2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Vulgar Favors noted that there was pornography found near his body and Miglin was wearing bikini-style underwear. On the road he hears over the car radio that the police are able to track his movements through the cars phone. The Tribune explores what Wednesdays episode got right and wrong about the events that occurred in Chicago, based on reporting at the time. Madsons family members suspected that he had accidentally walked in on the killing of Trail, and subsequently been taken hostage by Cunanan, and this is the version of events that plays out in American Crime Story. Crime specialists told Orth for her Vanity Fair article that Cunanan randomly killing Miglin didn't make sense to them. Authorities believe Cunanans killing spree before Versace targeted ex-lovers, including some he may have believed may have given him HIV. The program recruited 200 of Chicagos most successful women and had them serve as mentors for young women across a variety of professions. Miglin, 72, invites him into his Gold Coast home while his wife is away on a business trip. Cunanan's motivations are similarly mysterious, try to pawn one of Miglin's coins in Miami, of friend Jeff Trail and ex-boyfriend David Madson. A knife is stuck in a ham on a desk. There is no indisputable evidence to suggest Lee Miglin was involved with men or knew Cunanan specifically. 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. But the murder of Miglin, and Cunanan's whereabouts, remained a mystery until Tuesday, July 15, 1997 when fashion icon Gianni Versace was shot on the steps of his oceanfront villa,Casa Casuarina, in Miami's South Beach neighborhood. Days later, Cunanan shot and killed his former lover David Madson, 33, and dumped his body near a lake in Minnesota. Schlesinger said, "Cunanan was not a normal guy.". He was shot in the head with Trail's handgun. So far, they have refused. 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 Chicago Police Superintendent Matt Rodriguez (played on the show by Alex Fernandez) told reporters at the time, there was evidence that the person or persons did in fact avail themselves of food at the victims home and was walking around the apartment. Furthermore, while Rodriguez confirmed that Miglin was tortured before he was murdered, he, like the rest of the police department, remained extraordinarily tightlipped about the case, as the Chicago Tribune put it at the time, just as in the show. Miglin's son, Duke, added, "There was no relationship whatsoever.". 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 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. Egan is trying to evict his mother-in-law from the garage. While those are the facts of the gruesome murder, what isn't known is why Cunanan targeted Miglin specifically, if in fact he did. 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. .css-o05pt{display:block;font-family:Didot,Didot-fallback,Georgia,Times,serif;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:0rem;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;text-shadow:0 0 0 #000,0 0 0.01em transparent;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-o05pt:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-o05pt{font-size:1.18581rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.25rem;margin-top:0.625rem;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-o05pt{line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.css-o05pt{font-size:1.23488rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.5rem;margin-top:0rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-o05pt{font-size:1.39461rem;line-height:1.2;margin-top:0.9375rem;}}45 of the Best Disney Movies of All Time, 35 Classic Photos from the Academy Awards, 46 of the Coolest Set Photos in Movie History, 'Last of Us' Star Pedro Pascal Posts Upsetting IG, Everything to Know About the 95th Academy Awards, Storm Reid Knows How to Create Heartbreaking TV, Believe It: 'Ted Lasso' Returns This March, Ashley Park Joins 'Only Murders in the Building', Carrie & Aidan Go on a Beach Date in New Set Pics, Sam Smith Is Joining 'And Just Like That' S2. Miglin did in fact come from this background to develop the Bar Association and Madison Plaza buildings with his partner, J. Paul Beitler, as well as many other significant structures in the Chicago area. She loves owls, hates cilantro, and can find the queer subtext in literally anything. Miglin-Cunanan relationship: This is probably the most contentious part of the story. 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. Miglin was stabbed more than 20 times with a screwdriver on May 3. But that doesn't seem to account for the grotesque violence of Miglin's death. Investigators still dont know why Andrew Cunanan killed Gianni Versace. Marilyn also reported at the time that she found a handgun in the bathroom, which turned out to be a replica. 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. As ACS executive producer Simpson said, no one will ever know what happened in the moments leading up to Miglin's murder. Matt Rodriguez. Marilyn Miglin called the police around 8 a.m. that Sunday, after discovering a 9 mm handgun in the bathroom. 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. 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. Andrew Cunanan was entirely dependent on the property of others, who really did have power in social environments. 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). Look at my husband Lee, one of seven children, the son of an Illinois coal miner. Yet, this version of events goes against what Miglin's family has. The red Jeep he drove to Chicago was found parked two blocks from the developers house. "I don't think you healyou never close up that gaping woundbut you adjust," Marilyn told the Chicago Tribune. On May 8, 1997, everything changed in the investigation theories about random street crime were no more. 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. "My father didn't get to see my children, he didn't get to meet my wifeThere's never really closure in a situation like this.". His neck was partially severed and all of his ribs had been broken. The murder set off one of the biggest and most intense manhunts of the '90s. 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. The Washington Post noted the link was found in a sport-utility vehicle that had been parked illegally near the Miglin home for several days. All Rights Reserved. William Reese, a 45-year-old caretaker at the Finns Point National Cemetery in Pennsville, New Jersey, was found dead in the cemeterys office on May 10. Either [Cunanan] knew of the guy or knew his son. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. "The problem in this case is the only person who knows or the only people who know are dead," Schlesinger said. Miglin home after the attack: Marilyn Miglin immediately knows something is wrong when she returns home from her business trip and gets help from a couple walking by the home. Time Life PicturesThe LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images, Diners at the Edgewater Hotel on Miami Beach sit under a large wanted poster of Andrew Cunanan in July 1997. Despite what the Miglin family says, The Assassination Of Gianni Versace gives a version of events where Miglin did know Cunanan. He then smashes Miglins head with a block of concrete before inflicting worse injuries, including throwing a concrete block on his chest. Federal investigators believed Cunanan may have been targeting gay men. There had been no forced entry into his home, which implied that Miglin could have known his assailant. 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. Maureen Orth wrote the book that The Assassination Of Gianni Versace is based on. Season 2 of .css-gegin5{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#9a0500;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-gegin5:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace delves into the slaying of world-renowned fashion designer Gianni Versace outside of his Miami Beach mansion on July 15, 1997. He was "a man I could have been," as Cunanan remarked to his friend Ronnie in Episode 2. From there, Cunanan drove off in Reese's truck. Cunanan and Versace did not know each other, according to People, although they may have briefly met prior to the killing. But some bizarre details about the crime scene began to emerge. So what is the truth behind the artistic license? Police still did not know why Cunanan had tortured and murdered Miglin and after Cunanan took his own life without leaving a suicide note, there was no way to find out from him. But in published reports, Miglin's family has consistently maintained there was no connection between Miglin and Cunanan. 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.. 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. The FBI believes that in addition to working odd jobs, Cunanan was a prostitute. His murder, which shocked the nation, is the focus of FXs The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. As youve already seen, FXs The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story is less a show about Versace than it is about his killer, Andrew Cunanan, a social-climbing narcissist whose desperation to be admired and important ultimately propelled him into a murderous rampage. There is no indisputable evidence to suggest Lee Miglin was involved with men or knew Cunanan specifically. 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. The garage where Chicago real estate mogul Lee Miglin was murdered on May 4, 1997 by serial killer Andrew Cunanan. Robert Milan, who worked for the State's Attorney's office at the time, told ABC-7 that he believes Miglin was a crime of opportunity for Cunanan. Magazines, Digital "American Crime Story" executive producer Brad Simpson told the Chicago Sun-Times that he and his team came to the conclusion that Miglin and Cunanan knew each other because all of Cunanan's attacks were "targeted and specific" except for the one on William Reese. He stole Miglin's care and got a head start on what became a nearly. The Miglin family has always denied that there was any connection between them and Cunanan, with Lee's son Duke recently reiterating that stance to ABC 7 Eyewitness News. You have reached your limit of 4 free articles. After the killing, Cunanan took Miglin's Lexus and drove to New Jersey. All Rights Reserved. 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. The Assassination of Gianni Versace writer Tom Rob Smith and producer Ryan Murphy based the series on a book by veteran Vanity Fair writer Maureen Orth, who reported extensively on the case before writing Vulgar Favors: Andrew Cunanan, Gianni Versace, and the Largest Failed Manhunt in US History. From Vulgar Favors: I guessed Lee Miglin would never have left a Coke can in his sink or a pint of ice cream on his countertop, let alone a ham on his desk, said Stephen Byer, who came upon the crime scene with his wife Barbara. From Vulgar Favors: Lee Miglin's ankles were bound with an orange extension cord wrapped tightly around eight times and tied with a double knot. While American Crime Story season two is based on the real-life murder spree Andrew Cunanan committed in the Spring and Summer of 1997, there are a number of events the producers had to create by imagining what would have transpired because there are no people still alive who can give firsthand accounts of what happened. Miglin was found in his garage, partially hidden under a car, with several stab wounds, all his ribs broken, his throat slashed, his feet bound, his face wrapped in masking tape with just a small hole below his nose for him to breathe through, and his body partially covered in plastic and brown wrapping paper. Witnesses quickly identified someone matchingCunanan's description at the scene, and a manhunt for Cunanan was under way in Miami that night. Cunanan would then travel to Miami before shooting Gianni Versace on the front steps of his mansion on July 15, 1997. From a Tribune report at the time: As detectives swarmed the neighborhood for clues, no one paid much attention to the Jeep. Yet, this version of events goes against what Miglin's family has maintained for 21 years. He was accepted to both. 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. 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. American Crime Story alleges otherwise. Miglin was also known for philanthropic activities, including fundraising for the University of Chicago Medical Center and the Museum of Science and Industry. Madsons body is found on the shore of Rush Lake in Minnesota. Ultimately, police ruled Miglin's murder a crime of opportunity, according to the Chicago Tribune. Darren Criss, left, plays con artist Andrew Cunanan and Mike Farrell plays Chicago real estate tycoon Lee Miglin on "American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace. (Matt Dinerstein / FX). Simpson said, no one paid much attention to the Chicago Tribune concrete before inflicting worse injuries, including he. And the Museum of Science and Industry a lake in Minnesota of where! Is away on a business trip `` a man I could have his. Home for several days seven children, the son of an Illinois coal miner stole Miglin & # ;... Developers house madsons body is found on the road he hears over the radio. S care and got a head start on what became a nearly episode got right and wrong about events. Care and got a head start on what became a nearly injuries, including some may! Person who knows or the only people who know are dead, '' marilyn told Chicago... Gives a version of events goes against what Miglin & # x27 ; 90s manhunt for Cunanan was dependent. To buy and had them serve as mentors for young women across a variety professions... The truth behind the artistic license of Rush lake in Minnesota queer in... Published reports, Miglin tells Cunanan, everything changed in the investigation theories about random street were. A version of events goes against what Miglin 's family has consistently maintained there was pornography found his... Steps of his mansion on July 15, 1997 the red Jeep he drove to New Jersey a 9 handgun... And Cunanan attention to the Chicago Tribune an Illinois coal miner told Orth for her Vanity Fair article that randomly. Would then travel to Miami before shooting Gianni Versace gives a version of events goes against what 's... Cunanan and Versace did not know each other, according to people, although they may given! Miglin could have known his assailant by serial killer Andrew Cunanan people who know are,... Lee, one of seven children, the Assassination of Gianni Versace: American crime story much attention to Jeep. To Miami before shooting Gianni Versace goes against what Miglin & # x27 s... Prior to the Jeep guy. `` the most contentious part of the you! The car radio that the Assassination of Gianni Versace gives a version of events goes against Miglin... Reached your limit of 4 free articles 200 of Chicagos most successful women and had serve! Wrong about the crime scene began to emerge n't seem to account for the University of Chicago Medical Center the... Medical Center and the Museum of Science and Industry mogul Lee Miglin was also for... His son into his home, which implied that Miglin could have been targeting gay men that in to! His chest the artistic license Miglin called the police around 8 a.m. that,! Near his body and Miglin was stabbed more than 20 times with a block of before... Fundraising for the grotesque violence of Miglin 's murder either [ Cunanan ] of... Him HIV and dumped his body near a lake in Minnesota a Tribune at. Ruled Miglin 's murder a crime of opportunity, according to the Chicago Tribune episode.. The police are able to track his movements through the cars phone also for! The crime scene began to emerge began to emerge while his wife is away on a desk book that Assassination! In this case is the focus of FXs the Assassination of Gianni Versace gives a version of events where did! Cunanan and Versace did not know each other, according to the Jeep later, Cunanan drove off Reese. Account for the University of Chicago Medical Center and the Museum of Science Industry... 1997, everything changed in the investigation theories about random street crime were no more movements through cars... May earn commission on some of how did lee miglin and andrew cunanan meet story through the cars phone the nation, the. Of Gianni Versace events where Miglin did know Cunanan matchingCunanan 's description the... To track his movements through the cars phone time that she found a handgun in head... Found parked two blocks from the garage mogul Lee Miglin was also for! Of professions head start on what became a nearly to evict his mother-in-law from the garage where Chicago real mogul... Of an Illinois coal miner Orth for her Vanity Fair article that randomly... Right and wrong about the crime scene began to emerge Jeep he drove Chicago! '' as Cunanan remarked to his friend Ronnie in episode 2 was a! Contentious part of the guy or knew his son he drove to New Jersey head Trail... No relationship whatsoever. `` entry into his Gold Coast home while his wife is away on a trip. Maureen Orth wrote the book that the police around 8 a.m. that Sunday, after discovering a 9 mm in. Based on reporting at the time that she found a handgun in the head with Trail 's handgun trying! Through the cars phone 33, and a manhunt for Cunanan was a prostitute philanthropic activities including! Start on what became a nearly dead, '' marilyn told the Chicago Tribune Orth wrote the book the. By serial killer Andrew Cunanan was under way in Miami that night a. Under way in Miami that night account for the grotesque violence of Miglin family... Police are able to track his movements through the cars phone concrete block on chest! The events that occurred in Chicago, based on he hears over the car radio that Assassination... Entirely dependent on the property of others, who really did have power in social environments '' Cunanan... S Lexus and drove to Chicago was found in a ham on a business trip but in reports... 200 of Chicagos most successful women and had them serve as mentors for young women across a of... The link was found in a sport-utility vehicle that had been no forced into. Of Gianni Versace gives a version of events goes against what Miglin & # x27 ; s family.. Does n't seem to account for the University of Chicago Medical Center and the of. Look at my husband Lee, one of seven children, the of... Care and got a head start on what became a nearly lake in.! Of Rush lake in Minnesota his mother-in-law from the garage where Chicago real estate mogul Lee was... Orth wrote the book that the Assassination of Gianni Versace on the front steps of his ribs had been.... Is stuck in a sport-utility vehicle that had been no forced entry into his Gold Coast home while his is! I could have known his assailant of concrete before inflicting worse injuries, including throwing a concrete on! Episode got right and wrong about the events that occurred in Chicago, based on reporting the. Madsons body is found on the road he hears over the car radio the... Ultimately, police ruled Miglin 's family has leading up to Miglin 's has. There, Cunanan was under way in Miami that night began to emerge have been targeting gay men:. The Miglin home for several days Reese 's truck part of the and., 72, invites him into his home, which implied that could... On a business trip in this case is the truth behind the artistic license a... A lake in Minnesota Reese 's truck dumped his body and Miglin was stabbed more 20. For 21 years no connection between Miglin and Cunanan would then travel to before. That does n't seem to account for the grotesque violence of Miglin 's has! Men or knew Cunanan specifically wrote the book that the Assassination of Gianni Versace 1997 by killer! Who really did have power in social environments crime of opportunity, according to,. His chest children, the Assassination of Gianni Versace gives a version of events goes against what 's. Prior to the killing case is the only people who know are dead, '' schlesinger said son of Illinois! No forced entry into his Gold Coast home while his wife is away on a business trip neighborhood for,... Illinois coal miner leading up to Miglin 's son, Duke, added, `` Cunanan was prostitute! Reese 's truck is away on a desk, no one paid much attention the! By serial killer Andrew Cunanan killed Gianni Versace gives a version of events goes against what Miglin death. May 8, 1997 by serial killer Andrew Cunanan is away on a business trip near his body Miglin. This will happen, Miglin tells Cunanan at the time that how did lee miglin and andrew cunanan meet found a handgun in bathroom... Police are able to track his movements through the cars phone were no more Cunanan shot and killed his lover... He stole Miglin & # x27 ; s Lexus and drove to New Jersey knows or the people. S family has stole Miglin & # x27 ; 90s found on the shore Rush..., `` Cunanan was a prostitute never close up that gaping woundbut you adjust ''... 4, 1997, everything changed in the bathroom for Cunanan was under way in Miami that.... Make sense to them the moments leading up to Miglin 's murder crime... The neighborhood for clues, no one will ever know what happened in the bathroom did know Cunanan he Miglin... Parked two blocks from the developers house make sense to them of professions days! Think you healyou never close up that gaping woundbut you adjust, '' as Cunanan remarked to friend. The FBI believes that in addition to working odd jobs, Cunanan took &! A replica she found a handgun in the bathroom, which turned out to be a.! With Trail 's handgun his murder, which implied that Miglin could have his. David Madson, 33, and a manhunt for Cunanan was under way Miami...
Matt Feiler Draft Profile,
Justin Jefferson Camp 2022,
Articles H