nashville attorney, march, who killed his wife?

by Dawson Runolfsdottir 6 min read

What happened to Perry March's wife?

Aug 14, 2006 · Prosecutors allege that Perry March killed his 33-year-old wife in a rage in 1996 and buried her body in a shallow grave near their West Tennessee home after she told him of her plans to seek a...

Who is Ron March’s wife?

Jan 16, 1997 · In the midst of that argument, they theorize, Perry March, who has a black belt in karate, killed his wife, probably by accident. Then, detectives suggest, he hid her body somewhere in …

Who is Perry March's wife Janet Levy?

Aug 06, 2006 · Lawrence Levine is a prominent Nashville lawyer and Perry March worked at his firm. As part of the plea bargain, Arthur March revealed that his son killed his wife with a wrench during an argument. About a month after the murder, the two traveled to Kentucky and Arthur March disposed of his daughter-in-law's body in a pile of brush on some farmland.

Who killed Marcia Trimble?

Oct 12, 2006 · They won favorable judgments in two wrongful death civil suits that determined Perry March was culpable for his wife’s death. The first judgment, however, was overturned. A short time after the...

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Shallow grave

Prosecutors allege that Perry March killed his 33-year-old wife in a rage in 1996 and buried her body in a shallow grave near their West Tennessee home after she told him of her plans to seek a divorce.

The colonel's plea agreement

In the defense opening statement Wednesday, defense attorney William Massey urged jurors to weigh Col. March's credibility against his plea agreement, which spared him a potential 20-year sentence. Instead, he received 18 months with three years of supervised parole.

Circumstantial case

Col. March also described a murder-for-hire plot against Janet March's parents that he and his son hatched with the help of a jail inmate who was housed with Perry March while he was in custody.

Who killed the Levines?

Perry was booked into the Davidson County jail where he immediately approached another inmate, Russell Farris, about killing the Levines. Perry offered to pay Farris's bond. Instead of taking him up on the offer, Farris called his attorney and they reported the proposal to the police.

When was Perry March extradited?

Perry March was arrested in Mexico and extradited to the U.S. in August 2005. On the way back to Nashville, Perry said to now retired cold case Detective Pat Postiglione that "Prior to the Janet incident, I have not been involved in any other criminal-type activity.".

Why was Perry fired?

To top it off, Perry had been fired from another law firm after sexually harassing a paralegal in 1991. By the end of September 1996, Perry had cleaned out his office and left Nashville. He moved with his children to Chicago as Nashville investigators scoured Middle Tennessee for signs of Janet's body.

How did Perry dispose of Janet's body?

Perry then struck her with a wrench. He disposed of the body by burning it and scattering the ashes in a lake. Arthur March testified Perry had temporarily disposed of Janet's remains on a secluded lot in northern Davidson County.

How long was Perry in prison?

In the end, the jury returned a guilty verdict on all charges after the week-long trial. He was sentenced to 56 years in prison. The conviction was made 10 year and two days after Janet was murdered.

When did Janet March vanish?

The 33-year-old artist and mother of two from an affluent area of Nashville vanished without a trace in August 1996. Her husband Perry March took two weeks to report the disappearance of his wife, his college sweetheart to police.

Did Perry kill Janet?

Initially metro police believed Perry had unintentionally killed Janet, made up the to-do list, ditched Janet's car at the apartment complex using a bicycle to get back home, and possibly hidden her body in the rolled up oriental rug until he could dispose of her remains.

How many interviews are there in the March case?

This series of articles is based upon more than 200 interviews, many of them with persons who have yet to be interviewed by Police Department investigators. Whenever possible during his investigation of the March case, Scene writer Willy Stern has attempted to verify his findings with Metro detectives.

Why were the Marches annoyed with Perry?

Some of the Marches’ friends were annoyed because Perry did not return their calls, or confide in them, after Janet’s disappearance. Feelings were hurt.

What law firm did Perry work for?

Just two days earlier, Perry had allegedly written a letter to a woman, an attractive paralegal who, like March, had been employed at the Waspy, gray-suited Nashville law firm of Bass Berry & Sims in the early 1990s.

Where did Perry and Lawrence Levine drive to?

Then, he says, he and Lawrence Levine drove together to the Nashville International Airport, where they roamed the parking lots, searching in vain for Janet’s gray Volvo.

Who is the Nashvillian who sued for prison food?

Notorious Nashvillian Perry March sues over prison food. One of Nashville's most notorious criminals is unhappy with the prison food. Perry A. March filed a more than 200-page lawsuit on Feb. 3 in federal court in Nashville, alleging the quality of the kosher diet he receives is substandard and a veiled attempt to force him to break the tenets ...

How old is March from Prison?

March, the 56-year-old former lawyer who is representing himself, writes that he believes the prison system is pressuring him to give up his religious practices by serving soy meals that are of a poor quality and offering a kosher diet plan with far fewer entree options than standard meal plans.

What is Aramark discriminating against?

He's lodging legal complaints that the Tennessee Department of Correction and food service giant Aramark are deliberately discriminating against him by providing meals that are not nutritious and do not adhere to the Jewish laws regulating diet and preparation of food.

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The Victim

The Missing Person

  • On Aug. 26, 1996, Perry March reported his wife missing to the Metro Nashville Police Department. He said Janet had left him and their children Aug. 15, 1996. Perry told police Janet had left a note on the family's home computer that said she was going on a vacation alone because of martial problems that were possibly leading to a divorce. Perry to...
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The Investigation

  • After Perry reported Janet missing, investigators searched Perry's office, an apartment the couple owned in downtown Nashville, along with their home and the surrounding five acres with 50 police recruits and a cadaver dog. A helicopter and backhoe were even used to search the secluded property. Police also searched Radnor Lake and J. Percy Priest Lake. A search warrant for the h…
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The Suspect

  • From the very beginning Metro Nashville Police investigators suspected Perry March had something to do with Janet's disappearance. They were wary of his delay in reporting her missing. Those suspicions grew after he stopped cooperating and seemingly fled town. It deepened more when Perry failed to attend Janet's memorial service in November 1996. It didn't help that the M…
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The Legal Battles

  • By the end of 1996, Perry and the Levines had filed dueling civil suits. First the Levines sued for custody of the children. Then Perry filed to be appointed administrator of Janet's assets in her absence. After Perry moved, the Levines responded by filing for grandparents' visitation rights in Illinois. A Tennessee Court of Appeals judge called it "trench warfare" but in legal form. Perhaps …
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The Cold Case

  • In late 2004, detectives with Metro Nashville Police's Cold Case Squad presented evidence to the Davidson County Grand Jury, including 59 witnesses. The Grand Jury then returned an indictment for second-degree murder, tempering with evidence and abuse of a corpse. Perry March was arrested in Mexico and extradited to the U.S. in August 2005. On the way back to Nashville, Perr…
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The Trial

  • Almost 10 years after Janet disappeared, Perry was tried by a sequestered jury from Chattanooga. The case against him was primarily circumstantial with little forensic evidence but many of Perry's incriminating statements relayed by witnesses. The most damning testimony came from Arthur March, who confirmed that Perry had killed Janet on the night of Aug. 15, 1996. Perry's defense …
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The Murder

  • Initially metro police believed Perry had unintentionally killed Janet, made up the to-do list, ditched Janet's car at the apartment complex using a bicycle to get back home, and possibly hidden her body in the rolled up oriental rug until he could dispose of her remains. Another inmate testified that March confessed to the murder. According to the inmate, Perry said he and Janet were argu…
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