People Magazine Presents: Crimes of the '90s - Where is Alan Mackerley now?

Alan Mackerley is the focal perpetrator of the crime explored in the upcoming episode of People Magazine Presents: Crimes of the '90s, a riveting true crime series. The upcoming re-aired episode will delve into the terrifying 1996 murder case of Frank Lee Black Jr. This case is from episode 7 of the popular true-crime show, which is slated to re-air on November 3, 2023, around 10 pm EST.

The seventh episode of the series People Magazine Presents: Crimes of the '90s is titled 1996: Wheeling and Dealing. The official synopsis for the upcoming episode states:

"The 1996 disappearance of New Jersey businessman Frank Black Jr. captivates readers of People Magazine; investigators searching for Black believe he may be dead and can't find his body."

As the synopsis suggests, the episode deals with the brutal murder of Frank Lee Black Jr., who was murdered by his friend Alan Mackerley. We look into who Alan Mackerley was before the re-airing of the episode dealing with Frank Lee Jr.'s murder.

Trigger warning: This article contains graphic information about violence.

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People Magazine Presents: Crimes of the '90s - Who was Frank Lee Jr.'s murderer, Alan Mackerley, and where is he now?

A still of Alan Mackerley (Image Via Treasure Coast Newspapers)

Alan Mackerley was a New Jersey-born millionaire businessman. He was the prosperous proprietor of Byram Bus Line, a school bus contracting company.

He supposedly had a close friendship with Frank Lee Black Jr., the victim. But after Black Jr. won a big commercial transaction, they became rivals in the corporate world, and their friendship soured considerably. Mackerley was the owner of that specific contract prior to Frank Lee Black Jr.

Frank Lee Black Jr.'s death smacks of commercial aspirations and is just another tale of avarice. Frank Black owned and operated a bus contracting company that transported children to and from their separate schools in Sussex County, New Jersey. After beginning his career as a bus driver, he inherited his family's company.

Bus contractors in New Jersey rarely compete with one another over their routes since they prefer to avoid each other's sphere of influence. Regretfully, Frank Black and his longtime buddy Alan Mackerley—who also owned a bus company—were entangled in what would appear to be an uncommon territorial battle.

Mackerley also reportedly owned a school bus operating company called Byram Bus Line. It is said that Mackerley's tragic rivalry with Black Jr. was the only factor contributing to the unfortunate death of the former. According to reports, Black Jr. traveled from Newark, New Jersey, to West Palm Beach, Florida, on a Kiwi Airlines flight on February 24, 1996.

It is said that Black Jr. was abducted and severely shot in the head, his body was dumped into the Atlantic Ocean, and authorities never discovered it. Two years later, in 1998, Mackerley was found guilty of Black Jr.'s first-degree murder.

Authorities allegedly found Mackerley guilty in 1998 of first-degree kidnapping and killing Frank Lee Black Jr. One of Alan's closest pals told the jury during the 2005 trial that the latter had admitted to carrying out the heinous murder.

After being convicted of murder, Mackerley was sentenced to life in jail without the possibility of release. According to reports, he was incarcerated at the Union Correctional Institution in Raiford, Florida, doing his sentence. However, according to the report from state prison officials, Alan Mackerley died inside the institution while serving a life sentence.

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The episode of People Magazine Presents: Crimes of the '90s, which will cover Alan Mackerley's murder of his friend Frank Lee Black Jr., will re-air on November 3, 2023, on Oxygen.