The Murder of Julie Marange Dargis
For this case I watched an episode of American Monster. It’s season 6 episode 10, titled ‘Ghost From the Past.’
A woman is brutally murdered in her home.
Background
Julie Marange
Julie Marange (pronounced Marin-jay) was described as very beautiful, poised and kind. When she was younger she wanted to work in the fashion industry, and even modeled in high school, but eventually worked in hospice care.
Julie was very close to her family, especially her sister Jill. Jill said they were four years apart, and didn’t go a day without talking. Everyone that knew Julie said that she was the funniest person they knew, and everyone wanted to be around her.
Julie’s Circle of Friends
By 2008, Julie was still best friends with her friend from high school. Her name was Kristin Dargis. Julie was also very close with Kristin’s family, and even had a crush on her brother George since high school. More on that later!
Julie was in a relationship with a man named David Olson, and they often double dated with Kristin and her boyfriend. David was interviewed in this episode, and he said he loved to record Julie because she was so funny, and no one would know what was going to come out of her mouth next.
David and Julie met in 2001, after being set up a blind date. David had been in the Navy before they met, and his wife had died after a horrible car accident. David was also affected by the car crash, and had to get several plates in his head after his jaw was smashed. David struggled with addiction to medication and depression, but Julie was right by his side. She helped him through rehab, and David eventually got clean.
David and Julie tried to get pregnant throughout their relationship as well, but Julie had endometriosis and she couldn’t get pregnant.
In 2012, David and Julie split after 10 years together, but this was because David didn’t want to get married again. Julie’s family was sad, but happy for her because Julie seemed happy to live the single life again.
An Old Flame
In the summer of 2013, Julie went to the Dargis’ family annual Fourth of July party. George was there, fresh out of prison. He had been in prison for various narcotics charges. George and Julie still had a flirty relationship, and soon started dating.
Julie’s family was very surprised, especially because of his past. They decided to give him a chance, and saw a lot of change in him. Julie also became a parent because George had two kids from a previous relationship. Julie adored the kids, and vice versa, she treated them like they were her own.
In January 2014, George proposed after they had been dating for six months. In October, they got married. They seemed very happy for about two years, but George fell back into his old ways, and Julie was over it. She tried to stay with him and take him to rehab. However, he always relapsed.
The final straw happened a few days after Thanksgiving in 2017. George had gotten into a car crash, and fled the scene in Slidell, Louisiana. The police found liquid coedine in the car. George was arrested, and Julie told him she was done. Julie told her family that she wanted a divorce, and they told her they would help her through it all.
The Murder
On December 2, 2017, the police received several 911 phone calls. At 5:30am, the first call came in about a robbery at an Eddie’s Grocery in Mandeville, Louisiana. Fifteen minutes later, there was a robbery at a Dollar General. The third call came in from a Lishman’s City Market. This person had smashed their car into the doors at all three places, and took money.
At 7:30am, another 911 call came into the St. Tammany Sheriff’s Department. The caller was Nikki Dargis, she said her son admitted that he killed his wife.
The police raced to Julie’s home in Mandeville. Julie was found laying facedown in her kitchen. There was a sign of a struggle throughout the house, items were knocked over, and there was blood everywhere.
Julie had died from blunt force trauma, multiple stab wounds, her throat was cut and her nose was broken. She had also tried to defend herself, and had defensive wounds. The police said this was one of the most horrific scenes they had ever seen.
The Search
The police knew that George Dargis had killed his wife, and was behind the robberies. He had been released from jail two days before this happened. George’s parents said he had been suicidal, and that his kids were missing. The police needed to find George and his kids.
George had used Julie’s black Chevy Impala in the string of robberies, and they put a BOLO (be on the lookout) for the car. Several reports came in, and the police discovered that the kids were safe, and they were staying with friends. They were devastated to learn that Julie had died at the hands of their dad.
While the police were searching for George, they brought his mom Nikki in to learn what George’s last movements had been. A clip of this interrogation was played in this episode. Nikki said that George left at 3:30am, and returned at 7:30am. She said he was covered in blood, and told her that he had killed Julie. She said her husband yelled at George to leave the house, and she called 911.
George was eventually captured in New Orleans, after he smashed his car. He was taken into custody.
George Dargis
“Confession” and Conviction
The police asked George what happened. He said he didn’t remember, and didn’t think he went inside the home. The police knew that was bullshit, so they tried to minimize what he did to gain his trust. George said he didn’t mean to kill Julie, and that she grabbed a knife first. He said he was sorry, and “broke down.”
The police didn’t believe his story at all. They believed that George went to Julie’s home early in the morning on December 2, and she told him she wanted a divorce. He then got angry, killed her, took her car and robbed the three stores to get money to flee the area.
In April 2019, George pleaded guilty to second degree murder and various burglary charges. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He was also sentenced to two years for possession of a schedule two drug, 10 years for aggravated flight from an officer, 15 years for aggravated obstruction of a highway and 6 years for unauthorized entry of a business. It’s safe to say he’ll rot in prison forever.
Cindy addressed George in court, and said:
“You lied and said you loved Julie. You don’t murder people you love. Our lives are forever changed. Our lives will never be the same.”
FINAL THOUGHTS
Ugh, what a monster!!! I feel like a lot of my posts end with that, but this was a horrific crime. Julie wanted to help the man who she had been crushing on forever. He was just beyond help, and he killed her because she was finally going to leave him.
Cindy, Julie’s mom, also spoke in this episode, and her interview broke my heart. She started bawling when she talked about how she learned that Julie died. It was definitely the most heartbreaking interview I have ever seen in any interview on ID. This family has been through hell and back, but I’m glad they got the justice they deserved.
Sources
https://thecinemaholic.com/who-killed-julie-marange-where-is-george-dargis-now/
https://damontgomery.org/mandeville-man-gets-life-prison-fatally-stabbing-estranged-wife/
https://www.nola.com/news/crime_police/article_361f0ee9-0571-581b-a115-03114eb0465a.html
