During her arraignment on murder charges, McGuire's case was dubbed the "Suitcase Murder" by various media outlets. McGuire is an inmate at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Union Township, Hunterdon County. "I just wanted to get away from him at that point," she said (via YouTube). (AP Photo/Department of Corrections), Man escapes death penalty after killing 6-year-old girl. A Morris County judge in Decembergranted Koedatich's request for a new test of DNA evidence recovered from Hoffman's body, as part of Koedatich's bid for a new trial in that killing. After re-examining her murder conviction over a decade later, Sacks and Shlosberg, believe Melanie McGuire was wrongfully convicted. Melanie McGuire defends her innocence from inside prison in 2019, over a decade after she was convicted. 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. The Georgia Department of Corrections protects and serves the public by managing offenders and helping to provide a safe and secure environment for the state's residents. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. 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. There are times when podcasts and media can shine a light on certain cases where what the government did was not right. More than a year later, on October 26, 2006, McGuire was charged with two counts of hindering apprehension for allegedly writing letters to police aimed at getting them off her trail. What's happened with their appeals? 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. 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? [9] McGuire persisted in claiming she was innocent, and claimed her husband had become increasingly moody and unpredictable and was a compulsive gambler. Melanie McGuire is serving a life sentence in the murder of her husband, Bill McGuire, at a womens correctional facility in New Jersey. I grabbed the baby and went to the bathroom right behind me and shut the door. But this was the first time somebody was basically saying, We hear you, said Melanie McGuire. She said in a moment of admitted irrationality she decided to drive down there and look for his car. McGuire, now 47, was convicted of killing and dismembering her husband after a lengthy trial in 2007. [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. Following the 2018 investigation into allegations of sexual abuse at the prison, the DOC released a statement in April, 2020, saying reforms were introduced at the prison to make it easier for inmates to report sexual abuse. Sacks firmly believes that prosecutors failed to answer key questions in the case. Dig, dig. Bill became a computer technician, while Melanie sought out a career path as a fertility clinic nurse. 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. What's happened with their appeals? AP Among the trans women inmates housed at Edna Mahan are Michelle. 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. However, the state's expert disagreed, testifying that he ran the tests he believed were necessary to link the bags. I still feel bothered. From mob hits to serial killings, New Jersey certainly has its fair share of grisly murders. All rights reserved (About Us). Follow her on Twitter@rebeccajeverett. The couple's fights began to escalate, leading to a quarrel on April 29, 2004 (via ABCNews). 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. It is the largest law enforcement agency in the state with approximately 10,500 employees. His crimes were discovered in May 1980, when a maid at a Hasbrouck Heights motel heard Cottingham's next intended victim an 18-year-old woman screaming from inside his room. APP.com reported that he is locked up alone in a maximum-security cell. Melanie was a nurse at a fertility clinic and Bill was a computer programmer. At this point, it was clear that the man had been shot multiple times in the torso and once in the head (via YouTube). 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. (NJ.com file photo/Tim Hawk), Teen killed 12-year-old, hid her body in recycling bin. On June 2, 2005, more than a year after the murder, Melanie dropped her children off at child care and preschool. Sentence: Both young men received life sentences plus additional time, butJames Zarate was resentenced last year to 50 years on the murder charge. "People ask me, 'Explain this. Locane said she worries that her daughters and the public will forget her. She again pleaded not guilty and was released after posting $10,000 bail. Where are they now? Sentence: 30 years to life in prison. Where are they now? 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. Fortin, now 53, is serving his sentence at the New Jersey State Prison in Trenton. David "DJ" Creato Jr. appears in court in 2016 and in a recent prison photo. People are feeling this way now, but when it's no longer a story, I'll just be forgotten. Days later, an unidentified man, believed by many to be her stepfather, also contacted E-ZPass and attempted to have the charge removed. Melanie McGuire denies this, pointing to the fact that there are hundreds of miles between Delaware and Virginia Beach. Creato is held in Garden State Youth Correctional Facility in Chesterfield Township. His Department of Corrections profile says he is only allowed "window visits" with visitors. Meghan Sacks and Amy Schlosberg are the hosts of the podcast "Direct Appeal" and Fairleigh Dickinson University criminology professors. 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. Melanie claimed that Bill was abusing her and was frequently violent (via ABCNews). (NJ Dept. Philip Seidle, a former Neptune police sergeant, is pictured in court in 2016, and in his most recent prison mugshot. The movie also stars Michael Roark as William McGuire, Jackson Hurst as Dr. Bradley Miller and Wendie Malick as Patricia Prezioso,who formerly served in the New Jersey Attorney Generals Office and was lead prosecutor in the McGuire case. New Jersey Department of Corrections/Find a Grave She says she is innocent. Bill McGuire, 39, disappeared April 28, 2004, shortly after announcing to his friends that he and his wife had just closed the sale of their first home, according to an appeal filed in her case. "My job is not to convince the world. There were two charges, totaling 90 cents, on her statement that proved she had driven to Atlantic City after her husband went missing. This stuff exists, she said on the show. Harris, then 43, was convicted by a jury brought in from a neighboring county due to intense media coverage. Per ABC News, she received a life sentence and is now incarcerated at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility in New Jersey . 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. In May 2004, a fisherman and his child were sailing the Chesapeake Bay when they spotted something odd floating in the water. What's happened with their appeals? Her defense attorneys argued that anyone could have conducted the searches. Phil Murphy announced in a press release Monday his intention to. 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. Per Asbury Park Press, the "suitcase killer," Melanie McGuire, has returned to court most recently in 2014. Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. Jonathan Zarate's argument for a new trial claiming that his lawyer was ineffective and evidence shouldn't have been allowed wasnot successful. Melanie McGuire was 31 and a mother of two when she was charged with killing and dismembering her husband of five years, William McGuire. Ambrose Harris, pictured at an appeal hearing in 2002, and in a recent prison photo. At the time, the local media also reported this detail about the parking lot's surveillance cameras. (Tim Hawk/Department of Corrections), Dad gets deal after admitting he killed 3-year-old son. Podcasters believe Melanie McGuire is wrongfully convicted: Part 10. Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. His first trial ended in a hung jury, but he was convicted of murder in 2002. [6][7] She enrolled at Rutgers University with a double major in math and psychology and graduated in 1994. She will not be eligible for parole until she is 100 years old. 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. Thirteen years have passed since Melanie McGuire's conviction. She said that they believe the garbage bags were a prop to sway the jury. (Photos from The Record via Northeast News Consortium and the state Department of Corrections), Bergen County serial killer serving time in Trenton for 3 slayings. got caught dumping the trunk into a river. Phil Murphy announced Monday. [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. [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. Criminology professors Meghan Sacks and Amy Shlosberg argue there are pieces of evidence, such as ballistics, that raise questions. As of June 22, 2020, two inmates had died of COVID-19. McGuire had a message for her sons, who are now adults, "Make up your mind. As My Central Jersey reports, Melanie McGuire allegedly dismembered Bill's body and brought the trio of suitcases to a bridge. Seidle, 62, is housed at the New Jersey State Prison in Trenton. In 2017, he also unsuccessfully appealed sanctions he was given forpunching a prison officer and having gang recruitment material in his cell. It doesn't make any sense.' 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. 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. That requires two drivers so certainly that means someone helped her, said Prezioso. Disclaimer: Justia Dockets & Filings provides public litigation records from the federal appellate and district courts. Wronko, who is also Locane's boyfriend, is appealing the new sentence, which he believes violates her double jeopardy protections. Heavy writes that at the time of his murder, Bill was married to Melanie McGuire. Like, how could somebody think that I did that?" Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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). She didn't fit the profile, I guess, of a murderer, Shlosberg said. His remains were found nearly a year later in a marshy area in Edison not far from her former workplace. 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. I still feel bothered. 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 directed by Nicole Thompson, a Newark native. Just a few days later, a second dark green suitcase washed ashore on Fisherman Island, New York (via People). (Patti Sapone/Department of Corrections), Neptune police sergeant kills wife in front of daughter. He admitted to helping run a New York City escort service. Because the murder did not occur in Virginia, however, authorities turned over their investigation to the New Jersey State Police.[10]. Sentence: Koedatich was initially sentenced to death for Hoffman's murder, but the sentence was later overturned by the state Supreme Court. The New Jersey Supreme Court has denied her petition for sentence relief. She was convicted at trial in 2016. Michelle Lodzinski sentenced to 30 years for the murder of her son Michelle. She's serving a life sentence at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility. [9] A witness testified that Melanie used the same towels to protect furniture when she moved. Melanie McGuire is now serving a lifetime sentence at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in New Jersey, as Entertainment Weekly reports. His body was found in three separate suitcases in the Chesapeake Bay, which led to McGuires nickname, the Suitcase Killer.. After all these years, I still feel hurt. In the end, My Central Jersey reports that McGuire was found guilty in 2007 of murdering Bill and. Bergrin, now 62, is serving his sentence in the U.S. Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility in Florence, Colorado. Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Making matters worse, Melanie McGuire had called the company and attempted to have those charges removed. (Star-Ledger file photo), Inside the fenceline at South Woods State Prison in Bridgeton. It wasn't until 2014 that prosecutors charged Lodzinski, who moved to Florida and had two more kids, with murder. Name: Richard Cottingham Crime: Cottingham, a Lodi resident,killed six women in New Jersey and New York between 1967 and 1980. "He said he was leaving, and he wasn't coming back, and I could tell my children they didn't have a father."
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