Michele MacNeill Found Deceased 4/11/07, Martin Macneill Charged With Murder

Martin MacNeill, Doctor Suspected Of Killing Wife Michele MacNeill, Freed After Being Jailed For Fraud

07/10/12 06:39 PM ET

PLEASANT GROVE, Utah -- A prominent Utah doctor suspected in his wife's 2007 death was released from a federal prison in Texas late last week after serving time for fraud.

Dr. Martin MacNeill was freed Friday but remains on three years of probation as part of his sentence.

Somers, other family members and Utah County investigators believe MacNeill killed his wife in April 2007 then covered it up – charges the doctor has denied. He claims he had nothing to do with his wife's death. Telephone messages left Tuesday for two of his attorneys weren't returned.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/11/martin-macneill-doctor-killing-wife-michele-freed_n_1664480.html

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Daughter in Fear After Father's Prison Release

Martin Macneill, suspect in 2007 murder of his wife, completes fraud sentence.

04:53 | 07/12/2012

Justice4all wrote:Martin MacNeill, Doctor Suspected Of Killing Wife Michele MacNeill, Freed After Being Jailed For Fraud

07/10/12 06:39 PM ET

PLEASANT GROVE, Utah -- A prominent Utah doctor suspected in his wife's 2007 death was released from a federal prison in Texas late last week after serving time for fraud.

Dr. Martin MacNeill was freed Friday but remains on three years of probation as part of his sentence.

Somers, other family members and Utah County investigators believe MacNeill killed his wife in April 2007 then covered it up – charges the doctor has denied. He claims he had nothing to do with his wife's death. Telephone messages left Tuesday for two of his attorneys weren't returned.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/11/martin-macneill-doctor-killing-wife-michele-freed_n_1664480.html

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Daughter in Fear After Father's Prison Release

Martin Macneill, suspect in 2007 murder of his wife, completes fraud sentence.

04:53 | 07/12/2012

J4A, sounds a little like the Drew Peterson case. I am suprised her original Death Certificate listed "natural causes," it may be that Dr. MacNeil walks on ever being charged in this death. It is unlikely there is ever going to be enough evidence to charge him unless the girlfriend were to share information on the death she has. It seems unlikely she naturally died imo, I guess the financial motive might have been more that Dr. MacNeil wanted to fool with, imo, the possible motive for Drew Peterson, no ex-wife, no child support payments, & he got the kids, permanently, he had full control.

I wonder if Dr. MacNeil is going to practice medicine, or if he can.

Art, I'm surprised this case didn't get more publicity, but then again I wasn't blogging back in 2007 and it may have been a hot topic on the blog sites. I sure wouldn't want MacNeil as a doctor for me or my family.

His daughter says there is plenty of evidence and Good Morning America legal analyst Dan Abrams says he's almost never seen a case with this much evidence without charges being filed, but there are questions about how the crime scene was handled. Abrams says they have more evidence against him than they did against Scott Peterson.

Abrams think it's a matter of time before MacNeil is charged, but why would they wait until after he was released from prison if they have enough evidence to charge him, especially with his daughters fearing for their lives?

Pleasant Grove doc charged with killing his wife

Crime » Police suspect man wanted to kill his wife and continue an extra-marital affair.

By Michael McFall
The Salt Lake Tribune
Updated Aug 24 2012 11:18 pm

A Pleasant Grove doctor has been charged with murdering his wife and obstructing the investigation into her death.

Martin Joseph MacNeill, 56, was charged Friday with first-degree felony murder and obstructing justice, a second-degree felony, in 4th District Court. Police suspect he overmedicated his wife, Michele MacNeill, on April 11, 2007.

Read more: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/54760123-78/macneill-wife-charges-death.html.csp

Daughter of murder suspect and alleged murder victim talks about justice

Updated: 8/24 10:20 pm
Reported by: Don Hudson



~Snipped~

Martin MacNeill is now in the Utah County Jail on a one million dollar cash bond. His first court appearance is set for Monday, August 27th.

Somers says this is just another step in a long process – a process to get her mother what she deserves. “She’s worth more than this. She was forgotten, basically. And hopefully we can get some justice for my mother.”

Read more: http://www.abc4.com/content/news/slc/story/martin-macneill-michele-alexis-somers/1n4AK5Ko3UOVqncO6FhGCw.cspx

Woman linked to murder case given bail on probation violation

July 18, 2012 12:17 am • Jim Dalrymple - Daily Herald

PROVO — Less than two weeks after her arrest, a woman convicted of identity theft and who also may be entangled in a murder investigation will have a chance to go free.

~Snipped~

The convictions stemmed from a case that also involves former Pleasant Grove doctor Martin MacNeill. According to court documents, MacNeill and Willis stole the identity of one of MacNeill’s daughters. MacNeill was convicted on federal charges for the crime, and spent three years in prison before being released on July 7.

MacNeill also is the subject of an investigation being conducted by the Utah County prosecutor’s office. The investigation aims to determine if he killed his wife in 2007, shortly after she had plastic surgery. Previous court documents have stated that MacNeill had the capacity and motive to kill his wife.

Despite the investigation, prosecutors have not said if they plan to file charges or, if they do, what those charges may be. Willis herself has not been named as a possible suspect in any potential murder.

Read more:

http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/woman-linked-to-murder-case-given-bail-on-probation-violation/article_6513d5a4-6ae5-5f13-808d-fa2fcefe905c.html

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Doctor subject of murder investigation after release from prison


Michele MacNeill died in 2007 shortly after undergoing plastic surgery. Her death was initially believed to have resulted from natural causes, but MacNeill's daughter Alexis Somers says her father and Michele's husband, Martin, was actually responsible. National media, including an upcoming feature by the TV show "20/20," is now following the investigation. Photo courtesy Rachel MacNeill.

July 16, 2012 12:25 am • Jim Dalrymple - Daily Herald

http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/doctor-subject-of-murder-investigation-after-release-from-prison/article_b708298d-3fa5-5b7f-beab-0d958a42b600.html

In-Depth Report About The MacNeill Case:

Martin MacNeill: Was his wife Michele's death accidental or was it murder?

By Sara Lenz and Brian West, Deseret News
Published: Saturday, Dec. 4 2010 11:10 p.m. MST

20 Pages

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700088382/Martin-MacNeill-Was-his-wife-Micheles-death-accidental-or-was-it-murder.html?pg=1

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Utah County doctor killed wife with deadly combination of drugs, new warrant states

By Sara Lenz, Deseret News
Published: Thursday, April 28 2011 5:44 p.m. MDT

PLEASANT GROVE — Utah County investigators believe a prominent Pleasant Grove doctor and attorney killed his wife by administering a deadly combination of drugs days after she had surgery, a new search warrant states.

The warrant, filed in 4th District Court earlier this month, reveals new information surrounding the death of Michele MacNeill and how investigators believe her husband, Martin MacNeill, had the "opportunity, the motive, the psychological disposition and the capability of killing his wife."

Read more:

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700131004/Utah-County-doctor-killed-wife-with-deadly-combination-of-drugs-new-warrant-states.html?pg=all

Former Pleasant Grove doctor charged with murder 5 years after wife's death

By Wendy Leonard and Brian West, Deseret News
Published: Friday, Aug. 24 2012 4:16 p.m. MDT


Martin Joseph MacNeill

PLEASANT GROVE — Alexis Somers said the past six years have been like "living in the twilight zone."

She's been fighting every day to keep the memory of her deceased mother, Michele MacNeill, in the public eye. Constant contact with police, investigators and the media, she believes, helped to encourage prosecutors to reopen the case more than a year after her mother was found dead in the bathtub of her home in 2007.

Friday, her father, Martin Joseph MacNeill, was charged with his wife's murder — the ending Somers said she knew all along.

~Snipped~

In the weeks before her death, MacNeill's wife and daughters had become "increasingly suspicious and aware of "an affair he was having with a woman named Gypsy Willis," the charges state.

"Gypsy's former roommate indicates Gypsy made statements about killing Michele and even discussed specific methods of making it look like an accident," the charges state. Shortly after Michele MacNeill died, Willis moved into the family home under the guise that she was the children's nanny.

Both MacNeill and Willis were later convicted of fraud-related crimes in federal and state court. MacNeill, a former clinical director of the Utah State Developmental Center, was released from a Texas federal prison July 6 after serving a three-year sentence for fraud, forgery and identity theft.

Read more:

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865561191/Charges-PG-doctor-gave-wife-dangerous-combination-of-drugs-murdered-her-in-bathtub.html?pg=all
__________________________________________________________

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

TODAY | Aired on August 26, 2012

Doctor charged in wife’s death

A Utah doctor is behind bars this morning, charged with murdering his wife more than five years ago. Michelle MacNeill died in April 2007, her death ruled natural causes. But now police say her husband killed her, and the couple’s daughter, one of eight children, is speaking out. NBC’s Kristen Dahlgren reports.

http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/48793863#48793863

Martin MacNeill

Charging Document

Filed August 24, 2012

5 Pages

http://localtvkstu.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/kstufox13now-com_20120825_192716.pdf

Prosecutors say PG doctor murdered his wife

August 25, 2012 12:30 am • Jim Dalrymple - Daily Herald

PROVO -- On April 11, 2007, 6-year-old Ada MacNeill walked into a bathroom and found her mother Michele dead in a tub of reddish-brown water. Nearly five and a half years later, prosecutors charged Ada's father Martin with murder for the incident.

~Snipped~

According to documents filed Friday in Provo's 4th District court, the charges stem from allegations that MacNeill killed his wife shortly after she had plastic surgery. The procedure took place just a week before Michele died, and MacNeill reportedly "used the surgery and recovery period to obtain the necessary drugs and set in motion the circumstances to intentionally or knowingly cause Michele's death."

A nearly 60-page affidavit goes into even greater detail, suggesting that MacNeill was a serial liar with homicidal tendencies years before his wife died. The affidavit begins in 2006, when MacNeill allegedly had an affair with Anna Osborne. During the affair, MacNeill reportedly told Osborne that he previously killed his own brother, as well as some of his patients. Osborne also claimed that MacNeill had tried to kill his mother and that he wanted to kill his daughter Vanessa.

"On Jan. 22, 2006, Anna Osborne informed her psychiatrist she was having an affair with a serial killer," the documents state.

Read more:

http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/prosecutors-say-pg-doctor-murdered-his-wife/article_321b2312-f05d-54c0-8290-d91bcec4a72b.html

20/20

After Wife's Death, Dark Secrets of Utah Doctor Revealed



Read article (5 Pages):

http://abcnews.go.com/2020/wifes-death-dark-secrets-utah-doctor-revealed/story?id=12982985

Doctor Hangs Up on 911

Martin MacNeill makes a frantic call after he finds his wife in the bathtub. 02/23/2011

http://abcnews.go.com/2020/video/doctor-hangs-911-12985281

'No one believed us': Daughters' relief after Utah doctor and father charged in mother's mysterious death five years ago

Martin MacNeill, 56, has been charged with murder and obstruction of justice for the 2007 death of his wife

Michele MacNeill was found dead in their home's bathtub but ruled as from natural causes

Husband accused of having an affair with woman who moved into their home posing as nanny after wife's death

Couple's daughter always believed their father was guilty

Father maintains his innocence

By Nina Golgowski
UPDATED: 10:30 EST, 25 August 2012

Daughters: Alexis, left, and Rachel are convinced their father murdered their mother so that he could live a life with his girlfriend Gypsy Willis

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2193464/Martin-MacNeil-Doctor-finally-charged-wifes-mysterious-death-daughters-relief.html

Utah Doctor Charged With Drowning, Drugging Wife 5 Years Ago

By ALYSSA NEWCOMB (@alyssanewcomb) and ANTHONY CASTELLANO
Aug. 26, 2012


'Mom's Dead, Isn't She?' Watch Video


A Torrid Affair Watch Video

Link to the article:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/utah-doctor-arrested-murder-wife-years-ago/story?id=17082904

Dr. Martin MacNeill Formally Charged With Wife's Murder

By PAUL FOY 08/27/12 07:14 PM ET
AP



SALT LAKE CITY -- A Utah doctor who prosecutors say "led a life filled with contradictions, deception and manipulation" was formally charged Monday in his wife's death five years ago.

~Snipped~

MacNeill has been held on $1 million bond at Utah County jail since Friday. He appeared in Provo's 4th District Court on Monday and is due to return Sept. 4 to choose an arraignment or an evidence hearing.

The doctor's attorney, Randy Spencer, told The Associated Press on Friday his client denies wrongdoing and will fight the charges.

Spencer has said prosecutors have no new evidence. An arrest warrant says Martin MacNeill hounded his wife to get a facelift and arranged to get a "potent cocktail" of drugs for her recovery.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/27/dr-martin-macneill-charged-wifes-murder_n_1834886.html

Pleasant Grove doctor faces murder charges for wife's death

Updated: 6:17 pm | Published: 12:07 pm


Martin Joseph MacNeill, left, talks with his Attorney Randall Spencer prior to making his initial appearance Monday, Aug. 27, 2012 before Judge Samuel D. McVey in Provo Utah on charges linking him to the murder of his wife Michele MacNeill. Scott G Winterton, Deseret News


PROVO, Utah (ABC 4 News) – Pleasant Grove doctor, Martin MacNeill, made his first court appearance Monday on charges for allegedly killing his wife, Michele. His children tell ABC 4 they’re happy their mother is finally getting justice.

A man once known as a prominent Utah County doctor, appeared in Provo courtroom Monday shackled in chains, and wearing a yellow jail jumpsuit.

“The world now knows that my father has committed murder,” said Rachel MacNeill, suspect’s daughter.

Read more:

http://www.cw30.com/content/news/top_stories/story/Pleasant-Grove-doctor-faces-murder-charges-for/vp1qPiD1LU2NVef9EZONCg.cspx

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Channel 4 News Video

Utah doctor in court on wife's death

Published: August 27, 2012 Updated 4 hours ago

~Snipped~

The affidavit contains the explosive allegations from former girlfriends that MacNeill killed a brother and tried to kill his mother long ago. Robinson said he confirmed that the brother, Rufus Roy MacNeill, was found dead in a bathtub in New Jersey. He offered no other details.

Utah County prosecutor Chad Grunander told The Associated Press later Monday that state authorities don't believe Martin MacNeill was ever charged in connection with the deaths and they have no indication he was ever under investigation for them.

~Snipped~

Medical authorities have not been able to agree on a cause of death for Michele MacNeill. At first it was listed as natural causes. Another expert speculated she died of a heart condition exacerbated by the drugs she was taking. Yet another determined she had drowned.

Investigators described Martin MacNeill as a lying adulterer who disguised a series of affairs, alleged sexual assaults and fraud with a lucrative medical practice in Pleasant Grove and a beautiful wife and eight children, four of whom were adopted.

Prosecutors say MacNeill contrived a medical condition, explaining to the people in his life that he was dying of cancer or multiple sclerosis, to absolve him of any motive in his wife's death. He also used it as an excuse for not being able to lift his wife from the bathtub, they say.

He repeatedly pushed his wife to get a facelift, even though she didn't want it, and he leaned on a plastic surgeon who was new to Utah to prescribe an unusual combination of pills for her recovery, authorities say. She already was suffering from depression and high-blood pressure. The surgeon told authorities he would not normally prescribe Valium or Ocycodone for her recovery.

Read more:

http://www.heraldonline.com/2012/08/27/4216745/utah-doctor-in-court-on-wifes.html

Truly what a sorry POS this guy is. After watching the 20/20 episode yesterday, I was appalled to see that he had fraudulently altered transcripts since he was an under graduate in college & applying to medical school. Appalling he sent an adopted daughter back to Guatemala for a visit, (I think that is the city), so his lover/nanny could adopt her identity/social security #. One of Dr. MacNeil's daughter's became suspicious & flew down to check on her & discovered this fraud as there were many.

Too, the nanny/lover/partner in crime, Anna's family wasted no time telling 20/20 that their sister/daughter was a sociopath or needed to be locked up & away from society. (paraphrasing from interview) Dan Abraham's said Scott Peterson's case has less evidence than this case & he sits on death row.

Mrs. MacNeil was an absolutely beautiful woman, KUDOS to her daughter's for pushing this case & demanding JUSTICE for their mother. The older 2 daughter's compiled a notebook full of scams Dr. MacNeil had pulled & their suspicion of the murder of their mother. One of the daughter's has custody of the younger children, she is doing her Medical residency now. imo, victim's families shouldn't have to BEG LE to investigate a possible murder, time after time we see this. If not for the determination of the 2 daughter's in pursuing JUSTICE, another murderer would have walked free.

Doctor charged with wife’s murder 5 years later

By HLNtv.com Staff
updated 8:51 AM EDT, Tue August 28, 2012

•Martin MacNeill charged with murder in '07 drowning death of his wife, Michele
•Police say MacNeill overmedicated his wife, letting her drown
•MacNeill's daughters have fought to have their father charged



http://www.hlntv.com/video/2012/08/27/macneil-murder-doctor-utah

Utah Doctor Accused of Drowning Wife Appears in Court



Doctor Charged in Wife's Death: Daughters Stare Down Dad in Court

By LINSEY DAVIS (@LinseyDavis)
Aug. 28, 2012

The Utah doctor accused of killing his wife made his first court appearance Monday and came face-to-face with his daughters, who say they believe their father had a plan to kill their mother.

Read more:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/utah-doctor-accused-drowning-wife-appears-court/story?id=17092544

The Salt Lake Tribune

Photo Gallery:

http://www.sltrib.com/csp/cms/sites/sltrib/pages/slidegallery.csp?cid=54773607&pid=4028615

Welcome to the Utah County Sheriff's Office Corrections Bureau

INMATE INFORMATION



Arrest Detail

Arrested: 08/24/2012
Arrest Agency: UCSO
Booked: 8/24/2012 2:00:48 PM
Booking No: 281102
Released:
Status: Active

Name : MACNEILL, MARTIN JOSEPH
Address : PLEASANT GROVE, UT 84062
Height : 603
Weight : 180
DOB : 02/1956
Eyes : BLU
Birth Country : USA
Hair : BRO
S/M/T : NONE
Sex : M

Taylorsville Justice Court
Case # 095104222
Bail: $1,005.00 Bondable
STOP/ PARK ON ROADWAYS
Arrested/Held For: Warrant of Arrest

4th District Court
Case # 121402323
Bail: $1,000,000.00 Cash Only
76-5-201 MURDER
Arrested/Held For: New Charge

4th District Court
Case # 121402323
Bail: $0.00 Bondable
76-8-306 Obstructing Justice
Arrested/Held For: New Charge

http://www.co.utah.ut.us/Dept/Sheriff/Corrections/InmateDetail.asp?ID=281102

Fake Attorney-Physician Arrested in Wife's Murder in Utah

By Ken Lee
08/31/2012 at 08:00 PM EDT

~Snipped~

Weeks before her mom's facelift, Alexis, after searching her father's cell phone records, identified a woman, Gypsy Willis, 35, whom he was calling at all hours. Just a week after their mother's funeral, the sisters were shocked when their dad introduced Willis, a nursing student, as the family's new live-in nanny to care for their younger sisters.

"The realization that our father was trying to replace our mother was pure horror," Rachel explains. "The only way we could function was out of concern for our little sisters and who would take care of them."

~Snipped~

A Web of Lies?

Separately, the sisters' aunt, while frantically lobbying police to reopen the case, provided evidence that MacNeill falsified his own school records and had been convicted of check fraud back in the 1970s before his marriage to Michele.

"MacNeill's entire academic career, which included a law degree, was based on lies," says Jeff Robinson, a Utah County Attorney investigator. "This person was never qualified to be a doctor or lawyer in the first place. The fact that he was practicing medicine this whole time is disturbing."

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20625365,00.html?xid=rss-topheadlines

Did doctor kill his wife to hide affair?

By HLNtv.com Staff
updated 1:07 PM EDT, Fri August 31, 2012

•Doctor accused of drugging, drowning wife in bathtub
•Police say husband controlled drugs wife took after facelift
•Drugs in wife's system made unable to fight, police say



http://www.hlntv.com/video/2012/08/31/did-doctor-kill-his-wife-hide-affair

CNN TRANSCRIPTS

NANCY GRACE

Utah Doctor Finally Charged in Wife`s Bathtub Death

Aired August 31, 2012 - 20:00 ET

NANCY GRACE, HOST: Breaking news tonight, live, Utah. An emergency 911 call from a doctor trying to save his wife after her 6-year-old little girl comes home to find Mommy fully clothed, unconscious in the bedroom tub. She`s just eight days out of a full facelift. After interviewing her husband, a prestigious doctor, the medical examiner rules natural death.

But tonight, a full-fledged affair with a younger woman uncovered. The doctor brings the lover into the home as the new nanny. Plus, tonight we learn of decades of him forging it all the way to a medical degree, allegedly skimming government money, house loans, even his dead wife`s estate. Bombshell tonight. In a stunning twist, the case is reopened, suspected homicide.

Read more:

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1208/31/ng.01.html

Preliminary hearing set for Pleasant Grove doctor accused of murdering wife

By Jessica Miller | The Salt Lake Tribune
First Published Sep 04 2012 02:35 pm • Last Updated Sep 05 2012 10:03 am

Provo » A five-day preliminary hearing has been set to establish whether there is enough evidence for Martin MacNeill to stand trial for murdering his wife.

On Tuesday, 4th District Court Judge Samuel McVey set the hearing for Oct. 5 and Oct. 9-12. MacNeill’s attorney, Randall Spencer, requested a preliminary hearing "as soon as reasonably possible," but prosecutors told McVey they needed at least a month to coordinate the 20 to 24 witnesses that could be called to testify in the case.

"We’ll be ready to go [in October,]" said Utah County prosecutor Chad Grunander. "There’s a lot of evidence in this case. A lot of witnesses."

Read more:

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/54825864-78/macneill-wife-hearing-april.html.csp

Utah doctor accused of killing wife to be tried in separate sex abuse case

Courts » Utah Court Appeals says re-filed sex abuse and witness tampering charges will stand against Martin MacNeill.

By Jessica Miller | The Salt Lake Tribune
First Published 8 hours ago • Updated 52 minutes ago

Martin MacNeill, the Pleasant Grove doctor accused of murdering his wife, can be tried on unrelated charges of sexual abuse stemming from a case that was initially dismissed in 2008, Utah Court Appeals ruled Thursday.

Utah County prosecutors filed felony charges of forcible sexual abuse and witness tampering against MacNeill in October 2007, after an adult female relative told Pleasant Grove he put his hand down her pants and asked her to sign a statement saying he did not touch her.

A 4th District Court judge dismissed the case six months later, finding prosecutors did have a good faith basis to proceed. But the judge did not specify whether dismissal was with or without prejudice, meaning the judge did not say whether prosecutors could re-file the charges at a later date.

Read more:

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/54936146-78/macneill-case-charges-court.html.csp

Witness testifies against doctor accused of wife's murder

October 3, 2012

1 hour ago • Jim Dalrymple - Daily Herald

PROVO -- Martin MacNeill's preliminary hearing began Wednesday morning at 8:49 a.m. in a mostly empty, gray courtroom. By the time a handful of newspaper reporters arrived and sat in the front row of the gallery, MacNeill was already waiting in the front of the courtroom, staring straight ahead in his gray-and-white striped jail jumpsuit.

Prosecutors began their efforts to prove MacNeill killed his wife Michele in 2007 by calling Dr. Von Welch to the witness stand. Among other things, Welch — who said he had a professional relationship with MacNeill — recalled performing a preoperative examination on Michele shortly before she was scheduled to have plastic surgery. During the examination, Welch testified, he discovered via several tests that Michele had high blood pressure.

"I felt it should be postponed because it was an elective surgery," Welch said.

Read more:

http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/witness-testifies-against-doctor-accused-of-wife-s-murder/article_71ec96b2-396b-5b79-a590-849fefde4dcf.html

Prosecutors hear 911 calls in MacNeill murder case

Martin MacNeill, a doctor accused of murdering his wife appears in Judge Samuel McVey's Fourth District Court in Provo Wednesday October 3 for the first day of preliminary hearings.

4 hours ago • Jim Dalrymple - Daily Herald

PROVO -- Midway through the first afternoon of Martin MacNeill's murder hearing on Wednesday prosecutors played a recording of the 911 call he made on April 11, 2007. In the call, MacNeill can be heard screaming almost unintelligibly that his wife had "fallen in the bathtub," was under water and "was not breathing at all."

In the recording, MacNeill provides his address to the dispatcher -- though prosecutors say the address he gave was incorrect -- then hangs up.

The recording continued, however, and moments later began playing back a second call MacNeill made to 911 dispatchers. In several screamed responses MacNeill tells the dispatcher that he needed help and was a doctor

Read more:

http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/prosecutors-hear-calls-in-macneill-murder-case/article_249bc930-d40a-5731-98c6-499f36cc5979.html

Murder hearing: Doctor gave extra meds to Martin MacNeill's wife at MacNeill's request

Witnesses testify of day Michele MacNeill died in her Pleasant Grove home

By Emiley Morgan, Deseret News
Published: Wednesday, Oct. 3 2012 6:46 p.m. MDT

PROVO — Martin MacNeill was the "stronger" personality, the "dominant" personality, the one who neighbors talked to and the one who commanded conversations with the doctors who worked with his wife, Michele, witnesses testified Wednesday.

He taught Sunday School classes. She wrote on the board for him in her beautiful calligraphy. He answered questions about her medical history for her as she deferred to him. Neighbors who often talked to Martin MacNeill, 56, said they don't remember doing much more than exchanging casual pleasantries with his wife.

But the man was largely quiet Wednesday as he sat in 4th District Court while Judge Samuel McVey heard evidence in the case against him. The Pleasant Grove doctor sat with his face tight and his lips terse as multiple witnesses took the stand to testify about the day Michele MacNeill, 50, died in her home.

Read more:

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865563726/Murder-hearing-Doctor-gave-extra-meds-at-husbands-request.html

'I thought he loved us,' daughter testifies against her father

By Brian West and Emiley Morgan, Deseret News
Published: Friday, Oct. 5 2012 7:21 p.m. MDT


Linda Cluff, left, and Alexis Somers hold each other after the hearing. Martin Joseph MacNeill makes his initial appearance Monday, Aug. 27, 2012 before Judge Samuel D. McVey in Provo. Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

PROVO — Alexis Somers always believed she had a very close relationship with her dad.

"I loved my father. I wanted to go into medicine because of my father, partially. I would go with him to work. I was around my father a lot, and I loved him," she said Friday.

That relationship changed "the day my mother died."

Over three days of testimony, Somers was one of many witnesses who described suspicious circumstances and Martin MacNeill's odd behavior before and after his wife died in a bathtub in April 2007.

Read more:

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865563910/I-thought-he-loved-us-daughter-testifies-against-her-father.html

Witnesses: MacNeill's behavior at wife's death was 'odd'

By Emiley Morgan
October 6th, 2012 @ 7:08pm


PROVO — The day his wife died, Martin MacNeill was "different," "odd" and, according to at least three witnesses, "angry."

Scott Van Wagoner, who said he knew MacNeill on a professional basis, said MacNeill seemed to be directing his anger at his wife, Michele. But that wasn't the part of Martin MacNeill's behavior that day that really struck him.

"The oddest statement, to the point of being bizarre, was he offered me $10,000 to not stop my resuscitation efforts," Van Wagoner testified in 4th District Court Thursday. "Clearly, this patient came in dead. … It was a pretty odd request."

Anna Osborne Walthall, a woman who said she had an affair with MacNeill in 2005, testified that they often talked about killing — specifically MacNeill's history of killing that included his brother and his ability to kill without detection. She described these conversations as "pillow talk."

Read more:

http://www.ksl.com/?sid=22426935&nid=148&s_cid=rss-extlink

Murder hearing focuses on drugs found in Michele MacNeill

By Pat Reavy, Deseret News
Published: Tuesday, Oct. 9 2012 6:21 p.m. MDT

PROVO — Dr. Todd Grey admits the pieces of information he had regarding the death of Michele MacNeill didn't change between 2008 and 2010. But his mindset did.

"My thinking about the case changed," the veteran Utah state medical examiner conceded from the witness stand Tuesday.

During cross-examination on the fourth day of a preliminary hearing in the murder case of Martin MacNeill, defense attorney Randy Spencer tried to raise the argument that Grey was pressured into changing his opinion about Michele MacNeill's death so they could file a homicide charge.

But Grey said that was not the case.

Read more:

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865564063/Testimony-resumes-in-Martin-MacNeill-case.html

Murder suspect’s wife had depressant drugs in her system at death

Court » Martin MacNeill accused of killing wife to continue affair with another woman.

By Jessica Miller
| The Salt Lake Tribune
First Published 7 hours ago • Updated 4 minutes ago

Provo » Michele MacNeill — allegedly murdered by her husband five years ago — had taken a "cocktail" of drugs that would have caused loss of consciousness, respiratory depression and coma, according to an expert who testified Tuesday during a preliminary hearing in 4th District Court.

Four drugs were found in Michele MacNeill’s blood after her death in April 2007: oxycodone, promethazine, diazepam and zolpidem, which is also known as Ambien.

Gary Dawson, a clinical pharmacologist and forensic toxicologist from Idaho, testified that all four drugs are central nervous system depressants, and all have an additive effect to one another.

Dawson said the level of Ambien found in Michele MacNeill’s blood would indicate the drug was taken within a few hours of her death, and would not be in her system if she had taken it the night before, as is typical to treat insomnia.

Read more:

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/55050028-78/macneill-testified-death-michele.html.csp

Mark Johnston | Daily Herald Witness Gypsy Willis passes defendant Martin MacNeill after taking the witness stand during a preliminary hearing at the Fourth District Court in Provo Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2012.

The ‘other woman’ in MacNeill’s life testifies at murder hearing

Doctor killed wife, prosecutors say, so he could continue extra-marital affair

By jessica miller | The Salt Lake Tribune
First Published Oct 10 2012 01:14 pm • Last Updated Oct 11 2012 11:15 am

Provo • Gypsy Jyll Willis said she never intended to start a serious relationship with Martin MacNeill.

But that all changed after MacNeill’s wife was found dead in a bathtub at her Pleasant Grove home on April 11, 2007.

Willis said her sexual relationship with MacNeill began in November 2005, while MacNeill was still married.

"It was just for fun, just exciting," she testified in 4th District Court on Wednesday. "Just for on the side."

But she said "circumstances changed completely" after Michele MacNeill’s death.

Read more:

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/55057159-78/macneill-willis-death-michele.html.csp

________


Court testimonies show side of doctor close friends didn't know existed

October 10, 2012

PROVO — Pleasant Grove doctor Martin MacNeill faced his daughter and a former girlfriend in court Wednesday, as prosecutors presented their case against him in the death of his wife.

Outside the courtroom, close friends of the late Michelle MacNeill said this case has shown them a side of Martin they never knew existed.

Michelle was found dead in her bathtub in April of 2007. Prosecutors say her husband gave her a dangerous combination of drugs shortly after she underwent a plastic surgery procedure.

"He presented to be very much in love with Michelle," said Michelle's friend Loreen Thompson.

"It's just been a very painful day today," said Sheryl Ramdmall, another of Michelle's friends. "We knew Martin as an outstanding family man; and to hear this in court, to hear that he had this woman that he was having an affair with ..."

Read more:

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?sid=22499819&nid=481

________


Utah County doctor ordered to trial for wife’s 2007 death

Courts » Pleasant Grove man showed “evidence of a guilty mind” after woman’s ’07 death

By Jessica Miller | The Salt Lake Tribune
First Published Oct 11 2012 11:15 am • Updated 1 hour ago

Provo • There wasn’t any single piece of evidence that made up Judge Samuel McVey’s mind when he ruled that Martin MacNeill, a 56-year-old Pleasant Grove doctor, would stand trial in the 2007 death of his wife.

After making the ruling on Thursday in 4th District Court, McVey rehashed details of the case that seemed suspicious or showed MacNeill may have had a guilty mind.

Read more:

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/55065244-78/macneill-death-wife-michele.html.csp

Photo Gallery:

http://www.sltrib.com/csp/cms/sites/sltrib/pages/slidegallery.csp?cid=55057159&pid=4185458

5-week trial set for Pleasant Grove doctor Martin MacNeill after he pleads not guilty in wife's death

By Emiley Morgan, Deseret News
Published: Monday, Oct. 22 2012 4:48 p.m. MDT

PROVO — A five-week trial has been set for March in the case of a Pleasant Grove doctor charged with murder in his wife's 2007 death.

The trial of Martin MacNeill, 56, was scheduled to begin March 5 and continue through April 4 during a hearing Monday in 4th District Court. MacNeill also pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, a first-degree felony, and obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony, in connection with the April 11, 2007, death of Michele MacNeill, 50.

"We're happy it's going to be after the holidays, but we're anxious to get this to trial and see my dad go to jail permanently for my mother's murder," the couple's daughter, Alexis Somers, said after the hearing.

Read more:

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865565022/5-week-trial-set-for-Pleasant-Grove-doctor-Martin-MacNeill-after-he-pleads-not-guilty-in-wifes.html

Martin MacNeill’s attorney asking for specifics in murder case

Courts » Defendant allegedly killed his wife in 2007 so he could continue an affair with another woman.

By jessica miller
The Salt Lake Tribune
November 13, 2012

First Published 1 hour ago • Updated 1 minute ago

An defense attorney for Pleasant Grove doctor Martin MacNeill — who last month was ordered to stand trial for the 2007 murder of his wife — is asking prosecutors for a detailed list of the alleged criminal acts leading to Michele MacNeill’s death.

In a motion filed in 4th District Court requesting a "bill of particulars," attorney Randy Spencer claims charging documents are not specific enough.

Spencer wants prosecutors to provide the precise time MacNeill allegedly administered drugs to his wife and the precise time of her death. He also requests the precise cause of death.

According to Spencer, prosecutors claim MacNeill gave his wife a dangerous combination of prescription drugs, after which "she was drowned at home in her bathtub or died of the combined effects of heart disease and drug toxicity," Spencer notes.

Read more:

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/55270468-78/macneill-death-wife-cause.html.csp

Martin MacNeill's attorneys accuse county of withholding info

December 17, 2012
Paige Fieldsted - Daily Herald

PROVO -- Attorneys for a former Pleasant Grove doctor filed a motion Monday morning asking a judge to dismiss the murder charge against him.

Attorneys Randall Spencer and Susanne Gustin asked that the case be dismissed or that the Utah County Attorney's Office be disqualified from prosecuting the case against Martin MacNeill. MacNeill has been charged in the 2007 death of his wife, Michele MacNeill.

In a 47-page memorandum outlining the reasons for their motion the attorneys wrote, "One of the main reasons for this motion is that the defense team has obtained 'explosive' information from a 'thumb drive' containing nearly one thousand pages of documents that were not provided to counsel after repeated requests for information from the Utah County Attorney's Office."

Read more:

http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/martin-macneill-s-attorneys-accuse-county-of-withholding-info/article_df436a9a-1c29-5b94-82ec-3782105c856d.html

Attorneys for Martin MacNeill want his murder charge thrown out

By Emiley Morgan, Deseret News
Published: Monday, Dec. 17 2012 1:20 p.m. MST


Martin and Michele MacNeill (Family photo)

~Snipped~

MacNeill's attorneys argue that the case has been "irreparably compromised" because of evidence they say they asked for and never received, including information about the MacNeills' son, Damian.

"Investigators in the Utah County Attorney’s Office deemed (Damian MacNeill) to be a very dangerous individual who possessed homicidal impulses and discussed the 'joys of killing,'" the motion states. "Damian was present in Pleasant Grove on the date of his mother’s death."

Attorneys Randall Spencer and Susanne Gustin reiterate that while they do not believe Michele MacNeill was murdered — MacNeill contends his wife's death was nothing more than an accident — they believe the information about Damian MacNeill is "highly exculpatory and was intentionally concealed from defense counsel."

Read more:

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865568943/Attorneys-for-Martin-MacNeill-want-his-murder-charge-thrown-out.html

Judge tosses motion to dismiss MacNeill murder case

By Emiley Morgan
March 5th, 2013 @ 8:54pm

(VIDEO)

PROVO — A judge on Tuesday threw out a motion to dismiss the murder case against a Pleasant Grove doctor accused of killing his wife.

But 4th District Judge Samuel McVey will let attorneys for Martin MacNeill, 57, pursue an alternative course in seeking to have the Utah County Attorney's Office disqualified from prosecuting him.

"I believe the defense should be able to present their case," the judge said Tuesday, noting that he will ask defense attorneys to give a specific list of issues they want to explore. "I want to make sure this doesn't turn into a fishing expedition."

Read more:

http://www.ksl.com/?sid=24297116&nid=148

Lawyers argue about releasing documents in MacNeill murder case

March 25, 2013
4 hours ago • Daily Herald

PROVO -- Martin MacNeill was in court Monday morning for oral arguments regarding his attorney’s request for discovery from the Utah County’s Attorney Office.

The defense had requested the prosecution provide them with all communications about a wire tap that was carried out prior to MacNeill being charged with murder last summer. Judge Samuel McVey ruled that the prosecution had to provide communications between investigators and police officers involved in the wire tap but that they didn’t have to turn over their communications because that qualified as attorney work product.

A status conference was set for April 2 and McVey indicated he hopes to set a trial date within the next six weeks. MacNeill is charged with murder and obstruction of justice for the death of his wife, Michele, in 2007.

Read more:

http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/lawyers-argue-about-releasing-documents-in-macneill-murder-case/article_8329d3a8-9599-11e2-b373-001a4bcf887a.html

Judge declines to disqualify prosecutors from Martin MacNeill case, another motion still pending

By Emiley Morgan, Deseret News
Published: Monday, April 29 2013 3:36 p.m. MDT

PROVO — A judge decided against disqualifying the Utah County Attorney's Office from prosecuting the case of Martin MacNeill, a Pleasant Grove doctor who is accused of killing his wife.

But 4th District Judge Samuel McVey only ruled on one of two defense motions seeking that prosecutors be disqualified during a court hearing Monday.

Attorneys for MacNeill filed a motion asking that the prosecutors be removed from the case or that the entire case be dismissed, amid allegations that prosecutors and investigators kept them from more than 1,000 pages of information — some of it "explosive" — that they argued points to their client's innocence. Fourth District Judge Samuel McVey denied the motion to dismiss the case in March, but agreed to hear arguments on the defense's request to disqualify the Utah County Attorney's Office.

Read more:

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865579159/Judge-wont-disqualify-prosecutors-from-Martin-MacNeill-case.html

County attorney's office clears another hurdle in MacNeill case

May 16, 013 • Paige Fieldsted - Daily Herald

PROVO -- The murder case against Martin MacNeill is one step closer to heading to trial.

In a court hearing Thursday morning, 4th District Judge Samuel McVey ruled in favor of the prosecution's motion to quash subpoenas that would have required several members of the county attorney's office to testify at trial and therefore disqualify them from prosecuting the case.

The case was scheduled to be tried in March, but in December the defense team filed a motion to dismiss the case or disqualify the Utah County Attorney's Office, claiming misconduct on the part of the prosecution team. The defense has since filed several subsequent motions in an attempt to disqualify the county attorney's office.

Read more:

http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/county-attorney-s-office-clears-another-hurdle-in-macneill-case/article_d24a447c-041d-5eac-81fb-020d2c5a56c6.html?comment_form=true

MacNeill pleads not guilty to 2007 sex abuse charges

June 17, 2013  •  Daily Herald

PROVO -- Six years after a forcible sex abuse and tampering with a witness charges were filed against Martin MacNeill the case is finally moving forward.

MacNeill was originally charged with the crimes in 2007 but those charges were dropped. Prosecutors refiled charges in 2009 but MacNeill appealed the charges, saying refiling took away his rights to a speedy public trial. In October an appellate court returned with its decision that no rights were being violated and the case could go forward.

During a court hearing Monday afternoon MacNeill pleaded not guilty to both charges. According to court documents, the charges stem from allegations that MacNeill inappropriately touched a woman and then trying to get the woman to sign an affidavit saying he never had touched her. MacNeill will be in court again on July 15 for a pretrial conference.

Read more:

http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/macneill-pleads-not-guilty-to-sex-abuse-charges/article_02a2c67a-d795-11e2-9467-0019bb2963f4.html

MacNeill's sex abuse trial scheduled for December

4 hours ago  •  Daily Herald

PROVO -- A 6-year-old sexual abuse case is finally going to trial.

Martin MacNeill will stand trial on one count of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony, and witness tampering, a third-degree felony, just two weeks after he is scheduled to be tried for the murder of his wife, Michele.

The charges were originally filed in 2007 but dropped just before the case was originally scheduled to go to trial. The case we refiled in 2009 but took a lengthy hiatus after an interlocutory appeal was filed by the defense, saying that be refiling charges the state had violated MacNeill’s rights to a speedy trial and due process. The Utah Court of Appeals recently denied that motion and the case can now move forward. The two-day trial will begin Dec. 3.

According to court documents, the charged stemmed from allegations that MacNeill inappropriately touched a woman. He also was accused of trying to get the woman to write and notarize an affidavit saying he never touched her.

MacNeill’s six-week murder trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 8.

http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/macneill-s-sex-abuse-trial-scheduled-for-december/article_eb74eb74-eda4-11e2-9c38-0019bb2963f4.html

Martin MacNeill murder case assigned to new judge

3 hours ago • Paige Fieldsted - Daily Herald

PROVO--The murder case against Martin MacNeill has been assigned to a new judge in the Fourth District court.

The motion to disqualify Judge Samuel McVey, along with supporting documents, is sealed and not accessible to the Daily Herald but that motion was granted on August 27th and Judge Derek Pullan was reassigned the case.

According to court documents in the case, the Rule 63(B) motion to disqualify was filed the day prior and a telephone conference with Judge McVey was held on the 27th. McVey referred the motion to Presiding Fourth District Judge David Mortensen who made the reassignment.

Read more:

http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/martin-macneill-murder-case-assigned-to-new-judge/article_afbd4a19-0951-5629-8b27-89d2cf94c46d.html

Prosecutors want TV cameras banned from MacNeill trial (Video)

Posted on: 6:24 pm, September 27, 2013, by Ben Winslow

PROVO — In court documents filed ahead of Dr. Martin MacNeill’s high-profile murder trial, Utah County prosecutors are asking a judge to ban TV cameras from the courtroom.

A motion filed by the Utah County Attorney’s Office asks a judge to prohibit filming of the trial, alleging it could endanger inmate witnesses who would testify that MacNeill had confessed to killing his wife, Michele, in 2007.

“This inmate witness will testify that the Defendant admitted to killing his wife, how and why he killed her, that the Defendant believed authorities could not prove he killed his wife, and that the Defendant looked forward to being with a girlfriend when he was released from prison,” prosecutor Chad Grunander wrote in the motion.

Another inmate believed he would be a “dead man,” if his face were to be broadcast on television, prosecutors wrote.

Read more:

http://fox13now.com/2013/09/27/prosecutors-want-tv-cameras-banned-from-macneill-trial/

Judge: TV can live-stream coverage of Provo murder trial

Courts » Pleasant Grove doctor Martin MacNeill accused of killing wife.

By Marissa Lang  | The Salt Lake Tribune
First Published Sep 30 2013 11:09 am • Updated 12 minutes ago

PROVO • A Utah doctor accused of killing his wife in 2007 so he could continue an extramarital affair will be tried before a judge, a jury and a national television audience.

Thanks to a judge’s ruling Monday in 4th District Court, the six-week murder trial of Martin MacNeill will likely become the first criminal court proceeding to be live broadcast ever in Utah history.

Cameras positioned in the courtroom will be allowed to roll from opening statements to closing arguments in the six-week trial of MacNeill, whose story has grabbed national headlines for years — even before murder and obstructing justice charges were filed against him in 2012.

Read more:

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/56940300-78/trial-macneill-cameras-court.html.csp

The word “victim” can’t be used in MacNeill murder trial

Posted on: 4:37 pm, September 30, 2013, by Ben Winslow, updated on: 06:52pm, September 30, 2013



PROVO — A judge has ordered prosecutors to not refer to Michele MacNeill as a “victim” in her husband’s upcoming murder trial.

The ruling by 4th District Court Judge Derek Pullan came at the end of a long day of arguments over motions in the high-profile murder case of Dr. Martin MacNeill. The judge granted a defense motion limiting prosecutors’ remarks in opening and closing statements, including the use of the word “victim.”

Judge Pullan also instructed prosecutors to tell police officers they are not allowed to refer to Michele MacNeill as a “victim” in their testimony, as it makes the presumption that she was murdered (the jury must determine that).

Read more:

http://fox13now.com/2013/09/30/the-word-victim-cant-be-used-in-macneill-murder-trial/