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. The grainy images appeared to show Bill McGuire's car being pulled into a spot, but did not capture who the driver was. Rabbi Fred Neulander is pictured at left at his trial and at right in his most current prison mugshot. The remains belonged to Bill McGuire, who was 39 years old and had two sons. 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. Crime: In 1994, Neulander was a rabbi from Cherry Hill who was having an affair with with a Philadelphia radio DJ. . [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. 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. No one plugged the serial number of my gun into a website to find out what the specifications were, said Melanie McGuire. Dr. In May 2004, a fisherman and his child were sailing the Chesapeake Bay when they spotted something odd floating in the water. 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. This includes extensive interviews with Melanie McGuire herself from Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Clinton, New Jersey. Prosecutors believed that Melanie McGuires motive to kill her husband came from her desire to start a new life with her lover, Dr. Bradley Miller, a partner at the medical practice RMA Associates, where she worked as a nurse. During her arraignment on murder charges, McGuire's case was dubbed the "Suitcase Murder" by various media outlets. Dont accept what youre just being told on the surface. Prezioso said the evidence presented by the states computer forensic expert at trial was robust and Melanie McGuires legal team presented their own expert as well. Melanie McGuire is now serving a lifetime sentence at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in New Jersey, as Entertainment Weekly reports. "People ask me, 'Explain this. What's happened with their appeals? As of June 22, 2020, two inmates had died of COVID-19. APP.com reported that he is locked up alone in a maximum-security cell. Miller eventually testified against Melanie McGuire at her trial. Sentence: Judge Dennis Cavanaugh gave Bergrin six life sentences, plus multiple concurrent sentences, for the 23 charges. Next: What is the Lifetime movie Dirty . The investigation began after the body parts were discovered and Melanie McGuire was identified as a main suspect. Subscribe to Justia's Free Newsletters featuring summaries of federal and state court opinions. 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. We were not gathering evidence from a gun manufacturer's website. Where are they now? Lands and grooves are rifling characteristics that are machine pressed into the barrel of a gun. Melanie McGuire is now serving a lifetime sentence at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in New Jersey, as Entertainment Weekly reports. A second trial in 2007 ended in the same verdict. 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. McGuire had a message for her sons, who are now adults, "Make up your mind. Sentence: Both young men received life sentences plus additional time, butJames Zarate was resentenced last year to 50 years on the murder charge. Like, how could somebody think that I did that? she said on 20/20. New Jersey Department of Corrections/Find a Grave 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. There were five lands and grooves that my weapon was said to have made based on the company's website. She may be eligible for parole after serving 66 years in prison, court documents filed in her case said. His first trial ended in a hung jury, but he was convicted of murder in 2002. An application for a federal appeal was rejected in December 2021. 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. They searched gun records in the state but found nothing. Some will spend the rest of their days within prison walls. Supreme Court declined to hear it in 2016. 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. [13] She was also convicted of the lesser charges of perjury, desecration of human remains, and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. Cullen is incarcerated at the New Jersey State Prison in Trenton, according to correctional records. of Corrections) WOODBRIDGE, NJ For anyone. Thirteen years have passed since Melanie McGuire's conviction. In 2015, Seidle chased his wife, Tamara Wilson-Seidle, and opened fire on her car on an Asbury Park street, even though one of his children was in the car with her. Send any friend a story As a subscriber, you have 10 gift . 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 judge in October 2016 rejected both claims. This case was filed in U.S. Courts Of Appeals, U.S. Court Of Appeals, Third Circuit. What's happened with their appeals? 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. [9] McGuire persisted in claiming she was innocent, and claimed her husband had become increasingly moody and unpredictable and was a compulsive gambler. Both are in New Jersey State Prison in Trenton. ", Credit: Jean-Paul Aussenard/WireImage; ABC, Amy Locane's prison cell roommate is the notorious Suitcase Killer. Bergrin appealed his convictions and sentence, saying he was denied a fair trial for several reasons. The New Jersey fertility nurse was sentenced to life in prison back in 2007 for murdering her husband Bill in April 2004. The evidence that was at trial was from ballistic experts.. Where are they now? But even her appeal fell apart when the key witness was found to be uncredible. Case Details Parties Documents Dockets Case Details Case Number: 21-1750 Filing Date: 04/19/2021 Case Status: Sacks firmly believes that prosecutors failed to answer key questions in the case. Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. ABCNewsreports that Melanie had actually purchased an out-of-state firearm in Pennsylvania, although she lived in New Jersey. We followed those killers as they were arrested, tried and sentenced, and even as they continued to appeal their convictions. [1], By April 2004, the McGuires had been married for five years. Michelle Lodzinski is pictured in a file photo from 1991, when her son disappeared, and in 2017. FindNJ.com on Facebook. Sentence: 30 years to life in prison. AP Among the trans women inmates housed at Edna Mahan are Michelle. 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. The prescription for chloral hydrate came from Millers prescription pad. In 2010, Locane got into an accident while driving drunk killing one person in the crash and was convicted of second-degree homicide and assault with a vehicle. 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. Per Asbury Park Press, the "suitcase killer," Melanie McGuire, has returned to court most recently in 2014. It was a mistake on a gun manufacturer's website. Name: Steven Fortin Crime: Fortin has twice been convicted for the Aug. 3, 1994, sexual assault and murder of Melissa Padilla, a 25-year-old mother of four who was grabbed off the street as she carried a bag of groceries home. Lodzinski's attorney also argued jurors did not have sufficient evidence to convict her. Melanie was a nurse at a fertility clinic and Bill was a computer programmer. Melanie and Bill McGuire pictured hugging at an unknown date. 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. It never made sense.. Where are they now:Records show Timmendequas, now 57, is serving his sentence at the New Jersey State Prison in Trenton. 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. The New Jersey Supreme Court has denied her petition for sentence relief. Author John Glatt wrote a book about the case, entitled To Have and To Kill. She was charged with her husband's murder more than a year after his remains were recovered and was convicted of his murder following a televised trial in Middlesex County in which she was represented by attorney Joseph Tacopina. Cottingham, now 71, is incarcerated at the New Jersey State Prison in Trenton, according to correctional records. Police quickly found his car in a parking lot there. Harris, then 43, was convicted by a jury brought in from a neighboring county due to intense media coverage. She must serve 63 years of the sentence before she is eligible for parole. 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. Her defense attorneys argued that anyone could have conducted the searches. [9], On May 5, 2004, the first suitcase, containing human legs, was found by two fishermen and two children floating near the Chesapeake Bay BridgeTunnel's fourth artificial island, and a murder investigation was launched. (Patti Sapone/Department of Corrections), Neptune police sergeant kills wife in front of daughter. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Investigators searched the home for evidence multiple times, checking to see if Bill McGuire had been killed and dismembered there. Before she was charged with murder, Melanie contacted E-ZPass and attempted to have the $0.90 charge removed from her account history. 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. Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for WomenMelanie McGuire prison record. David Cooper, in a mugshot after the death of Latasha Goodman, and his recent prison photo. Watch new at 9/8c on ABC. 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." A judge in October 2016 rejected both claims, granted Koedatich's request for a new test of DNA evidence. Her 2007 trial became a nationally televised event. Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. Fortin, now 53, is serving his sentence at the New Jersey State Prison in Trenton. He remained on death row for years while he appealed, and the death sentence was abolished in 2007. I guess it is comforting [that people are interested]. [4] She was sentenced to life in prison on July 19, 2007, and is serving her sentence at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Clinton, New Jersey. He was arrested the next day and convicted in 1995. 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. Criminology professors Meghan Sacks and Amy Shlosberg argue there are pieces of evidence, such as ballistics, that raise questions. 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. At least the prison conversations won't be, ahem, boring for Amy Locane. Prezioso believed the "human sawdust" was the result of Bill McGuire's dismemberment. 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. "I won't be home until my oldest is 18 and my youngest is 16," she told EW. At trial, prosecutors presented an apparent mountain of circumstantial evidence against Melanie McGuire in Bill McGuires disappearance and murder. She may be eligible for parole after serving 66 years in prison, court. Investigators also found trash bags in Melanie McGuire's home that they believed matched those used to wrap parts of Bill McGuire's body. I just wanted to get away from him at that point. People explains that she did this all in an effort to maintain her relationship with Mills. Miller looked at the prescription and he said, Thats not my signature and it appears to be Melanie McGuires handwriting, recalled Prezioso. 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. She was sentenced to life in prison on July 19, 2007. After a few years, the marital dynamics began to shift. But many are still behind bars, and will only get out as old men or women. His wife, Melanie McGuire, a fertility nurse and the mother of his two sons, was eventually convicted of murdering him and dumping his body. Locane is back behind bars for killing Helene Seeman, 60, in a 2010 drunk driving collision in New Jersey's Montgomery Township. Just a few days later, a second dark green suitcase washed ashore on Fisherman Island, New York (via People). His Department of Corrections profile says he is only allowed "window visits" with visitors. "There was no evidence connecting him to this crime.. After another five days, a third suitcase appeared. With the story debunked, the request for a new trial was withdrawn. During the investigation, incriminating evidence against Melanie was uncovered. It is the largest law enforcement agency in the state with approximately 10,500 employees. On June 5, 2005, authorities arrested Melanie McGuire on first-degree murder charges. Their appeals didn't get them anywhere. I have a book that I can look in that doesn't leave an internet history, Melanie McGuire told "20/20.". [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. If I wanted to look for something like that, I have a [physicians' desk reference]. He faces anothersix life sentences for his crimes in Pennsylvania. This stuff exists, she said on the show. High-profile attorney ran prostitution ring, arranged murder. Name: James Koedatich Crime: Koedatich, who has been called "one of the most dangerous and despised serial killers in the history of the state," was convicted of kidnapping, sexually assaulting and fatally stabbing an 18-year-old Parsippany high school student and a 25-year-old Mendham Township woman just 12 days apart in November of 1982. Some got reduced sentences in plea dealsor just did their time, and they left prison and restarted their lives on the outside. Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. "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. He said he was leaving and he wasnt coming back and [that] I could tell my children they didnt have a father.. The podcast hosts and Melanie McGuire herself, raise questions about whether it's even possible the gun she purchased was the murder weapon. and more than 40 hours of new interviews with Melanie McGuire (Star-Ledger and State of New Jersey photos), Serial killer's earliest parole date? 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. Rebecca Everett may be reached atreverett@njadvancemedia.com. Like, how could somebody think that I did that?" 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. 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. Where are they now? From mob hits to serial killings, New Jersey certainly has its fair share of grisly murders. 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. They recruited a friend to help dispose of her body, but got caught dumping the trunk into a river. She said in a moment of admitted irrationality she decided to drive down there and look for his car. Creato hasn't filed any appeals, but his father vowed to hire a private investigator to find "the real killer.". 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. Tell us. 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. Her bail was raised to $2.1million ($2.9 million today), but she was again released. Per ABC News, she received a life sentence and is now incarcerated at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility in New Jersey. The case status is Pending - Other Pending. And my answer is I can't explain because I don't think it makes any sense either," Wronko told EW earlier this month. After being released on bail, Melanie faced additional charges on October 11, 2005. [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. A more recent docket listing Sentence: Cullen is serving 11 consecutive life sentences for the 22 murders in New Jersey. After re-examining her murder conviction over a decade later, Sacks and Shlosberg, believe Melanie McGuire was wrongfully convicted. 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. I looked down and theres my 2-year-old. Where are they now? 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. Where are they now? His earliest release date is April 4, 2027. Another unfortunate boater found a human pelvis inside. What's happened with their appeals? Creato is held in Garden State Youth Correctional Facility in Chesterfield Township. Melanie McGuire denies this, pointing to the fact that there are hundreds of miles between Delaware and Virginia Beach. What's happened with their appeals? By Thomas Moriarty and Rebecca Everett | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, (Clockwise, from top left) Melanie McGuire, Charles Cullen, Ambrose Harris and Jesse Timmendequas are just some of the Garden State's most notorious criminals still serving lengthy sentences in state and federal prisons. But after 10, 20, or 30 years in prison, faces have faded from some memories. Prosecutors believed that McGuire forged the prescription as she had access to this prescription pad. I'm a nurse or I was a nurse, and I don't need to look up things like that. 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. There are just too many holes in this story.. 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. Melanie then became the prime suspect in the investigation. He's next scheduled to appear in court in July, records show. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. She's ineligible for parole until the age of 101, as reported by ABC News in 2020. Melanie McGuire/Bill McGuire. After all these years, I still feel hurt. 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 . Melanie McGuire defends her innocence from inside prison in 2019, over a decade after she was convicted. His body was identified after a sketch of his face was released by police. 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. But this was the first time somebody was basically saying, We hear you, said Melanie McGuire. It's out there," she said. Don't accept what you're just being told on the surface. Brothers Jonathan Zarate (top left and top right) and his little brother James Zarate (bottom left and bottom right) were convicted of killing their neighbor in 2005 in Randolph. Melanie McGuire says she isnt hoping for prison release, in a new jailhouse interview with @ARobach Friday at 9/8c during a new #ABC2020. I still feel bothered. He probably would have broken my cheek if [the hit] had been a closed fist, Melanie McGuire said. Sentence: 30 years. The announcement comes after the state released an investigative . It shows no inmates or staff at the facility had confirmed positive test results between August 22, 2020, and September 25, 2020. In 2017, he also unsuccessfully appealed sanctions he was given forpunching a prison officer and having gang recruitment material in his cell. 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. A top priority for New Jersey investigators was determining if Melanie McGuire had ever owned a gun. They pulled out the piping, pulling floorboards up, said Sacks. Ambrose Harris, pictured at an appeal hearing in 2002, and in a recent prison photo. Melanie McGuire never reported her husband was missing. McGuire maintains her innocence, and wants her two adult sons to look into the case for themselves. These filings and docket sheets should not be considered findings of fact or liability, nor do they necessarily reflect the view of Justia. Making a splash: A deep dive into the live-action Little Mermaid with a new generation's Ariel. The Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Clinton, NJ, is the only state prison for women in New Jersey. Sentence: 17 years in prison. [9] Police released a facial reconstruction sketch of the victim, which an acquaintance of Bill McGuire's recognized.