Melvin Ignatow: He Got Away With It

On September 23, 1988 in Louisville, Kentucky, Melvin Ignatow recruited his ex-girlfriend, Mary Ann Shore, to help him kill his current girlfriend, Brenda Schafer. He had been carefully planning her murder for a while and now was the time to act. Melvin held Brenda at gunpoint before taking her to Shore’s house. He raped and tortured her for several hours while Shore stood by, taking several pictures. Melvin killed Brenda with a chloroform soaked cloth. They then buried her in a shallow grave behind Shore’s house. Everyone in the community was sure that Melvin had killed Brenda, but when her body was finally dug up 14 months later, there was no conclusive evidence that clearly tied him to her death. Mary Ann’s actions at the trial coupled with skillful work by his defense attorney led to Melvin being acquitted of Brenda’s murder. But did he really get away with it?