Levi March (alias Glenn Fordyce) was a political activist who jumped bail in 1983, before his trial for the murder of his girlfriend, and remained at large for twenty years until he was recaptured in 2003.
History[]
March came from money but devoted his life to political activism, calling himself "The Griffin". He became a media personality and was reportedly adored by women. Despite his public image, though, he was privately a domineering, controlling man who repeatedly abused his girlfriend Abby Sherman. When Abby caught Levi in bed with a friend of hers, Patricia Tippens, she decided to leave him, which enraged March. During a scuffle, he bludgeoned her to death with a bottle of champagne, severed her body parts, and hid the remains behind a wall in his house. When neighbors complained about the foul smell coming from his unit, Abby's body was discovered, and he was arrested. Once he was released on bail due to his wealth, he went on the run. March was subsequently tried in absentia and found guilty of murder. In 1993, the detective assigned to his case, Will Ashman, tracked him down in Montreal, where he was living with his common-law wife, a Canadian national named Anne-Marie Gotreaux. The couple fled just before Ashman reached Montreal, and they relocated to Chicago.
In 2003, March, now going by the alias of Glenn Fordyce, made a business trip to New York City, where he was left wounded during a jewelry store robbery allegedly committed by Eddie Travandze. When March didn't show up for his testimony at Travandze's trial, which led to the latter's acquittal, EADA McCoy and ADA Southerlyn became suspicious and tried to locate him and his wife in Chicago. When they did, they discovered the couple was gone, while March's fingerprints were found to match in the system. Detectives Briscoe and Green correctly deduced Levi and his wife had returned to Montreal, where they established a contact with Anne-Marie through her sister. Due to her pregnancy, Anne-Marie agreed to turn in her husband in exchange for immunity. Back in New York, March's defense attorney, Marvin Silverman, managed to obtain a re-trial for his client. In court, March claimed the U.S. government killed Abby and then framed him due to his activism. When presented with evidence that her husband was still dating Patricia Tippens, Anne-Marie agreed to testify that Levi had confessed to her about the murder. Since they were never legally married, the testimony was not covered by spousal privilege, and March subsequently pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. (L&O: "Absentia")