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. ", "In the Miglin case, this was such a horrible crime. The claims that the younger Miglin and Cunanan knew each other gained circulation, Orth said, after a Chicago bookseller repeated them to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, but the source then called a press conference to say he had been misquoted. The only evidence there is points toward Cunanan killing Miglin for his car and. 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. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Episode three focuses on one such incident: Cunanan's brutal murder of Chicago real-estate mogul Lee Miglin in May of that year. 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 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. 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. I dont know that its reminiscent of any bondage video.. Yet, this version of events goes against what Miglin's family has maintained for 21 years. Slate is published by The Slate Group, a Graham Holdings Company. Egan has offered to allow the Miglins to continue using the garage if they pay $1,400 a month. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. At the center of their quarrel and legal fight is the garage where Miglin was brutally murdered. The only source for the latter is Orth, who, quoting several anonymous sex workers, claims it was well-known in Chicagos gay community that Miglin was gay. The suicide ended the high-profile manhunt that followed the global news coverage of Versaces murder. 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. Speaking to The Chicago Tribune a year after Lee's murder, Marilyn denied these rumors about her husband and Cunanan. The FBI believes that in addition to working odd jobs, Cunanan was a prostitute. In the one scene in which the police speak with Duke about Cunanan, he doesn't give any indication that he recognizes Cunanan's name from anywhere. Marilyn Miglin, the Chicago beauty mogul who rose to fame as a host of the Home Shopping Network and was thrust into the national limelight again in 1997 when her husband Lee Miglin was. Versaces longtime partner and family have said portions of the series are inaccurate. Why did he want him dead? Then in May, Cunanan repeatedly stabbed Lee Miglin, a 72-year-old Chicago real estate developer and wealthy businessman, according to authorities. Episode 3 of The Assassination of Gianni Versace tests whether well still be interested in the series without its title character, who is largely absent from the action. Police believed Miglin had been murdered between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. the day before. He was shot in the head with Trail's handgun. Miglin home: Miglin was killed at his Gold Coast home on East Scott Street. As a police assault team closed in on a houseboat which Cunanan had broken into, Cunanan shot himself in the mouth using the same gun he had used to kill Madson, Reese, and Versace. There has been speculation in the quarter century since. 2023 Vox Media, LLC. 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. On Wednesday, July 23, authorities surrounded a houseboat along Miami Beach, in which Cunanan had apparently holed up. Magazines, Digital But in published reports, Miglin's family has consistently maintained there was no connection between Miglin and Cunanan. Long Waits, Short Appointments, Huge Bills. The series also shows Marilyn using her influence with city officials to bury this information. 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 . Cunanan used whatever was at hand in the garage, stabbing Miglin with either pruning shears (says Time) or a screwdriver (as several other reports suggest) and inflicting the throat wound with a gardening saw. Cunanan, realizing he has to ditch the Lexus, spots a red pickup truck and trails the driver, William Reese, to the Finns Point National Cemetery, a Civil War memorial where he is the caretaker. Bloody clothing was found nearby. Miglin was not so lucky. Wednesday's new episode of "The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story" didn't feature the famed designer at all, instead focusing . Every item on this page was chosen by a Town & Country editor. From there, Cunanan drove off in Reese's truck. Trail wasa graduate of the U.S. / CBS Chicago. Miglin was killed in the garage on May 3, 1997 by serial killer Andrew Cunanan. "There was no relationship whatsoever," Duke said. Marilyn Miglin died just this past March at the age of 83, and maintained to her death that her husband and Cunanan never knew each other. 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. All Rights Reserved. Egan, CEO of Roseland Hospital, lost a 2011 campaign for 43rd ward alderman. 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. From hair trends to relationship advice, our daily newsletter has everything you need to sound like a person whos on TikTok, even if you arent. As ACS executive producer Simpson said, no one will ever know what happened in the moments leading up to Miglin's murder. He built the garage specifically for he and my mom to use and for her to use for the rest of her life," Duke Miglin said. The FBI also reported there had been sightings of Cunanan in the Palm Beach and Miami areas in the weeks prior. CBS 2's Brad Edwards went back to our archive to watch a Betamax tape of our 10 p.m. news from May 4, 1997 "News 2 Chicago," as our news was known at the time anchored by Lester Holt and Linda MacLennan. Miglin, 72, invites him into his Gold Coast home while his wife is away on a business trip. Miglin family members did not return a Tribune request for comment. Is Prince Andrew Moving to Frogmore Cottage? Meanwhile, that red pickup that Cunanan had stolen from Reese was found in a parking garage near Versace's mansion. Cunanan and Miglin are shown sharing a long embrace and kiss. 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. Authorities believe Cunanans killing spree before Versace targeted ex-lovers, including some he may have believed may have given him HIV. But the day Miglin's body was found, likely nobody knew Cunanan had been the killer other than Cunanan himself. 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. Miglin was also known for philanthropic activities, including fundraising for the University of Chicago Medical Center and the Museum of Science and Industry. So I understand it is their choice. I have wanted to share this with you for a long time, but never had the chance, Lee Miglin is shown saying to Cunanan as he divulges his plans for the Skyneedle, which at 1,952 feet and 125 stories would be the tallest building in the world. I promise you, this will happen, Miglin tells Cunanan. He also appeared to have been tortured with a screwdriver. "I'd say it's highly probable that he knew Miglin," said McCrary. Ultimately, police ruled Miglin's murder a crime of opportunity, according to the Chicago Tribune. He stopped in South Carolina to replace the truck's New Jersey plates with stolen ones, and found his way to Miami. The red Jeep he drove to Chicago was found parked two blocks from the developers house. 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. Naval Academy in Annapolis and a Gulf War veteran. 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 was killed in the garage on May 3, 1997 by serial killer Andrew Cunanan. But clearly the show is saying the two had a relationship. The service is attended by some 2,000 people and scores of celebrities, including Princess Diana, Elton John, Naomi Campbell, and fashion power players like Giorgio Armani and Karl Lagerfeld. Former U.S. naval officer Jeffrey Trail had become friends with Cunanan in San Diego in 1991, while Trail was stationed there. He began his career selling premixed pancake batter out of the trunk of a beat-up old car, Marilyn Miglin says at the fundraiser on American Crime Story. She goes on to mention that Miglin built the Chicago Bar Association building (he developed it with business partner J. Paul Beitler in 1990). As The Assassination Of Gianni Versace (editor: Emily Greene) accurately shows, Miglin and his wife Marilyn were prominent figures in the city. He then smashes Miglins head with a block of concrete before inflicting worse injuries, including throwing a concrete block on his chest. Madson was described an intelligent, handsome, young man with a promising future; he was the entire package. Brad Edwards is an investigative reporter and main anchor at CBS2 Chicago. The book includes more details about the crime scene and the conditions in which Miglin's body was found, Vanity Fair noted. But some bizarre details about the crime scene began to emerge. He heads to Miami Beach and fatally shoots Versace before killing himself eight days later. He killed William Reese, a 45-year-old. 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. Marilyn Miglin called the police around 8 a.m. that Sunday, after discovering a 9 mm handgun in the bathroom. Cunanan wanted to disgrace Miglin. "There's so much pain generated from what happened 20 years ago and now another something else that is out of our control here is happening again," Duke Miglin said. Either [Cunanan] knew of the guy or knew his son. 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. The 27-year-old was on the FBIs Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, suspected in the killings of four other people in Minnesota, Illinois and New Jersey. A knife is stuck in a ham on a desk. 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. Check out Romper's new video series, Romper's Doula Diaries: Watch full episodes of Romper's Doula Diaries on Facebook Watch. Cunanan travels to New Jersey, where he kills a cemetery caretaker, and takes his red pickup truck while leaving behind Miglins Lexus. Lee Albert Miglin (July 12, 1924 - May 4, 1997) was an American business tycoon and philanthropist. They were tracking every lead they could -- hunting for Gianni Versace's suspected killer:. Notably, Miglin and his business partner, J. Paul Beitler, unveiled plans in 1988 for the Miglin-Beitler Skyneedle, a skyscraper that would have risen 15 stories taller than the Sears Tower to become the new tallest building in the world. Criss Cunanan is nothing if not an unreliable narrator. Vulgar Favors noted that there was pornography found near his body and Miglin was wearing bikini-style underwear. Another theory suggested that Cunanan might have met the victims son, Duke Miglin, who was for a while an aspiring actor in Hollywood (and did indeed appear in the movie Air Force One). The nature of it suggests that it was personal just as police work 101 when it's up close that way, and stab wounds, all of these types of wounds that's generally people who know the victim. Magazines, Or create a free account to access more articles. Days later, Cunanan shot and killed his former lover David Madson, 33, and dumped his body near a lake in Minnesota. 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. 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. Matt Rodriguez arrives at the Miglin home to oversee the crime scene. 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. 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. So what is the truth behind the artistic license? Witnesses quickly identified someone matchingCunanan's description at the scene, and a manhunt for Cunanan was under way in Miami that night. All Rights Reserved. He was "a man I could have been," as Cunanan remarked to his friend Ronnie in Episode 2. The California native, who could speak two languages, dropped out of college and funded his lifestyle thanks to relationships with older, wealthier gay men, federal investigations found. 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 romantic or even sexual level, according to ABC7Chicago. 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. That. 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. Miglin family members have long denied Lee Miglin and Cunanan knew each other before the attack. 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.. He began his career as a salesman for Arthur Rubloff & Co. in Chicago, as noted by the Washington Post. Both companies still exist in some form today. "Would this guy let some stranger in off the street? 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.. After the killing, Cunanan took Miglin's Lexus and drove to New Jersey. A Chicago murder mystery becomes a mushroom cloud. And I still don't.". 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. After starting his career as a door-to-door salesman and then broker, Miglin became a successful real estate developer. At any rate, the FBI looked into these claims that Cunanan knew Miglin or his family, but no link was ever established. , July 23, authorities surrounded a houseboat along Miami Beach, which! From the developers house knew each other before the attack areas in head... 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