An individual of curiosity in a chilly case killing of an Oklahoma mom who was crushed to demise in entrance of her child 15 years in the past shot himself within the head in the course of a Zoom name with police about his potential involvement.
Michael Thomas — a longtime particular person of curiosity within the killing of 34-year-old Julie Mitchell — requested that his assembly final week with investigators be digital reasonably than in particular person earlier than he killed himself on digital camera, in accordance with native stories.
Thomas, 54, shot himself through the Might 31 Zoom after being on the decision for about 45 minutes, his shocked lawyer Ed Blau informed The Oklahoman.
“The phone landed right by his head, so we got to hear him die, hear the death rattle,” the lawyer stated Tuesday. “It was as shocking and horrific as you can imagine.”
Thomas, who took the decision from a wooded space outdoors a Kansas on line casino, was being questioned as a part of the investigation into the homicide of Mitchell, who was crushed to demise within the bed room of her Oklahoma Metropolis residence in November 2010. Her 13-month-old child was found unhurt proper by her bludgeoned physique.
Police discovered Mitchell’s physique in the main bedroom closet. Roughly $30,000 was lacking from a closet protected, in accordance with The Oklahoman.
Thomas — whose firm checkbook was discovered at Mitchell’s residence after her demise — had been an individual of curiosity within the case for years, and was interviewed by police a minimum of 5 – 6 occasions, his lawyer informed KOCO 5.
When investigators needed to query him once more this week, Thomas agreed – however on one situation, the station reported.
He insisted that the assembly not be in particular person.
“Beggars can’t always be choosers, and this is somebody we wanted to talk to, we needed to talk to. There were questions we needed to have answered by him,” Grasp Sgt. Gary Knight with the Oklahoma Metropolis Police Division informed KOCO.
So Thomas, Blau and Oklahoma Metropolis detectives organized for a Zoom name on Might 31 that Thomas was going to take out of the state.
“He had agreed to be interviewed by detectives, but only on the stipulation that he wasn’t going to be at the same location. He wanted to be in a manner like a Zoom call,” Knight added.
Oklahoma Metropolis Police Detective Bryn Carter informed Information 9 that Thomas dominated the dialog.
“He didn’t give me an opportunity to ask him any questions,” Carter stated. “He controlled the conversation from start to finish.”
About 45 minutes into the decision, in the course of questioning, Thomas took out a gun and shot himself within the head, in accordance with stories.
The cops on the decision stated they’d by no means skilled something that surprising earlier than throughout an interview.
“I don’t remember in my time here, 35 years here, someone killing themselves during an interview,” Knight informed KOCO.
“In 31 years on the police department doing hundreds of hundreds of interviews, I’ve never had anyone commit suicide in front of me,” Carter echoed.
Through the years and rounds of questioning, Thomas — who reportedly owed a playing debt to Mitchell’s bookie husband — repeatedly denied having something to do with the deadly beating of Mitchell.
“I — 100% — did not,” he informed The Oklahoman in 2012. “That’s for sure.”
Cops are persevering with to analyze the chilly case.
