The details of the robbery are accurate, but there is no hard evidence for the shows assertion that Miglin knew Cunanan, much less engaged his sexual services. CHICAGO (CBS) -- On May 4, 1997 - 25 years ago Wednesday - Chicago real estate magnate Lee Miglin was found brutally murdered under a car in the garage of his Gold Coast mansion. Miglin was meant to pick Marilyn up from Chicago O'Hare airport that morning. 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. Jim Edgar event: A week before Lee Miglins death, Marilyn Miglin (played by Transparent star Judith Light) is shown praising her husband at a fundraiser for Jim Edgar, who served as Illinois governor from 1991-99. The series also shows Marilyn using her influence with city officials to bury this information. As depicted in 'The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story,' Cunanan killed four other men before murdering Versace in July 1997. Miglin's black Lexus was found abandoned in a New Jersey cemetery, near the body of cemetery caretaker, William Reese, Cunanan's fourth victim. ", "In the Miglin case, this was such a horrible crime. "There was no relationship whatsoever," Duke said. Mike Farrell as Lee Miglin (left) and Judith Light as Marilyn Miglin (right) in. In reality, there isn't much out there about the possible Cunanan-Miglin relationship. "We know who we are and what we stand for.". The killer was Andrew Cunanan a spree killer who murdered a total of five people, including fashion designer Gianni Versace, before he took his own life. The Chicago Tribune also reported in 2018 that the couple was married for 38 years in 1997 and had two children. I dont know that its reminiscent of any bondage video.. Simpson told the paper that producers also studied FBI records and witness accounts. Despite Miglin's wife and their son Duke vehemently denying any previous connection between Cunanan and Miglin, reports from several people indicate Miglin and Cunanan may have been involved on a . 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. He was shot in the head with Trail's handgun. Initially, their interactions played out like the sex work viewers saw Cunanan engage in in the second episode of the series. The motive behind Cunanan's third murder remains a mystery, according to an article by ABC7Chicago 20 years after Miglin's death. On May 8, 1997, everything changed in the investigation theories about random street crime were no more. His face was wrapped in masking tape, his feet were bound, and his throat was slashed. Why did he want him dead? "It's a painful, painful thing that's happening," said Duke Miglin, Lee Miglin's son. The Jan. 31 episode of The Assassination Of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (executive producer: Nina Jacobson), "A Random Killing," focuses on the murder of Lee Miglin, a real estate mogul from Chicago. The murder set off one of the biggest and most intense manhunts of the '90s. "There was no relationship whatsoever," Duke said. Wednesday evening, police sources said the proximity of the Jeep to Miglin's Gold Coast townhouse remained the only concrete clue to link Cunanan to the Chicago slaying.. Cunanan then took off. Miglin's body had been found that morning in the garage behind the mansion at 25 E. Scott St. where he lived with his wife, cosmetics entrepreneur, "Home Shopping Network" host, and "Queen of Makeovers" Marilyn Miglin. 2023 Vox Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Andrew was thrilled and Eli couldn't believe it. Shortly after Miglins murder, Cunanan became the 449th fugitive listed on the FBIs Most Wanted list. Trail wasa graduate of the U.S. Cunanan had reportedly been living in Miami Beach for two months prior to killing Versace. "It was built by my father. 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. Lee Miglin was born and raised in Westville, Illinois in 1925. But Versace wasn't the only one who lost his life at the hands of 27-year-old serial killer 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. "I lived the life of a fairy princess and I had a prince for 38 years, and then one day my prince went to war and didn't come back," she said. CBS 2's Geoff Morrell reported that detectives initially believed Miglin did not know his killer or killers but rather believed it was a crime of opportunity, and Miglin was targeted because he was rich and vulnerable. He had been beaten and stabbed. 2023 TIME USA, LLC. Vulgar Favors noted that there was pornography found near his body and Miglin was wearing bikini-style underwear. Police responding to the attack found Reeses stolen truck in a nearby parking garage, along with Cunanans clothes, a fake passport, and newspaper clippings detailing his murders. The episode builds on the scene from the previous week where Cunanan sells his services to an older, successful man, whom he subjects to some BDSM that looks like its going to go too far and end tragically before Cunanan relents. Then in May, Cunanan repeatedly stabbed Lee Miglin, a 72-year-old Chicago real estate developer and wealthy businessman, according to authorities. .css-1du65oy{color:#323232;display:block;font-family:NewParis,Georgia,Times,serif;font-weight:normal;margin-bottom:0.3125rem;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;-webkit-font-smoothing:auto;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-1du65oy:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-1du65oy{font-size:1.0625rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-1du65oy{font-size:1.0625rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-1du65oy{font-size:1.3125rem;line-height:1.2;}}Kate Recreated a Past Outfit for St. David's Day, Royals Confirmed to Attend Charles's Coronation. The murder comes when Cunanan leads Miglin to the garage under the guise that they are going out together somewhere and then Cunanan proceeds to kill Miglin in the garage. Magazines, Or create a free account to access more articles. "A lot of false things were brought up and they were very hurtful, very painful, for me personally and there were attacks on me as well that I really didn't appreciate. The first episode shows Versace and Cunanan meeting in the VIP area of a nightclub, where an initially irritated Versace is eventually won over by Cunanans story about his mothers upbringing in Italy. Police also later found a duffel bag in Madson's apartment with Cunanan's name and a La Jolla, California address on it. Miglin was known for being meticulous, which is why his wife Marilyn found it strange that the front gate was unlocked when she returned home from a business trip Sunday morning. He was pursuing a career with the California Highway Patrol before suddenly and unexpectedly moving to Minneapolis. [27] His wife Marilyn had become suspicious when she arrived home from a business trip to Canada that morning, only to find her husband missing and a handgun in a bathroom though the gun later turned out to be a replica. Miglin proudly shows Cunanan the plans for his dream project, the Sky Needle, that at 125 stories was to be the tallest building in the world. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. We don't know, and we were always trying to get it as close to right as we could, knowing that there was not as much information to draw from, and try to do justice to people who were impacted by it.". Miglin made his money as a real estate developer. Check out Romper's new video series, Romper's Doula Diaries: Watch full episodes of Romper's Doula Diaries on Facebook Watch. Lee Miglin was found in his garage with several shallow stab wounds, his throat slit by a bow saw, his feet bound, and his head wrapped in tape, according to a May, 1997 article in Newsweek. Instead, the story delves into the crime Versaces killer, Andrew Cunanan (Darren Criss), committed before heading for Miami: the May 1997 murder of successful Chicago real estate developer Lee Miglin. Miglin was stabbed more than 20 times with a screwdriver on May 3. But where the television series begins to diverge from some reports is in what relationship Cunanan had to the Miglin family, if any. From a Tribune report at the time: As detectives swarmed the neighborhood for clues, no one paid much attention to the Jeep. In the aftermath of the murder, reporters and authorities tried to find a link between Miglin, who appeared to have been happily married for nearly 40 years, and Cunanan. Andrew Phillip Cunanan (August 31, 1969 - July 23, 1997) was an American serial killer known to have murdered five people, including Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace and Chicago real estate developer Lee Miglin, during a three-month period in mid-1997. After murdering Miglin in his garage, Cunanan went into the family's home, ate a ham sandwich, shaved and rested. He also appeared to have been tortured with a screwdriver. The skyscraper was to be constructed at 201 W. Madison St. downtown. / CBS Chicago. On the night of May 4, 1997, Andrew Cunanan murdered Miglin and stole his Lexus to flee the scene of the crime. Then Cunanan is shown laying Miglin down in his garage, wrapping his legs together with orange extension cord, strangling him, punching him in the face, throwing a bag of concrete on his chest and stabbing him. It appeared that Cunanan went into Miglin's kitchen following the murder, made himself a ham sandwich, and shaved before taking off in his new getaway vehicle. His mouth was gagged with a white garden glove with numerous black rubber dots. Cunanan's third victim was 72-year-old prominent real estate developer Lee Miglin from Chicago. The 72-year-old real estate agent was found bludgeoned and stabbed by the man who later killed Versace. Another murder, the violent shooting of Lee Miglin, a self-made real-estate magnate, was making national headlines two months before Andrew Cunanan killed Gianni Versace. He made seemingly little attempt to stay under the radar, despite being on the FBIs Most Wanted list; at one point, he even used his own name to pawn a gold coin he stole from Miglin. Andrew Cunanan, left, and Darren Criss as Andrew Cunanan, Lee Miglin, left, and Mike Farrell as Lee Miglin, John Reilly/Sygma/Sygma via Getty Images and FX, Marilyn Miglin, left, and Judith Light as Marilyn Miglin, the family denied that the two knew each other, evidence that the person or persons did in fact avail themselves of food at the victims home and was walking around the apartment, Advocate writer Ted Gideonse disputes this, Robert Milan, a former assistant states attorney for Cook County, told ABC News, a Chicago bookseller repeated them to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. His wife, Marilyn, first became alarmed when Lee didnt show up as planned to meet her at the airport, and alerted police when she returned home to find their gate unlocked and the kitchen in disarray. Cunanan would then travel to Miami before shooting Gianni Versace on the front steps of his mansion on July 15, 1997. Rodriguez, now in his 80s, told the Tribune Wednesday he didnt know he was going to be portrayed on the show and he didnt personally examine Miglins body as was shown on the series or talk with Marilyn Miglin in her home. Look at my husband Lee, one of seven children, the son of an Illinois coal miner. The 72-year-old was reportedly cleaning a garage behind his home when Cunanan attacked. 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. 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. Morrell's source said in that garage, Miglin was nearly decapitated with a pair of five-foot-long pruning shears, which were recovered in the garage. The answer is no. He then smashes Miglins head with a block of concrete before inflicting worse injuries, including throwing a concrete block on his chest. Season 2 0f American Crime Story: The Assasination of Gianni Versace airs Wednesdays on FX. He stole Miglin's care and got a head start on what became a nearly. "Lee Miglin built that garage for his . She also continues to give back to her community by raising more than $1 million to the preservation of Oak Street in Chicago and by founding the Women of Destiny program. "No place and no one is immune from violence, yet tonight, we begin with a murder nearly as disturbing from where it happened as it is for who the victim was," Holt read at the top of the newscast. Marilyn also reported at the time that she found a handgun in the bathroom, which turned out to be a replica. "We don't know what happened over that weekend with Lee Miglin, and there are conflicting statements, so it was a real challenge for us to decide: what do we feel is authentically true, what do we believe to be true, and how can we do justice to these characters?" Cunanan opened fire at point-blank range, shooting Versace twice in the back of the head, according to FBI records. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. 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. As for the murder, the details are particularly disturbing. You have reached your limit of 4 free articles. Long Waits, Short Appointments, Huge Bills. After starting his career as a door-to-door salesman and then broker, Miglin became a successful real estate developer. 25 years ago: Andrew Cunanan's murder spree takes Lee Miglin's life. Miglin family members have long denied Lee Miglin and Cunanan knew each other before the attack. Marilyn Miglin called the police around 8 a.m. that Sunday, after discovering a 9 mm handgun in the bathroom. There are references made to this not being their first meeting and not their first meeting of a sexual nature. According to the Vanity Fair article written by Maureen Orth, the author of the book about Cunanan on which this season of American Crime Story is based, Cunanan slept in Miglin's bed, used the bathtub, and shaved at the vanity. According to ABC-7 Chicago's recent look back at Miglin's death on the 20th anniversary of the murder, Cunanan covered Miglin's head and face with tape, tortured him with a screwdriver and garden saw, and broke his ribs with multiple blows to the chest and torso, all of which is re-created in the FX drama. I am an advocate of Edgar from way back, Lee Miglin told Crains Chicago Business in 1994. 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. By the next night, authorities had positively identified Cunanan, and said he had committed suicide. 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Before killing Miglin in the episode, Cunanan confessed to his two previous crimes (of friend Jeff Trail and ex-boyfriend David Madson) and remarked that murder wasn't what anyone would have expected from him, a young man known for being cultured and intellectual. Criss Cunanan is nothing if not an unreliable narrator. He was described as an upbeat, fun-loving, compassionate man. Trail had been beaten to death with a claw hammer, and his body rolled up in a rug. Miglin was killed in the garage on May 3, 1997 by serial killer Andrew Cunanan. In The Assassination of Gianni Versace, Cunanan is played by Glee star Darren Criss. ''He was a very visible person, not a recluse, not a shut-in.'' Now Egan wants access to the garage and is trying to evict his in-laws from the property. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The episode's version of events depicts that Lee Miglin knew Andrew Cunanan before Cunanan allegedly killed him. Police had gone to Madson's apartment after he hadn't shown up for work, and found Trail's body there, CBS News reported. Copyright 2023 WLS-TV. 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. So what is the truth behind the artistic license? Yet, this version of events goes against what Miglin's family has. "What do you say about a man you loved passionately for 38 years a man who exemplified courage, and honor, and dignity, and a code of ethics beyond any that I think anybody's ever had?" The investigation into Versaces murder ended July 23, 1997 eight days after the designers death when Cunanan apparently shot himself to death on a boat house, about two miles away from Versaces house in Miami Beach. As told by the FX series, Miglin was a closeted, 72-year-old real estate magnate who paid for Cunanan's services as a gigolo while his wife (played by Judith Light) was out of town. Cunanan then came to Chicago and brutally murdered Miglin. The source also said Miglin had been covered with a plastic bag, and masking tape wrapped around his throat. From Vulgar Favors: Lee, born Albert Lee Miglin, one of eight children of a central Illinois coal miner, began his career selling stainless steel flatware door to door and premixed pancake batter out of the trunk of his car.. Miglin's son, Duke, added, "There was no relationship whatsoever.". Then in May, Cunanan repeatedly stabbed Lee Miglin, a 72-year-old Chicago real estate developer and wealthy businessman, according to authorities. The show sticks closely to this gruesome version of events. On July 15, 1997, Cunanan shot and killed Italian designer Gianni Versace outside his Miami Beach home. Outside his Miami Beach for two months prior to killing Versace my husband Lee, one of seven children the. Raised in Westville, Illinois in 1925 is in what relationship Cunanan had to the garage and trying! 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