If Melissa McGuire is convicted of drugging her husband William with chloral hydrate (a sedative also used as a date-rape drug) obtained through a prescription written by the doctor she'd been sleeping with, then shooting him and dismembering his body – and although her trial is ongoing, I think we'd be safe advising her not to make any important plans for the next few decades – she will be remembered as a classic case of how a little computer knowledge can be a dangerous thing:

Her office computer indicates that just before William's death, she did Google and MSN searches on such topics as "how to commit murder," "instant poisons," "undetectable poisons," New Jersey and Pennsylvania gun laws (the McGuires lived in New Jersey and Melanie allegedly bought the murder weapon in Pennsylvania), "where to purchase guns without a permit," and for the nearest Walgreen's Pharmacy (which is where Melanie, under a false name, picked up the chloral hydrate prescription).

Then she allegedly (or at least somebody did, after William disappeared) used his Blackberry to send "won't be in today, not feeling well" e-mails to a couple of William's co-workers – but misaddressed one of them, so it bounced back to the Blackberry.

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Judge Denis LeDuc has postponed until April 3 a hearing concerning whether information related to the Stephen Grant case can be released to the media under the Freedom of Information Act. Grant is accused of murdering and dismembering his wife, Tara Grant, and his preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 15.

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