Marilyn Miglin was and indeed is a beauty entrepreneur who appears monthly on HSN and whose signature perfume is called Pheromone. An open pint of chocolate ice cream and a Coke can are shown on the kitchen counter. But you know, who knows?" On the show, the handgun briefly makes an appearance when Cunanan and Miglin are in his home office, but Cunanan doesn't end up using it or even letting Miglin see it. Although never tested, Cunanan thought he might have AIDS in the late spring and summer of 1997 because of his lifestyle and told friends he was going to kill those with whom he had unprotected. Miglin, 72, invites him into his Gold Coast home while his wife is away on a business trip. They were tracking every lead they could -- hunting for Gianni Versace's suspected killer:. In episode three, Cunanan shows up at Miglin's house and is invited in. Investigators remove Cunanans body from the Miami Beach houseboat on which he died. The Sky Needle is grounded in fact (the project. The 72-year-old was reportedly cleaning a garage behind his home when Cunanan attacked. There were over two dozen blows causing bruises or lacerations to his head, face, and chin; the blood from these wounds soaked through layer upon layer of three-quarter-inch masking tape that had been wound around his head mummy-style, except for an opening at the nostrils and at the top of his head. Gay pornographic magazines had been left not far away.. 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. Later, Cunanan goes on a date with Versace to the San Francisco Opera, where the designer is working on Capriccio. ", "In the Miglin case, this was such a horrible crime. 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. Twenty years after the murder, Cunanans motive is still unclear. 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. Per Orth, Cunanan considered Trail to be his best friend, and referred to him as my brother." 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. Federal investigators believed Cunanan may have been targeting gay men. Police press conference: We consider Andrew Cunanan to be armed and to be extremely dangerous. In a 2017 interview with ABC7, the local Chicago affiliate, Duke denied that he or his father ever knew Cunanan. He bound Miglin's hands and feet and wrapped his head with duct tape, then stabbed him more than twenty times with a screwdriver, slit his throat with a hacksaw, and stole his car. Shortly after Trail, 28, had moved to Minnesota for a new job, his body was found in a Minneapolis loft apartment belonging to his friend, David Madsonan ex-lover of Cunanans. His mouth was gagged with a white garden glove with numerous black rubber dots. Cunanan and Miglin are shown sharing a long embrace and kiss. 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. Either [Cunanan] knew of the guy or knew his son. Death. The American Crime Story episode scheduled to air next week will follow Cunanan as he kills two men in Minnesota before killing Miglin. Cunanan travels to New Jersey, where he kills a cemetery caretaker, and takes his red pickup truck while leaving behind Miglins Lexus. Emma Dibdin is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles who writes about culture, mental health, and true crime. Some reportsincluding one in the New York Timesclaimed that Cunanan had told friends he was HIV-positive, and that he was murdering former lovers out of a desire for vengeance on whoever had infected him. At any rate, the FBI looked into these claims that Cunanan knew Miglin or his family, but no link was ever established. He had been bound with duct tape, stabbed more than 20 times with a. Cunanan would use that weapon throughout his murder spree. Ms. Miglin called 911 and reported her husband missing, and also reported the couple's 1994 green Lexus missing from the garage. Miglin and Beitler initially revealed plans for the Skyneedle, which would have soared more than 1,900 feet at the corner of Madison and Wells streets, in the late 80s. 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. "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?" The series also shows Marilyn using her influence with city officials to bury this information. But in published reports, Miglin's family has consistently maintained there was no connection between Miglin and Cunanan. His watch had stopped at 9:55 pm, which investigators believed was the time of his killing on Sunday, April 27. Cunanan had a. All contents 2023 The Slate Group LLC. Chicago was the setting for most of Wednesdays episode of "American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace. The FX series follows Andrew Cunanan (played by Darren Criss) as he fatally stabs Chicago real estate tycoon Lee Miglin (MASH alum Mike Farrell) in May 1997 as part of a killing spree that also claimed Versace, a noted fashion designer. Police officers are later shown examining Miglins bloody body, which was surrounded by male pornographic magazines. 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. 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. Judith Light portrays Chicago socialite Marilyn Miglin in the series. Cunanan was visiting Minnesota at the time, had stayed at Trails apartment the night before his murder, and called Trail on Sunday evening to invite him over to Madsons apartment. There are references made to this not being their first meeting and not their first meeting of a sexual nature. Miglin-Cunanan relationship: This is probably the most contentious part of the story. And in its 2017 article on Duke Miglin, ABC7 also noted, "The FBI looked into a few claims that Cunanan knew Miglin or his family, but no link was ever nailed down.". The idea that he just picked him up off the street and stalked him and tortured him and then killed him is bizarre not the most likely scenario.". All Rights Reserved. The skyscraper was never built. 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. 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. Check out Romper's new video series, Romper's Doula Diaries: Watch full episodes of Romper's Doula Diaries on Facebook Watch. As Washington Post writer Edward Walsh wrote on May 8, 1997: "(Miglin) is widely credited for his concept of redeveloping aging warehouse areas into what is known today as upscale business parks, and at the time of his death had built a company responsible for developing several high-rise buildings in Chicago and its suburbs and managing 22 million square feet of office and retail space.". After a five-hour standoff, a SWAT team moved in and there were reports that police had pulled the body of a man who might have been Cunanan. There Cunanan shoots Reese point blank and steals the truck. In 2018, the anthology television series "American Crime Story" issued a nine-part true-crime dramatization of the story of the Cunanan murders titled "The Assassination of Gianni Versace" in which Miglin, played by Mike Farrell, and Cunanan, played by Darren Criss, were presented as having had a furtive personal relationship. Orth called Madson the great unrequited love of Cunanans life and noted that although the pair had broken up in the spring of 1996, Cunanan kept a picture of Madson on his refrigerator door. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. He killed William Reese, a 45-year-old cemetery worker in New Jersey, less than a week later. Initially, their interactions played out like the sex work viewers saw Cunanan engage in in the second episode of the series. That check showed that the Jeep was being sought by Minnesota authorities in connection with the two killings there. That is pure speculation, however, as is the scenario presented in The Assassination of Gianni Versace. Sample Page; ; The FBI believes that in addition to working odd jobs, Cunanan was a prostitute. The series, which premiered Jan. 17, is slated for a nine-episode run. Four mug shots of Andrew Cunanan, who shot and killed fashion designer Gianni 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. Witnesses quickly identified someone matchingCunanan's description at the scene, and a manhunt for Cunanan was under way in Miami that night. Police spotted a car with a Minnesota license plate near Miglin's home after the murder, another report from The Chicago Tribune noted. Lee, portrayed by Mike Farrell of M*A*S*H, had his real estate company and Marilyn, played by Judith Light of Transparent, owns a cosmetics and fragrance company. As The Assassination Of Gianni Versace (editor: Emily Greene) accurately shows, Miglin and his wife Marilyn were prominent figures in the city. However, the dominance and submission play quickly took a violent turn. Trail wasa graduate of the U.S. 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 didnt appreciate. The 72-year-old real estate agent was found bludgeoned and stabbed by the man who later killed Versace. 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. He stole Miglin's care and got a head start on what became a nearly. Cunanan then came to Chicago and brutally murdered Miglin. The episode opens with Miglins wife, Marilyn (the always excellent Judith Light), promoting her fragrance Pheromone on the Home Shopping Network. Versaces longtime partner and family have said portions of the series are inaccurate. 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. CBS 2's Mike Parker reported Chicago Police had been aching to talk with Cunanan about the murder of Miglin. In fact, the series depicts Miglin as being a closeted homosexual who hires Cunanan as a sex worker. After starting his career as a door-to-door salesman and then broker, Miglin became a successful real estate developer. Here's what we know about Miglin and his family. 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. Versace had a longtime boyfriend, Antonio DAmico. The source also said Miglin had been covered with a plastic bag, and masking tape wrapped around his throat. 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. Miglin's son, Duke, added, "There was no relationship whatsoever.". 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). As depicted in 'The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story,' Cunanan killed four other men before murdering Versace in July 1997. According to Cunanan's friends, Cunanan considered David Madson to be the love of his life, even though their relationship ended in the spring of 1996. The Chicago Tribune reported on the murder after Miglin was killed in May 1997 and before Cunanan was named as a suspect. As noted in published reports, Miglin was born in 1924 in downstate Illinois the son of a Lithuanian immigrant coal miner. The program recruited 200 of Chicagos most successful women and had them serve as mentors for young women across a variety of professions. The FBI believed Cunanan may have been seeking revenge on former lovers or clients who may have given him HIV, records show. So what is the truth behind the artistic license? Police had gone to Madson's apartment after he hadn't shown up for work, and found Trail's body there, CBS News reported. An initial theory told to Morrell by sources was that Miglin had parked his Lexus in a garage and walked across the alleyway, and was in the process of opening his back gate when someone stuck what Miglin believed to be a loaded gun in his back and ordered him into his other garage. The show suggests that Miglin arranged an assignation with Cunanan, an escort whose services he had used before, while his dynamic wife was out of town on business, though there is no hard proof of this and, as in the series, the family denied that the two knew each other. 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. All this actually happened. 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. 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. Authorities believe Cunanan targeted Reese so that he could steal his truck. At the time of his death, Versace was one of the most high-profile fashion designers in the world, dressing the likes of Princess Diana, Madonna and Elton John. She also said that, according to a Minneapolis homicide sergeant, the FBI had been told by a witness that Cunanan had told her he was going into business with Duke Miglin but that the Chicago police were ignoring this. 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 . About three years ago, Marlena Miglin added Egan to the title when she was trying to get a business loan. 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. 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. 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