Lawyers for McGuire suggested that his death may have been related to gambling debts 
Nurse convicted of killing, dismembering husband faces sentencing
By Emanuella Grinberg
Court TV
A New Jersey fertility nurse will face a judge Thursday for a sentencing hearing in the death of her husband, whose dismembered remains were found in three suitcases on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay.
A Middlesex County jury convicted Melanie McGuire, 34, in April of first-degree murder, dismembering human remains, unlawful possession of a weapon and perjury stemming from the grisly death of her husband, William, in 2004.
McGuire was acquitted, however, of four charges related to anonymous letters mailed to authorities in an alleged attempt to throw suspicion onto others.
Relatives of the victim will be able to make victim-impact statements during the hearing to Superior Court Judge Frederick DeVesa, who presided over McGuire's seven-week trial earlier this year.
McGuire faces 30 years to life in prison for murder, in addition to a maximum sentence of 15 years on the other counts.
Prosecutors alleged that McGuire, who was having an affair with her married boss, killed the father of her two sons to avoid a costly divorce and a messy custody battle.
William McGuire was seen alive on April 28, 2004, the same day the couple had closed on a $500,000 house in Asbury, N.J. Three weeks later, three weighted suitcases washed ashore containing his remains, which were wrapped in garbage bags.
In a case built almost entirely on circumstantial evidence, prosecutors theorized that Melanie McGuire served her husband a celebratory glass of wine spiked with a sedative and then shot him to death. Investigators never found a murder weapon, but in a phone conversation with a friend, jurors heard Melanie McGuire admit to purchasing a gun two days before her husband disappeared.
Prosecutors argued to the jury that McGuire dismembered her husband in the shower using a saw, though investigators were unable to find forensic evidence linking William McGuire's death to his home, or his wife to his remains.
Lawyers for McGuire aggressively contested the allegations, arguing she had no motive to kill her husband, whom they claimed was also involved in extramarital relationships.
McGuire told police that she last saw her husband the morning of April 29, 2004, after an argument over the new home. She said he left their home in his car and was never seen again.
In her trial, lawyers for McGuire suggested that his death may have been related to gambling debts. As recently as last month, they were pursuing leads related to those claims.
In a motion for a new trial after the verdict, defense lawyer Joseph Tacopina said he received a letter from an inmate who claimed to be a bookkeeper for a major organized crime family in New Jersey.
In the letter, the inmate claimed he was aware of a $90,000 debt that William McGuire owed to the family.
After an investigation revealed that the claims were a hoax on the inmate's part, the defense withdrew its motion.
Lawyers on both sides are expected to present aggravating and mitigating factors to the judge in an attempt to sway his decision. Because lawyers for McGuire are continuing to pursue her innocence claims in post-conviction motions and appeals, they are expected to cite her lack of criminal history and the likelihood that she will not commit crimes in the future.
Prosecutors are expected to cite the heinous nature of the crime, including the disposal of the remains. But they will be unable to refer to their theory that McGuire staged a massive cover-up because the jury acquitted her of all counts related to the allegations.
Nurse convicted of killing, dismembering husband faces sentencing
By Emanuella Grinberg
Court TV
A New Jersey fertility nurse will face a judge Thursday for a sentencing hearing in the death of her husband, whose dismembered remains were found in three suitcases on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay.
A Middlesex County jury convicted Melanie McGuire, 34, in April of first-degree murder, dismembering human remains, unlawful possession of a weapon and perjury stemming from the grisly death of her husband, William, in 2004.
McGuire was acquitted, however, of four charges related to anonymous letters mailed to authorities in an alleged attempt to throw suspicion onto others.
Relatives of the victim will be able to make victim-impact statements during the hearing to Superior Court Judge Frederick DeVesa, who presided over McGuire's seven-week trial earlier this year.
McGuire faces 30 years to life in prison for murder, in addition to a maximum sentence of 15 years on the other counts.
Prosecutors alleged that McGuire, who was having an affair with her married boss, killed the father of her two sons to avoid a costly divorce and a messy custody battle.
William McGuire was seen alive on April 28, 2004, the same day the couple had closed on a $500,000 house in Asbury, N.J. Three weeks later, three weighted suitcases washed ashore containing his remains, which were wrapped in garbage bags.
In a case built almost entirely on circumstantial evidence, prosecutors theorized that Melanie McGuire served her husband a celebratory glass of wine spiked with a sedative and then shot him to death. Investigators never found a murder weapon, but in a phone conversation with a friend, jurors heard Melanie McGuire admit to purchasing a gun two days before her husband disappeared.
Prosecutors argued to the jury that McGuire dismembered her husband in the shower using a saw, though investigators were unable to find forensic evidence linking William McGuire's death to his home, or his wife to his remains.
Lawyers for McGuire aggressively contested the allegations, arguing she had no motive to kill her husband, whom they claimed was also involved in extramarital relationships.
McGuire told police that she last saw her husband the morning of April 29, 2004, after an argument over the new home. She said he left their home in his car and was never seen again.
In her trial, lawyers for McGuire suggested that his death may have been related to gambling debts. As recently as last month, they were pursuing leads related to those claims.
In a motion for a new trial after the verdict, defense lawyer Joseph Tacopina said he received a letter from an inmate who claimed to be a bookkeeper for a major organized crime family in New Jersey.
In the letter, the inmate claimed he was aware of a $90,000 debt that William McGuire owed to the family.
After an investigation revealed that the claims were a hoax on the inmate's part, the defense withdrew its motion.
Lawyers on both sides are expected to present aggravating and mitigating factors to the judge in an attempt to sway his decision. Because lawyers for McGuire are continuing to pursue her innocence claims in post-conviction motions and appeals, they are expected to cite her lack of criminal history and the likelihood that she will not commit crimes in the future.
Prosecutors are expected to cite the heinous nature of the crime, including the disposal of the remains. But they will be unable to refer to their theory that McGuire staged a massive cover-up because the jury acquitted her of all counts related to the allegations.
