The series, which airs at 9 p.m. Wednesdays, is based on the 1999 book Vulgar Favors by Maureen Orth, who covered the Cunanan manhunt for Vanity Fair. It premieres Wednesday. The fashion designer was returning home from his morning walk to the News Caf, where he went to purchase magazines, when a man approached and fired two shots into his head. At any rate, the FBI looked into these claims that Cunanan knew Miglin or his family, but no link was ever established. But you know, who knows?" Simpson told the paper that producers also studied FBI records and witness accounts. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Versaces longtime partner and family have said portions of the series are inaccurate. What American Crime Story Makes Up About Lee Miglin's Horrific Murder, American Crime Story The Assassination Of Gianni Versace. Cunanan was a serial killer, suspected in four other deaths. Miglin was meant to pick Marilyn up from Chicago O'Hare airport that morning. Certainly any sexual relationship was not an angle the police gave much credence to, at least publicly. But American Crime Story is still giving a very controversial account of the murder, especially since authorities never found solid evidence of a connection between the two men. This Is How Andrew Cunanan Died. It happened that Schlesinger had interviewed Trail years before he was murdered for a story on gays in the military. Miglin had suffered multiple blows to the chest. 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. Miglin, however, strongly disputed this, telling ABC there was no relationship whatsoever. He heads to Miami Beach and fatally shoots Versace before killing himself eight days later. 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. Crime specialists told Orth for her Vanity Fair article that Cunanan randomly killing Miglin didn't make sense to them. But some bizarre details about the crime scene began to emerge. "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.". He also appeared to have been tortured with a screwdriver. The website also states she is a recipient of the Raoul Wallenberg International Humanitarian Award, and it is at this ceremony that the episode shows her paying tribute to her supportive husband of 38 years, Lee, saluting him as the embodiment of the American dream, the son of an Illinois coal miner who started as a salesman and rose to become a leader in his field, developing prestigious projects such as the Chicago Bar Association building and Madison Plaza. But on "American Crime Story," Lee Miglin is shown talking with Cunanan on the phone. The car belonged to one of the men that Cunanan was suspected of murdering in Minneapolis. The only evidence there is points toward Cunanan killing Miglin for his car and. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. But that's just one theory. On July 10, Versace arrived in Miami to stay at his opulent mansion in the South Beach area. 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. After taking the life of the one of the world's most famous fashion designers of the time, serial killer Andrew Cunanan was on the run. There are a few places [in the TV show] where things didnt happen at all, Orth told Vanity Fairs Still Watching podcast. Criss Cunanan is nothing if not an unreliable narrator. Per Orth, Cunanan considered Trail to be his best friend, and referred to him as my brother." 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. The Sky Needle is grounded in fact (the project. Miglin was that rare breed of real estate person, neither venal, nor aggressive, nor self-absorbed, nor egocentric, as Stanley Tigerman, the architect of the Chicago Bar Association building, told the Chicago Tribune. According to the Vanity Fair article, Cunanan told some friends that he was going to start a business making movie sets with his friend named Duke Miglin, a report The New York Times corroborates. 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. Tuesday night, however, an officer started writing a third parking ticket for the vehicle and decided to call in the license plate. Then Cunanan is shown laying Miglin down in his garage, wrapping his legs together with orange extension cord, strangling him, punching him in the face, throwing a bag of concrete on his chest and stabbing him. "I don't think you healyou never close up that gaping woundbut you adjust," Marilyn told the Chicago Tribune. All rights reserved. As played by the ever-genial Mike Farrell, Miglin is portrayed as the opposite of a bumptious, hard-charging Trumpian developer, happy to cede the spotlight to his more vivacious wife.This self-effacement is apparently entirely in character. Did Cunanan somehow meet Miglin through Gamma Mu, a secretive gay men's fraternity? Wednesday's new episode of "The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story" didn't feature the famed designer at all, instead focusing . Cunanan's fourth victim, William Reese, was also reported as a crime of opportunity: Cunanan needed his truck, so he shot Reese in the head and stole it. Sample Page; ; ''He was a very visible person, not a recluse, not a shut-in.'' According to Orth's book, the two met in mid-1994, three years before the murders. Cunanan would later try to pawn one of Miglin's coins in Miami prior to his murder of Versace. He then smashes Miglins head with a block of concrete before inflicting worse injuries, including throwing a concrete block on his chest. Either [Cunanan] knew of the guy or knew his son. In its original report on the murder, The Chicago Tribune noted, "The police department was extraordinarily tightlipped about the case a testimony to Miglin's position of influence in political circles here." On Wednesday, July 23, authorities surrounded a houseboat along Miami Beach, in which Cunanan had apparently holed up. Cunanan travels to New Jersey, where he kills a cemetery caretaker, and takes his red pickup truck while leaving behind Miglins Lexus. Marilyn Miglin said on Tuesday, May 6. The series also shows Marilyn using her influence with city officials to bury this information. There is no indisputable evidence to suggest Lee Miglin was involved with men or knew Cunanan specifically. That certainly could have been used by Cunanan to force his way into the Miglins' townhouse, if that is what happened. That. 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. Lee Albert Miglin (July 12, 1924 - May 4, 1997) was an American business tycoon and philanthropist. 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. However, there were no signs of forced entry into the Miglins home, and Orth noted in her coverage that as an older, wealthy, and socially influential man, Miglin was a type Cunanan was known to research carefully.. "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. Marilyn Miglin called the police around 8 a.m. that Sunday, after discovering a 9 mm handgun in the bathroom. Naval Academy in Annapolis and a Gulf War veteran. Cunanan and Miglin are shown sharing a long embrace and kiss. "I can tell you unequivocally that we have not found a link between Andrew Cunanan and anyone in the Miglin family," former Chicago police superintendent Matt Rodriguez told ABC in July 1997. Attorneys call the situation an "unfortunate coincidence" which played out Monday in a Cook County courtroom. 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. Schlesinger said, "Cunanan was not a normal guy.". 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. 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. After killing Miglin, Cunanan left with his car, several items of clothing, $2,000 in cash, and some gold coins from the safe. 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. A socialite and philanthropist, Miglin was a resident of Chicago's wealthy Gold Coast Historic District. What is known about Cunanan and Versace is that the fashion mogul was not Cunanans first victim. "A Random Killing" posits that Cunanan and Miglin knew one another, implying that Miglin was a closeted gay or bisexual man who had hired Cunanan, a sex worker, several times before. Her website describes her as a beauty authority, author and speaker who is among the nations top-500 women business owners.. All Rights Reserved. Today, she still works as a beauty authority, author, and speaker, appearing monthly on the Home Shopping Network to promote products such as her signature fragrance Pheromone, according to her website. The Sky Needle is grounded in fact (the project was on track until 1990, when financing collapsed), though the portrayal of Miglin showing the drawings to Cunanan is probably entirely invented. That friend was allegedly Duke Miglin. Long Waits, Short Appointments, Huge Bills. All Rights Reserved. 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. Judith Light portrays Chicago socialite Marilyn Miglin in the series. Miglin's son, Duke, added, "There was no relationship whatsoever.". Trail had been beaten to death with a claw hammer, and his body rolled up in a rug. 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. Man With 'Interest in Killing Black People' Charged With Terrorism After Attempted Train Attack, The Secret History of the Shadow Campaign That Saved the 2020 Election. Every item on this page was chosen by a Town & Country editor. In episode three, Cunanan shows up at Miglin's house and is invited in. Like William Reese, the 45-year-old cemetery caretaker Cunanan murdered for his truck, it's believed Miglin was murdered for his car, which Cunanan stole, along with some valuable belongings.. Miglin family members have long denied Lee Miglin and Cunanan knew each other before the attack. All Rights Reserved. The FBI believes that in addition to working odd jobs, Cunanan was a prostitute. He was described as an upbeat, fun-loving, compassionate man. "My reaction, of course, is sad, because there are a lot of matters we want to clear up with respect to our case here in the city of Chicago," said then-police Supt. "He asked me if I would be willing to talk to my sister about helping him settle his divorce proceedings. The minute you start feeling sorry for yourself, everyone else falls.". The FBI also reported there had been sightings of Cunanan in the Palm Beach and Miami areas in the weeks prior. When he didn't show up, she became suspicious about her husband's whereabouts, according to the Chicago Tribune. Police believed Miglin had been murdered between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. the day before. Federal investigators believed Cunanan may have been targeting gay men. It was later determined that Cunanan likely killed Reese solely for his truck, and not for any of the more complex and personal reasons that seemed to define his other four murders. 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. Police response: Chicago Police Supt. "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?" 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. 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. 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. Cunanan fled the scene on foot. 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. Despite what the Miglin family says, The Assassination Of Gianni Versace gives a version of events where Miglin did know Cunanan. 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. A night later, it remained a mystery who had so brutally murdered Miglin. Cunanan bound Miglin with duct tape, stabbed him 20 times with a screwdriver, then cut his throat with a hacksaw (Dibdin, 2018). Police also later found a duffel bag in Madson's apartment with Cunanan's name and a La Jolla, California address on it. 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 garden saw, and broke his ribs with multiple blows to the chest and torso, all of which is re-created in the FX drama. Both companies still exist in some form today. Scene began to emerge Marilyn told the Chicago Tribune parked illegally near the Miglin for... 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