In the late summer of 2004, Jay Michael Orbin, a 45-year-old male jewelry and art dealer, returned to his Phoenix, Arizona home after a business trip in Florida. The date was September 8th, which also happened to be his birthday. His phone and credit card records show he made it home, but that was the last anyone ever heard from him. For nearly two weeks, his wife, Marjorie Orbin, a former showgirl, did not report him missing.
It was only after concerned friends and family pressed the matter that she finally contacted the police on September 22nd.
The investigation into Jay's disappearance initially yielded few clues. Marjorie told authorities that her husband had returned from his trip only to leave again for another business venture. However, the story began to unravel as weeks turned into a grim discovery. On October 23, a man searching for recyclable materials in the desert outskirts of Phoenix stumbled upon a large plastic container. Inside, he found the dismembered torso of a man. The remains were later identified as Jay Orbin. The rest of his body was never located. An autopsy revealed that the body had been frozen after death and dismembered with an electric saw. Investigators also determined that he had been shot.
Suspicion quickly fell upon Marjorie Orbin. The investigation uncovered a web of deceit, including multiple extramarital affairs. One of Marjorie's lovers, Larry Weisberg, had even moved into the Orbin home shortly after Jay's disappearance. Investigators believe Marjorie's motive was to inherit her husband's money and continue her affairs without interference. Evidence presented at her trial included surveillance footage of her purchasing large plastic containers similar to the one in which her husband's remains were found. The prosecution argued that she shot Jay in their garage, froze his body, and then dismembered it.
Marjorie Orbin was arrested and charged with the murder of her husband. During her trial, she pleaded not guilty and attempted to shift the blame to her lover, Larry Weisberg. She claimed that Weisberg was the one who killed Jay and then coerced her into silence by threatening her and her young son. However, Weisberg was granted immunity in exchange for his testimony against Marjorie. He denied any involvement in the murder. After a lengthy trial, a jury found Marjorie Orbin guilty of first-degree murder. She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
