Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. Justin Robinson, at left, appears in court to face a murder charge. Meghan Sacks, host of podcast "Direct Appeal" and Fairleigh Dickinson University criminology professor questions Melanie McGuire's guilt. After a few years, the marital dynamics began to shift. Where are they now? People explains that she did this all in an effort to maintain her relationship with Mills. Melanie McGuires story made national headlines in the mid-2000s, when she was charged with first-degree murder and dubbed the Suitcase Killer by some in the media. Name:Jesse Timmendequas Crime: Timmendequas, twice previously convicted of sexually assaulting children, was 33 when he raped and strangled his 7-year-old neighbor Megan Kanka in Hamilton in 1994. (Robert Sciarrino/Alex Remnick/Department of Corrections), Brothers caught dumping body after grisly killing of teen girl. [8] She married United States Navy veteran William T. "Bill" McGuire (born September 21, 1964) in 1999. What's happened with their appeals? Prosecutors believed that McGuire forged the prescription as she had access to this prescription pad. So where are New Jersey's infamous felons now? She's serving a life sentence at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility. Bergrin, now 62, is serving his sentence in the U.S. Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility in Florence, Colorado. (Tim Hawk/Department of Corrections), Dad gets deal after admitting he killed 3-year-old son. Melanie McGuire is now serving a lifetime sentence at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in New Jersey, as Entertainment Weekly reports. His earliest parole date is Dec. 13, 2040. Thomas Moriarty may be reached attmoriarty@njadvancemedia.com. Some will spend the rest of their days within prison walls. McGuire is an inmate at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Union Township, Hunterdon County. After re-examining her murder conviction over a decade later, Sacks and Shlosberg, believe Melanie McGuire was wrongfully convicted. At least the prison conversations won't be, ahem, boring for Amy Locane. As of June 22, 2020, two inmates had died of COVID-19. He claimed he was on a mission from God to "close the gates of hell"through the killings. However, McGuire was acquitted of the two counts of hindering apprehension, as well as tampering with evidence and possession of Xanax without prescription. But even her appeal fell apart when the key witness was found to be uncredible. In May 2004, a fisherman and his child were sailing the Chesapeake Bay when they spotted something odd floating in the water. This stuff exists. 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. Daniels and Jenoff have both been released after serving 23-year terms. Jonathan Zarate's argument for a new trial claiming that his lawyer was ineffective and evidence shouldn't have been allowed wasnot successful. Koedatich, who just turned 70 behind bars, is incarcerated at the New Jersey State Prison in Trenton, according to correctional records. "There was no evidence connecting him to this crime.. At this point, it was clear that the man had been shot multiple times in the torso and once in the head (via YouTube). Just a few days later, a second dark green suitcase washed ashore on Fisherman Island, New York (via People). 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. It shows no inmates or staff at the facility had confirmed positive test results between August 22, 2020, and September 25, 2020. Attorney Joe Tacopina defended Melanie McGuire against charges of murdering her husband in her 2007 trial. It was reliving it. ADVERTISEMENT Who stars in 'Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story?' His body was identified after a sketch of his face was released by police. Miller was adamant that he had nothing to do with any crime, and he didnt know anything about this. 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. The investigation into who killed Bill McGuire began in Virginia but eventually moved to New Jersey. Where are they now? 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. They were confident Miller was not involved in the crime but were never able to bring charges against anyone else. The fisherman pulled a dark green suitcase from the estuaryand pried it open to find that the contents of the suitcase were two human legs, cut at the knees. https://t.co/ZGewROXCaQ pic.twitter.com/hlzcKR96Ss. McGuire told 20/20 she did not commit the crimes for which she was convicted. Lodzinski's attorney also argued jurors did not have sufficient evidence to convict her. 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. Crime: Latasha Goodman, 6, was playing in a relative's yard in Asbury Park July 18, 1993 when Cooper, 22, approached and offered money for candy and ice cream if she went with him. Dr. ET on ABC. 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. 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. The plastic bags that contained Bill's body parts and the bags that contained Bill's clothes, which Melanie had given away to a friend, were demonstrated by forensics to have been manufactured on the same assembly line within hours of one another. [9] Police released a facial reconstruction sketch of the victim, which an acquaintance of Bill McGuire's recognized. 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. The appellate court upheld the decision and theSupreme Court declined to hear it in 2016. However, prosecutors established that the informant was "entirely incredible and routinely and habitually fabricates stories" according to a New Jersey State Police investigation, before recanting and accusing McGuire's attorney of suborning perjury. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Per Asbury Park Press, Melanie and William "Bill" McGuire married in 1999. While Sacks and Shlosberg will come to their own conclusions about whether they believe Melanie McGuire is innocent, their investigations aim to explore how her case was handled and the fairness of her trial . 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." This case was filed in U.S. Courts Of Appeals, U.S. Court Of Appeals, Third Circuit. Then, they looked in Pennsylvania. McGuire, now 46 years old, is serving a life sentence at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility. 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. 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. Miller agreed to cooperate with investigators and was never charged in the crime. He ran tests, but he didn't do all the tests that you actually need to definitively say whether these bags match, added Sacks. Melanie McGuire is serving a life sentence in the murder of her husband, Bill McGuire, at a women's correctional facility in New Jersey. Another important development for investigators was the discovery of Bill McGuire's car. From mob hits to serial killings, New Jersey certainly has its fair share of grisly murders. After a ruling by the state Supreme Court that Fortin was eligible for the newly created sentence of life without parole, a judge in 2010 imposed the maximum sentence. Crime: Pennsylvania artist Kristen Huggins, 22, was in Trenton to paint a mural in 1992 when Harris carjacked, kidnapped, raped and murdered her. She will not be eligible for parole until May 20, 2073 In a recent. and more than 40 hours of new interviews with Melanie McGuire . After a nearly month and a half long trial, Melanie McGuire was found guilty. What's happened with their appeals? Their appeals didn't get them anywhere. Her parole eligibility date is listed as May 20, 2073, according to the New Jersey Department of Corrections. She is currently incarcerated at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Clinton, New Jersey . Investigators also found trash bags in Melanie McGuire's home that they believed matched those used to wrap parts of Bill McGuire's body. 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). Rebecca Everett may be reached atreverett@njadvancemedia.com. What's happened with their appeals? The one where EW follows up with the cast. Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. She pleaded not guilty. [10] Prosecutors contended her motive for murder was to take up a new life with her lover. This stuff exists, she said on the show. 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. I'm a nurse or I was a nurse, and I don't need to look up things like that. [9] Similarly, a medical grade towel found with Bill's body matched those stocked at the clinic where Melanie worked. But this was the first time somebody was basically saying, We hear you, said Melanie McGuire. Melanie maintains that she is innocent and worries that the real suitcase killer is still out in the world somewhere. "I can't even fathom that. A state appeals court in 2011 rejected McGuire's argument she was denied a fair trial. Where are they now? Melanie McGuire's story has been documented in six TV shows since 2007, including "20/20" and "Deadly Affairs" (via IMDb), and one book in 2008, "To Have and To Kill." But by the penalty phase of the second trial, the state of New Jersey had repealed the death penalty. He had been givenchloral hydrate, shot, his body cut into three pieces and his blood drained. Heavy writes that at the time of his murder, Bill was married to Melanie McGuire. 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). Watch new at 9/8c on ABC. She says he then pinned her to the wall, hit her, and tried to choke her with the dryer sheet. "Direct Appeal," a 20-episode Apple podcast hosted by criminologists, examined her case once more, suggesting that much of the evidence against Melanie was circumstantial. What's happened with their appeals? She must serve 63 years of the sentence before she is eligible for parole. Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. 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). Sentence: Judge Dennis Cavanaugh gave Bergrin six life sentences, plus multiple concurrent sentences, for the 23 charges. On April 30, the next day, Melanie filed for divorce and a restraining order. She put his remains into a 3-piece suitcase set, and those three pieces were later found in Chesapeake Bay. David Cooper, in a mugshot after the death of Latasha Goodman, and his recent prison photo. "My job is not to convince the world. They searched gun records in the state but found nothing. Melanie McGuire v. Attorney General New Jersey, et al 21-1750 | U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit | Justia Justia Dockets & Filings Third Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit Melanie McGuire v. Attorney General New Jersey, et al Melanie McGuire v. Attorney General New Jersey, et al RSS Track this Docket Docket Report Medical examiners were never able to pinpointhow he died beyond asphyxiation. 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. In 2017, he also unsuccessfully appealed sanctions he was given forpunching a prison officer and having gang recruitment material in his cell. His first conviction was overturned by the state Supreme Court, which ruled the judge's questioning of prospective jurors had been inadequate. Before she was charged with murder, Melanie contacted E-ZPass and attempted to have the $0.90 charge removed from her account history. Cottingham, now 71, is incarcerated at the New Jersey State Prison in Trenton, according to correctional records. I just wanted to get away from him at that point. During her arraignment on murder charges, McGuire's case was dubbed the "Suitcase Murder" by various media outlets. 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.. 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. These documents exist. McGuire maintains her innocence, and wants her two adult sons to look into the case for themselves. 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. (Photos from New Jersey News Photos and the state Department of Corrections), Killer whose crime sparked Megan's Law will stay in prison for life. Rosario "Russell" Miraglia is pictured at a court appearance in 2008 and in a recent prison photo. Her bail was raised to $2.1million ($2.9 million today), but she was again released. In 2010, he pleaded guilty to a third killing in New Jersey in 1967. 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. 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. Her earliest release date is Aug. 3, 2044. ET on ABC Days later, an unidentified man, believed by many to be her stepfather, also contacted E-ZPass and attempted to have the charge removed. I still feel bothered. She told her sons, now adults, to look into the case for themselves. Rabbi Fred Neulander is pictured at left at his trial and at right in his most current prison mugshot. It took four years and two trials the first jury hung for federal prosecutors to convict him in 2013 of the 23 charges facing him. 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 jury found the killing was self defense. His remains were found nearly a year later in a marshy area in Edison not far from her former workplace. Dont accept what youre just being told on the surface. The facility actually houses young adults. Access the Case Summary and Docket Report to access additional information about this case on the US Court's PACER system. 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. Upon further investigation, police discovered a security video of the car being moved in the early morning hours of April 30, 2004. He had been married to Melanie McGuire and it was soon discovered that she was his killer. 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. 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. There's less of a waiting period.. 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. got caught dumping the trunk into a river. [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. Sentence: After being convicted in 2008, Miraglia was sentenced to two life sentences without possibility of parole, plus one day each on weapons charges. 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. Subscribe to Justia's Free Newsletters featuring summaries of federal and state court opinions. [6][7] She enrolled at Rutgers University with a double major in math and psychology and graduated in 1994. Supreme Court declined to hear it in 2016. Where are they now? [5], Melanie Lyn Slate grew up in Ridgewood and Middletown Township, New Jersey, attending Middletown High School South. Author John Glatt wrote a book about the case, entitled To Have and To Kill. What's happened with their appeals? What Happened To Melanie McGuire, The Suitcase Killer. Sentence: Cullen is serving 11 consecutive life sentences for the 22 murders in New Jersey. Send any friend a story As a subscriber, you have 10 gift . New Jersey will close its only prison for women after years of documented physical and sexual abuses of inmates by guards. After pulling the surveillance footage from the parking lot, however, investigators were disappointed. The investigation began after the body parts were discovered and Melanie McGuire was identified as a main suspect. She maintains her innocence, having recently told 20/20 that "after all these years, I still feel hurt. Wilson-Seidle died from her injuries. 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.". Some got reduced sentences in plea dealsor just did their time, and they left prison and restarted their lives on the outside. He remained on death row for years while he appealed, and the death sentence was abolished in 2007. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? [22] She must serve more than 63 years before she is eligible for parole. Five days after Bill McGuire went missing, investigators said Melanie McGuire made another bizarre road trip, this time to Delaware. He ultimately was convicted of two murders and three kidnappings in New Jersey, in addition to the murder of three women in New York. After all these years, I still feel hurt. It doesn't make any sense.' Name: Richard Cottingham Crime: Cottingham, a Lodi resident,killed six women in New Jersey and New York between 1967 and 1980. 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. Prosecutors also pointed to Melanie McGuire's supposed internet searches in the days leading up to Bill McGuires disappearance. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. I grabbed the baby and went to the bathroom right behind me and shut the door. Melanie says in the past, when theyre angry at each other, its a way of messing with each other, I guess you could say., It sounds beyond ridiculous sitting here saying it and I acknowledge that Its the truth, Melanie McGuire told 20/20.. Melanie McGuire claimed that her gun could not have been the murder weapon since the numbers of lands and grooves on the bullets that came out of Bill McGuire didn't match the number that the manufacturing website said it had made her gun with. A 46-second preview of the movie shows a woman finding a suitcase on the beach and then moving away as she opens it. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. [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. [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.
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