New Lifetime Movie To Look At Case Of Killer Physician Martin MacNeill, Who Tried To Cover Up Wife's Murder

The latest Lifetime movie to receive the ripped from the headlines treatment is based upon the true story of killer Utah doctor Martin MacNeill.

“The Good Father: The Martin MacNeill Story” will star Tom Everett Scott, of “13 Reasons Why,” Anwen O’Driscoll from “Left for Dead: The Ashley Reeves Story” and Charisma Carpenter of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Nancy Grace is the executive producer of the TV movie.

“Based on actual events, The Good Father tells the story of Dr. MacNeill (Scott) and the incredible life he led with his former beauty queen wife, Michele (Carpenter) and their eight children,” a Lifetime press release sent to Oxygen.com states. “A pillar of the community, he was respected and loved by all especially by his daughter Alexis (O’Driscoll) who adored him and even wanted to follow in his footsteps to become a doctor.”

Bu, he took a dark step when he convinced his wife to get plastic surgery; that decision lead to her drowning while on prescription drugs.

“Just a few short weeks after his wife’s suspicious death, Dr. MacNeill brings home Gypsy Willis, a new live-in ‘nanny’ for his children but who is in actuality his mistress,” the release explains. “Shocked by her father’s actions, Alexis begins to question everything she has known about him and discovers the depth of his lies, including his bogus medical credentials, falsified military records, and that the man and good doctor she once revered, was capable of murder.”

Spoiler: MacNeill was indeed capable of murder. And he would have gotten away with it, too — if it weren’t for the actions of his brave daughter.

Martin MacNeill interacts with his attorneys in court during the opening day of his trial on October 17, 2013 in Provo, Utah. Photo: Getty Images

MacNeill was ultimately convicted of murder and obstruction of justice in 2013. The following year, he was sentenced to 15 years to life for murder as well as an additional 15 years on the obstruction charge, the Washington Post reported in 2017. In a separate trial that year, MacNeill was found guilty of sexually abusing his daughter.

He died by suicide behind bars in 2017.

The movie will debut this fall on Lifetime.

For more info on the case, check out Oxygen's “Deadly Power" which revisited the shocking case.