Five years after the death of Penelope McGee’s ex-husband, she stands trial for his death in Dedham, Massachusetts. The 58-year-old socialite was accused of the death of Andrew Savitz in January 2020 and charged with manslaughter. McGee requested a bench trial, which puts her fate in the hands of the presiding judge. If she is convicted, she faces a potential sentence of 20 years in prison.
Socialite and Her Ex-Husband’s Demise
McGee is supposedly from a prominent political family in Rhode Island, coining her nickname the ‘socialite.’ She is also the previous vice president of J.P. Morgan Chase. Her ex-husband was also a prominent figure in the area. He was 66 years old at the time of his death and was supposedly a well-known environmental consultant. He also aided the former governor, Michael S. Dukakis.
On January 28, 2020, McGee visited her ex-husband Savitz at his home. She intended to confront him about an email she had received regarding her current residence. Savitz’s brother emailed her a letter stating she needed to remove herself from the home as she was being evicted. According to McGee, a fight broke out between them. She told police that Savitz grabbed ahold of her before pushing her during their argument. During the argument, he passed out in the hallway. She then began performing CPR.
McGee and Savitz’s then-18-year-old daughter, Zuzzie Savitz, relayed a different story to the police officers than her mom’s. She witnessed them argue for several minutes and overheard her father ask McGee to leave. She went downstairs to witness her mother slapping and pushing her father, who then collapsed. The authorities were called immediately.
According to a medical examiner, Andrew Savitz’s cause of death was cardiac dysrhythmia resulting from an altercation in an individual with a history of hypertension, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, and diabetes mellitus. His cause of death is the main argument that the prosecution is using, meaning McGee knew his health conditions but pushed him to the point of break anyway.
Day 1 of Trial
Opening statements were made in the case of Penelope McGee vs. MA before Judge Beverly Cannone on January 28, 2025. Judge Cannone presided over the first trial in the Karen Read case. Read was accused of murdering her boyfriend and stood trial in the middle of 2024. The judge declared a mistrial, and a retrial will begin this week. As for McGee, her trial could not be declared a mistrial, nor should it last longer than a week, considering the lack of evidence and jury.
The prosecution argues that the argument that broke out between the two was the stressor that caused Savitz’s death. McGee’s defense argues that Savitz was the aggressor. Several witnesses were called to the stand on the prosecution side, including Jonathan Savitz, the victim’s brother, and Zuzzie Savitz, the defendant and victim’s daughter. Zuzzie recalled the moments leading to her father’s death and the argument that broke out. She described her mother as upset and angry, while her father seemed distressed. She witnessed her mother pushing him in the chest and slapping his face. Initially, she attempted to intervene but was unsuccessful.
Final Thoughts
Penelope McGee might have instigated the argument and allowed it to escalate. It seems like an overreach to charge her with manslaughter when this incident is nothing short of an unfortunate accident. Things would be different if she went over there intending to cause Savitz to go into cardiac dysrhythmia, but how can one prove that? It is also hard to prove that McGee even realized what was happening at the moment. It was confirmed she attempted CPR after her daughter convinced her, but that just shows she might have been in shock.
During breaks in court, the CourtTV host, Ted Rowlands, discusses the situation with Phillip Bay, who offers some brilliant insight. Where does it end? This was not premeditated or even murder. It was a heated argument between two exes who probably divorced because of their toxic relationship. Bay shared an example if you were to get in a fight with your wife. Say the wife collapses and survives. Would the husband be put on trial for attempted murder? McGee did not ‘finish him off’ either, so there is no evidence to convict her of a manslaughter charge.
