He ultimately killed himself a week after Versace's death, as Miami police closed in on him. Simpson told the newspaper that producers for the true crime series studied Maureen Orth's book, "Vulgar Favors: Andrew Cunanan, Gianni Versace, and the Largest Failed Manhunt in U.S. History" and also bringing her on as a consultant. He began his career as a salesman for Arthur Rubloff & Co. in Chicago, as noted by the Washington Post. There are a few places [in the TV show] where things didnt happen at all, Orth told Vanity Fairs Still Watching podcast. On May 3, Cunanan drove to Chicago, Illinois, and killed 72-year-old Lee Miglin, a prominent real estate developer. According to an article in Newsweek from May 1997, Miglin was found in his garage with stab wounds, and his throat slashed with a gardener's bow saw, his feet constrained, and his head covered in tape. Trail had reportedly told friends that he had had a big fallout with Andrew and never wished to see him again.. He killed William Reese, a 45-year-old cemetery worker in New Jersey, less than a week later. The episode opens with Miglins wife, Marilyn (the always excellent Judith Light), promoting her fragrance Pheromone on the Home Shopping Network. On May 8, 1997, everything changed in the investigation theories about random street crime were no more. His wife Marilyn Miglin was also known as the Queen of Makeovers for her work as a successful perfume and cosmetics entrepreneur and for her involvement with the Home Shopping Network. But a day after Miglin's body was found, it still remained a mystery who had killed him. Look at my husband Lee, one of seven children, the son of an Illinois coal miner. Miglin's black Lexus was found abandoned in a New Jersey cemetery, near the body of cemetery caretaker, William Reese, Cunanan's fourth victim. From Vulgar Favors: Two leather coats were missing, one of them (Miglins son) Duke's, a couple of suits, along with some insignificant ladies jewelry and a dozen pairs of new Sulka black socks from the bedroom.. According to Vanity Fair, Cunanan was dining with friends at a restaurant in San Francisco when he spotted Madson drinking alone at the. He stopped in South Carolina to replace the truck's New Jersey plates with stolen ones, and found his way to Miami. Police response: Chicago Police Supt. In reality, there isn't much out there about the possible Cunanan-Miglin relationship. Episode three focuses on one such incident: Cunanan's brutal murder of Chicago real-estate mogul Lee Miglin in May of that year. ''He went out in the afternoons and late evening,'' William J. Esposito, the bureau's deputy director, said at a Washington news conference, per the New York Times. Cunanan would then travel to Miami before shooting Gianni Versace on the front steps of his mansion on July 15, 1997. Miglin's son, Duke, added, "There was no relationship whatsoever.". Cunanan had tucked Miglin's body under a car in the garage and attempted to obscure it with trash cans, according to the Chicago Tribune. Both the FBI and the Cook County State's Attorney's office looked into possible links between the spree killer and the Miglins, but no unimpeachable link was ever established. Miglin was Cunanan's third victim (out of what would become five total), and the show bluntly depicts the way Cunanan bound him with tape and brutally tortured and murdered him in Miglin's garage while his wife, Marilyn, was out of town on business. Investigators said that Madsons body showed no sign of restraints, and his only defensive wounds were in his fingers, suggesting that he had raised his hands to try and deflect one of the shots. That friend was allegedly Duke Miglin. The Miglin family has vociferously denied that Lee or his 25-year-old son, Duke, a fledgling actor in Hollywood who has a bit part in this summer's Air Force One, ever met Cunanan. He wanted to destroy Miglin's legacy, an idea upheld by the fact that he later burned the plans Miglin had drawn up to build the tallest building in the world. Initially, their interactions played out like the sex work viewers saw Cunanan engage in in the second episode of the series. As ACS executive producer Simpson said, no one will ever know what happened in the moments leading up to Miglin's murder. But while the pair did meet in San Francisco, according to Orth, it played out quite differently than the series depicts: To confuse things further, the above version of events is the one we see Cunanan describe to friends in the series, but not the one we actually see play out onscreen. All Rights Reserved. Cunanan's motivations are similarly mysterious, try to pawn one of Miglin's coins in Miami, of friend Jeff Trail and ex-boyfriend David Madson. 72-year-old real estate tycoon Lee Miglin was found dead in the garage of his Gold Coast home on the morning of May 4. Cunanans killing spree began in late April 1997 when he used a hammer to fatally beat Jeffrey Trail, a 28-year-old former naval officer he knew, in Minneapolis, for reasons that remain unclear, the FBI said. Season 2 0f American Crime Story: The Assasination of Gianni Versace airs Wednesdays on FX. Schlesinger said there was some speculation that Versace and Cunanan had met briefly at an opera performance in San Francisco but it would have been in passing. Miglins killing: Cunanan is shown putting a white glove in Miglins mouth as a gag and wrapping his head in masking tape in what appears to be foreplay. Detectives had said Cunanan murdered Miglin in a crime of opportunity because he needed Miglin's car. The SUV had Minnesota license plates that had been registered to Minneapolis interior designer David Madson, 33, whose body had been found near a lake in Chisago County, Minnesota the day before Miglin's body was found. But as to the Miglin case, Schlesinger said when it comes to whether Miglin and Cunanan knew each other, he is "not sure it really matters. He had been bound with duct tape, stabbed more than 20 times with a. This echoes the scene in the drama where, after reminding him of her connections, Marilyn emphasizes to Rodriguez that, despite there being no sign of forced entry, the murder was nothing more than an opportunistic attack, repeating that the killer took money, two suits, some insignificant jewelry, two leather coats, some gold coins (one of which turned up in a South Beach pawn shop), and the Lexusplus a dozen silk Sulka socks. But Versace wasn't the only one who lost his life at the hands of 27-year-old serial killer Andrew Cunanan. The 27-year-old Cunanan committed four other murders in a nationwide spree before killing Versace in Miami in July 1997. It was actually DNA evidence from the beard trimmings that definitively tied Cunanan to Miglin's murder. So I understand it is their choice. While those are the facts of the gruesome murder, what isn't known is why Cunanan targeted Miglin specifically, if in fact he did. Miglin was killed in the garage on May 3, 1997 by serial killer Andrew Cunanan. Trails sister told the New York Times that Cunanan had a strange fascination with Trail, and often appeared to try and emulate him. The Cook County Medical Examiner's office said his clothes were saturated in blood, but the area around him was clean suggesting that his body may have been moved. A Chicago murder mystery becomes a mushroom cloud. The book includes more details about the crime scene and the conditions in which Miglin's body was found, Vanity Fair noted. Kate Middleton Makes the Case for Houndstooth, Prince William & Kate Middleton Visit Wales, Courteney Cox Hasn't Read Prince Harry's Memoir, Historic Photos of King George VI's Coronation. You have reached your limit of 4 free articles. Miglin's body was found on the floor of the garage behind his home, but there were questions as to whether Miglin was actually killed in the garage. Trail had been beaten to death with a claw hammer, and his body rolled up in a rug. Meanwhile, investigators later learned that after murdering Miglin, Cunanan not only ate some ham and left a sliced ham on Miglin's desk, but he also hung around at the Miglin home to shave and take a shower. Robert Milan, who worked for the State's Attorney's office at the time, told ABC-7 that he believes Miglin was a crime of opportunity for Cunanan. He was on the FBIs Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, the subject of a national manhunt, and was hiding out in Miami Beachs gay scene at the time he killed Versace. What is known about Cunanan and Versace is that the fashion mogul was not Cunanans first victim. Ultimately, police ruled Miglin's murder a crime of opportunity, according to the Chicago Tribune. In addition to running her business, Marilyn is a recipient of the Raoul Wallenberg International Humanitarian Award. From a Tribune report at the time: As detectives swarmed the neighborhood for clues, no one paid much attention to the Jeep. Its unclear how much of this were meant to take at face value, and how much is Cunanans delusional, grandiose idea of the relationship he feels he deserves to have with Versace. According to Orth's report, a friend of Cunanan's had told the FBI that Cunanan had said he was going to start a movie set business with a friend. But the high-profile killing of Versace forced Cunanan to keep a lower profile for the final week of his life. The drama introduces a note of ritual humiliation, with Cunanan telling Miglin that when his body is found he will be wearing ladies underwear and surrounded by gay porn magazines. On July 15, 1997, Cunanan approached the famed Italian designer as he returned to his Miami Beach mansion after a morning trip to a nearby caf. The source also said Miglin had been covered with a plastic bag, and masking tape wrapped around his throat. Indeed, according to the 1997 Chicago Tribune report of the murder, "There was no forced entry to the home, suggesting that Miglin knew his assailant or was accosted outside and forced into the home.". It premieres Wednesday. The mentions of Cunanan's connection to the Miglin family are more along the lines of his actually knowing Duke, the Miglins' son. Twenty years after the murder, Cunanans motive is still unclear. Miglin was killed in the garage on May 3, 1997 by serial killer Andrew Cunanan. Their two children, Marlena and Duke, an actor, were adults at the time of Miglin's murder. Cook County medical examiner Edmund Donoghue dismisses the element of ritualistic torture. After telling Miglin, Im in control now (a quote added for dramatic effect, since no one else was in the garage to verify), the fictional Cunanan gags the older mans mouth with a gardening glove, ties him up, and hits him repeatedly in the face. And I still dont.. There had been no forced entry into his home, which implied that Miglin could have known his assailant. But American Crime Story is still giving a very controversial account of the murder, especially since authorities never found solid evidence of a connection between the two men. Maureen Orth wrote the book that The Assassination Of Gianni Versace is based on. Miglin made his money as a real estate developer. The show appears to be exploring Cunanan's resentment about his life, as he also struck out at Versace in part because the designer had things Cunanan did not. He was an early developer of business parks.His firm, at one point, proposed the construction of the Miglin-Beitler Skyneedle, which was planned to be the tallest building in . He said if you don't help me I'm going to proceed to file a lawsuit against you, your mother and your wife for the garage," Duke said. Today, she still works as a beauty authority, author, and speaker, appearing monthly on the Home Shopping Network to promote products such as her signature fragrance Pheromone, according to her website. Miglin was meant to pick Marilyn up from Chicago O'Hare airport that morning. The website also states she is a recipient of the Raoul Wallenberg International Humanitarian Award, and it is at this ceremony that the episode shows her paying tribute to her supportive husband of 38 years, Lee, saluting him as the embodiment of the American dream, the son of an Illinois coal miner who started as a salesman and rose to become a leader in his field, developing prestigious projects such as the Chicago Bar Association building and Madison Plaza. Morgan Doughty Filed A Lawsuit Against The Murdaugh Family, Heres How To Watch The Alex Murdaugh Trial Live, Sophie Turners Joan Charts The Rise Of A Famous British Jewel Thief, Alex Murdaugh Faces Life In Prison For Allegedly Killing His Wife & Son, Get Even More From Bustle Sign Up For The Newsletter. Cunanan did not torture Reese like he did Miglin, and that makes it seem like perhaps there was something more personal about Miglin's murder. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. At any rate, the FBI looked into these claims that Cunanan knew Miglin or his family, but no link was ever established. Though his mother would later bitterly describe him as a "high-class male prostitute," Cunanan was actually more of a male mistress or giggolo - the kept companion of a succession of older gay men who would lavish clothes . Magazines, Or create a free account to access more articles. Miglin was also known for philanthropic activities, including fundraising for the University of Chicago Medical Center and the Museum of Science and Industry. And if we didn't know, we really tried to allow for interpretation. Madson, 33, failed to show up for work on Monday, April 28, but neighbors saw him walking his dog with Cunanan that day. "I've never seen any credible evidence to show that there was a relationship," said Milan. A knife is stuck in a ham on a desk. His mouth was gagged with a white garden glove with numerous black rubber dots. The series also shows Marilyn using her influence with city officials to bury this information. What truly happened remains a mystery to this day, but Gregg McCrary, former supervisory special agent of the FBI's Behavioral Sciences Unit, told Vanity Fair that he thinks the possibility of Miglin's murder being random is unlikely. On the morning of July 15, he was returning from a walk when Cunanan approached him and shot him on the steps of his house. Police had gone to Madson's apartment after he hadn't shown up for work, and found Trail's body there, CBS News reported. Among Cunanan's many victims was Chicago real estate tycoon Lee Miglinthe third individual to die in the serial killer's murderous spree. According to Orth's book, the two met in mid-1994, three years before the murders. Judith Light portrays Chicago socialite Marilyn Miglin in the series. Miglins family has consistently and vigorously denied that Leeor his 25-year-old son Duke, a rising actor whose name Cunanan had reportedly dropped to friendshad ever met Cunanan. That is pure speculation, however, as is the scenario presented in The Assassination of Gianni Versace. CBS News Correspondent Dave Fehling reported the house was about two and a half miles from the Versace villa, but only blocks from the Normandy Hotel, where Cunanan was known to have been staying. As Chicago Police Superintendent Matt Rodriguez (played on the show by Alex Fernandez) told reporters at the time, there was evidence that the person or persons did in fact avail themselves of food at the victims home and was walking around the apartment. Furthermore, while Rodriguez confirmed that Miglin was tortured before he was murdered, he, like the rest of the police department, remained extraordinarily tightlipped about the case, as the Chicago Tribune put it at the time, just as in the show. Season 2 of .css-gegin5{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#9a0500;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-gegin5:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace delves into the slaying of world-renowned fashion designer Gianni Versace outside of his Miami Beach mansion on July 15, 1997. As for the murder, the details are particularly disturbing. There has been speculation in the quarter century since. He had been bound with duct tape, stabbed more than 20 times with a screwdriver and had his throat cut open with a hacksaw. Both companies still exist in some form today. After the first two murders, Andrew Cunanan left for Chicago, and in less than a week's time, on May 3, the wealthy 72-year-old property developer Lee Miglin's body was discovered in his house . Child on bike hit by school bus in Mount Prospect: police, Chicago mayoral race down to Vallas, Johnson in runoff election. The show sticks closely to this gruesome version of events. Tradues em contexto de "Do you have any message for Andrew Veniamin's killer" en ingls-portugus da Reverso Context : Do you have any message for Andrew Veniamin's killer? In an emailed statement to The Chicago Sun-Times, American Crime Story executive producer Brad Simpson said: Bustle reached out to FX and the network declined to give additional comment. There is no indisputable evidence to suggest Lee Miglin was involved with men or knew Cunanan specifically. Attention was now focused on a 27-year-old fugitive named Andrew Cunanan. CHICAGO (WLS) -- Twenty years after the murder of Chicago real estate mogul Lee Miglin, the garage where he was killed is still causing pain for his family. And the show uses real life details to come to these conclusions, such as Cunanan's obsession with wealth and privilege, as well as the manner in which Miglin's body was really found. .css-o05pt{display:block;font-family:Didot,Didot-fallback,Georgia,Times,serif;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:0rem;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;text-shadow:0 0 0 #000,0 0 0.01em transparent;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-o05pt:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-o05pt{font-size:1.18581rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.25rem;margin-top:0.625rem;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-o05pt{line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.css-o05pt{font-size:1.23488rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.5rem;margin-top:0rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-o05pt{font-size:1.39461rem;line-height:1.2;margin-top:0.9375rem;}}45 of the Best Disney Movies of All Time, 35 Classic Photos from the Academy Awards, 46 of the Coolest Set Photos in Movie History, 'Last of Us' Star Pedro Pascal Posts Upsetting IG, Everything to Know About the 95th Academy Awards, Storm Reid Knows How to Create Heartbreaking TV, Believe It: 'Ted Lasso' Returns This March, Ashley Park Joins 'Only Murders in the Building', Carrie & Aidan Go on a Beach Date in New Set Pics, Sam Smith Is Joining 'And Just Like That' S2. That Sunday night, CBS 2's Jodine Costanzo reported police found Miglin, 72, with his throat slashed ear-to-ear and his feet bound with masking tape. On the morning of Saturday, May 3, Kyle Hilken and Scott Schmidt were out looking for a fishing spot at East Rush Lake when they stumbled upon Madson's body in some nearby brush. On the show and in real life, the Jeep provides a break in the case as a Chicago police officer notices the windshield is covered in parking tickets. Miglin family members have long denied Lee Miglin and Cunanan knew each other before the attack. After killing Miglin, Cunanan left with his car, several items of clothing, $2,000 in cash, and some gold coins from the safe. He ultimately killed himself a week after Versace 's death, as noted the! 'S murderous spree on him many victims was Chicago real estate tycoon Lee Miglin was also known philanthropic! Jersey plates with stolen ones, and often appeared to try and emulate.. 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