But the mystery of why he went on a killing spree remained baffling. The episode opens with Miglins wife, Marilyn (the always excellent Judith Light), promoting her fragrance Pheromone on the Home Shopping Network. 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). Yet, this version of events goes against what Miglin's family has maintained for 21 years. 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. Tying Miglin up and wrapping his head, Donoghue said, was strictly practical, to keep him quiet and to keep him from moving around. Cunanan bound Miglin with duct tape, stabbed him 20 times with a screwdriver, then cut his throat with a hacksaw (Dibdin, 2018). He then smashes Miglins head with a block of concrete before inflicting worse injuries, including throwing a concrete block on his chest. Attention was now focused on a 27-year-old fugitive named Andrew Cunanan. "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. While her husband's murder was a tragedy, Marilyn did not let it define her. "We don't even think about it," said Marylin. All Rights Reserved. The show sticks closely to this gruesome version of events. "There was no relationship whatsoever," Duke said. Instead, he was targeted by a lone gunman who wasn't out to rob his victim, but rather fired at point-blank range before running off. On the road he hears over the car radio that the police are able to track his movements through the cars phone. Wednesday's new episode of "The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story" didn't feature the famed designer at all, instead focusing . Season 2 0f American Crime Story: The Assasination of Gianni Versace airs Wednesdays on FX. None of this information really explains why Cunanan did what he did. "It's very difficult," Miglin's son Duke told ABC7Chicago. Daisy Jones & The Six Is A Nostalgic Series Based On A Best-Selling Book, The 'Ted Lasso' Season 3 Trailer Is Finally Here & Fellas, It'll Give You Goosebumps, '1923' Will Deliver More Dutton Family Drama In Season 2 Of The 'Yellowstone' Prequel, 'Yellowjackets' Season 3 Is Officially Happening, What Parents Are Talking About Delivered Straight To Your Inbox, By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. Miglin family members did not return a Tribune request for comment. The Tribune explores what Wednesdays episode got right and wrong about the events that occurred in Chicago, based on reporting at the time. The skyscraper was never built. Egan, CEO of Roseland Hospital, lost a 2011 campaign for 43rd ward alderman. People who knew Cunanan also told Orth that he often sought out wealthy, older, gay men to date in his personal life. Madson was so driven, he applied to law school and architecture school. Police believed Miglin had been murdered between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. the day before. Initially, their interactions played out like the sex work viewers saw Cunanan engage in in the second episode of the series. Miglin family members have long denied Lee Miglin and Cunanan knew each other before the attack. He had been bound with duct tape, stabbed more than 20 times with a. All Rights Reserved. "We were discussing Marilyn's fundraising at the Drake, which was very successful, and that they were planning to go to Israel and name a wing in her honor, and he was looking forward to that.". "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. There had been no forced entry into his home, which implied that Miglin could have known his assailant. Lee Albert Miglin (July 12, 1924 - May 4, 1997) was an American business tycoon and philanthropist. Rodriguez, played by True Detective alum Alex Fernandez, gets a fair amount of screen time on the episode. 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. Attorneys call the situation an "unfortunate coincidence" which played out Monday in a Cook County courtroom. He left no suicide note or explanation for his crimes. However, Advocate writer Ted Gideonse disputes this, saying it was not, and suggests that had Miglin lived, Orth could be sued for libel. The show also includes the rather creepy details about how Cunanan made himself at home at the Miglins' after the murder. The garage where Chicago real estate mogul Lee Miglin was murdered on May 4, 1997 by serial killer Andrew Cunanan. Authorities believe Cunanans killing spree before Versace targeted ex-lovers, including some he may have believed may have given him HIV. "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?" 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. 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. Andrew was thrilled and Eli couldn't believe it. 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 72-year-old real estate agent was found bludgeoned and stabbed by the man who later killed Versace. The book includes more details about the crime scene and the conditions in which Miglin's body was found, Vanity Fair noted. The red Jeep he drove to Chicago was found parked two blocks from the developers house. Dirty dishes in the kitchen and beard stubble in the bathroom sink were Marilyn's next clues that something was amiss. Cunanan didnt leave a note when he killed himself in July 1997, and Wednesdays episode relies heavily on alleged dialogue between Cunanan and Lee Miglin. 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. Did he place an ad in a gay magazine or newspaper as a rentboy? Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Vulgar Favors noted that there was pornography found near his body and Miglin was wearing bikini-style underwear. He had been bound with duct tape, stabbed more than 20 times with a screwdriver and had his throat cut open with a hacksaw. On Friday, May 9, he shot and killed cemetery caretaker William Reese in rural Pennsville, New Jersey in order to steal Reese's red Chevrolet pickup truck. Police also noticed the suspect or suspects had helped themselves to a ham in the refrigerator, and left a half-eaten apple behind, before fleeing in Miglin's Lexus. Marilyn also reported at the time that she found a handgun in the bathroom, which turned out to be a replica. In Thursday, June 12, Andrew Cunanan became the 449th addition to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list. But that doesn't mean that what The Assassination Of Gianni Versace portrays is fully accurate. The source also said Miglin had been covered with a plastic bag, and masking tape wrapped around his throat. 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. You have reached your limit of 4 free articles. Duke Miglin said he received a call in December from Egan, his brother-in-law. Morgan Doughty Filed A Lawsuit Against The Murdaugh Family, Heres How To Watch The Alex Murdaugh Trial Live, Sophie Turners Joan Charts The Rise Of A Famous British Jewel Thief, Alex Murdaugh Faces Life In Prison For Allegedly Killing His Wife & Son, Get Even More From Bustle Sign Up For The Newsletter. The Sky Needle is grounded in fact (the project. His neck was partially severed and all of his ribs had been broken. Cunanan would later try to pawn one of Miglin's coins in Miami prior to his murder of Versace. 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. 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. Miglin home: Miglin was killed at his Gold Coast home on East Scott Street. His face was wrapped in masking tape, his feet were bound, and his throat was slashed. Cunanans ride: Cunanan is shown parking a red Jeep with Minnesota plates near the Miglin home before the attack. Schlesinger said, "Cunanan was not a normal guy.". 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. The mentions of Cunanan's connection to the Miglin family are more along the lines of his actually knowing Duke, the Miglins' son. On May 3, Cunanan drove to Chicago, Illinois, and killed 72-year-old Lee Miglin, a prominent real estate developer. The skyscraper was to be constructed at 201 W. Madison St. downtown. Separate fact from fiction with this timeline of Cunanans real-life murders. 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. Slate is published by The Slate Group, a Graham Holdings Company. Miglin's son, Duke, added, "There was no relationship whatsoever.". 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 the morning of July 15, he was returning from a walk when Cunanan approached him and shot him on the steps of his house. 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. Cunanan's crimes are now two decades old, but on ongoing divorce case has led to a dispute over the ownership of the garage where Lee Miglin was murdered. 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. But that doesn't seem to account for the grotesque violence of Miglin's death. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. He began his career as a salesman for Arthur Rubloff & Co. in Chicago, as noted by the Washington Post. Later, Cunanan goes on a date with Versace to the San Francisco Opera, where the designer is working on Capriccio. On July 15, 1997, Cunanan approached the famed Italian designer as he returned to his Miami Beach mansion after a morning trip to a nearby caf. "He asked me if I would be willing to talk to my sister about helping him settle his divorce proceedings. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. He said if you don't help me I'm going to proceed to file a lawsuit against you, your mother and your wife for the garage," Duke said. 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. Judith Light portrays Chicago socialite Marilyn Miglin in the series. His murder, which shocked the nation, is the focus of FXs The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. 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. said EP Nina Jacobson. As The Assassination Of Gianni Versace (editor: Emily Greene) accurately shows, Miglin and his wife Marilyn were prominent figures in the city. 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.. Investigators still dont know why Andrew Cunanan killed Gianni Versace. After the standoff, police went in and found the body speculated to be Cunanan's inside though police were not yet identifying Cunanan at that point. But some bizarre details about the crime scene began to emerge. When he didn't show up, she became suspicious about her husband's whereabouts, according to the Chicago Tribune. According to Orth's book, the two met in mid-1994, three years before the murders. 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. Cunanan would use that weapon throughout his murder spree. Former U.S. naval officer Jeffrey Trail had become friends with Cunanan in San Diego in 1991, while Trail was stationed there. But on American Crime Story, Lee Miglin is shown talking with Cunanan on the phone before the 27-year-old makes that fateful trip to Chicago. Every product on this page was chosen by a Harper's BAZAAR editor. From a Tribune report at the time: As detectives swarmed the neighborhood for clues, no one paid much attention to the Jeep. In the show, Cunanan drives to New York in the Lexus and then almost immediately heads south. 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. Now Egan wants access to the garage and is trying to evict his in-laws from the property. 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'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. Police also later found a duffel bag in Madson's apartment with Cunanan's name and a La Jolla, California address on it. 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. But that's just one theory. There is no indisputable evidence to suggest Lee Miglin was involved with men or knew Cunanan specifically. Trail had been beaten to death with a claw hammer, and his body rolled up in a rug. 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. Again, the only source for the magazines on the scene is Orth, who says they had been left not far away, and even her account maintains Miglin was wearing regular mens Calvin Klein underwear. There are references made to this not being their first meeting and not their first meeting of a sexual nature. Said he received a call in December from Egan, his brother-in-law the situation ``. Of events indisputable evidence to suggest Lee Miglin was killed at his Gold Coast home on East Street. Product on this page was chosen by a Harper 's BAZAAR editor includes details... Hammer, and his throat there had been left not far away.. 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