I stumbled upon the show on complete accident last night. When I realized what it was, I couldn’t help but watch. It was pretty tacky, the use of the comic book motif throughout the show, and yet… It was oddly compelling.

I’m not sure what I thought. Yeah, George was/is a really bad husband. But did he kill his wife?

I’m inclined to think he did, based on the the contempt he showed for her, the affairs, the large insurance policies Barbara had (yet Michael’s, as the breadwinner, were realtively small), the lack of evidence supporting the idea of a robbery, Michael’s changed premise of supposed “revenge” against him (yet he didn’t have ideas as to who would be a suspect), and that damning phone call at the shop just before the murder.

His breakdown after the verdict was read, when he never seemed to show any emotion at any time prior, just made him look that much worse.

But then, all of that is circumstantial. I’m not sure if any of it conclusively proves Michael was there at the time of the murder. It was a lot of “He said/she said.” With that in mind, should the jury have convicted him?

Either way, the whole thing is just sad.

Nice to see Dateline maintaining their usual standards.

Hey they employed a comic book artist for the gig.

“To help tell the story of The Comic Book Murder, Dateline wanted to use comic book illustrations.

We commissioned freelance illustrator Kevin Leen from Taylor, Mich., to create the artwork. Kevin’s work has appeared in independent comics, fantasy game publications and collectable card games. He regularly attends comic book conventions across the Midwest. …”

http://www.leenink.com/

“Thank you to all the wonderful people at Dateline:NBC for the great experience of working with you on a wonderful project.”

Somewhere on NBC’s poorly navigable website they are supposed to have this fellow’s art. I could not find it.

And I can’t blame the guy for tooting his own horn, but wonderful is not the word I would go for. What the hey, I guess it was wonderful exposure for him, so I understand…

Yeah, then the guy was at Pittsburgh Comicon 2008 to boot. I wonder if the promotors knew he was cashing in on the NBC thing? Lame.

Sad situation all around for everyone.

Circumstantial Evidence is actually the assembling and gathering of facts. Examples of circumstantial evidence would be:
1. Checking someones bank records, and insurance records
2. interviewing friends, family, co workers.

Eyewitness Testimony is from someone that was there and has the courage to speak in court. Eyewitness Testimony is what was lacking in this case.

Were the police sloppy 18 years ago? Yes. However is Michael George still guilty? Yes.

Here’s a listing of some of the “circumstantial evidence/facts” that came out in the trial:

1. had an affair with a coworker back in his insurance sales days, (the sex tape from this affair wasn’t allowed in the trial)
2. Had an affair with a comic shop employee (Renee) who is now his wife. Within about 2 months after the murder they were living together, also it was obvious to a blind man that Renee and Mike were involved with each other before the murder
3. no emotion shown at funeral, used shades to conceal his eyes, no history of optical problems/disease, no emotion shown when speaking to family/friends/relatives afterwards, NEVER CRIED FOR HIS DEAD WIFE, but he DOES CRY FOR HIMSELF when declared GUILTY.
4. hugged a woman who would take her son to his store and flirted with her at the funeral a few feet from the casket!!!! flirted with same woman again when she and son came to store after all this
5. had a higher valued insurance policy on his wife at the time then he did on himself. (typically the breadwinner, in this case himself, carries the higher policy)
6. plenty of evidence of unhappy marriage
7. refused to support attempts at posting a reward for information that would lead to arrest/conviction
8. not very cooperative with the cops back then about the investigation
9. relocated from store where murder committed to set up another location as his main store
10. two years after the murder, his mistress having already legally split from HER husband marries Mike and they split for Pennsylvania to reopen the business down there and start the comiccon
11. Neither Mike nor former mistress now current wife Renee take the stand during the trial
12. wallet and jewelry still on body of the deceased, plus NO SIGNS AT ALL of forced entry or rushed exit from the store, plus the cash register and all display cases were undamaged, no one saw anyone with a box of comics running from the store. Also most thieves are interested in what’s in plain sight when they rob a place, and how would they know where these comics were? Major doubt to the robbery story
13. When detectives confront Mike in PA, he states they were Golden Age comics, then changed back to the Silver Age Comics description then states that someone was “out to get himself and got his wife instead”…yet this man goes to another state and sets up a rather public business and founds a major comic convention…seems like for a man with a bull’s-eye on him that to open such a public business is just asking for someone “out to get you” to come and get you doesn’t it?
14. phone call ties him to the store in the time frame of the murder, the customer that made the call gave his statement to the cops 18 years ago and it was police ineptitude that caused this report to be misfiled, otherwise this would not be a cold case.
15. there were never any other suspects and the police have always suspected Mike George.
16. Some of the people that were part of Mike’s “inner circle” of employees or “loyal regular customers” had suspicions of him and some outright stated that these comics were never in the store. The rest of his “inner circle” however stood by his side.
17. Severed all ties to family, etc. when he went to PA.
18. Detectives confront Mike in PA and he never asked who it was they suspected or if they found killer, instead gets pale, nervous, etc. when questioned.

Mike’s mother states he came over with the kids and proceeded to take a nap on the couch. Yet she then leaves with the kids who are aged 4 and 2 at the time, to go to the park….thus NO ONE THERE can say with 100% certainty that Mike was indeed home napping on the couch the time his wife was murdered. Plus his mother’s recollection of the time he arrived and went to nap has changed a bit over the years, however I chalk that up to age rather then her trying to save her son, and the kids were too young to recall the time of arrival at the house as well as how long they were gone.

Witnesses did state that earlier the day of the murder that Mike and Barb were outside the store arguing rather loudly. This was not the first time they had such loud arguments.

Barb was going to hold a “surprise” birthday party for him at the store and closed up early to go get the party food.
We have the phone call from the regular customer that places Mike in the store within the time frame of the murder.
testimony from detectives involved in the case state that Mike made a bad verbal slip while riding to the hospital. They told him she was injured. On the ride there Mike comments that “something must have fallen and hit her in the backroom”….cops never told him she was found in the backroom….
Defense can try to divert suspicion all they want, but go back and look at the facts including his verbal slip on the ride to the hospital and the phone call that places him at the store in the time frame in question…..

Guilty.

I dont think Prosecution proved their case.
Wow what if someone stole high priced books and killed her. What if he had an extension phone at his Mothers home,Call forwarding, How about the neighbor who saw the van,and the girls who saw him at the house. Surely they would remember that dreadful day more than anyone. Too much doubt in this case. How about convicting and giving Capital punishment to the ones that have no doubt. Better luck next time DA if it was up to me I would have to let him go. Couldnt live with myself if sent an innocent man to prison for life and Im a Republican

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