Direct Appeal

10: Now that the State has rested, it’s time for Melanie’s Defense to present their case. Several key witnesses emerge but will Melanie’s lawyers call them to the stand? At least two critical witnesses who testify for Melanie are not permitted to share their whole story but we share what they could not say on the stand. Could this testimony have made a difference?

If you have any information regarding this case, you can submit it by emailing us at [email protected] or leaving a voicemail at (732) 510-0996. If you have a question to ask Melanie, be sure to submit it to us by 7/31/19 and we may select it for a future episode.

For Images related to this episode, visit: https://directappealpodcast.com/images/#ep10

• Photo credits: Joshua Davis under cc license 2.0

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09: The State’s witness testifies that there is forensic evidence linking Melanie to trash bags found with the body. However the defense gets lucky and happens across their own expert with a different opinion about what the evidence shows.

If you have any information regarding this case, you can submit it by emailing us at [email protected] or leaving a voicemail at (732) 510-0996. If you have a question to ask Melanie, be sure to submit it to us by 7/31/19 and we may select it for a future episode.

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08: The prosecution says that Melanie drove Bill’s body to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in Virginia, where she disposed of his remains but Melanie says she was in Delaware furniture shopping. Does Melanie have an alibi witness to support her claim and if so, why didn’t this witness testify? Also, the prosecution introduces damning Internet searches made on the McGuire’s home computer, but was it Melanie who made these searches or someone else? 

If you have any information regarding this case, you can submit it by emailing us at [email protected] or leaving a voicemail at (732) 510-0996. If you have a question to ask Melanie, be sure to submit it to us by 7/31/19 and we may select it for a future episode.

For Images related to this episode, visit: https://directappealpodcast.com/images/#ep08

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07: The prosecution introduces the sedative, chloral hydrate, found in Bill’s car. To fit their timeline, the Prosecution suggests Melanie kept Bill drugged for days before he was shot, but is there a less sinister explanation?

Also, Melanie’s friends are pressured to betray her. Who will stay loyal?

If you have any information regarding this case, you can submit it by emailing us at [email protected] or leaving a voicemail at (732) 510-0996. If you have a question to ask Melanie, be sure to submit it to us by 7/31/19 and we may select it for a future episode.

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06: The trial against Melanie McGuire begins on March 5, 2007, live on Court TV, and Melanie finds herself in the middle of a media circus. Lead prosecutor, Patricia Prezioso, makes a forceful opening argument but will her first witnesses help her case or hurt it? The prosecution also claims that the firearm Melanie purchased two days before Bill disappeared was the murder weapon but what does our expert have to say?

For Images related to this episode, visit: https://directappealpodcast.com/images/#ep06

If you have any information regarding this case, you can submit it by emailing us at [email protected] or leaving a voicemail at (732) 510-0996. If you have a question to ask Melanie, be sure to submit it to us by 7/31/19 and we may select it for a future episode.

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05: While Melanie tries to plan Bill’s funeral and move on with her life, the Police begin their Investigation. Eventually, Melanie is indicted. Her bail was eventually raised to $2 million dollars. The search for a defense team begins, and after several trial-and-errors with attorneys, Melanie eventually believes she hit the jackpot. As Melanie and her lawyers prepare for Trial, the prosecution makes a shocking announcement.

For Images related to this episode, visit: https://directappealpodcast.com/images/#ep05

If you have any information regarding this case, you can submit it by emailing us at [email protected] or leaving a voicemail at (732) 510-0996. If you have a question to ask Melanie, be sure to submit it to us by 7/31/19 and we may select it for a future episode.

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04: Melanie claims that on the evening of the closing, she and Bill had a big fight that lasted into the early morning of April 29th, and concluded with Bill walking out on her. Melanie’s moves over the next few days would cast doubt on her story though. The prosecution says Melanie was establishing a cover story. Whose version of events is more believable? 

For Images related to this episode, visit: https://directappealpodcast.com/images/#ep04

If you have any information regarding this case, you can submit it by emailing us at [email protected] or leaving a voicemail at (732) 510-0996. If you have a question to ask Melanie, be sure to submit it to us by 7/31/19 and we may select it for a future episode.

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03: Bill and Melanie manage to piece together their relationship after dealing with tumultuous times. They forge ahead with their dreams of owning a home in the suburbs of New Jersey even though their relationship is not entirely a happy one. They find a home and close on it April 28th, 2004, but Bill McGuire is never seen again after the closing. Was this a happy occasion for the couple or part of Melanie’s plan to kill her husband? 

For Images related to this episode, visit: https://directappealpodcast.com/images/#ep03

If you have any information regarding this case, you can submit it by emailing us at [email protected] or leaving a voicemail at (732) 510-0996. If you have a question to ask Melanie, be sure to submit it to us by 7/31/19 and we may select it for a future episode.

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02: Bill and Melanie each end their other relationships and begin a life together. However, this may not be storybook ending they had hoped for. Their marriage is a volatile relationship, filled with infidelity, lies and acts that would results in criminal convictions for both. Melanie describes the ups and downs, and details the fight where she said she should have left.  

For Images related to this episode, visit: https://directappealpodcast.com/images/#ep02

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01: Three suitcases, containing human remains, surfaced in Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay in May 2004. Police identified the man in the suitcases as 39-year-old William McGuire, from Woodbridge New Jersey, and they quickly focused their attention on Bill’s wife, Melanie McGuire, who did not report him missing. Convicted three years later of murdering and dismembering her husband, Melanie McGuire has been in prison since then but did the state get it right? Is Melanie McGuire the femme fatale that the prosecution painted her to be or is she an entirely different person, prosecuted and convicted because she was the most obvious suspect in this crime? In episode 1, meet Melanie McGuire.

For Images related to this episode, visit: https://directappealpodcast.com/images/#ep01

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