Alleged comic-book killer found guilty

2 Responses to “Alleged comic-book killer found guilty”

1. Augie De Blieck Jr. on March 17th, 2008 9:26 pm

   I wonder how long it’ll take for the appeals process to begin?

   I’m surprised he was found guilty, given that all of the evidence was circumstantial. On the other hands, put enough coincidental things together and they stop looking so coincidental. . .

2. Smith on March 21st, 2008 7:23 pm

   I too used to shop at this murderer’s store back when he was based in michigan. This verdict comes as no surprise to me at all and its justice long overdue.

   Here are some of the things revealed at the trial:

   1. had an affair with a coworker back in his insurance sales days
   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.
   3. no emotion shown at funeral, used shades to conceal his eyes, no history of optical problems/disease.
   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 has legally split from HER husband and 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….5th amendment makes a nice refuge doesn’t it?
   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, thus putting major doubt to the robbery story
   13. defense claims that someone was “out to get Mike George 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 bullseye 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
   15. there were never any other suspects and the police have always suspected Mike George.

   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, 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 that day that Mike and Barb were outside the store arguing rather loudly.

   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.

   How did he do it? The scenario constructed:
   As the store owner he has the keys to front and back doors. Barb locks up and goes out for the party supplies. Mike slips in the back door and lies in wait in the backroom after having left his mother’s house confident that he has his alibi locked down. However while he was waiting the phone call occurred and he answered the phone rather then let it ring until the caller gave up. The caller was a REGULAR CUSTOMER/MEMBER of the store and knew what Mike sounded like. Realizing that the call could be a problem Mike cuts the call short. She returns and he confronts her in the backroom and shoots her. Bear in mind that she was shot execution style in the back of the head, she wasn’t running for her life trying to flee, she was bent over, possibly kneeling when she was shot.
   In a feeble attempt to claim robbery, he claimed that valued comics were stolen from the store. Bear in mind that there are no signs of forced entry and no rushed exit, no display cases are broken into or damaged, the cash register was completely untouched, and Barb still had her jewelry and wallet on her when she was found.
   Bottom line: there are two conflicting timelines that show Mike was in two places at once: his mom’s home and the store where the murder was committed. Mike later would claim that someone was out to get him and got Barb instead, however given the public nature of his business and the comic convention he founded that claim doesn’t hold up. Barb’s insurance policy was higher valued then his. Their marriage was unhappy, and he was two-timing her with an employee of his store. The only ones with motive to end the marriage were Renee and Mike. The only ones that stood to gain were Renee and Mike.
   I have seen posts on other boards that express sympathy for his current wife. Touching sentiment that is misplaced in this case. Renee was having an affair with this married man who would go on to kill his current wife so he could cash out the insurance and link up with her instead. She is far from innocent and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if she gets brought up on conspiracy charges, or aiding and abetting a known felon, or accessory to murder.
   Save your sympathy instead for Mike George’s two daughters. They were very young when it happened and they have belief in their father and testified on his behalf. That is fine. They were ages 4 and 2 and thus their memories of that night are not going to be very time specific and of course they would believe in their father. I do not fault them for that at all even if the belief is wrongfully placed.
   Save your sympathy also for the family of Barb, the victim and for Barb herself. Barb was a nice person and I enjoyed shopping at the store when she was there instead of Mike.
   Who am I? I am 1 of the 100 people that were tracked down by the detectives to chat with about the days when I did business with this murderer. No I wasn’t on the stand and am not now nor ever expected to be bound by any gag orders, thus I shall speak about this case as I wish whenever I wish until the court requests that I do not. I was convinced Mike was guilty all those years ago and I am happy that any information I was able to provide helped lead to his conviction.
   Known list of allegedly stolen comics:
   George had made a list of comic books he knew were included in the stolen boxes. “He didn’t put down any he wasn’t positive about,” Kotula said. The missing comics included:

   Action 6, 22, 24, 25, 33, 81, 84, 85, 88, 90
   Adventure 88
   All-American 29
   Amazing Spider-Man 9, 42, 50
   Captain America 48, 49, 54
   Daredevil 6
   Green Lantern 4, 40
   X-Men 4, 5, 6, 9, 10
   Turok 2-10
   Thor 85, 86, 91, 92, 126
   Incredible Hulk 102 (three copies)
   Flash 71, 77, 108, 123
   Fantastic Four 9, 20, 48, 49, 50
   Iron Man 1 (three copies), 3-10
   Iron Man & Sub-Mariner (two copies)

   “Approximately 300 comic books were stolen, but these are the ones that can be positively identified.”
   circumstantial evidence

   Main Entry:
   circumstantial evidence
   Function:
   noun
   Date:
   1736
   : evidence that tends to prove a fact by proving other events or circumstances which afford a basis for a reasonable inference of the occurrence of the fact at issue

   Who am I? I’m one of the 100 people that were tracked down by the police for a interview about this murdering slime. Was I on the stand? Nope. Was I ever ordered to stay silent before, during or after the trial? Nope. Did I offer information that helped the prosecution? You bet. Even a blind man could see what a creep this guy was then and now. His affair with Renee and trouble marriage was obvious. Am I glad I helped in someway put this man away? Oh yes.

   Will there be an appeal? Of course there will be. Will the appeal hold up in court? Depends on the Judge. There was enough witnesses and testimony to indicate he was at the store the night in question, and his mother’s memories and testimony of the timeframe’s of him being at her house and how long she and the kids were at the park at the time has changed many times over the years. Mike’s kids were age 4 and 2 at the time so their memories are also dubious at best in regards to the timeframe involved. The phone call that Mike answered and his verbal slip about her being the backroom when the cops didn’t tell him where she was found are what nails him.

   Rot in Prison Mike George.

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