'Suitcase killer' Melanie McGuire’s case the focus of new TV movie

Melanie McGuire, the former Woodbridge resident convicted of killing her husband, cutting his body into pieces and discarding them inside suitcases thrown into the Chesapeake Bay, will return to the national spotlight this month with the debut of a new movie.

"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.

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 General’s Office and was lead prosecutor in the McGuire case. It was directed by Nicole Thompson, a Newark native.

McGuire's story has been featured on several true crime and investigation TV shows, including a “20/20” episode two years ago featuring a prison interview in which McGuire maintained her innocence.

A 46-second preview of the movie shows a woman finding a suitcase on the beach and then moving away as she opens it. A man then says, "who does this to another human being?"

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.

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McGuire must serve 85 percent of her sentence before becoming eligible for parole. Her parole eligibility date is listed as May 20, 2073, according to the New Jersey Department of Corrections. McGuire is an inmate at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Union Township, Hunterdon County.

The New Jersey Supreme Court has denied her petition for sentence relief. An application for a federal appeal was rejected in December 2021.

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 they had purchased a $500,000 home in Hunterdon County.

In May 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. He had been given chloral hydrate, shot, his body cut into three pieces and his blood drained.

William McGuire died from gunshot wounds to the head and chest. His body was identified after a sketch of his face was released by police. Melanie McGuire never reported her husband was missing.

The investigation began after the body parts were discovered and Melanie McGuire was identified as a main suspect.

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.

Email: srussell@gannettnj.com

Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: 'Suitcase killer' Melanie McGuire’s case the focus of new TV movie