuire. Sentence: The plea deal got him a 10-year sentence, and he will be eligible for parole on July 9, 2024. Prosecutors said Melanie McGuire then stuffed her husband's remains into weighted suitcases she later dumped into the Chesapeake Bay. Some got reduced sentences in plea dealsor just did their time, and they left prison and restarted their lives on the outside. Do you know how hard it is to cut through bone? NJ will close Edna Mahan Correctional Facility, Gov. Murphy says She again pleaded not guilty and was released after posting $10,000 bail. In recent years, McGuire has publicly stated that she did not murder Bill. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. New Jersey Department of Corrections/Find a Grave McGuire maintains her innocence, and wants her two adult sons to look into the case for themselves. Sentence: McGuire was sentenced to life in prison and must serve more than 63 years before she is eligible for parole. 'Suitcase killer' Melanie McGuire | The Tape Room - FOX 5 New York Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. McGuire's conviction was affirmed by an appeals court on March 16, 2011. The evidence in this case points to a well-organized, meticulously planned execution of a murder, Prezioso said during the trial. In an interview with "20/20," Melanie said (via ABC News), "After all these years, I still feel hurt. NJ mom Melanie McGuire insists from prison she's not the - Knewz I'm a nurse or I was a nurse, and I don't need to look up things like that. [13] She was also convicted of the lesser charges of perjury, desecration of human remains, and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. The bullets that came out of my husband had six lands and grooves," said Melanie McGuire. 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. Her earliest release date is Aug. 3, 2044. Court records do not indicate Cottingham has appealed his convictions in New Jersey. 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. 3d 411 - NJ: Appellate Div. [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. To this day, Melanie, the mother of William's two sons, is serving her sentence at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility in Clinton, New Jersey. Department of Corrections | Georgia.gov They pulled out the piping, pulling floorboards up, said Sacks. Melanie McGuire wasn't arrested until over a year later when the suitcases surfaced in Virginia. (Matt Rainey & The Star-Ledger/Department of Corrections), Man killed, dismembered 2 because of message from God. I grabbed the baby and went to the bathroom right behind me and shut the door. He had been married to Melanie McGuire and it was soon discovered that she was his killer. McGuire, now 46 years old, is serving a life sentence at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility. In 2015, a judge in Mercer Countyrejected Timmendequas' arguments that his defense attorney had provided insufficient counsel at trial. Locane said she worries that her daughters and the public will forget her. On June 2, 2005, more than a year after the murder, Melanie dropped her children off at child care and preschool. The New Jersey Supreme Court has denied her petition for sentence relief. Melanie has claimed that she didn't have effective representation in the courtroom, reports My Central Jersey. "People ask me, 'Explain this. A second trial in 2007 ended in the same verdict. His body was identified after a sketch of his face was released by police. There were five lands and grooves that my weapon was said to have made based on the company's website. [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. Police also learned that Melanie had been having a long-term affair with a co-worker named Bradley Miller. Melanie McGuire Today: Where Is She Now in 2020? | Heavy.com Protesters call for transgender women to be removed from all-female NJ (Star-Ledger file photo), Inside the fenceline at South Woods State Prison in Bridgeton. His earliest release date is April 4, 2027. [11] Through her attorneys, Joe Tacopina,[12] Steve Turano, and Marc Ward, she pleaded not guilty to the charges. Video Convicted murderer Melanie McGuire says she's - ABC News Making a splash: A deep dive into the live-action Little Mermaid with a new generation's Ariel. [9] Police released a facial reconstruction sketch of the victim, which an acquaintance of Bill McGuire's recognized. He had been givenchloral hydrate, shot, his body cut into three pieces and his blood drained. Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. Sentence: 30 years without parole. However, the state's expert disagreed, testifying that he ran the tests he believed were necessary to link the bags. (Times of Trenton file photo/Department of Corrections), He raped and killed a young artist, then killed a guy on death row. At trial, his defense attorneys claimed he was not guilty by way of insanity but Miraglia maintained that he was not mentally ill. 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. The medical examiner determined that the body had been shot multiple times. A top priority for New Jersey investigators was determining if Melanie McGuire had ever owned a gun. 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. She pleaded not guilty. "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. 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. ADVERTISEMENT Who stars in 'Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story?' Prosecutors believed that McGuire forged the prescription as she had access to this prescription pad. 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. READ NEXT: Melanie McGuire Was Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder of Husband Bill. I still feel bothered. Creato hasn't filed any appeals, but his father vowed to hire a private investigator to find "the real killer.". Access the Case Summary and Docket Report to access additional information about this case on the US Court's PACER system. She may be eligible for parole after serving 66 years in prison, court documents filed in her case said. Melanie and Bill McGuire pictured hugging at an unknown date. 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. A 46-second preview of the movie shows a woman finding a suitcase on the beach and then moving away as she opens it. Over the next three weeks his dismembered body is found in suitcases in the bay. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. 'Suitcase Killer' Melanie McGuire defends innocence from inside prison Cooper, 47, is incarcerated in New Jersey State Prison in Trenton. 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. His conviction and sentence was upheld in 1999. Cooper appealed for post-conviction relief, taking his case to the state's Supreme Court, but the court ruled against him in 2006. Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women, NJ Inmate Roster - Prisonroster New Jersey Is Closing Its Only Women's Prison After Rampant Abuse By But even her appeal fell apart when the key witness was found to be uncredible. What's happened with their appeals? Fortin, now 53, is serving his sentence at the New Jersey State Prison in Trenton. Crime: In 1991, Lodzinski, a 23-year-old mother living in of South Amboy, claimed that her son Timothy Wiltsey, 5, had disappeared at a Sayreville carnival. Harris, who has served 24 years, is held in New Jersey State Prison in Trenton. The one where EW follows up with the cast. Robinson admitted he was the one who strangled Pasquale to death claiming in a 2017 interview with NJ.com that she started hitting him first and his brother pleaded guilty to obstruction. I just wanted to get away from him at that point. His remains were found nearly a year later in a marshy area in Edison not far from her former workplace. Women inmates move between the areas of the maximum and medium security compounds at the Edna Mahan Women's Correctional Facility. After seeing this report Melanie McGuire told Miller a story that prosecutors later called preposterous. 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. "There was no evidence connecting him to this crime.. 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. Lands and grooves are rifling characteristics that are machine pressed into the barrel of a gun. (File photo from New Jersey News Photos). Sentence:A Middlesex County judge in 2007 sentenced McGuire to life in prison. I dont know how you would dismember a body and effectively clean that up, said McGuire. After another five days, a third suitcase appeared. . Where are they now? New Jersey will close its only prison for women after years of documented physical and sexual abuses of inmates by guards. Jonathan Zarate's earliest parole date is Nov. 10, 2071, when he will be 84. After a nearly month and a half long trial, Melanie McGuire was found guilty. We followed those killers as they were arrested, tried and sentenced, and even as they continued to appeal their convictions. Per ABC News, she received a life sentence and is now incarcerated at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility in New Jersey. [5], Melanie Lyn Slate grew up in Ridgewood and Middletown Township, New Jersey, attending Middletown High School South.

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