20/20 - General Discussion

[Guest]

On 5/16/2020 at 2:43 PM, Melina22 said:

"Some people said she was beautiful. Well, she was at least attractive". Words to that effect, indicating she recognized that Dahlia wasn't really beautiful.

That was some awesome shade. 

She didn't appear to have a lisp with her natural, pre-Instagram teefs. I wonder where she got the money to get those done? They're certainly not cheap. (My guess is that she went back to escorting at some point.) 

Anyway, she is 5000% a psychopath. I'd like to say I'm surprised she found someone to conveniently impregnate her but, you know, she's so "beautiful" how could they not?

 

 

[7isBlue]

On 5/16/2020 at 4:23 PM, lb60 said:

Ugh!! That's all I have to say about Dalia, her lisp, and her lips.

And her llama teeth.
 

Quote

However, I do always enjoy when Matt Murphy shows up. 🙂

He’s my crush! Super-smart and easy on the eyes 😍

[Melina22]

11 hours ago, Giant Misfit said:

She didn't appear to have a lisp with her natural, pre-Instagram teefs

Those weren't her natural teeth? 

[bkathi]

On 5/16/2020 at 7:23 PM, lb60 said:

However, I do always enjoy when Matt Murphy shows up. 🙂

 

Me too!

[Guest]

45 minutes ago, Melina22 said:

Those weren't her natural teeth? 

Could be! But they looked like new veneers to me. 

[UsernameFatigue]

I wonder what Dahlia used as currency to hire the two high profile lawyers who defended her in the second and third trials? Hmmm.

I can't believe though that the prosecution went with a 'pared down' version of trial one in the second trial, including not calling on Dahlia's ex. He was shown to be a likable guy (criminal past not withstanding) and with two high profile lawyers defending her and the obvious fact that she has no problem coming up with bizarre defenses,  WTH were they thinking? 

I am 5000 percent sure that Dahlia should have been given more time behind bars, if only because she brought a child into the world in hopes of garnering sympathy. There are no words to describe how despicable she is. 

Edited May 19, 2020 by UsernameFatigue

[Tabbygirl521]

I am rewatching Dalia’s ep right now - the interrogation. I wish the detective had told her to take off her stupid hat. Mainly just because I dislike her so much but also you can’t really see her expressions very well.

”Your husband’s alive.”

”Mike, come here. Come here, please.”

Freak.

ETA: I think in earlier days she had more vampire-like teeth and her current teeth due look more like veneers. Why am I watching this?

i agree Mike is surprisingly likable. He’s funny. I suppose his charm helped him be a good conman. Still, I don’t hate him. 

Edited May 19, 2020 by Tabbygirl521

[Whimsy]

4 hours ago, Tabbygirl521 said:

I am rewatching Dalia’s ep right now - the interrogation. I wish the detective had told her to take off her stupid hat. Mainly just because I dislike her so much but also you can’t really see her expressions very well.

”Your husband’s alive.”

”Mike, come here. Come here, please.”

Freak.

ETA: I think in earlier days she had more vampire-like teeth and her current teeth due look more like veneers. Why am I watching this?

i agree Mike is surprisingly likable. He’s funny. I suppose his charm helped him be a good conman. Still, I don’t hate him. 

I don’t find Mike likable. He’s likable in comparison to Dalia, but that’s about it. He’s a criminal that stole money from innocent people who was so vain he had his “love handles” removed, fake tan etc. But, mostly, a thief. Where did he get the $100,000 retribution from, that’s what I want to know.  That said, he didn’t deserve to be killed. I just never found him charming. 
 

I always love watching the sting video when they inform Dalia that Mike is dead and she tries to fling herself into that cops arms and he’s doing his best to push her away while still keeping his cover.  

[Tdoc72]

I wish the prosecution had asked her something like this (and maybe they did) but if you were filming a reality show, where was the cut footage or asking for a reshoot or were you such a good actress you never messed up a line?

I find Mike likeable too. 

On 5/17/2020 at 10:38 AM, Ellee said:

I realize in the grand scheme of things this means nothing but was Dahlia able to retain ownership of her husband’s house?  

No. He had to go to court but did get their condo. 

Edited May 20, 2020 by Tdoc72

[LemonSoda]

On 5/9/2020 at 2:29 PM, Tipsymcstagger said:

Jesus. How on Earth are people rallying behind this thing (Marni)? What a lying sack of crap. I feel for her kids having to get pulled back into this mess. She’s right where she belongs. She’s an utterly grotesque woman - both inside and out. Truly ugly. Poor Rhoni. Beautiful woman who paid the price for loving such a complete trash d**k.

Marni is insane. I followed this case when it originally happened. Sadly this show wasn’t long enough to discuss not only all the evidence against Marni, her past antics but all the weirdness of it. The cyberstalking and tracking him. He’d make travel reservations, she would cancel them and he’d think it was bad luck or an employee error when he would show up and get told the reservation was cancelled or only the reservation for his companion was cancelled. Serious creepy stuff. 
 

I wish stories like this would make men wake up! I’m so sorry for Rhoni’s Family. She seemed too confident to be putting up with two decades of a non committal guy. 

[Tabbygirl521]

16 hours ago, Tdoc72 said:

I wish the prosecution had asked her something like this (and maybe they did) but if you were filming a reality show, where was the cut footage or asking for a reshoot or were you such a good actress you never messed up a line?

I find Mike likeable too. 

No. He had to go to court but did get their condo. 

Also, if the reality show plan had been true, why did Mike throw her under the bus and let her go to prison?

[galaxychaser]

Marni is guilty. She needs to be in prison until she dies.

 Sean Gayle is a nasty cheater. I googled him and seems like he doesn’t have any kids to this day. 

[galaxychaser]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/abcnews.go.com/amp/US/dalia-dippolito-managing-prison-life-legal-teams-hope/story%3fid=70638556
 

Dalia is homely looking. She wants to spend more time with her son. Well then don’t commit crimes.

[Annber03]

Damn, tonight's episode actually brought tears to my eyes. My heart goes out to Yingying's family and her boyfriend. The sheer devastation and pain in their faces is going to stick with me for a good, long while. And her dad talking about sitting around her apartment at one point hoping she'd return, and the whole thing with him and his son having to listen to the horrors of what happened to her at the trial. Those poor, poor people. 

And Christensen. Ye gods, talk about skin-crawling. "They're all here for me" made me want to reach through the screen and smack him across the face. What the actual fuck? And the way he bragged about what he'd done to Yingying as well. Kudos to the eagle-eyed officer who was able to take notice of the issue with the hubcap, thus making it easier to track Christensen down more quickly. It honestly wouldn't surprise me one bit if he had killed before her, but even if he hadn't, I have absolutely no doubt that, had he not been caught for this murder, he would've done it again.

His dad kinda irked me, too. 

As for the stuff with the school's counselor, yeah, I can agree that they could've done more. Their statement said they weren't responsible for Yingying's death, but the fact remains they let somebody who posed a potential threat to the campus and town roam free. I know it's one thing to say one has murderous thoughts and another to act on it, but...even so, the woman who talked with him did flag his case, indicating some level of concern, so... Course, I also imagine their hands may have been tied on some level, too. I dunno. 

I'm also doubting they'll ever find any remnant of Yingying in that landfill, sadly, given how much time has passed. But if they ever do want to dig through there and see if they can find something to help the family get some level of closure or something, then hey, go for it. I think the family does deserve that if it can be done. 

Just a truly heartbreaking story all around. 

[TVbitch]

The mother was breaking my heart. 

So his lawyers "off the record" told law enforcement what he did with the body before the trial. Could they not quietly have done a landfill search then? Waiting until years later after the trial makes it virtually impossible, but I'm sure there was some kind of written confidentiality agreement.

I read the transcript of the taped confession. Brendt is a sadistic psychopath narcissist. And while I'm glad that his girlfriend Tara did wear the wire, she also sounds like a complete lunatic. 

[Annber03]

4 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

Brendt is a sadistic psychopath narcissist. 

It's not surprising that he would attend a vigil in and of itself, because a lot of killers do things like that, but after seeing the depths of grief Yingying's family was going through, knowing he was walking not far behind them at that vigil, and knowing he was gleefully bragging to his girlfriend about his crimes as he did so....that honestly made me ill. That's just beyond sick.

Also, they mentioned she was put in multiple garbage bags, which indicates he did a lot more to her than what we heard in that confession. Eesh. 

Quote

And while I'm glad that his girlfriend Tara did wear the wire, she also sounds like a complete lunatic. 

I imagine (I hope) Brendt's wife is wishing she'd just up and divorced him now instead of giving him that ultimatum of a divorce or an open marriage. 

[galaxychaser]

People figured out who David Muir is dating.  Wow for internet sleuths.

[Angeltoes]

Is he gay?  That was the rumor.

[WendyCR72]

RIP, Hugh Downs.

[WendyCR72]

Come to think of it, there is something full circle/sort of poetic in that Mr. Downs left us...in 2020.

[Tdoc72]

On 6/6/2020 at 3:41 AM, galaxychaser said:

Marni is guilty. She needs to be in prison until she dies.

 Sean Gayle is a nasty cheater. I googled him and seems like he doesn’t have any kids to this day. 

 

On 6/6/2020 at 4:44 AM, galaxychaser said:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/abcnews.go.com/amp/US/dalia-dippolito-managing-prison-life-legal-teams-hope/story%3fid=70638556
 

Dalia is homely looking. She wants to spend more time with her son. Well then don’t commit crimes.

Both Marni and Dalia were considered pretty which I never understood. Both guilty as hell too!

I never got the cheater thing from Sean. He seemed like he was pretty upfront about not wanting to be in a committed relationship.  Women shouldn’t say it’s cool with them if it’s not. Rhoni seemed to be managing it ok. It’s Marni that went off the deep end and she knew he was seeing a bunch of other women. I wonder if Marni thought the baby would change things w/ him being more committed to Rhoni and that’s why she was targeted. Also this 20/20 never mentioned that Christi knew where Rhoni’s bracelet was buried b/c Marni told her and the police went and got it.

[Thomas Crown]

2020 aired last night their take on the Jeffrey Epstein Scandal.  While it's important to listen to his victims voices and let them be heard, the story itself did not bring anything new that hasn't already been reported elsewhere. There is soo much to this story that remains to be uncovered but the mainstream news media won't go there or investigate. The irony to me is that in last night's story, the 2020 episode clearly outlined that there was sufficient evidence for not only a larger jail sentence that Epstein should have gotten but also enough evidence for further investigation by the FBI due to Epstein's ties to very influential people who appeared in flight logs to his private island or stayed in his NY residence.  And yet this same network (ABC) squashed an Epstein exposé done by one of their reporters (Amy Robach) a few years ago because the story did not meet "their journalistic standards" of the ABC network.  It's a sad reminder how power and money has a stranglehold on the news and can get away with almost anything.  

Edited July 11, 2020 by Thomas Crown

[Andyourlittledog2]

Two hours: They exclaim in the beginning and on commercials 'Oh! They arrested Ghislane! Let us tell you all about her!' followed by two hours and 55 minutes of the same regurgitated Epstein story with five minutes of kinda Ghislane material. It's the same thing everywhere-- Some new tantalizing info (who killed Epstein! Watch our show!) and almost nothing about that, just the same regurgitated stuff. There's only so much Epstein rerun material I can tolerate, victims or no victims. Tell me something new or don't air the thing for hours and hours. Annoying.

[howiveaddict]

Yes, I turned it off when I realized it was an Epstein show I had seen before.

[Robert Lynch]

Did anybody watched the Regis tribute last night?

[Melina22]

I have it PVRd. Is it worth watching? 

[Robert Lynch]

I liked it. But seeing him with Jimmy Kimmel was so telling in his gaunt appearance and it looked he was prepared for it. It's weird to look at clips from the past and noticed how much energy he had then. The Jimmy Kimmel one just shows he lost weight and his pallor was really telling. 

Edited July 29, 2020 by Robert Lynch

[CrazyInAlabama]

I believe they originally broadcast this last November.  

Texas Triangle was interesting last night (14 August).      It's the story of a Katy, Texas woman (Belinda Temple), who was 8 months pregnant with her second child,  and was murdered in her house 20 years ago.   Nothing was taken from the house, so not robbery.     It turns out her loving husband (David Temple)was boinking another teacher for a long time at their mutual school (they were both high school teachers).    The man later married his girlfriend.The husband's alibi was he was running errands, and he is on camera at various stores for most of the time in question.   Kelly Siegler (spelling?) from Cold Justice was the prosecutor on this case.        

Then when more evidence called for a new trial, the second wife filed for divorce in mid-trial.    The second wife raised Belinda's son as her own.   David Temple was arrested in 2004, and convicted of Belinda's murder in 2007.   I feel so sorry for the son, who doesn't know if his father killed his mother or not, and who knows what his relationship is now with the only mother he's really known, the second wife.  

In 2016 someone told the police that they heard a neighbor admit to the murder, this was the former student. The huge twist is that a student the wife (she was also a teacher) had turned in to the school authorities for issues he had, later bragged to a friend that he had killed the woman.    The other man was asked in court if he had killed her, and he said no.   He also had access to the same shotgun that killed the woman.     I wouldn't be surprised if the former student did it either.   

He was convicted again, after a new trial, but the jury couldn't decide on the penalty.    He was supposed to be tried for the third time in March of 2020, but I'm guessing that didn't happen.       

The son is doing very well now, and has no relationship with his mother's relatives, doesn't believe his father killed his mother.   He only is close with his father, and stepmother's relatives.    I wouldn't have been able to convict David Temple with the evidence submitted at either trial.  Especially at the second where another man who hated the victim was shown to have opportunity, and a grudge against the woman, and lived a next door to the victim, and had the same model of shotgun available to him.   There is reasonable doubt, and I would have done time served for the sentence at the second trial.  

Edited August 15, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[Annber03]

Man, the story about Vanessa Guillén tonight. Absolutely horrifying. My heart goes out to her poor family. I'm glad they put up the good fight as they did, and even though they won't be able to get the proper justice they deserved, I hope their efforts do prove beneficial in other ways. 

This episode sure put one hell of a spotlight on Fort Hood, too, didn't it? I was stunned by the bit about how Vanessa's presence was "falsely documented" and how that was apparently "normal", or something.. Get your shit together, Fort Hood. 

[Bridget]

The part when Vanessa's family traveled back east on July 30 - JFC.

I wonder if he thought she was a loser, a sucker or both?

 

Also: "I was watching one of the shows..."

Of course he watched it on TV. HE DOES NOT READ. 

[JudyObscure]

Vanessa's story changed how I feel about the military where women are concerned.  I would definitely discourage any young woman I knew from enlisting.  Any sexual harassment would be a hundred times worse than on any other job because she couldn't just quit without being considered AWOL.  I hated how the guy in the Pentagon was so ready with his excuses and that gung-ho sounding, "We wont ALLOW  it!" about something vague in the future, while we know they allowed 20,000 women to be sexually harassed.  I noticed he said they had let the case drop completely for about a month because the suspect had friends who alibied him.  At that same time the Fort Hood CID woman was telling the family they were working hard on the case. 

My  dog had to go out just when they took off after the perp so I missed that part, but it was typical of how poorly they handled the case that after the girlfriend came in and solved it all for them they couldn't get off their rears and send a swat team for him but asked her to call him so he was tipped off to flee.  

I hope Dateline covers this one too.  I'd like to hear Josh Mankiewicz ask the authorities questions in his incredulous voice.

[TVbitch]

I have to agree about the military. They let all kind of abuses occur, until a spotlight is shown on them, then they give lip service. Whether it's hazing or abuse of gays or women.

It  seems like if you lift the lid on just about any organization of humans, there is always abuse and violence ...and apathy/coverup about it. Ugh.

[Court]

I'm disgusted by this. I had become aware of the case from Facebook while doing some deep dive on a different missing person. I was horrified that there was little to no coverage and that the military and Fort Hood didn't give a rat's ass Vanessa was missing. 

I'm heartbroken for her family and this could have been prevented and handled it better. 

 

Did I miss if they were investigating Morales? I assume if they said yes, it was just lip service. 

 

I have zero faith there will be any reform. 

[Whimsy]

On 9/12/2020 at 7:54 AM, JudyObscure said:

Vanessa's story changed how I feel about the military where women are concerned.  I would definitely discourage any young woman I knew from enlisting.  Any sexual harassment would be a hundred times worse than on any other job because she couldn't just quit without being considered AWOL.  I hated how the guy in the Pentagon was so ready with his excuses and that gung-ho sounding, "We wont ALLOW  it!" about something vague in the future, while we know they allowed 20,000 women to be sexually harassed.  I noticed he said they had let the case drop completely for about a month because the suspect had friends who alibied him.  At that same time the Fort Hood CID woman was telling the family they were working hard on the case. 

My  dog had to go out just when they took off after the perp so I missed that part, but it was typical of how poorly they handled the case that after the girlfriend came in and solved it all for them they couldn't get off their rears and send a swat team for him but asked her to call him so he was tipped off to flee.  

I hope Dateline covers this one too.  I'd like to hear Josh Mankiewicz ask the authorities questions in his incredulous voice.

I'm very lucky in that I was involved in "only" two sexual harassment situations while I was in the military.  The first one was my first supervisor telling off-color, sexual jokes.  He was very awkward socially, so I really think he was trying to show off and seem cooler than he was.  It didn't work.  I did complain about him and they assigned someone else to my unit to be in charge of me. 

The 2nd I was involved in peripherally.  The Commander of my unit (which consisted of 3 of us- me and one other woman) was accused of sexual harassing the other woman in the unit, but I had to be completely honest and say that I didn't see or hear any harassment.  I think he must've kept it behind closed doors because, while I 100% believed her, I couldn't lie and say I witnessed any harassement because I didn't.   The Commander was also rotated out of my unit and I have no idea what happened to him.  In my experience, they tend to just move these offenders around to other units, but it's not actually SOLVING anything.  They can go to the next unit and do it to the next person.  My husband probably has tons more stories as he worked for the legal department processing court martials, etc, and would read all the depraved things going on.  But, this was almost 30 years ago.  

[Tdoc72]

Melanie McGuire—still guilty to me. I did notice that the podcast ladies didn’t mention the phony prescription she wrote.  Hard to get around that. 

Edited September 26, 2020 by Tdoc72

[Annber03]

Yeah, there wasn't really a whole lot in the way of new information here. They spent, like, an hour and forty-five minutes basically rehashing the story itself, with comments from Melanie along the way, and then the last fifteen minutes or so were spent on the podcasters, and even then, there wasn't really much they offered that pointed to another suspect. 

And everything Melanie kept trying to use as a defense, or to explain away some of her odd behavior and treatment towards Bill (the abusive fight from that night, the issues with the house and his gambling (which clearly seemed a particular point of contention), the affair, her messing with his car just to spite him, her reason for buying the gun, etc.) all just made her look more guilty and pointed to more of a motive on her end.

I mean, I'd be willing to hear more from those who have the theory that Bill got caught up in some scheme while gambling, because it's not uncommon for shady people in that line of work to murder someone in that fashion. But the problem is that nobody's ever been able to make any sort of connection to that theory. There's no mention of interviewing people he may have met or known in Atlantic City, or in the gambling circles he ran in in general. There's no forensic evidence or witnesses or things of that sort tying anyone from any casinos or anything of that sort to him that night. There's nobody that Melanie has pointed to to say, "I've always had a bad feeling about this guy, you should look into him", or things of that sort. Even Bill's friends don't make any mention of him getting caught up with shady people in the gambling world, and given how long they knew him, one would think they'd get on board with that theory, too, if they felt there was something there.

Instead, we just have his car being found in Atlantic City...and Melanie openly admitted she messed with his car. And she seems to be the only one who's touched it besides Bill. So... There's really not a list of any other people with a motive to kill him besides her, and even the podcasters who looked into this case further couldn't really come up with any alternative suspects (or at least, they didn't mention any). If anyone does manage to come up with some definitive proof pointing to another suspect, great, share away. But yeah, as of now, this didn't really do much to prove her innocence. 

On a different note, my god, I feel bad for the poor kid on that boat who tore open those trash bags only to find body parts. I wonder how much that memory haunts him all these years later. I'm amazed none of the adults on board, upon seeing the trash bags, got the kid away from the suitcase. Especially since one of them made a point of saying they got nervous upon seeing the trash bags, 'cause they figured that wasn't a good sign. 

[TVbitch]

And if it was a hit job by some gambling baddies, how are they wrapping his head in that blanket that was connected to her job somehow, and how are they getting the knockout RX that she forged into the car. 

Also, if it was a professional hit they would have damn well known how to SINK a suitcase they are throwing in drink! 

[Annber03]

8 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

Also, if it was a professional hit they would have damn well known how to SINK a suitcase they are throwing in drink! 

That was another thing that struck me in that episode-at one point Melanie goes, "I can't be an evil genius and incompetent all at the same time."

And I was like, "...who's calling you an evil genius here?" People were talking about how methodical the murder was, yes, but for one thing, that doesn't automatically make someone an "evil genius", it just shows they're capable of scheming and knowing how to plot things. You don't necessarily need to be a brilliant mastermind to do that.

For another, there are plenty of murderers who are under the belief that they're so smart that they managed to commit the perfect murder and nobody will ever catch them, and who pride themselves on all the lengths they went to to try and cover their tracks...only for them to be tripped up by some small detail that they either didn't notice or didn't think about or didn't plan for or whatever. I think she's frustrated that her seemingly perfect scheme got undone so easily, and by making that "evil genius" comment, she (unknowingly?) tipped her hand a bit there. 

[Ms. TV]

4 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

That was another thing that struck me in that episode-at one point Melanie goes, "I can't be an evil genius and incompetent all at the same time."

And I was like, "...who's calling you an evil genius here?" People were talking about how methodical the murder was, yes, but for one thing, that doesn't automatically make someone an "evil genius", it just shows they're capable of scheming and knowing how to plot things. You don't necessarily need to be a brilliant mastermind to do that.

For another, there are plenty of murderers who are under the belief that they're so smart that they managed to commit the perfect murder and nobody will ever catch them, and who pride themselves on all the lengths they went to to try and cover their tracks...only for them to be tripped up by some small detail that they either didn't notice or didn't think about or didn't plan for or whatever. I think she's frustrated that her seemingly perfect scheme got undone so easily, and by making that "evil genius" comment, she (unknowingly?) tipped her hand a bit there. 

OMG Annber03, how did you get yourself into my head?! I agree with every solitary thing you wrote, and was hoping somebody would bring up last night’s show (but then thought maybe it wasn’t a new one). I thought her guilty when this story first came out and even guiltier today. I can’t stand it when people try to defend themselves by saying crappy things about the person they offed since they’re not here to defend themselves, but that shouldn’t  give anybody license to say whatever they want. I bet her parents even liked the guy when he was alive but now they’re saying crappy things as well - so I don’t believe anything they have to say either. I can’t remember what it was but I thought when this case first happened that they had some kind of proof that the stepfather was in on the maiming, but it wasn’t strong enough evidence for the courtroom. I never understand why they bring these kind of stories back up unless the Podcasters want to try and make some money off of it or perhaps her parents paid them to come out with this stuff - like someone expects that we’ll all write our congressperson to get Madwoman McGuire out of jail?  I was also very pleased that they gave her children to their dead father‘s family instead of hers because she is evil through and through and must’ve got it from somewhere. 

[Annber03]

1 minute ago, Ms. TV said:

OMG Annber03, how did you get yourself into my head?! I agree with every solitary thing you wrote, and was hoping somebody would bring up last night’s show (but then thought maybe it wasn’t a new one). I thought her guilty when this story first came out and even guiltier today. I can’t stand it when people try to defend themselves by saying crappy things about the person they offed since they’re not here to defend themselves, but that shouldn’t  give anybody license to say whatever they want. I bet her parents even liked the guy when he was alive but now they’re saying crappy things as well - so I don’t believe anything they have to say either. I can’t remember what it was but I thought when this case first happened that they had some kind of proof that the stepfather was in on the maiming, but it wasn’t strong enough evidence for the courtroom. I never understand why they bring these kind of stories back up unless the Podcasters want to try and make some money off of it or perhaps her parents paid them to come out with this stuff - like someone expects that we’ll all write our congressperson to get Madwoman McGuire out of jail?  I was also very pleased that they gave her children to their dead father‘s family instead of hers because she is evil through and through and must’ve got it from somewhere. 

Haha, great minds :D!

I agree with you about people trashing the person who died. Honestly, it's not really a surprise that marriage fell apart as it did, 'cause the way the friends kept talking about them breaking up and getting back together and how there was infidelity (on both ends, apparently) and things of that sort, and how they seemed attracted to the "drama" of it all...I mean, that should've probably given off some red flags right there that this could end badly. Granted, I doubt most people imagined the bad end would involve one of them being murdered and dismembered, but still... 

But yeah, much of the time Melanie talked about Bill, she kept focusing on the bad aspects of him and their life together, which speaks volumes. It seems that marriage was by and large an unhappy one. On both ends. 

The idea of the stepfather being involved is interesting. He struck me odd during the episode, too-he seemed very protective of his stepdaughter, in the "She can do no wrong" sort of way. Which, I mean, I get on a parental level you want to defend and support your child, even in awful circumstances like this, and it can be a struggle to accept someone you love could do something like that. But I didn't get the sense that's why he was so defensive of her here. They did mention the possibility of her having an accomplice, and given just HOW much work was involved here, with the long trips and the cutting up of the body and disposing of it and whatnot, yeah, that'd be an awful lot for one person to do all on their own. So it wouldn't surprise me if there were some truth to the "accomplice" theory. And if there was one, I can see her turning to someone like him for help. 

I'm okay with the idea of revisiting certain cases on a general level, because time and technology and new evidence can do wonders, and sometimes it is good and necessary to take another look at a case. And indeed, there have been cases where all the evidence seems to point at one person, and they look very guilty...and yet it turns out they actually didn't do it. Add in how high profile some cases are, and that makes it al the easier for investigations to be flawed and court cases to be questionable, because everyone's more focused on their fifteen minutes of fame than they are actual justice. Or there's more public pressure to make the "right" ruling. 

But with this one, yeah, after watching, I did feel like, "...and why did this need to be rehashed again?" I got the feeling this was less about proving her innocence than it was to make her appear more sympathetic than she did initially, given the way they kept talking up the stuff about the abuse and his mismanagement of money and things of that sort. The podcasters may have started off trying to see if she was innocent, but when that angle didn't pan out, the focus seemed to turn more to, "Well, if she did it, she had valid reason to do so! Look at how much of a jerk he was!" 

[Court]

She's still guilty and there is no doubt here. This was a waste of my time. 

[EtheltoTillie]

1 hour ago, Court said:

She's still guilty and there is no doubt here. This was a waste of my time. 

I agree there but for me it was interesting as I’d never seen It before. 

[UsernameFatigue]

I love that others have posted here about Melanie's comment that she can't be an evil genius and an idiot at the same time. I actually laughed and said out loud "No one has called you an evil genius!". I actually laughed at Melanie several times. Another time was when she said she was mortified (paraphrasing here) that her parents heard the testimony that she had oral sex with her boss when she was 38 weeks pregnant. Because sitting on trial for the murder and dismemberment of your husband and the father of your children isn't the least bit mortifying for her parents and grandmother. 

It actually wouldn't surprise me if Melanie's parents were involved. It was rather chilling how cold her mother was in the phone call when Melanie referred to cutting them off at the knees (I think it was in reference to the cops but don't remember for sure). One would think that if your daughter is innocent of dismembering your grandchildren's father,  that would be a phrase she would stay away from, and one that might horrify you. Didn't phase her mother in the least. 

The podcast ladies seem to be just looking for their 15 minutes of fame. I wish Andrea had asked them to explain the prescription that Melanie forged. I also laughed when they said that Melanie could not have dismembered the body with her children in the townhouse. (I don't think she did it there, and do think she had help). I would have asked where her children were when she was supposedly driving around Atlantic City to move Bill's car because that is a game they liked to play. 

In any case the idiot (as opposed to the evil genius) is right where she belongs. 

12 hours ago, GussieK said:

I agree there but for me it was interesting as I’d never seen It before. 

I hadn't seen it before either, and was quite amused for two hours at Melaine's claims of innocence. I am so l glad as well that Bill's sister is raising Melanie's kids, and that they have nothing to do with her. 

Edited September 27, 2020 by UsernameFatigue

[Annber03]

25 minutes ago, UsernameFatigue said:

It was rather chilling how cold her mother was in the phone call when Melanie referred to cutting them off at the knees (I think it was in reference to the cops but don't remember for sure). One would think that if your daughter is innocent of dismembering your grandchildren's father,  that would be a phrase she would stay away from, and one that might horrify you. Didn't phase her mother in the least. 

Yes. This. Very strange choice of words, indeed.

Quote

I also laughed when they said that Melanie could not have dismembered the body with her children in the townhouse. (I don't think she did it there, and do think she had help). I would have asked where her children were when she was supposedly driving around Atlantic City to move Bill's car because that is a game they liked to play. 

Also a good question! Yeah, it kinda seemed like the kids were forgotten amidst all the craziness. 

I don't think she killed him there, either, and I'm kind of surprised that the investigators didn't think to look at any other possible places where she murdered him. Or if they did, it would've been good to hear about them. 

I also remember there was someone who seemed a bit incredulous at the thought that she would drive all that way just to dump the suitcases, and that didn't surprise me, sadly, mainly because I saw a story a couple weeks ago on an episode of "Evil Lives Here". A man had murdered his children and went so far as to bury them in another state far away, in the hopes that neither his wife nor anyone else would ever find them. 

Spoiler

It was revealed at one point that after he killed them, he drove around with their bodies in the car for a while before burying them. 

 

[Mrs. Hanson]

5 hours ago, Court said:

She's still guilty and there is no doubt here. This was a waste of my time. 

Thank you.  I was going to watch but after coming here I skipped it!

[Melina22]

6 hours ago, Court said:

She's still guilty and there is no doubt here. This was a waste of my time. 

I never watch this type of update, at least not on purpose. Sometimes they fool me into thinking the alleged guilty person was found to be innocent, so I watch but then nope. Still guilty. Grrr. 

The other type of show I dislike and try to avoid is when you spend one or two hours learning all about a case, only to find out the murder has never been solved. I think a lot of us watch these shows partly for the catharsis of seeing the mystery solved and justice done. Without it, you're just left feeling sad and depressed. 

[arejay]

Melanie lost me with the dramatic pauses and phrase repetition. The low register voice was a pleasant surprise, though, even through her practiced retelling of how the affair began with an innocent shoulder rub.

[Annber03]

2 hours ago, Melina22 said:

The other type of show I dislike and try to avoid is when you spend one or two hours learning all about a case, only to find out the murder has never been solved. I think a lot of us watch these shows partly for the catharsis of seeing the mystery solved and justice done. Without it, you're just left feeling sad and depressed. 

I don't mind those kinds of stories-yes, it's good to know that justice of some kind has been served, but I do like that shows continue to bring attention to cases that have yet to be resolved in and of itself. And sometimes the reasons why the case remains unsolved can be interesting in their own right (failed investigation, certain technologies didn't exist at the time the crime happened, people somehow managing to keep secrets for decades, even to their graves...). 

I also probably don't mind them because my town has its own long-standing unsolved mystery with the Huisentruit case, so I feel I can relate to some degree to the other towns that have cases that remain unsolved. 

[Quof]

2 hours ago, Melina22 said:

The other type of show I dislike and try to avoid is when you spend one or two hours learning all about a case, only to find out the murder has never been solved

I always Google the story about 15 minutes in, so I always know the outcome.  I'm not sure why I continue watching after that......

[LakeGal]

I remember watching Melanie's case on Court TV back when it happened.  I started out with an open mind.  By the conclusion of the trial I believed she was guilty.  But I do believe she had help.  I can't remember if it was her brother or who that I thought did it back then.