Maggie Earl

Maggie Earl is the main villainess from "Deadly Lady," the second-ever episode of Murder, She Wrote.

She was played by Marilyn Hassett.

Maggie Earl is one of four daughters of cosmetics tycoon Stephen Earl, who met Jessica Fletcher under the name Ralph. After Stephen is reported missing and presumed dead, Maggie shockingly confessed to killing her father, claiming to have shot him. Later on, Stephen Earl is found dead, and in the aftermath, Maggie recants her confession--making a claim that she and her father were planning to lure Terry Jones, the greedy ex of Maggie's sister, Nan, into resurfacing and attempting to get a share of the inheritance.

As revealed in the near end of the episode, Maggie really did kill Stephen, with the reveal beginning with Jessica mentioning that the killer's heel of a shoe was broken. Later on, Maggie broke into Jessica's home to retrieve the evidence, with Jessica waiting for her. Regarding a motive, Maggie despised her father for not loving her enough, and she actually planned to frame Nan for the murder, due to jealousy over Nan getting all of the attention from Stephen. At that moment, the evil Maggie stated to Jessica that she'd have to kill her to protect herself, making it look like a burglar broke in and committed the murder. However, Jessica informed Maggie that she had phoned Sheriff Tupper--knowing that Maggie would appear--and he has heard everything over the phone. Maggie was arrested for murdering her father.