LA man arrested in wife's high-seas death

[samanthajane13]

By GILLIAN FLACCUS, Associated Press Writer Gillian Flaccus, Associated Press Writer – Thu Jul 16, 9:39 pm ET

SAN DIEGO – A Los Angeles man was arrested Thursday for allegedly murdering his wife three days into a five-day cruise to Mexico, turning the luxury oceanliner into a crime scene as it sailed through the waters of the Pacific Ocean.

Robert McGill was taken into custody from the Carnival Elation cruise ship more than six hours after it returned to San Diego on Thursday. He will be charged with the murder of his wife, Shirley, who was found dead in the couple's cabin on Tuesday evening, said Keith Slotter, special agent in charge of the FBI's San Diego bureau.

Slotter said a passenger contacted ship's security Tuesday and expressed concern that Shirley McGill might be dead.

Crew members went to the cabin and found her body, but Robert McGill was not in the room. Slotter wouldn't say why the passenger who notified security was concerned, but said several hours may have passed before the body's discovery.

Robert McGill was detained later and was held in the ship's brig until the boat docked around 6:30 a.m. Thursday. The San Diego County medical examiner removed the woman's body about three hours later, said John Gilmore, a spokesman for the Port of San Diego. The FBI took McGill from the boat around 1 p.m.

Slotter would not provide details about a possible motive or how Shirley McGill was killed. James Ramirez, an investigator with the San Diego County medical examiner's office, said an autopsy would be performed Friday. He did not know when results would be made public.

"We have suspicions at this time of how it was conducted but until that autopsy is done I can't comment ... on exactly how it may have occurred," Slotter said of the death.

Both the suspect and victim were in their mid-50s, Slotter said.

The ship is the length of more than two football fields and carries more than 2,000 passengers and 900 crew members, according to Carnival's Web site. With 14 decks, passengers can spend their days at numerous restaurants, bars, clubs, a spa, a casino, a mini-golf course and three pools. The ship left Saturday, stopping in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

FBI agents leaving the ship carried plastic baggies and a plastic foam box labeled: "Urgent. Refrigerated evidence enclosed."

McGill will likely make a first appearance in U.S. District Court in San Diego on Friday, said Debra Hartman, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office.

It wasn't immediately known if McGill had an attorney.

Carnival notified the FBI of the death on Tuesday night. The FBI sent 20 agents Wednesday on a U.S. Coast Guard cutter to intercept the cruise ship as it steamed home, Slotter said. They spent the night and part of Thursday morning interviewing McGill and more than 50 witnesses as shocked passengers disembarked.

Passengers hauling their luggage away from the cruise ship terminal said they received no official word from crew members about what was going on, but said rumors began flying about halfway through the trip.

Arlene Albi, of San Diego, said her family's cabin room was on the same level as the McGills and she noticed a security guard was posted outside the room around the clock starting Tuesday.

"I'd get up and go to the gym at 6 o'clock in the morning and he'd be there," she said of the guard. "I'd look down the hallway when I'd go back down during the day and he would still be sitting there. I don't know if was the same guy, but there was always someone in front of the room."

Other passengers were saying someone had fallen overboard or that someone had died by slipping while in the shower, Albi said.

Hundreds of new guests boarded the ship Thursday afternoon for another Cabo cruise that left around 4 p.m.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090717/ap_on_re_us/us_cruise_death

[samanthajane13]

LA man held in wife's death during Mexico cruise
By GILLIAN FLACCUS, Associated Press Writer Gillian Flaccus, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 6 mins ago

SAN DIEGO – The first hint of trouble aboard the Carnival Elation came three days into the luxury cruise to Mexico, when a passenger contacted the ship's security to express concerns that a woman might be dead.

Crew members went to Shirley McGill's cabin on Tuesday evening and found her body, but her husband, Robert McGill, was not in the room, said Keith Slotter, a special agent in charge of the FBI's San Diego bureau.

On Thursday, Robert McGill was taken into custody from the cruise ship more than six hours after it returned to port in San Diego. He will be charged in the murder of his wife, Slotter said.

Slotter wouldn't say why the passenger who notified security was concerned, but said several hours may have passed between the death and the body's discovery.

McGill, of Los Angeles, was later detained and held in the ship's brig until the boat docked Thursday morning. The San Diego County medical examiner removed the woman's body about three hours later, said John Gilmore, a spokesman for the Port of San Diego, and the FBI took McGill from the boat Thursday afternoon.

Slotter would not provide details about a possible motive or how Shirley McGill was killed.

"We have suspicions at this time of how it was conducted but until that autopsy is done I can't comment ... on exactly how it may have occurred," Slotter said of the death.

Both the suspect and victim were in their mid-50s, Slotter said.

The ship is the length of more than two football fields and carries more than 2,000 passengers and 900 crew members, according to Carnival's Web site. The ship traveled for five days, stopping in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

FBI agents leaving the ship carried plastic baggies and a plastic foam box labeled: "Urgent. Refrigerated evidence enclosed."

McGill will likely make a first appearance in U.S. District Court in San Diego on Friday, although the time of that hearing was yet known, said Debra Hartman, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office.

It wasn't immediately known if McGill had an attorney.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090717/ap_on_re_us/us_cruise_death

[SaraSidle]

LA man held in wife's death during Mexico cruise
By GILLIAN FLACCUS, Associated Press Writer Gillian Flaccus, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 6 mins ago

SAN DIEGO – The first hint of trouble aboard the Carnival Elation came three days into the luxury cruise to Mexico, when a passenger contacted the ship's security to express concerns that a woman might be dead.

Crew members went to Shirley McGill's cabin on Tuesday evening and found her body, but her husband, Robert McGill, was not in the room, said Keith Slotter, a special agent in charge of the FBI's San Diego bureau.

On Thursday, Robert McGill was taken into custody from the cruise ship more than six hours after it returned to port in San Diego. He will be charged in the murder of his wife, Slotter said.

Slotter wouldn't say why the passenger who notified security was concerned, but said several hours may have passed between the death and the body's discovery.

McGill, of Los Angeles, was later detained and held in the ship's brig until the boat docked Thursday morning. The San Diego County medical examiner removed the woman's body about three hours later, said John Gilmore, a spokesman for the Port of San Diego, and the FBI took McGill from the boat Thursday afternoon.

Slotter would not provide details about a possible motive or how Shirley McGill was killed.

"We have suspicions at this time of how it was conducted but until that autopsy is done I can't comment ... on exactly how it may have occurred," Slotter said of the death.

Both the suspect and victim were in their mid-50s, Slotter said.

The ship is the length of more than two football fields and carries more than 2,000 passengers and 900 crew members, according to Carnival's Web site. The ship traveled for five days, stopping in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

FBI agents leaving the ship carried plastic baggies and a plastic foam box labeled: "Urgent. Refrigerated evidence enclosed."

McGill will likely make a first appearance in U.S. District Court in San Diego on Friday, although the time of that hearing was yet known, said Debra Hartman, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office.

It wasn't immediately known if McGill had an attorney.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090717/ap_on_re_us/us_cruise_death

I think I read somewhere she was stabbed to death but I am not sure. It sounded like such a nice trip for them. I wonder if it was planned.:shrug:
IMO sara

[samanthajane13]

Man Arrested in Wife's High-Seas Death
By GILLIAN FLACCUS, AP

SAN DIEGO (July 16) - A Los Angeles man was arrested Thursday for allegedly murdering his wife three days into a five-day cruise to Mexico, turning the luxury oceanliner into a crime scene as it sailed through the waters of the Pacific Ocean.

Robert McGill was taken into custody from the Carnival Elation cruise ship more than six hours after it returned to San Diego on Thursday. He will be charged with the murder of his wife, Shirley, who was found dead in the couple's cabin on Tuesday evening, said Keith Slotter, special agent in charge of the FBI's San Diego bureau.

Slotter said a passenger contacted ship's security Tuesday and expressed concern that Shirley McGill might be dead.

Crew members went to the cabin and found her body, but Robert McGill was not in the room. Slotter wouldn't say why the passenger who notified security was concerned, but said several hours may have passed before the body's discovery.

Robert McGill was detained later and was held in the ship's brig until the boat docked around 6:30 a.m. Thursday. The San Diego County medical examiner removed the woman's body about three hours later, said John Gilmore, a spokesman for the Port of San Diego. The FBI took McGill from the boat around 1 p.m.

Slotter would not provide details about a possible motive or how Shirley McGill was killed. James Ramirez, an investigator with the San Diego County medical examiner's office, said an autopsy would be performed Friday. He did not know when results would be made public.

"We have suspicions at this time of how it was conducted but until that autopsy is done I can't comment ... on exactly how it may have occurred," Slotter said of the death.

Both the suspect and victim were in their mid-50s, Slotter said.

The ship is the length of more than two football fields and carries more than 2,000 passengers and 900 crew members, according to Carnival's Web site.

With 14 decks, passengers can spend their days at numerous restaurants, bars, clubs, a spa, a casino, a mini-golf course and three pools. The ship left Saturday, stopping in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

FBI agents leaving the ship carried plastic baggies and a plastic foam box labeled: "Urgent. Refrigerated evidence enclosed."

McGill will likely make a first appearance in U.S. District Court in San Diego on Friday, said Debra Hartman, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office.
It wasn't immediately known if McGill had an attorney.

Carnival notified the FBI of the death on Tuesday night. The FBI sent 20 agents Wednesday on a U.S. Coast Guard cutter to intercept the cruise ship as it steamed home, Slotter said. They spent the night and part of Thursday morning interviewing McGill and more than 50 witnesses as shocked passengers disembarked.

Passengers hauling their luggage away from the cruise ship terminal said they received no official word from crew members about what was going on, but said rumors began flying about halfway through the trip.

Arlene Albi, of San Diego, said her family's cabin room was on the same level as the McGills and she noticed a security guard was posted outside the room around the clock starting Tuesday.

"I'd get up and go to the gym at 6 o'clock in the morning and he'd be there," she said of the guard. "I'd look down the hallway when I'd go back down during the day and he would still be sitting there. I don't know if was the same guy, but there was always someone in front of the room."

Other passengers were saying someone had fallen overboard or that someone had died by slipping while in the shower, Albi said.

Hundreds of new guests boarded the ship Thursday afternoon for another Cabo cruise that left around 4 p.m.


http://news.aol.com/article/man-arrested-in-cruise-ship-death/575526?icid=main|htmlws-main|dl1|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fnews.aol.com%2Farticle %2Fman-arrested-in-cruise-ship-death%2F575526

[samanthajane13]

FBI: LA man said he killed wife with 'bare hands'
By GILLIAN FLACCUS, Associated Press Writer Gillian Flaccus, Associated Press Writer – 7 mins ago

SAN DIEGO – A school teacher accused of killing his wife while on a luxurious Mexican cruise allegedly told investigators that he killed his wife "with his bare hands," according to court documents filed late Friday.

Robert John McGill, 55, of Los Angeles, "stated he killed his wife in the bathroom of their cabin with his bare hands," FBI Special Agent James B. Stinnett wrote in a probable cause affidavit. The document was attached to a criminal complaint charging McGill with one count of murder in the death of his wife, Shirley McGill.

Stinnett also wrote that McGill was informed of his Miranda rights and he replied that he understood those rights and was willing to answer questions without the presence of an attorney.

Calls to McGill's attorney were not immediately returned. At his court appearance earlier in the day, she declined to comment on the case.

U.S. District Magistrate William McCurine Jr. entered a plea of not guilty on McGill's behalf, as is common practice in federal court at initial appearances.

McGill was distraught during the brief hearing and argued with federal public defenders about whether he could make a statement to the court as his family members sobbed in the gallery. He appeared without handcuffs and wore a white jumpsuit.

"They're suffering now," McGill was heard saying as he gestured to his family. "I don't think it is for the best. I think they are suffering and need to hear from me."

"That's putting more financial burden on top of the pain and horror that I've caused this family," he added before the hearing resumed.

It wasn't immediately clear to what McGill was referring.

McGill's family, including two adult sons, declined to comment after the hearing, as did Assistant U.S. Attorney Joanna Curtis.

McGill is charged with killing his wife on Tuesday, which was also his 55th birthday, as the Carnival Elation cruise ship steamed home after a stop in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

Shirley McGill turned 55 just six days before she died. The San Diego County medical examiner's office said she died of strangulation and blunt force injury to the head and torso.

Stinnett noted in the court papers that Robert McGill's knuckles "appeared as if he had been in a fight."

The death was reported to Carnival crew members around 8:20 p.m., but authorities have placed the time of Shirley McGill's death about two hours before, according to the court documents. Robert McGill was not in the room when the body was found, but was taken into custody by ship security later on, authorities said.

He was placed in the brig and about 20 FBI agents intercepted the ship on a U.S. Coast Guard cutter late Wednesday and interviewed McGill and more than 50 witnesses while the Elation was still at sea.

Friends and neighbors said they were shocked to learn of the charge. They said the pair seemed to be living a romance story: ex-high school sweethearts who found each other decades later and renewed their love.

"It doesn't make any sense. You are talking about a situation that just doesn't have any connection to the people I know as neighbors," said Michael Hougardy, who lives on the McGills' cul-de-sac in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles.

"Bob and Shirley never said anything negative about each other," he told The Associated Press on Friday. "I saw Bob a couple days before they left. He was excited. He was looking forward to it."

The first sign of trouble came on Tuesday, three days into the five-night cruise, when a passenger contacted ship security to express concerns that a woman might be dead, said Keith Slotter, a special agent in charge of the FBI's San Diego bureau.

McGill was a divorced father of two sons when he reconnected with Shirley through the Internet, colleagues said.

Court records show McGill was divorced from his first wife in 1998 after a 2 1/2-year proceeding and then filed for bankruptcy in 2001. Two years later, he married Shirley McGill in Las Vegas.

In bankruptcy papers, McGill listed assets of $50,000 to $100,000 and debts of $100,000 to $500,000. The attorney who handled the case did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

"Bob and Shirley loved each other very much. Their marriage was the most important thing in his life," Paul White, a teacher at the school where McGill taught, told the AP. "They were childhood sweethearts."

White said he worked with McGill for nearly 11 years and knew him to be calm and pleasant.

"He's a great friend, he's great with kids, he's a great dad, he's a great husband," White said.

McGill, whose gray hair falls below his shoulders, played guitar, liked to ride horses and hike and "was always out every morning walking the dogs," Hougardy said.

McGill has worked for the Los Angeles County Office of Education since 1979 but would likely be placed on administrative leave if his case is prosecuted, spokeswoman Margo Minecki said.

Colleagues said McGill spent years teaching at-risk teens, became burned out by the job a decade ago but was revitalized when he came to work at the West Valley Leadership Academy in Canoga Park, a county-run alternative high school that White founded to help at-risk youth. The county closed it in June because of dwindling attendance.

McGill had switched teaching jobs a few years ago and was tutoring pregnant teenagers in an independent-study program.

Mo Freedman, who worked with McGill at the county education agency for 20 years, called him "a free thinker" who enjoyed his work.

"We all get a little cynical at one time," Freedman said. "I thought Bob was like that years ago, and then he reacquainted with his high school sweetheart, Shirley. He was reinvigorated. And Paul (White) kind of pulled him out of the doldrums, working with the kids."

Shirley McGill retired last week from the state Department of Motor Vehicles, and her husband had planned to retire soon as well, acquaintances said.

Hougardy said Shirley McGill planned to move to Oregon, where her family and her children from a previous marriage lived. McGill was going to join her when he retired.

A detention hearing in the case is set for July 23, with a preliminary hearing on July 30.

_____

Associated Press writers Sue Manning, Solvej Schou and Anthony McCartney in Los Angeles and Ken Ritter in Las Vegas contributed to this report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090718/ap_on_re_us/us_cruise_death

[samanthajane13]

Cruise Suspect Allegedly Confesses
By GILLIAN FLACCUS, AP

SAN DIEGO (July 18) - They were former high school sweethearts who found each other decades later and renewed their love. Robert and Shirley McGill were marking their 55th birthdays just days into their luxurious Mexican cruise when she was found beaten to death in their cabin.

The discovery led FBI agents to intercept the Carnival Elation cruise ship while it was at sea and interview dozens of witnesses, including Robert McGill. During questioning, the school teacher from Los Angeles told investigators he killed his wife "in the bathroom of their cabin with his bare hands," court documents revealed Friday.

McGill made the confession after being informed of his Miranda rights and telling interrogators he was willing to answer questions without the presence of an attorney, FBI Special Agent James B. Stinnett wrote in a probable cause affidavit attached to the criminal complaint charging him with one count of murder.

Calls to McGill's attorney were not immediately returned. At his court appearance earlier in the day, she declined to comment on the case.

McGill is charged with killing his wife on Tuesday, the day of his birthday, as the ship steamed home after a stop in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. U.S. District Magistrate William McCurine Jr. entered a plea of not guilty on McGill's behalf, as is common practice in federal court at initial appearances.

McGill was distraught during the brief hearing and argued with federal public defenders about whether he could make a statement to the court as his family members sobbed in the gallery. He appeared without handcuffs and wore a white jumpsuit.

"They're suffering now," McGill was heard saying as he gestured to his family. "I don't think it is for the best. I think they are suffering and need to hear from me."

"That's putting more financial burden on top of the pain and horror that I've caused this family," he added before the hearing resumed.

It wasn't immediately clear to what McGill was referring.

McGill's family, including two adult sons, declined to comment after the hearing, as did Assistant U.S. Attorney Joanna Curtis.

Shirley McGill turned 55 just six days before she died. The San Diego County medical examiner's office said she died of strangulation and blunt force injury to the head and torso.

Stinnett noted in the court papers that Robert McGill's knuckles "appeared as if he had been in a fight."

Friends and neighbors said they were shocked to learn of the charge.

"Bob and Shirley never said anything negative about each other," Michael Hougardy, a neighbor in McGills' cul-de-sac in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles, told The Associated Press. "I saw Bob a couple days before they left. He was excited. He was looking forward to it."

The first sign of trouble came on Tuesday, three days into the five-night cruise, when a passenger contacted ship security to express concerns that a woman might be dead, said Keith Slotter, a special agent in charge of the FBI's San Diego bureau.

McGill was divorced when he reconnected with Shirley through the Internet, colleagues said.

Court records show McGill was divorced from his first wife in 1998 after a 2 1/2-year proceeding and then filed for bankruptcy in 2001. Two years later, he married Shirley McGill in Las Vegas.

In bankruptcy papers, McGill listed assets of $50,000 to $100,000 and debts of $100,000 to $500,000. The attorney who handled the case did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Colleagues said McGill spent years teaching at-risk teens, became burned out by the job a decade ago but was revitalized when he came to work at the West Valley Leadership Academy in Canoga Park, a county-run alternative high school that White founded to help at-risk youth. The county closed it in June because of dwindling attendance.

Shirley McGill retired last week from the state Department of Motor Vehicles, and her husband had planned to retire soon as well, acquaintances said.

Hougardy said Shirley McGill planned to move to Oregon, where her family and her children from a previous marriage lived. McGill was going to join her when he retired.

A detention hearing in the case is set for July 23, with a preliminary hearing on July 30.

Associated Press writers Sue Manning, Solvej Schou and Anthony McCartney in Los Angeles and Ken Ritter in Las Vegas contributed to this report.


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