Court TV Case

Harry · Post by **Harry** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 12:40 pm

Has anyone been watching the Court TV trial of Melanie McGuire. She's a nurse, accused of killing her husband, chopping up his body and putting it into plastic bags. The bags were dumped into Chesapeake Bay.

The evidence so far is purely circumstantial, no blood, no murder weapon but they think the plastic bags may have come from her home.

http://www.courttv.com/trials/mcguire/032807_ctv.html

SteveS. · Post by **SteveS.** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 12:47 pm

I had never heard of that case before Harry. I just checked out the link you provided though. Wow...it's gruesome. Imagine...if being found guilty
based on trash bags? I wonder what simple yet telltale item could have been also used against Miss Lizzie had they had the forensic abilities of today?

Smudgeman · Post by **Smudgeman** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 1:02 pm

I have been following the case. The suitcases his body parts were in belonged to her. She also purchased a gun several days before his murder and got prescription drugs to drug him before killing him. She was having an affair with a doctor at the clinic she worked at. I think she did it.

diana · Post by **diana** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 2:55 pm

Love the e-mail and phone call transcripts! They're always illuminating reference points in these cases, aren't they? Thanks, Harry.

RayS · Post by **RayS** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 4:12 pm

A lack of physical evidence is troubling. No mention of the fact that her boyfriend bought the reciprocating saw said to be used to dismember the body.

Nadzieja · Post by **Nadzieja** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 9:03 pm

Thanks for the link Harry. I didn't hear about this case before reading the post. I have to say this is the first case I've heard about where the woman dimembers a body. Usually it's the man. This type of thinking I'm sure helped in 1892 when Lizzie was suspected. I'm going back to the link to read more about it. Thanks again

RayS · Post by **RayS** » Sat Mar 31, 2007 1:55 pm

Nadzieja @ Fri Mar 30, 2007 10:03 pm wrote:Thanks for the link Harry. I didn't hear about this case before reading the post. I have to say this is the first case I've heard about where the woman dimembers a body. Usually it's the man. This type of thinking I'm sure helped in 1892 when Lizzie was suspected. I'm going back to the link to read more about it. Thanks again

Winnie Ruth Judd was the original (?) trunk murderess. She cut up two others and shipped the bodies in a trunk. Hot Arizona weather revealed the bodies.

There is a True Crime book on this case. She was later paroled and lived in seclusion in California (where else?).

Nadzieja · Post by **Nadzieja** » Sat Mar 31, 2007 2:53 pm

Thanks Ray, Can you remember around what year that happened, or the name of the book? I've never heard of it.

SteveS. · Post by **SteveS.** » Sat Mar 31, 2007 11:15 pm

heres a link with a little more info regarding Winnie Ruth Judd
http://www.crimelibrary.com/classics3/judd/

Nadzieja · Post by **Nadzieja** » Sun Apr 01, 2007 7:10 am

Thanks SteveS, I put that site ino favorites so I can look up different things. Much appreciated.

RayS · Post by **RayS** » Sun Apr 01, 2007 3:48 pm

Nadzieja @ Sat Mar 31, 2007 3:53 pm wrote:Thanks Ray, Can you remember around what year that happened, or the name of the book? I've never heard of it.

I think it was around 1933 or so. I came across it when browsing in my library. Probably out of print, but you can check Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
It is a case that is sensational, but has no wider significance, unlike Dr. Sam Sheppard or Tom Mooney.

The nice thing about libraries is you can often find pleasant surprises.

SallyG · Post by **SallyG** » Thu Apr 05, 2007 5:08 pm

Wow! Haven't heard of this one, and I live on the Chesapeake Bay, on the Eastern Shore side. We did have a murder case here a few years ago where a nurse killed her husband on Valentines Day at a local waterfront hotel, then set fire to the room. She was also having an affair and didn't want to go through a divorce!

I just don't understand...if you don't want to be with your spouse anymore, you can get a divorce...you don't have to KILL them...jeez.

shakiboo · Post by **shakiboo** » Thu Apr 05, 2007 6:23 pm

I don't understand it either, unless of course there's money involved and they don't want to give up the life they had become accustomed to, especially if it's the other persons money. I also don't understand one wanting a divorce and the other refusing to give them one, why on earth would anyone want to stay with someone who doesn't want them?

Harry · Post by **Harry** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 11:34 pm

The Melanie McGuire case is now in the hands of the jury. It has been for several days now. They say that the longer the jury is out usually favors the defendant. Not so with our Lizzie but still probably true.

McGuire was alleged to have killed her husband and dismembered him in the bathroom of their home. The police using every modern forensic tool that they have were unable to find a trace of blood in the bathroom. They even checked the drain pipes. I was always under the impression that it was virtually impossible to destroy all traces of blood.

The prosecution insisted, even in their closing argument, that the body was dismembered in the bathroom. They did find some pieces of shaved facial hair appended to the tape that bound the body in the trash bags apparently the victims.

Should be an interesting verdict.

Smudgeman · Post by **Smudgeman** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 1:32 pm

The jury found her GUILTY!

doug65oh · Post by **doug65oh** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 2:33 pm

ayup...guilty as sin. they acquitted her on the bottom five counts of the eight count indictment, but convicted of mrder and...I think the second was felony possession of a firearm, whatever that count was. Also of perjury for lying to a family court judge.

Smudgeman · Post by **Smudgeman** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 5:28 pm

There was alot of circumstantial evidence, but I think it was strong evidence. Her husbands chopped up body was found in their suitcases, there was evidence she looked up how to commit murder, poisons drugs, etc on the internet, the plastic bags his body parts were wrapped in came from her home, a weight used to weigh down one of the suitcases came from her home, the firearm she purchased days before his disappearance, the wire tapped phone conversations, and a video of her moving her husband's car at a casino parking lot. They never found the gun she purchased, and think she drugged him before shooting him, then dismembering him. They also thought she had an accomplice, but no one has been charged?

Shelley · Post by **Shelley** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 5:41 pm

I've been watching this one too and I must say she looked so sympathetic and innocent sitting in the court- not at all like someone who could do such a thing-appearances are deceiving.

Harry · Post by **Harry** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 9:06 am

Melanie McGuire, the subject of this thread, was sentenced this morning to life imprisonment.

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 11:15 pm

Thanks for the update.

That Phil Spector trial has been pretty weird on 'ole Dr. Henry Lee, hasn't it?
Today they talked about blood spatter too- we were discussing spatter on another thread. The expert said spatter can only be assessed on a case-by-case basis.