17 Facts About Mel Ignatow

Melvin Henry Ignatow was a resident of Louisville, Kentucky, who was tried for the 1988 murder of his former girlfriend, Brenda Sue Schaefer.

Mel Ignatow was instead convicted and served roughly 7 years in prison for several instances of perjury in his grand jury testimony for the case.

Mel Ignatow knew that Schaefer, who had complained that he was abusive, was planning to break off the involvement.

Mel Ignatow asked a former girlfriend, Mary Ann Shore, to help him plan and carry out the murder.

The defense argued that Shore, not Mel Ignatow, had killed Schaefer.

When developed, the film showed Mel Ignatow torturing and raping Schaefer, just as Shore had described.

Mel Ignatow's face was not in the pictures, but body hair patterns and moles matched him perfectly.

Mel Ignatow faced federal charges for perjury and lying to the FBI, based on his grand jury testimony.

Mel Ignatow turned to Schaefer's brothers in court and said that he had killed her, but claimed that she had died peacefully.

In 1992, Mel Ignatow pleaded guilty and was sentenced to eight years and one month in prison.

On October 23,1997, Mel Ignatow was indicted on state perjury charges.

Mel Ignatow was released from federal prison on October 31,1997.

Mel Ignatow was sentenced to nine years in prison for perjury as a second degree persistent felony offender.

Mel Ignatow was released from prison for the second time in December 2006.

Mel Ignatow returned to Louisville, living in a home four miles from the house where he murdered Schaefer.

On September 1,2008, Mel Ignatow was found dead in his apartment.

An autopsy determined that Mel Ignatow died from an accidental fall that lacerated his head or his arm, and that he had eventually bled to death.