Judge rejects appeal for wife convicted in 'suitcase murder'

Published January 08, 2015

A New Jersey judge has rejected an appeal brought by a woman convicted of killing her husband and tossing his dismembered remains in the Chesapeake Bay.

The Home News Tribune reports that 41-year-old Melanie McGuire was seeking post-conviction relief, claiming her legal team was ineffective during her 2007 murder trial. She said her attorney committed several errors, including failing to present expert testimony that might have cast doubt on her guilt.

But state Superior Court Judge Bradley Ferencz recently rejected those claims, saying McGuire didn't prove her claims.

McGuire was sentenced to life in prison after a jury convicted the Woodbridge resident of the 2004 murder.

Prosecutors say she drugged, shot and dismembered her husband, whose remains were found in three suitcases in the Chesapeake Bay near Norfolk, Virginia.

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