(Credit: Netflix)

Netflix added a bunch of exciting titles to its US library last week, among which, Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story, has clearly set the bar of buzz.

Although the movie’s neither a Netflix original production nor a recent release, its ongoing availability on streaming has played a significant role in its rise, sparking subsequent conversations, debates, and discussions.

But in case you’re new on the block and still need some convincing, Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story actually serves as the retelling of a shocking true crime story. While you’re bound to have questions about what the story is and who Melanie McGuire is, we suggest tightening your seatbelts before we begin.

The 2022 drama, Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story, begins when a bystander runs into a bloody suitcase on the shore and calls 911. But just as the cops cave in, the movie flashes back to a decade before, where we first meet Melanie McGuire. The Melanie McGuire Story is reportedly based on the gruesome murder of Bill McGuire, whose body was discovered in three separate suitcases in Chesapeake Bay in 2004.

Melanie McGuire soon became the prime suspect, which culminated in a highly publicised trial thereafter. As for the real story, Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story is based on a true crime that took place in April 2004. It involves Melanie McGuire and her husband, Bill, who closed on their first home in Woodbridge, New Jersey, after half a decade of marriage, but never actually managed to make a home out of it.

That same night, Melanie reportedly drugged Bill and shot him. Then, she dismembered his body, segregating them into three separate suitcases, and dumped them in the Chesapeake Bay. A flock of fishermen discovered the first suitcase a few days after the incident, resulting in a prolonged investigation to track down the rest of the then-unidentified body.

After finding the remaining suitcases, the police released a constructed sketch of how the victim might have looked. This led to one of Bill’s friends identifying the sketch, sparking immediate suspicion around his wife, Melanie. Considerable evidence was gathered by June 2005 to finally arrest Melanie.

Although she pleaded not guilty to all charges and was released on bail, when the criminal trial began three years after the murder, prosecutors were able to prove incriminating events like Melanie buying the weapon two days before the killing and that she got rid of Bill’s car in Atlantic City. In fact, physical evidence tying Melanie directly to the crime was also recovered from Bill’s car.

So, if you were planning to catch up on a true-crime story this week and still haven’t watched this movie, Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story is currently streaming on Netflix.