British Man Who Married American Woman for Green Card, Then Killed Her and Staged Her Death as Suicide, Sentenced to Life
Brian McManus, 57, was convicted on Saturday for killing his wife, Lucille McManus, in November 2023 in the city of Warner Robins, which is about 100 miles south of Atlanta.
McManus Claimed His Wife Shot Herself but 'No Gun or Shell Casings Were Found at the Scene'
According to court documents, McManus attempted to cover up the murder by claiming Lucille McManus shot herself, even though "no gun or shell casings were found at the scene," according to the Houston County District Attorney's Office, which announced McManus' conviction on Facebook Wednesday.
"McManus tried to cover the murder up, pin it on the victim's family, and walk away without consequence," the DA's office said in a post. "He failed. Because of the work of the Warner Robins Police Department, forensic experts, and Houston County Asst. DAs Justin Duane and Lauren Fletcher, the truth won out."
McManus Killed Lucille to Prevent Her from Telling the Government Their Marriage was a Sham
McManus was convicted by a Houston County jury after a six-day trial. There was a mountain of evidence against him that prosecutors presented in various filings over the past year and a half.
The evidence included security footage that showed McManus taking his dog for a walk on the day he claimed to find his wife dead while carrying a bag containing what police believed was the rubber mallet used to bludgeon Lucille McManus to death. The footage showed him walking along a path where the mallet was recovered, and then returning home without the bag.
Prosecutors accused McManus of killing his wife for multiple reasons, including to prevent her from telling the government that their marriage had been arranged to get him a Green Card, which would've resulted in his deportation. Multiple witnesses corroborated this at trial and testified that the pair wed just months after meeting on Tinder.
McManus Had a Secret Girlfriend in Florida, Planned to Run Off with Her After the Murder
McManus also reportedly had a secret girlfriend in Florida whom he had planned to run off with after the slaying. Officers with the Warner Robins Police Department were dispatched to 202 Wake Forest Dr. at around 9 a.m. that morning after McManus called 911 and claimed he had found his wife dead.
"Mr. McManus reported that he found the victim deceased by what he advised was an obvious self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head," prosecutors alleged in a November 2023 warrant application.
Investigators later determined that Lucille was not shot but rather struck multiple times on her head. McManus also gave inconsistent time frames of events and statements to officers and had visible scratches on his right arm.
"As part of law enforcement's investigation, law enforcement learned that the defendant stashed a large sum of money in his vehicle either before or immediately after the murder," prosecutors said in the March 17 filing.
"At one point during the investigation and prior to the defendant's arrest, the defendant attempted to retrieve his vehicle from the incident location. Luckily, law enforcement seized the vehicle and did not let him drive away in the vehicle. The State believes that if the defendant had been able to retrieve his vehicle that day, he would have fled with the cash."
McManus Previously Married Another Woman Who Divorced Him Following a Domestic Violence Incident
This was not the first American marriage that failed for the British killer. Before moving to Warner Robins, McManus was married to a woman in Idaho, who divorced him after an alleged domestic violence incident.
On Wednesday afternoon, Brian McManus was sentenced to life in prison. A sigh of relief sounded out in the courtroom as the sentence was read.
Houston County District Attorney Eric Edwards said this was a step in the right direction toward ending family violence in Houston County. "Showing the public what this office is gonna stand for in terms of standing up for victims of family violence," he said.
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