I guess it is comforting [that people are interested]. Dig, dig. 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]. 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". [9] A witness testified that Melanie used the same towels to protect furniture when she moved. His body was identified after a sketch of his face was released by police. The evidence in this case points to a well-organized, meticulously planned execution of a murder, Prezioso said during the trial. 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. 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." 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. His earliest parole date is Jan. 28, 2048, when he will be 57. Per Asbury Park Press, Melanie and William "Bill" McGuire married in 1999. McGuire is lodged at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women, serving a life sentence in Clinton, New Jersey. The 50 greatest TV and movie detectives of all time. Note: This story has been corrected to reflect the six life sentences Charles Cullen faces in Pennsylvania. 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. Her defense attorneys argued that anyone could have conducted the searches. Sentence: Harris was originally sentenced to death, but the state abolished the death penalty before he was executed. Despite it's name, the facility houses young adult inmates. Melanie McGuire Today: Where Is She Now in 2020? | Heavy.com [8] She married United States Navy veteran William T. "Bill" McGuire (born September 21, 1964) in 1999. Rosario "Russell" Miraglia is pictured at a court appearance in 2008 and in a recent prison photo. Melanie McGuire, the notorious "suitcase killer" convicted in 2007 of slaying her husband, has given a lengthy podcast interview and has spoken in a rare TV interview with "20/20" to proclaim her innocence in a quixotic bid for exoneration, ABC News reports. Her 2007 trial became a nationally televised event. A state appellate court in 2011 rejected his first direct appeal, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case. It doesn't make any sense.' Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women, NJ Inmate Roster - Prisonroster a judge in 2010 imposed the maximum sentence, Robinson, 15, and his brother, Dante Robinson, 17, were arrested, claiming in a 2017 interview with NJ.com that she started hitting him first, A jury found the killing was self defense, He claimed he was on a mission from God to "close the gates of hell", The most infamous event ever in each of N.J.'s 21 counties, Women who have killed: 12 of New Jersey's most notorious, Corruption Jersey style: Councilman may join long list of crooked officials, The 55 unsolved missing children cases in New Jersey. 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. A subscription to PACER is required. 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. Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. She's serving a life sentence at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility. In addition to 20/20, her case is being examined in a podcast, Direct Appeal. She filed an appeal to the New Jersey Superior Court, which affirmed her conviction and sentence in 2011. 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. Cullen is incarcerated at the New Jersey State Prison in Trenton, according to correctional records. David Cooper, in a mugshot after the death of Latasha Goodman, and his recent prison photo. Robinson, 21, is at Garden State Youth Correctional Facility in Chesterfield Township. (Matt Rainey & The Star-Ledger/Department of Corrections), Man killed, dismembered 2 because of message from God. What's happened with their appeals? We followed those killers as they were arrested, tried and sentenced, and even as they continued to appeal their convictions. Her earliest release date is Aug. 3, 2044. 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. Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. Where are they now? Lodzinski's attorney also argued jurors did not have sufficient evidence to convict her. The Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women near Clinton, New Jersey, made headlines for allegations of sexual abuse and for the recent spread of the coronavirus, New Jersey Spotlight News reported. I'm a nurse or I was a nurse, and I don't need to look up things like that. I still feel bothered. Have a tip? 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 remains were found nearly a year later in a marshy area in Edison not far from her former workplace. 3d 411 - NJ: Appellate Div. This stuff exists, she said on the show. READ NEXT: Melanie McGuire Was Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder of Husband Bill. A 46-second preview of the movie shows a woman finding a suitcase on the beach and then moving away as she opens it. These documents exist. Wronko, who is also Locane's boyfriend, is appealing the new sentence, which he believes violates her double jeopardy protections. If youre willing to wear a wire, well believe you, said Sacks. I believe that the evidence presented to the jury told the jury what happened," Prezioso said. [9] Police received a tip from a private towing company employee who said he towed a 2002 Nissan Maxima (Bill McGuire's car) from the Flamingo Motel in Atlantic City, on May 8, 2004. Once police honed in on Melanie McGuire as the prime suspect, they began wiretapping her phones. Investigators searched the home for evidence multiple times, checking to see if Bill McGuire had been killed and dismembered there. [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]. The podcasters and Melanie McGuire also point to unexplained animal hair found on Bill McGuires dismembered body and noted in investigative reports. Jonathan Zarate's earliest parole date is Nov. 10, 2071, when he will be 84. Melanie McGuire Sentenced to Life for Murder of Husband | Heavy.com On 04/19/2021 Melanie McGuire filed a Prisoner - Other Prisoner lawsuit against Attorney General New Jersey. 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. After all these years, I still feel hurt. 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 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. At trial, his defense attorneys claimed he was not guilty by way of insanity but Miraglia maintained that he was not mentally ill. At trial, prosecutors presented an apparent mountain of circumstantial evidence against Melanie McGuire in Bill McGuires disappearance and murder. New true crime podcast takes deep dive into 'suitcase killer' Melanie Creato is held in Garden State Youth Correctional Facility in Chesterfield Township. It was hard. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. During the investigation, incriminating evidence against Melanie was uncovered. Where are they now? McGuire, now 45, is serving her sentence at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility in Hunterdon County. Video Podcasters believe Melanie McGuire is wrongfully - ABC News As McGuire maintains her innocence, she is running out of appeal options. McGuire, now 45, is serving her sentence at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility in Hunterdon County. What's happened with their appeals? Bill became a computer technician, while Melanie sought out a career path as a fertility clinic nurse. I have a book that I can look in that doesn't leave an internet history, Melanie McGuire told "20/20.". [23] On September 20, 2011, the New Jersey Supreme Court declined to hear her further appeal. When Bill McGuires body was found with bullet wounds, prosecutors pointed to the fact that Melanie McGuire had purchased a gun in Pennsylvania just two days before her husband was reported missing. That requires two drivers so certainly that means someone helped her, said Prezioso. "I panicked. The prescription for chloral hydrate came from Millers prescription pad. Sentence: The jury in Fortin's first trial sentenced him to death. Her earliest possible parole date is May 20, 2073, according to the Department of Corrections. 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. [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. FindNJ.com on Facebook. At the time, the local media also reported this detail about the parking lot's surveillance cameras. What's happened with their appeals? The remains belonged to Bill McGuire, who was 39 years old and had two sons. Making a splash: A deep dive into the live-action Little Mermaid with a new generation's Ariel. 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. Melanie says she yanked her child away and tried to hide in the bathroom, but this was a breaking point for Bill, who fumed out of the house. NJ.com reports that in 2007, Melanie McGuire was charged on eight counts and found guilty of four: desecrating remains, murder, perjury, and the possession of the murder weapon a gun for an unlawful reason. In May 2004, a fisherman and his child were sailing the Chesapeake Bay when they spotted something odd floating in the water. may be available from PACER. I just wanted to get away from him at that point. "I just wanted to get away from him at that point," she said (via YouTube). When investigators discovered the affair, they approached Miller. [24][25] On April 29, 2014, McGuire filed a motion for post-conviction relief, alleging ineffective assistance of counsel and newly discovered evidence. [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. from inside the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for . What Happened To Melanie McGuire, The Suitcase Killer. His earliest release date is April 4, 2027. Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women (formerly the Clinton Correctional Facility for Women) [1] is a prison facility for women of the state of New Jersey Department of Corrections, located in Union Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, [2] [3] near Clinton. New Jersey will close its only prison for women after years of documented physical and sexual abuses of inmates by guards. For the first time in years, she says she has hope that an explosive new podcast, "Direct Appeal," could help exonerate her. So where are New Jersey's infamous felons now? Where are they now? Thirteen years have passed since Melanie McGuire's conviction. What Happened To Melanie McGuire, The Suitcase Killer? [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. 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. [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. They recorded her calls with family and friends, including Miller, with whom she was having the affair.