Did Melanie McGuire dismember her husband?

Sara James Correspondent • Profile

CHESAPEAKE BAY, VIRGINIA - Woodbridge, New Jersey looks like hundreds of other neighborhoods across America.  If you’d been here a few years ago, you might have bumped into two of the residents: that lovely couple with the beautiful boys, right there on the corner of Plaza drive.  Most neighbors knew them as the McGuires.  Friends called them Bill and Melanie.

Jon Rice, friend of Bill McGuire: We thought it was a perfect marriage.

Jon and Susan Rice also thought their friends Bill and Mel were special people. They were a bit brighter than most and a bit more in love. Jon had known bill a long time, since they met in the Navy back in the '80s.

Jon Rice: It’s just his good sense of humor. He could pick on you but make you feel good about it at the same time.

Bill always loved to make them laugh. 

Jon Rice: He’s charismatic. Bill has a sense of humor, a lot of “Saturday Night Live” type sense of humor.

They knew back then it would take a gal with a high IQ to keep up with their friend’s antics and sharp-tongued banter.  They say Bill’s first wife (now ex) was a sweet woman but a terrible match.  But his second... well, that was a different story.

Sara James, Dateline correspondent: You really enjoyed his relationship with Melanie?

Jon Rice: Yes I did. Melanie is very charismatic as well. And she’s got that wit. she’s very intelligent. She can be sweet.

When the two married in 1999, the Rices graciously and enthusiastically offered to take the cash-strapped newlyweds on a vacation to the Bahamas. It was great fun, until Jon disappeared beneath the waves.

Susan Rice: Melanie said “Sue, don’t worry about it. I’m going to row out to John.”  And she’s fighting, you know the waves are coming this way.  She’s rowing just as fast as she can and John pops up.

James: What did you take away from that experience?

Susan Rice: That Melanie is a pretty strong person both mentally and physically.

But then, she had to be.  Melanie had become a nurse.  Former patients at the fertility clinic where Melanie worked say she was dedicated and gifted.

Former patient: Melanie McGuire is just a powerhouse in a tiny petite little body. And she makes you feel like you’re her only patient.

Another former patient: You felt that she was, you know, almost a girlfriend...

Soon, the Rices say she was making good money.  So was Bill. He was working three jobs to save up for that house he hoped to buy someday.  And less than a year after they were married, the couple welcomed a first son followed closely by a second.  Even with all that, Jon says, his buddy found the spare time and cash for a high-stakes hobby.

Jon Rice: Blackjack was his game. He took the game very serious.

He went on trips to Atlantic City, New Jersey’s gaming mecca. His favorite house, the Taj Mahal, had granted him the bettor’s equivalent of frequent flyer miles:  what the house calls ‘comp points’.  Just four years after the Rices had taken Bill and Melanie for a free honeymoon, Bill returned the favor with a free weekend, compliments of the house.  It was October 2003.

Jon Rice: He got us tickets to Matchbox 20. We ate in their restaurants that were on site, which were fantastic. You didn’t have to leave the place. And everything was paid for? Everything was paid for... oh, gratuity...

And if Jon had any doubts about just how serious a gambler his friend was, they were quickly dispelled by a flash of green.

Jon Rice: The time we went down with him, he came up with... I forget the dollar amount exactly. But it was around $10,000.

James: He brought $10,000 with him?

Rice: Right. He—

James: That’s a serious gambler. Absolutely. The reason he did that is because he was getting those comps. He says “John, I gotta show them that I’m serious.”

And good.  Jon says Bill walked away from that weekend thousands of dollars richer and Susan walked away with the impression that her favorite couple was still very much in love.

Jon Rice: We sat at breakfast one morning and Bill would say something to Melanie. Melanie, you know, would have a quick... retort... and it was just fun. It was fun to be around that couple.

So, it was no surprise when, six months later, Bill called Jon with some great news.  He and Mel had finally bought that dream house—one with a big yard for their little boys.

Jon Rice: He was very excited. And I said, “Bill, that’s fantastic.”  He says, “Yeah. Y’all gotta come up and help me move.”

With a hearty ‘congratulations’ and quick ‘talk to you later,’ Jon hung up on his old friend, not knowing it would be the last time the two would ever speak.

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