Martin MacNeill Murder Trial - WHO'S YOUR DADDY?

[HairOfTheDog]

APRIL 2007 - DEATH IN THE FAMILY

Mom of 8 is dead at age 50, after she agreed to let dad perform a facelift on her and told her daughter to look at dad if anything happened to her.

One week later, dad's introduced a lady whom the oldest daughters know was dad's secret mistress into the family as the new "live-in nanny" for the younger daughters.

The coroner rules mom's death a result of "natural causes".

It's taken 6 years, but the daughters and sister of Michele MacNeill helped investigators put enough evidence together to arrest and charge their father Martin MacNeill with murder.


Alexis, Rachel, Michele, Damian, Martin and Vanessa MacNeill 1986


The couple shortly before Michele's death in 2007

(In addition to the 4 biological children pictured above, the MacNeills adopted 4 other children. One of the younger daughters is Ada - she was 6 years old when she found her mom dead in the bathtub in the family's home in Pleasant Grove, Utah.)

Turns out that dad is not only suspected of killing mom, dad faked all of his academic records. He never had the education and qualifications to practice law or medicine.

And, mom may not be his first murder victim.

[HairOfTheDog]

2009 - ARREST FOR IDENTITY THEFT


Martin MacNeill


Gypsy Willis


While Michele McNeill's death was being investigated, the good "doctor" and Ms. Gypsy were busy committing identity theft.

They reportedly tried to steal the identity of MacNeill’s then 16-year-old adopted daughter, Giselle MacNeill (one of three girls that he and Michele had adopted from the Ukraine) shortly after the death of Michele in 2007.

Both McNeill and Willis were convicted in 2009 of identity fraud and did some time before being released on probation.

McNeill's older daughters suspect that Willis was involved in their mother's murder as well, but no charges have (yet) been filed against Willis in that regard.

[HairOfTheDog]

2012 - ARRESTED FOR MURDER



Martin MacNeill, 56, was finally arrested and charged with first-degree murder on August 24, 2012.

After collecting new forensic expert opinions and a mountain of circumstantial evidence, authorities now allege he drugged then drowned his wife to continue an affair he was having with Gypsy Willis.

MacNeill's daughters Alexis and Rachel vow not to rest until their father is held accountable for their mother's murder and any other crimes he committed. They say they never knew the man who pretended to be their father in their devoutly Mormon family and that their lives have become a horror film.

Linda Cluff is also a strong advocate seeking justice for her sister Michele.


Family members Kimberly Popish, left, Jill Harper-Smith, Linda Cluff, Alexis Somers, and Rachel MacNeill

[HairOfTheDog]

2013 - MURDER TRIAL BEGINS OCTOBER 15^TH


Trial Schedule
The trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 15 and run four days a week through Nov. 15^th. The defense and state still have 10 more motions to argue and jurors to select before the trial can begin.

MacNeill will be back in court Oct. 8 for the final oral arguments before trial.

Charges
MacNeill is charged with one count of first-degree felony murder and one count of second-degree felony obstruction of justice for the 2007 death of his wife Michele.

Coverage / Rulings
The judge ruled that the trial will be open to the public and media (though some witnesses - jailhouse snitches - will be referred to by number only and won't be imaged).

The judge ruled in favor of the defense in prohibiting Michele from being referred to as "the victim" at trial, and preventing Alexis from testifying that her mother told her to look into her father if anything happened to her. Judge Derek Pullan ruled that both would be too prejudicial to the defendant.


SIDE NOTE: More murders?
In an arrest affidavit, a former girlfriend of MacNeill's says he previously confessed to killing his brother years ago, tried to kill his mother, and performed mercy killings at the medical center where he worked. These allegations are under investigation (MacNeill is charged only with Michele's murder at this point).

[username]

Sounds like of a hellofaguy.

[HairOfTheDog]

Sounds like of a hellofaguy.

You ain't kidding.

I just read about 40 articles on this case.

MacNeill is one of the worst (and most effective) sociopaths I can recall reading about.

-After Michele's death, MacNeill abandoned his teen-aged daughter in the Ukraine in order to steal her identity for his girlfriend.

-He had his girlfriend file a lien on the family house (which was in Michele's name when she died) because, investigators suspect, he didn't want his older daughters to make a claim to it. The daughters were in the process of trying to adopt their younger adopted siblings after their dad announced he was going to give them away.

-His son, Damian, was the only one in the family who claimed to believe that his dad hadn't killed his mom. Apparently, Damian was quite aggressive and made violent threats in defending his dad on Twitter. Investigators had to contact the law school he was attending and warn them that Damian could be a ticking time bomb. Damian killed himself by overdosing on scrips shortly thereafter.

- MacNeill filed a motion to dismiss the case against him after his son's suicide. He was pointing the finger at his dead son for Michele's death; his son who was never a suspect and had literally defended his dad to his own death.

- Several women have been verified to have had affairs with MacNeill during his marriage; several others have come forward and claim to have been raped by him.

- The number and nature of other deaths surrounding this dude just don't happen naturally or by coincidence, IMO.

There's more; this was the best overview, but it's pretty long. It's so effed-up, but a fascinating read/case if you have a little time.
GOOD ARTICLE: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/70008....html?pg=1

MacNeill needs to go away forever - extreme danger to anyone who crosses his path. No doubt about it, in my mind.

[RJs-Ex]

Wow. Read the whole article - no doubt this guy's a sociopath. What was the reason for stealing the daughter's identity for the girlfriend? The article didn't say.

[HairOfTheDog]

Wow. Read the whole article - no doubt this guy's a sociopath. What was the reason for stealing the daughter's identity for the girlfriend? The article didn't say.

He's definitely a POS.

Here's the motive investigators offered regarding stealing his daugther's ID and giving it to Gypsy:

Investigators say MacNeill and Willis began altering Willis’ identity, obtaining false military IDs, a Utah state ID card, and opening numerous bank accounts under the false name and identity. Jeff Robinson, Utah County investigator, said Willis had bad credit and the two were planning on starting a new life together.

They used the identity of his 16-year-old adopted daughter, Giselle — a daughter investigators say he had “flown to the Ukraine and left there to fend for herself” in the summer following his wife’s death. Giselle, who is from Ukraine, was planning on visiting her sister there for a short time, but federal prosecutors said there was no plan of having her return.

http://martinmacneill.info/?tag=gypsy

[HairOfTheDog]

Judge Pullan ruled on the open motions; jury selection starts one week from today on Tuesday, October 15^th.

11 jurors will be selected (includes 3 alternates).

I'll post live stream links when they become available. I think it will also be covered on HLN.

Today's rulings in favor of the prosecution:

- MacNeill's adopted daughter, Ada, was declared competent to testify about finding her mom dead in the family tub when she was sent to check on her by her dad (she was six years old at the time). Whether she'll actually testify at trial is unknown.

- Inmates will be able to testify that MacNeill confessed to them about killing his wife.

- The obstruction of justice charges will not be dismissed, as the defense had requested.

Today's rulings in favor of the defense:

- The judge will not allow into evidence the fact that MacNeill changed his will after the death of his wife. In the revised will, he left $1 each to his children and the remainder to his mistress, Gypsy Willis (under her illegally assumed identity, the one the couple stole from his then 16 year old adopted daughter).

MacNeill is a fraud and a narcissist - he'll probably really enjoy the cameras in the court room. He reportedly appeared to be in high spirits at today's hearing, smiling and chatting with his attorneys at the counsel table. He was also whispering with his attorneys as different issues popped up.

Based on the details and evidence released to date, I think MacNeill murdered his wife. Looking forward to hearing all of the evidence and the defense case.

[HairOfTheDog]

Jury selection starts today.

Opening arguments and testimony are expected to begin on Thursday.

This is a really sad but interesting case with a lot of twists.

Note: The case is getting a good deal of print media coverage and commentary on HLN TV. While the judge approved media in the courtroom and live-streaming last month, haven't been able to locate a valid live-stream link yet. Will post if/when one becomes available (if anyone else comes across a link, please post - TIA).

[Duchess]

According to this link, they will have live streaming of this trial beginning Thursday.

Link

[HairOfTheDog]

According to this link, they will have live streaming of this trial beginning Thursday.

Link

Thanks!

Turns out, while the trial will be open to media, the judge decided to conduct jury selection behind closed doors.

The jury might be seated tomorrow; the live-stream links should be in place once testimony begins.

Two issues were addressed by the judge today:

1. Judge Pullan ruled that the defense will be able to use the medical records of MacNeill's daughter Rachel in their case. She reportedly suffers from bi-polar disorder.

2. The judge will wait to determine if toxicology experts will be able to testify that the mix of drugs in Michele's system could have been fatal. The defense is contesting the methods used for those determinations.

[HairOfTheDog]

Opening statements underway.

http://wildabouttrial.com/martin-macneil...tream.html

[HairOfTheDog]

Opening arguments were as expected.

The prosecution says that MacNeill is guilty of killing his wife with a lethal drug cocktail and then drowning her in the tub so he could be with his mistress, whom he moved into the home under a false name (as a nanny for his youngest kids) just weeks after Michele's death.

The defense says that MacNeill is an eccentric man, guilty of odd behavior and maybe other things, but not murder. They contend Michele died of a heart condition and that's why a natural death was ruled in the original autopsy.

Today, the neighbors who were called to help get Michele out of the tub testified.

It all happened so fast," Daniels kept saying on the stand in the courtroom in Provo, Utah.

She said MacNeill asked for a male's help to get his wife out of the bathtub. At that point, Daniels said she called her husband, Doug, and told him she needed his help right away.

Doug Daniels said he arrived about 20 seconds after the call and found Michele MacNeill appearing to be "a little discolored, a little bit puffy.

"She was damp, not soaking wet," he said.

He also noticed mucus around her face and said he did not recall if her husband, who was administering mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, had gotten any of the mucus on himself.

However, Daniels said he remembered MacNeill having "outbursts" and that he pounded on Michele's chest with the bottom part of his hand.

It was "not real hard, but I remember thinking you wouldn't want to whack somebody like that," Daniels said. Since MacNeill is a physician, Daniels said he assumed the doctor knew what he was doing.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/martin-macneill...d=20611504
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MacNeill says his wife was completely submerged and soaking wet when his youngest daughter found her and called for him.

The neighbor says she was just damp.

I believe the neighbor. I think MacNeill drugged her up, quickly drowned her, and then started his little charade.

[HairOfTheDog]

What's Next in the Trial:

Testimony is expected to resume tomorrow, with Martin MacNeill’s daughters Alexis Somers and Rachel MacNeill expected to testify. Should be interesting.

Since the judge ruled that Rachel's bi-polar and medical records could be introduced by the defense (and since Martin MacNeill obviously doesn't give a shit about his kids) her cross-examination could be brutal.

Also Thursday, Judge Derek Pullan is expected to decide whether 12-year-old Ada MacNeill, who found her mother in the bath tub when she was 6, will be allowed to testify.

Trial Recap To Date:

So far in the trial, the prosecution has elicited incriminating testimony from:

-The 911 call and MacNeill's odd demeanor at the time; especially for a doctor,

-The neighbors who found MacNeill's actions way out there when they were called to get Michele out of the tub,

-Co-workers of Martin MacNeill who recalled his odd behavior in wanting the schedule changed that day and insisting that his picture be taken there (his department had won some type of award). NOTE: THE DEFENSE JUST FILED A MOTION OF THEIR INTENTION TO USE AN ALIBI DEFENSE - NOW CLAIMING THAT MARTIN MACNEILL WAS AT WORK WHEN HIS WIFE DIED.

-A fellow doctor who explained how strange he found it that MacNeill had offered him $10k to keep trying to revive Michele at the ER, even though it was obvious she was dead,

-The girlfriend of the MacNeill's son (the son who committed suicide) who told the jury about how MacNeill had asked the couple to flush Michele's meds.

-The son's girlfriend also described the oddness of being asked to interview potential babysitters for MacNeill's kids after Michele died and how she recommended he not hire Gypsy Willis, the only candidate she actually interviewed.


I really think MacNeill killed his wife. But, this isn't a slam dunk prosecution case.

The defense will probably pound on the jury about how MEs ruled Michele's death a result of natural causes and medical conditions, and paint the MacNeill kids as being emotional, rather than logical, in their accusations. I think the defense will also emphasize his eccentricities and cop to some of his lies, but remind the jury how those things don't make him a murderer.

[HairOfTheDog]

KEY PROSECUTION WITNESSES TESTIFY


MacNeill's daughter, Rachel MacNeill

She's very emotional and, as expected, the defense brought up her mental health issues and bi-polar disorder - which she admitted.

Rachel testified about finding her mother's clothes (the ones she was wearing the day she died) and the stuffed animals that the kids had given her for surgery in a "bloody mess" in the garage. Her dad told her to throw them away, but she washed them and gave them to police.

She also testified about how her dad explained what happened in the tub - which conflicted with the neighbor's eyewitness accounts, the whole charade with MacNeill trying to pass his mistress off as a nanny, how he demanded an autopsy right away, etc...


MacNeill's mistress, Gypsy Willis

Willis, 37, is testifying as a prosecution witness as part of a deal related to her conviction for stealing the identity of MacNeill's teenaged daugther; a deal that got her a get out of jail card.

She's a convicted fraud and a thief and is flippant on the stand, IMO.

She admitted that she'd been sexually involved with MacNeill for a long time before his wife's death (first casually, then seriously) and that Martin MacNeill put her up in a duplex, gave her a debit card for expenses, and helped pay for her schooling as a nursing student.

She also admitted that she and MacNeill staged the encounter with MacNeill and his daughter at the Mormon temple, where she pretended to be someone who just happened to be there as an answer to their prayers for a nanny after Michele's death.

She'll be back on the stand on Tuesday.

Ada MacNeill, 12 - testimony to be limited

Friday, Judge Derek Pullan ruled that MacNeill's youngest daughter will be allowed to offer limited courtroom testimony about how she found her mother's body submerged in the tub.

Pullan said many of the girl's memories were tainted by an older sister, Alexis Somers, who has custody of Ada and who strongly believes Martin MacNeill killed his wife. (Ada is the bio granddaughter of MacNeill, but was adopted as the MacNeill's daughter - she was born to Vanessa MacNeill.)

Pullan ruled 12-year-old Ada MacNeill can be questioned only about statements she gave a professional counselor several years ago. The girl was 6 years old when she found her mom in the tub.

[Adub]

I've been watching the trial on youtube.

Rachel MacNeill came off as a bit on the edge. With her undercurrents showing.

Gypsy Willis is scandalous.

My shaking my head question is with the plastic surgeon that Martin MacNeill chose for his wife. The dude was barely out of medical school? He was licensed to practice the same fucking year that Michelle died? And, Martin MacNeill found him thru an ad in the paper for botox? Motherfucker Macneill was looking for a shmuck. And found one.

[HairOfTheDog]

Martin MacNeill really is a motherfucker. I feel so badly for his kids.

I didn't know that's how MacNeill got his hands on Dr. Thompson, but he sure did find a schmuck. Thompson just went ahead and prescribed Michele the lethal grab bag of drugs that Martin MacNeill requested - including Lortab (Hydrocodone) in liquid form, Zolpidem, Valium (Diazepam), Phenergan (Promethazine) and Percocet (Oxycodone), even though it was against his normal inclination and he should have known better. His career is shot straight out of the gate, at least it should be.

I'm a little worried that MacNeill's gonna walk. I think he's guilty as hell, but nervous about the initial autopsy rulings that Michele died of natural causes. There's so much circumstantial evidence pointing to murder though; hope it's a smart jury.

[Adub]

So the first ME died? Wonder where MacNeill was?

[sharit]

So the first ME died? Wonder where MacNeill was?

I believe the first ME died from breast cancer. Who is Vanessa MacNeil? Not much out there on the son Damion. Had not heard about the plastic surgeon just out of medical school. All those years together and she did not mean shit to him. Gypsy got big as hell. Is the gold digger waiting for the doc? Bet he is close to broke, if he is Miss Piggy will be gone.