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Murder of Michele MacNeill

January 07, 2023

Michele Marie MacNeill, née Somers, (January 15, 1957 – April 11, 2007) was an American homemaker and model. Michele was married for nearly 30 years to the physician Martin MacNeill and was the mother of eight children. She died in Pleasant Grove, Utah, on April 11, 2007, while at home recovering from cosmetic surgery performed eight days earlier. At her husband's request, the operating surgeon prescribed four medicines for her recovery; two of the drugs, Diazepam and Oxycodone, would not normally be prescribed to his patients.

Murder of
Michele Marie Somers MacNeill
DateApril 11, 2007 (2007-04-11)
LocationPleasant Grove, Utah, United States
CauseDrug combination leading to sedation and heart arrhythmia resulting in cardiac death
ConvictedMartin MacNeill
VerdictGuilty
Convictions

Relevant other convictions:

  • Identity theft, by Martin against the MacNeills' adopted daughter, Giselle
  • Sexual abuse, by Martin against the MacNeills' daughter, Alexis

Michele had been concerned during her recovery that Martin was having an affair and that she had been given medication by him inappropriately. Her daughter Alexis, a medical student at that time, then took responsibility for giving Michele her medicine. Michele recovered sufficiently for Alexis to return to school but Michele died the following day. Initially, police and autopsy reports concluded that Michele died of cardiovascular disease, but after being pressed to review the toxicology report, the state's chief medical examiner found that the combination of medicines in her body could have contributed to cardiac death.

During the trial, which began on October 17, 2013, Chief Prosecutor Chad Grunander stated, "It was an almost perfect murder, [MacNeill] pumped her full of drugs that he knew would be difficult to detect once she was dead."[1] Martin MacNeill was convicted of Michele's murder and obstruction of justice in a widely publicized case involving marital infidelity, sexual abuse, and outward religious devotion.[2]

Martin MacNeill was sentenced to 17 years to life. He committed suicide in prison in April 2017.[3]

Personal life

Michele Marie Somers was born in 1957, the daughter of Milton and Helen Somers.[4][5] Michele grew up in Concord, California, where she played violin, acted, and was a cheerleader and homecoming queen.[6][7] She was a straight-A student, and an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).[6] Michele was an exchange student in Switzerland, a model, and Miss Concord in 1976.[6]

Michele met Martin MacNeill (born February 1, 1956)[1] at an activity for LDS young adults.[6] Martin had joined the military in 1973 at the age of 17.[2] He was placed on disability leave for mental health reasons in 1975, and received veterans' benefits for years.[2] Michele eloped with Martin, and the couple was married on February 21, 1978.[2][5][8] Four months after the marriage, Martin served a six-month jail sentence for forgery, theft, and fraud.[6]

In 2007, the MacNeill family lived in a gated community in Pleasant Grove, Utah,[7] and were active in their LDS congregation.[1] Michele was the mother of eight children: Rachel, Vanessa, Alexis, Damian, Giselle, Elle, Sabrina, and Ada—the latter four of whom were supposedly adopted from Ukraine.[2][4][7][9] However, although Ada MacNeill was adopted by Michele and Martin, Ada is actually the daughter of Vanessa MacNeill, and Michele and Martin's biological granddaughter.[7][10]

Martin MacNeill was the medical director of Utah State Development Center in American Fork, Utah.[1] Martin had served as an LDS bishop (lay leader of a congregation).[11] He was formerly a physician practicing in Pleasant Grove, had served in the military, and had received a law degree,[2] though he did not practice law.[1] Investigators later determined that Martin had falsified university transcripts to enter the California medical school where he earned his degree in osteopathic medicine, and also falsified his later application to law school.[12][2]

He was reputedly dissatisfied with his marriage, made statements about wanting a divorce, and had extramarital affairs—including a relationship with Gypsy Willis—before and after the death of his wife.[1][5] Martin and Michele had been married for 29 years, 2 months, and 10 days at the time of her death.[1][2][5]

On January 16, 2010, MacNeill's 24-year-old son, Damian Alexander MacNeill, committed suicide.[13] He was a law student at New York Law School at the time.[1][14] Prior to Damian's death, the Utah County Attorney's Office sent a letter to New York Law School stating that "investigators in the Utah County Attorney's Office deemed him [Damian] to be a very dangerous individual who possessed homicidal impulses and discussed the 'joys of killing,'" and that "Damian was present in Pleasant Grove on the date of his mother's death."[15]

Events leading up to the murder

Troubled marriage

According to Rachel MacNeill, Michele MacNeill heard Martin threaten to commit suicide many times.[16] In 1994, Martin was accused of having sexual relations with a patient at the BYU Health Center and threatened suicide.[16] According to police reports, Martin MacNeill threatened to kill himself and Michele with a butcher knife in August 2000, after Michele caught him looking at pornography.[2][16] In 2005, Martin threatened to commit suicide once more when Michele caught him looking at pornography again.[16] In February 2007, Michele confronted Martin repeatedly about her suspicions that he was having an affair.[2] Martin had at least two affairs in the 2005–2007 time frame: one with Anna Osborne Walthall, and another with Gypsy Willis.[2]

Cosmetic surgery

In March 2007, Martin MacNeill presented the idea to Michele of having cosmetic surgery. Michele was reluctant to have the surgery performed in the short term, preferring to postpone the operation for health reasons. She wanted to ensure that her high blood pressure was well under control, and preferred to lose some weight before the surgery. Martin pressed for the surgery,[1][5] and Michele reportedly agreed to the facelift because she thought it would help her marriage.[7] At Michele's last consultation before surgery, Martin, who was a physician at the time, reportedly gave the plastic surgeon a list of drugs he wanted prescribed to Michele.[7] The surgeon prescribed Lortab, Ambien, Valium, Percocet (Oxycodone), Phenergan, and Keflex.[7] Dr. Scott Thompson, who performed the surgery, admitted that he did not normally prescribe Diazepam (or Valium) and Oxycodone for his patients.[1][5] The medication was stronger than what the surgeon would normally prescribe.[2][7]

The surgery was conducted on April 3, 2007.[2] Michele spent the night in the hospital, and was released on April 4. The following morning, Michele was found to be "unresponsive" by her oldest daughter, Alexis, who was on break from medical school.[2] Her father, Martin, told her that he "probably over-medicated" his wife.[2] Although Michele survived, Alexis then took care of dispensing medicine to her mother during the rest of her stay at her parents' home. According to Alexis, Michele was fearful of Martin's efforts to give her medicine she did not need.[5] On April 6, 2007, Michele told Alexis that “if anything happens to me, make sure it was not your dad.”[2]

Mistress

On April 6, Michele confronted Martin about numerous calls and text messages to Gypsy Willis.[1][5]

During the trial, prosecutors contended that MacNeill killed his wife so he could be with his mistress, Gypsy Willis (aka Gypsy Jyll Willis, aka Jillian Giselle MacNeill).[17] MacNeill hired Willis as a nanny for his youngest children two weeks after murdering Michele[17] and they were both convicted of identity theft, using the identity of MacNeill's adopted daughter for Willis's benefit.[18] The daughter had been sent back to Ukraine.[1][18]

Health condition

During the weeks leading up to the murder, MacNeill gave the impression that he had contracted a medical condition that required him to walk with a cane. His medical records showed that he had been in good health. Martin MacNeill also "had been collecting veteran benefits for decades, saying in an application he had bipolar or anti-social disorders".[1]

Death and autopsy

Alexis returned to medical school on April 10, 2007, believing that her mother's recovery was well under way. The following day, April 11, 2007, Michele MacNeill and Alexis talked at 8:44 a.m. MST and Michele said that she was doing well. At 9:10 a.m., Martin called Alexis asking her to call her mother, saying he was concerned that she wasn't doing well and wasn't getting out of bed.[5]

Michele died at the age of 50 in the bathtub of her home in Pleasant Grove.[2][7] Although Martin said that he was at work in the morning, he was not seen in public until 11:00 a.m, when he arrived at a local Safety Fair. After picking up his youngest daughter Ada from school at about 11:35 a.m., they arrived back at the home between 11:35 and 11:46 a.m., and Ada found her mother unresponsive, head down in the master bathroom bathtub.[5] Martin ordered his son, Damian MacNeill, or Damian's girlfriend, to get rid of all of Michele's medication, ostensibly to keep the plastic surgery a private matter.[2][7]

Michele was declared dead later that day.[5] An autopsy was performed, and her cause of death was determined to be cardiovascular disease.[5] Police and autopsy reports concluded that Michele's death was accidental and of natural causes.[2][5]

The children of Michele and Martin MacNeill questioned their mother's cause of death, and pressed for a review of the toxicology report.[5][17] In addition, in September 2007, Linda Cluff, Michele's sister, wrote a letter to the then governor of Utah, Jon Huntsman, and the Utah County Attorney's Office asking them to investigate Michele's death.[2] Dr. Todd Grey, the State of Utah's chief medical examiner, performed the review, and found that none of the medicines found in her body were at toxic levels, but that the combination of Promethazine (Phenergan), Zolpidem (Ambien), Diazepam (Valium) and Oxycodone (Percocet) "could have led to sedation and heart arrhythmia, resulting in cardiac death". Because of Grey's report, her manner of death was changed on October 6, 2010, to "undetermined" and the cause to "combined effects of heart disease and drug toxicity".[5][7] It was noted that Michele would not have been able to administer the medication to herself.[2]

Memorial service

Michele's memorial service was held on April 14, 2007,[2] at the church located adjacent to the Mt. Timpanogos Temple.[4] Martin spoke at the service and rather than focus on Michele he talked about how life had been unfair to him.[2][6]

Identity theft

In 2009, Martin was sentenced to four years in prison for federal identity theft charges. He had used the identifying information from his adopted daughter Giselle to obtain false legal documents for his girlfriend Gypsy Willis in Giselle's name. His stated motive was tax evasion, as Willis owed substantial sums to the Internal Revenue Service and Martin wished to avoid any possible liability for these debts.[19] He was released from prison on the identity theft charges in July 2012, whereupon Utah county officials announced that Martin was a suspect in the murder of his wife.[20]

In 2011, Willis was sentenced to three years' probation for her part in the identity theft scheme, with credit for 180 days in jail awaiting trial.[21]

Murder charges and trial

On August 24, 2012, the Utah County Attorney's Office charged Martin with murdering Michele.[2] Martin's trial began on October 17, 2013.[2][22] Martin MacNeill pleaded not guilty, claiming his wife died due to accidental death. Medical examiners did not rule that her death was the result of murder, but prosecutors convinced the jury that Martin MacNeill was responsible for killing his wife by drowning and prescription drugs.[17] The arrest warrant stated that earlier in his life, MacNeill had attempted to murder his mother and had killed his brother, Rufus Roy MacNeill, who had been found dead in a bathtub. MacNeill had not been tried for his brother's death.[1]

After the prosecution filed a motion to ban camera coverage of the trial,[23] the Utah 4th District Court, upholding a state rule which went into effect on April 1, ruled that the trial could be broadcast and live-streamed—the first in Utah history. Coverage would exclude video of testimony by federal inmates who feared retaliation.[24]

The 22-day trial[25] was litigated by Chief Prosecutor Chad Grunander, and Martin MacNeill's defense team included Randall Spencer[1][17] and Susanne Gustin.[26] In his closing statement to the jury, Grunander stated, "It was an almost perfect murder, [MacNeill] pumped her full of drugs that he knew would be difficult to detect once she was dead."[1] During the trial, a previous mistress of Martin MacNeill testified that MacNeill had stated that there was a way to kill a person that would appear to be a natural heart attack. Fellow inmates claimed that MacNeill had claimed he killed his wife, but it could not be proven.[1]

The defense claimed that Michele MacNeill had overdosed on her prescribed medication and fallen into the bathtub and drowned. The jury deliberated for 11 hours and on November 9, 2013, found MacNeill guilty of the first degree murder of his wife, Michele, on April 11, 2007. He was also convicted by the Provo, Utah, jury of obstruction of justice for hindering the investigation of his wife's murder[17] by attempting to make Michele's death appear accidental.[2][22] The murder conviction carries a term of fifteen years to life, with an additional one to 15 years for obstruction.[1]

On December 6, 2013, it was reported that he had attempted suicide while in jail.[27] In addition to the murder trial, Martin was found guilty of forcible sexual abuse of his daughter, Alexis Somers, and was sentenced for one to 15 years for that crime.[28][nb 1]

Sentencing

On September 19, 2014, MacNeill was sentenced to a minimum of 15 years up to life in prison for his first-degree murder conviction plus another term of one to 15 years for his conviction on obstruction of justice charges.[32] Since Fourth District Judge Derek Pullan made the murder and obstruction sentences consecutive to the sexual abuse sentence,[nb 1] MacNeill would not have been eligible for parole for at least 17 years (about September 19, 2031).[32]

MacNeill, 60, committed suicide in prison on April 9, 2017, two-and-a-half years into his sentence. He was found lifeless on an outside yard near the prison's greenhouse. According to the report from the Unified Police Department, MacNeill used a hose and a natural gas line that was providing fuel for a heater for the greenhouse to kill himself.[3]

In popular culture

The television talk show series Dr. Phil episode "The Doctor, His Wife, His Mistress, the Murder" (season 12, episode 51; air date: November 19, 2013, lay summary) interviewed Gypsy Willis, the mistress of the former doctor convicted for his wife's murder. Willis discusses the affair, the crime along with her own 2009 conviction of fraud.[33]

The South Korean variety program Crime Scene adapted aspects of the Michele MacNeill case for an episode in 2014.

The crime documentary series Corrupt Crimes released the episode of the MacNeill murder, subtitled "Corrupt Crimes: The Makeover Murder" (season 2, episode 48; air date: June 30, 2017). The episode details the former beauty queen's death and the years of her sister and daughter's persistence to re-examine her death. Their commitment finally leads officials to request her cause of death to be re-investigated. The toxicology report reveals lethal levels of painkillers at the time of death, leading to Martin MacNeill's arrest, conviction and sentencing for the murder of his wife of 30 years.[34]

Dateline NBC aired an episode entitled "Secrets in Pleasant Grove"[35] on July 27, 2018. It was episode 60 of season 26.

20/20 aired an episode entitled "The Perfect Nanny"[36] on June 14, 2019.

The Good Father aired on Lifetime in October 2, dramatizing the case as "based on true story". Charisma Carpenter starred as Michele Macneill.

Notes

  1. ^ a b Martin MacNeill was accused of inappropriately touching his daughter, now named Alexis Somers, on May 23, 2007, five weeks after the death of his wife.[29] In July 2014, an eight-person jury in Provo heard less than one day of testimony from three witnesses in the trial of MacNeill.[30] The jury found MacNeill guilty and he was convicted of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony.[29][30] On September 15, 2014, Martin MacNeill was sentenced to one to 15 years for his conviction on forcible sexual abuse of his daughter.[28] Because MacNeill refused to admit wrongdoing or to cooperate with investigators, he was ineligible for sex offender treatment and could not have been considered for probation.[31]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Paul Foy, Associated Press (November 9, 2013). "Utah doctor Martin MacNeill guilty of killing wife, leaving her in tub". NBC News. NBC. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z Brian West (November 9, 2013). "Martin MacNeill Timeline". Deseret News. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  3. ^ a b Reavy, Pat (July 21, 2017). "Martin MacNeill's prison death officially ruled a suicide". Deseret News. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  4. ^ a b c "Michele Marie MacNeill - Obituary". Deseret News. April 13, 2013. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Jean Casarez (October 16, 2013). "MacNeill murder trial: Did Utah doctor kill his wife?". CNN. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  6. ^ a b c d e f "Martin MacNeill: Was his wife Michele's death accidental or was it murder?". Deseret News. December 4, 2010. Retrieved September 20, 2014.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k . HLN TV. October 29, 2013. Archived from the original on July 5, 2014. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
  8. ^ "Michele Marie MacNeill - Obituary". Desert News. April 13, 2013. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  9. ^ "Martin MacNeill". WildAboutTrial.com | Latest Criminal Trial Coverage. 2017-11-29. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
  10. ^ Amanda Sloane and Graham Winch (October 25, 2013). . HLN TV. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
  11. ^ "Doctor who drugged his wife, left her to die in bathtub, found dead at Utah prison". Washington Post. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
  12. ^ John Meyersohn (2011). After Wife's Death, Dark Secrets of Utah Doctor Revealed, ABC News.com, February 25, 2011, accessed June 2, 2011
  13. ^ "Damian Alexander MacNeill Obituary". Deseret News. January 28, 2010. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  14. ^ "Damian MacNeill LinkedIn Profile". LinkedIn. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  15. ^ "Defense attorneys ask murder charge to be dismissed for Pleasant Grove doctor". The Salt Lake Tribune. December 17, 2012. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  16. ^ a b c d "Martin MacNeill cuts self with razor in apparent suicide attempt". Deseret News. December 6, 2013. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
  17. ^ a b c d e f Lateef Mungin (November 8, 2013). "Utah doctor Martin MacNeill found guilty of wife's murder". CNN. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  18. ^ a b "Martin MacNeill sentenced to 4 years in prison for ID theft". Herald Extra. August 13, 2009. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  19. ^ Janice Peterson (2009). "Martin MacNeill sentenced to 4 years in prison for ID theft", The Daily Herald, August 13, 2009, accessed June 2, 2017
  20. ^ Jim Dalrymple (2012) "Doctor subject of murder investigation after release from prison", The Daily Herald, July 16, 2012, accessed June 2, 2017
  21. ^ Jim Dalrymple, "Gypsy Willis sentenced to 3 years of probation", The Daily Herald, May 18, 2011, accessed June 2, 2017
  22. ^ a b "Former Utah doctor convicted of wife's murder". Deseret News. November 11, 2013. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  23. ^ "Prosecutors want TV cameras banned from MacNeill trial". FOX13Now.com. September 24, 2013.
  24. ^ "Judge: TV can live-stream coverage of Provo murder trial". The Salt Lake Tribune. September 30, 2013.
  25. ^ "Facelift Murder Trial Gets Underway". Time.com. October 18, 2013.
  26. ^ CBS Crimesider Staff, CBS and AP (November 7, 2013). "Martin MacNeill Murder Trial: Fellow inmates of Utah doctor charged with killing wife say he acknowledged murder". CBS News. CBS. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  27. ^ "Convicted Wife Killer Martin MacNeill Tried to Use Jail Razor to Kill Himself". ABC News. December 6, 2013.
  28. ^ a b Jessica Miller (September 15, 2014). "Martin MacNeill to serve up to 15 years for sexual abuse". Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  29. ^ a b Cathy Free (July 4, 2014). "Martin MacNeil Doctor Who Murdered Wife Guilty of Sexually Abusing Daughter". People. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  30. ^ a b Paige Fieldsted (July 3, 2014). "Martin MacNeill found guilty of sex abuse". Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  31. ^ Ben Winslow (September 15, 2014). "Martin MacNeill sentenced to prison in sex abuse case". Fox 13 KSTU. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
  32. ^ a b Jessica Miller (September 19, 2014). "Martin MacNeill receives up to life in prison and more for wife's murder". Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  33. ^ "Dr. Phil | The Doctor, His Wife, His Mistress, the Murder". IMDb.com. 19 November 2013. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  34. ^ "Corrupt Crimes". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
    - "Corrupt Crimes - S2.E48 - The Makeover Murder". GoWatchIt. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  35. ^ "Watch Dateline Episode: Secrets in Pleasant Grove". NBC.com. Retrieved 2022-09-01.
  36. ^ "Video 'The Perfect Nanny' - the 20/20 Event Special airs Tonight at 9/8c on ABC - ABC News". ABC News.

Further reading

  • Jennifer Dobner (November 13, 2013). "Mother's words became MacNeill daughter's quest for justice". Deseret News.
  • Marissa Lang (November 18, 2013). "MacNeill back in court on sex assault charge". The Salt Lake Tribune.
  • . HLN. Archived from the original on 2013-11-09.
  • . ABC News. Archived from the original on 2013-11-22. Retrieved 2013-11-23.

January 07, 2023
murder, michele, macneill, michele, marie, macneill, née, somers, january, 1957, april, 2007, american, homemaker, model, michele, married, nearly, years, physician, martin, macneill, mother, eight, children, died, pleasant, grove, utah, april, 2007, while, ho. Michele Marie MacNeill nee Somers January 15 1957 April 11 2007 was an American homemaker and model Michele was married for nearly 30 years to the physician Martin MacNeill and was the mother of eight children She died in Pleasant Grove Utah on April 11 2007 while at home recovering from cosmetic surgery performed eight days earlier At her husband s request the operating surgeon prescribed four medicines for her recovery two of the drugs Diazepam and Oxycodone would not normally be prescribed to his patients Murder ofMichele Marie Somers MacNeillDateApril 11 2007 2007 04 11 LocationPleasant Grove Utah United StatesCauseDrug combination leading to sedation and heart arrhythmia resulting in cardiac deathConvictedMartin MacNeillVerdictGuiltyConvictionsFirst degree murder 15 years to life Obstruction of justice one to 15 yearsRelevant other convictions Identity theft by Martin against the MacNeills adopted daughter Giselle Sexual abuse by Martin against the MacNeills daughter AlexisMichele had been concerned during her recovery that Martin was having an affair and that she had been given medication by him inappropriately Her daughter Alexis a medical student at that time then took responsibility for giving Michele her medicine Michele recovered sufficiently for Alexis to return to school but Michele died the following day Initially police and autopsy reports concluded that Michele died of cardiovascular disease but after being pressed to review the toxicology report the state s chief medical examiner found that the combination of medicines in her body could have contributed to cardiac death During the trial which began on October 17 2013 Chief Prosecutor Chad Grunander stated It was an almost perfect murder MacNeill pumped her full of drugs that he knew would be difficult to detect once she was dead 1 Martin MacNeill was convicted of Michele s murder and obstruction of justice in a widely publicized case involving marital infidelity sexual abuse and outward religious devotion 2 Martin MacNeill was sentenced to 17 years to life He committed suicide in prison in April 2017 3 Contents 1 Personal life 2 Events leading up to the murder 2 1 Troubled marriage 2 2 Cosmetic surgery 2 3 Mistress 2 4 Health condition 2 5 Death and autopsy 3 Memorial service 4 Identity theft 5 Murder charges and trial 6 Sentencing 7 In popular culture 8 Notes 9 References 10 Further readingPersonal life EditMichele Marie Somers was born in 1957 the daughter of Milton and Helen Somers 4 5 Michele grew up in Concord California where she played violin acted and was a cheerleader and homecoming queen 6 7 She was a straight A student and an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints LDS Church 6 Michele was an exchange student in Switzerland a model and Miss Concord in 1976 6 Michele met Martin MacNeill born February 1 1956 1 at an activity for LDS young adults 6 Martin had joined the military in 1973 at the age of 17 2 He was placed on disability leave for mental health reasons in 1975 and received veterans benefits for years 2 Michele eloped with Martin and the couple was married on February 21 1978 2 5 8 Four months after the marriage Martin served a six month jail sentence for forgery theft and fraud 6 In 2007 the MacNeill family lived in a gated community in Pleasant Grove Utah 7 and were active in their LDS congregation 1 Michele was the mother of eight children Rachel Vanessa Alexis Damian Giselle Elle Sabrina and Ada the latter four of whom were supposedly adopted from Ukraine 2 4 7 9 However although Ada MacNeill was adopted by Michele and Martin Ada is actually the daughter of Vanessa MacNeill and Michele and Martin s biological granddaughter 7 10 Martin MacNeill was the medical director of Utah State Development Center in American Fork Utah 1 Martin had served as an LDS bishop lay leader of a congregation 11 He was formerly a physician practicing in Pleasant Grove had served in the military and had received a law degree 2 though he did not practice law 1 Investigators later determined that Martin had falsified university transcripts to enter the California medical school where he earned his degree in osteopathic medicine and also falsified his later application to law school 12 2 He was reputedly dissatisfied with his marriage made statements about wanting a divorce and had extramarital affairs including a relationship with Gypsy Willis before and after the death of his wife 1 5 Martin and Michele had been married for 29 years 2 months and 10 days at the time of her death 1 2 5 On January 16 2010 MacNeill s 24 year old son Damian Alexander MacNeill committed suicide 13 He was a law student at New York Law School at the time 1 14 Prior to Damian s death the Utah County Attorney s Office sent a letter to New York Law School stating that investigators in the Utah County Attorney s Office deemed him Damian to be a very dangerous individual who possessed homicidal impulses and discussed the joys of killing and that Damian was present in Pleasant Grove on the date of his mother s death 15 Events leading up to the murder EditTroubled marriage Edit According to Rachel MacNeill Michele MacNeill heard Martin threaten to commit suicide many times 16 In 1994 Martin was accused of having sexual relations with a patient at the BYU Health Center and threatened suicide 16 According to police reports Martin MacNeill threatened to kill himself and Michele with a butcher knife in August 2000 after Michele caught him looking at pornography 2 16 In 2005 Martin threatened to commit suicide once more when Michele caught him looking at pornography again 16 In February 2007 Michele confronted Martin repeatedly about her suspicions that he was having an affair 2 Martin had at least two affairs in the 2005 2007 time frame one with Anna Osborne Walthall and another with Gypsy Willis 2 Cosmetic surgery Edit In March 2007 Martin MacNeill presented the idea to Michele of having cosmetic surgery Michele was reluctant to have the surgery performed in the short term preferring to postpone the operation for health reasons She wanted to ensure that her high blood pressure was well under control and preferred to lose some weight before the surgery Martin pressed for the surgery 1 5 and Michele reportedly agreed to the facelift because she thought it would help her marriage 7 At Michele s last consultation before surgery Martin who was a physician at the time reportedly gave the plastic surgeon a list of drugs he wanted prescribed to Michele 7 The surgeon prescribed Lortab Ambien Valium Percocet Oxycodone Phenergan and Keflex 7 Dr Scott Thompson who performed the surgery admitted that he did not normally prescribe Diazepam or Valium and Oxycodone for his patients 1 5 The medication was stronger than what the surgeon would normally prescribe 2 7 The surgery was conducted on April 3 2007 2 Michele spent the night in the hospital and was released on April 4 The following morning Michele was found to be unresponsive by her oldest daughter Alexis who was on break from medical school 2 Her father Martin told her that he probably over medicated his wife 2 Although Michele survived Alexis then took care of dispensing medicine to her mother during the rest of her stay at her parents home According to Alexis Michele was fearful of Martin s efforts to give her medicine she did not need 5 On April 6 2007 Michele told Alexis that if anything happens to me make sure it was not your dad 2 Mistress Edit On April 6 Michele confronted Martin about numerous calls and text messages to Gypsy Willis 1 5 During the trial prosecutors contended that MacNeill killed his wife so he could be with his mistress Gypsy Willis aka Gypsy Jyll Willis aka Jillian Giselle MacNeill 17 MacNeill hired Willis as a nanny for his youngest children two weeks after murdering Michele 17 and they were both convicted of identity theft using the identity of MacNeill s adopted daughter for Willis s benefit 18 The daughter had been sent back to Ukraine 1 18 Health condition Edit During the weeks leading up to the murder MacNeill gave the impression that he had contracted a medical condition that required him to walk with a cane His medical records showed that he had been in good health Martin MacNeill also had been collecting veteran benefits for decades saying in an application he had bipolar or anti social disorders 1 Death and autopsy Edit Alexis returned to medical school on April 10 2007 believing that her mother s recovery was well under way The following day April 11 2007 Michele MacNeill and Alexis talked at 8 44 a m MST and Michele said that she was doing well At 9 10 a m Martin called Alexis asking her to call her mother saying he was concerned that she wasn t doing well and wasn t getting out of bed 5 Michele died at the age of 50 in the bathtub of her home in Pleasant Grove 2 7 Although Martin said that he was at work in the morning he was not seen in public until 11 00 a m when he arrived at a local Safety Fair After picking up his youngest daughter Ada from school at about 11 35 a m they arrived back at the home between 11 35 and 11 46 a m and Ada found her mother unresponsive head down in the master bathroom bathtub 5 Martin ordered his son Damian MacNeill or Damian s girlfriend to get rid of all of Michele s medication ostensibly to keep the plastic surgery a private matter 2 7 Michele was declared dead later that day 5 An autopsy was performed and her cause of death was determined to be cardiovascular disease 5 Police and autopsy reports concluded that Michele s death was accidental and of natural causes 2 5 The children of Michele and Martin MacNeill questioned their mother s cause of death and pressed for a review of the toxicology report 5 17 In addition in September 2007 Linda Cluff Michele s sister wrote a letter to the then governor of Utah Jon Huntsman and the Utah County Attorney s Office asking them to investigate Michele s death 2 Dr Todd Grey the State of Utah s chief medical examiner performed the review and found that none of the medicines found in her body were at toxic levels but that the combination of Promethazine Phenergan Zolpidem Ambien Diazepam Valium and Oxycodone Percocet could have led to sedation and heart arrhythmia resulting in cardiac death Because of Grey s report her manner of death was changed on October 6 2010 to undetermined and the cause to combined effects of heart disease and drug toxicity 5 7 It was noted that Michele would not have been able to administer the medication to herself 2 Memorial service EditMichele s memorial service was held on April 14 2007 2 at the church located adjacent to the Mt Timpanogos Temple 4 Martin spoke at the service and rather than focus on Michele he talked about how life had been unfair to him 2 6 Identity theft EditIn 2009 Martin was sentenced to four years in prison for federal identity theft charges He had used the identifying information from his adopted daughter Giselle to obtain false legal documents for his girlfriend Gypsy Willis in Giselle s name His stated motive was tax evasion as Willis owed substantial sums to the Internal Revenue Service and Martin wished to avoid any possible liability for these debts 19 He was released from prison on the identity theft charges in July 2012 whereupon Utah county officials announced that Martin was a suspect in the murder of his wife 20 In 2011 Willis was sentenced to three years probation for her part in the identity theft scheme with credit for 180 days in jail awaiting trial 21 Murder charges and trial EditOn August 24 2012 the Utah County Attorney s Office charged Martin with murdering Michele 2 Martin s trial began on October 17 2013 2 22 Martin MacNeill pleaded not guilty claiming his wife died due to accidental death Medical examiners did not rule that her death was the result of murder but prosecutors convinced the jury that Martin MacNeill was responsible for killing his wife by drowning and prescription drugs 17 The arrest warrant stated that earlier in his life MacNeill had attempted to murder his mother and had killed his brother Rufus Roy MacNeill who had been found dead in a bathtub MacNeill had not been tried for his brother s death 1 After the prosecution filed a motion to ban camera coverage of the trial 23 the Utah 4th District Court upholding a state rule which went into effect on April 1 ruled that the trial could be broadcast and live streamed the first in Utah history Coverage would exclude video of testimony by federal inmates who feared retaliation 24 The 22 day trial 25 was litigated by Chief Prosecutor Chad Grunander and Martin MacNeill s defense team included Randall Spencer 1 17 and Susanne Gustin 26 In his closing statement to the jury Grunander stated It was an almost perfect murder MacNeill pumped her full of drugs that he knew would be difficult to detect once she was dead 1 During the trial a previous mistress of Martin MacNeill testified that MacNeill had stated that there was a way to kill a person that would appear to be a natural heart attack Fellow inmates claimed that MacNeill had claimed he killed his wife but it could not be proven 1 The defense claimed that Michele MacNeill had overdosed on her prescribed medication and fallen into the bathtub and drowned The jury deliberated for 11 hours and on November 9 2013 found MacNeill guilty of the first degree murder of his wife Michele on April 11 2007 He was also convicted by the Provo Utah jury of obstruction of justice for hindering the investigation of his wife s murder 17 by attempting to make Michele s death appear accidental 2 22 The murder conviction carries a term of fifteen years to life with an additional one to 15 years for obstruction 1 On December 6 2013 it was reported that he had attempted suicide while in jail 27 In addition to the murder trial Martin was found guilty of forcible sexual abuse of his daughter Alexis Somers and was sentenced for one to 15 years for that crime 28 nb 1 Sentencing EditOn September 19 2014 MacNeill was sentenced to a minimum of 15 years up to life in prison for his first degree murder conviction plus another term of one to 15 years for his conviction on obstruction of justice charges 32 Since Fourth District Judge Derek Pullan made the murder and obstruction sentences consecutive to the sexual abuse sentence nb 1 MacNeill would not have been eligible for parole for at least 17 years about September 19 2031 32 MacNeill 60 committed suicide in prison on April 9 2017 two and a half years into his sentence He was found lifeless on an outside yard near the prison s greenhouse According to the report from the Unified Police Department MacNeill used a hose and a natural gas line that was providing fuel for a heater for the greenhouse to kill himself 3 In popular culture EditThe television talk show series Dr Phil episode The Doctor His Wife His Mistress the Murder season 12 episode 51 air date November 19 2013 lay summary interviewed Gypsy Willis the mistress of the former doctor convicted for his wife s murder Willis discusses the affair the crime along with her own 2009 conviction of fraud 33 The South Korean variety program Crime Scene adapted aspects of the Michele MacNeill case for an episode in 2014 The crime documentary series Corrupt Crimes released the episode of the MacNeill murder subtitled Corrupt Crimes The Makeover Murder season 2 episode 48 air date June 30 2017 The episode details the former beauty queen s death and the years of her sister and daughter s persistence to re examine her death Their commitment finally leads officials to request her cause of death to be re investigated The toxicology report reveals lethal levels of painkillers at the time of death leading to Martin MacNeill s arrest conviction and sentencing for the murder of his wife of 30 years 34 Dateline NBC aired an episode entitled Secrets in Pleasant Grove 35 on July 27 2018 It was episode 60 of season 26 20 20 aired an episode entitled The Perfect Nanny 36 on June 14 2019 The Good Father aired on Lifetime in October 2 dramatizing the case as based on true story Charisma Carpenter starred as Michele Macneill Notes Edit a b Martin MacNeill was accused of inappropriately touching his daughter now named Alexis Somers on May 23 2007 five weeks after the death of his wife 29 In July 2014 an eight person jury in Provo heard less than one day of testimony from three witnesses in the trial of MacNeill 30 The jury found MacNeill guilty and he was convicted of forcible sexual abuse a second degree felony 29 30 On September 15 2014 Martin MacNeill was sentenced to one to 15 years for his conviction on forcible sexual abuse of his daughter 28 Because MacNeill refused to admit wrongdoing or to cooperate with investigators he was ineligible for sex offender treatment and could not have been considered for probation 31 References Edit a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Paul Foy Associated Press November 9 2013 Utah doctor Martin MacNeill guilty of killing wife leaving her in tub NBC News NBC Retrieved November 22 2013 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z Brian West November 9 2013 Martin MacNeill Timeline Deseret News Retrieved September 19 2014 a b Reavy Pat July 21 2017 Martin MacNeill s prison death officially ruled a suicide Deseret News Retrieved September 24 2017 a b c Michele Marie MacNeill Obituary Deseret News April 13 2013 Retrieved November 22 2013 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Jean Casarez October 16 2013 MacNeill murder trial Did Utah doctor kill his wife CNN Retrieved November 22 2013 a b c d e f Martin MacNeill Was his wife Michele s death accidental or was it murder Deseret News December 4 2010 Retrieved September 20 2014 a b c d e f g h i j k Martin MacNeill case Background on the key players HLN TV October 29 2013 Archived from the original on July 5 2014 Retrieved September 22 2014 Michele Marie MacNeill Obituary Desert News April 13 2013 Retrieved November 22 2013 Martin MacNeill WildAboutTrial com Latest Criminal Trial Coverage 2017 11 29 Retrieved 2020 11 06 Amanda Sloane and Graham Winch October 25 2013 MacNeill s youngest daughter can take stand HLN TV Archived from the original on February 1 2014 Retrieved September 23 2014 Doctor who drugged his wife left her to die in bathtub found dead at Utah prison Washington Post Retrieved April 10 2017 John Meyersohn 2011 After Wife s Death Dark Secrets of Utah Doctor Revealed ABC News com February 25 2011 accessed June 2 2011 Damian Alexander MacNeill Obituary Deseret News January 28 2010 Retrieved November 6 2014 Damian MacNeill LinkedIn Profile LinkedIn Retrieved November 6 2014 Defense attorneys ask murder charge to be dismissed for Pleasant Grove doctor The Salt Lake Tribune December 17 2012 Retrieved November 6 2014 a b c d Martin MacNeill cuts self with razor in apparent suicide attempt Deseret News December 6 2013 Retrieved September 23 2014 a b c d e f Lateef Mungin November 8 2013 Utah doctor Martin MacNeill found guilty of wife s murder CNN Retrieved November 22 2013 a b Martin MacNeill sentenced to 4 years in prison for ID theft Herald Extra August 13 2009 Retrieved September 26 2014 Janice Peterson 2009 Martin MacNeill sentenced to 4 years in prison for ID theft The Daily Herald August 13 2009 accessed June 2 2017 Jim Dalrymple 2012 Doctor subject of murder investigation after release from prison The Daily Herald July 16 2012 accessed June 2 2017 Jim Dalrymple Gypsy Willis sentenced to 3 years of probation The Daily Herald May 18 2011 accessed June 2 2017 a b Former Utah doctor convicted of wife s murder Deseret News November 11 2013 Retrieved September 26 2014 Prosecutors want TV cameras banned from MacNeill trial FOX13Now com September 24 2013 Judge TV can live stream coverage of Provo murder trial The Salt Lake Tribune September 30 2013 Facelift Murder Trial Gets Underway Time com October 18 2013 CBS Crimesider Staff CBS and AP November 7 2013 Martin MacNeill Murder Trial Fellow inmates of Utah doctor charged with killing wife say he acknowledged murder CBS News CBS Retrieved November 2 2018 Convicted Wife Killer Martin MacNeill Tried to Use Jail Razor to Kill Himself ABC News December 6 2013 a b Jessica Miller September 15 2014 Martin MacNeill to serve up to 15 years for sexual abuse Retrieved September 19 2014 a b Cathy Free July 4 2014 Martin MacNeil Doctor Who Murdered Wife Guilty of Sexually Abusing Daughter People Retrieved August 3 2014 a b Paige Fieldsted July 3 2014 Martin MacNeill found guilty of sex abuse Retrieved September 19 2014 Ben Winslow September 15 2014 Martin MacNeill sentenced to prison in sex abuse case Fox 13 KSTU Retrieved September 16 2014 a b Jessica Miller September 19 2014 Martin MacNeill receives up to life in prison and more for wife s murder Retrieved September 19 2014 Dr Phil The Doctor His Wife His Mistress the Murder IMDb com 19 November 2013 Retrieved 3 September 2018 Corrupt Crimes TVGuide com Retrieved 18 November 2017 Corrupt Crimes S2 E48 The Makeover Murder GoWatchIt Retrieved 18 November 2017 Watch Dateline Episode Secrets in Pleasant Grove NBC com Retrieved 2022 09 01 Video The Perfect Nanny the 20 20 Event Special airs Tonight at 9 8c on ABC ABC News ABC News Further reading EditJennifer Dobner November 13 2013 Mother s words became MacNeill daughter s quest for justice Deseret News Marissa Lang November 18 2013 MacNeill back in court on sex assault charge The Salt Lake Tribune Martin MacNeill trial Timeline HLN Archived from the original on 2013 11 09 Martin MacNeill Trial News Stories ABC News Archived from the original on 2013 11 22 Retrieved 2013 11 23 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Murder of Michele MacNeill amp oldid 1124728506, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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