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Travis Milligan was only 19 years old when he was arrested and charged with the killing of his grandmother, Shirley Wilson, who was found stabbed to death in the Iowa house the two shared in March 2002. One of Wilson's sons, Roy, found the 68-year-old postal worker lying face-down in a pool of blood at the crime scene. The victim was stabbed at least 67 times with a steak knife from the kitchen.
Milligan was charged with first-degree murder after a smear of blood found on his knee and a blood-stained t-shirt found at the house tested positive for Wilson's blood. Authorities believed he got into an argument with his grandmother over money and drinking, which then led to the murder. He was later found guilty and sentenced to life without parole.
According to reports, Travis Milligan is currently serving time at the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison, Lee County.
ID's Murder in My House is slated to chronicle Shirley Wilson's decades-old stabbing death in an episode titled The Killer Had a Key. The synopsis states:
"Winter in Iowa gets an extra chill when a grandmother of 12 is found stabbed to death in her home; with no forced entry, detectives believe she knew her assailant, leaving the family wondering who has betrayed them in cold blood."
The upcoming episode airs this Tuesday, April 4, at 9 pm ET.
Prosecutors alleged that Travis Milligan murdered his 68-year-old grandmother after an argument over money
A jury found Travis Milligan guilty in the stabbing death of his 68-year-old grandmother, Shirley Wilson, after the prosecution alleged that he stabbed the postal worker 67 times with a steak knife from the kitchen because she refused to give him a $300 tax refund. The two allegedly got into an argument over money and Milligan's drinking. Wilson's body was found by one of her sons the next day.
Milligan allegedly stabbed his grandmother, a postal worker, in the home they shared at 824 East 22nd St. in Des Moines. Authorities reported that evidence from the knife wounds suggested that "some were defensive" and that some went "all the way through her hand," while others "were to her head," but the "ones to her chest killed her."
The accused, who had been residing in Wilson's house for nearly two years at the time of the murder, previously denied any involvement in his grandmother's death and maintained his innocence. He claimed that he was not home at the time she was murdered. But blood evidence found on his knee and one of his t-shirts found at the crime scene suggested otherwise.
One of the victim's sons testified that he found the 68-year-old's body on March 2, 2002, stating that "she was laying there, facedown." When authorities arrived at the crime scene, they realized that Travis Milligan was nowhere to be found. He only returned home later in the night, sometime around 10 pm on the day her body was found, and was thereafter taken to the police station and interrogated.
Travis Milligan was charged with murder after failing to corroborate the story he told authorities
When asked about his whereabouts the previous night, Travis Milliga claimed that he was at a strib club with friends and only returned home after midnight when his grandmother was still alive. He then stayed at the house for 15-20 minutes, smoked a few cigarettes, and walked to a nearby convenience store, where he was picked up by a friend. He claimed to have spent the night at his friend's house.
Police officers, however, had a hard time believing his account and tracked his steps from the previous night when they learned that he had left the strip club by 12:39 am on the night of the murder, but phone records showed that he made the call to his friend from the store around 2:17 am. They believed he spent more time at home than he told authorities.
About ten months later, Travis Milligan was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He is currently serving time at the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison, Lee County.
Murder in My House airs a new episode on ID every Tuesday.
