Dad. The clues, that lovers triangle, cash, and a bearded lady. They said it looked like a woman in a fake beard, a really thin guy. Its a mystery with so many headsnapping turns it took two trials. You wait 18 years for justice only to have the carpet pulled out from under you. To uncover the truth. We have a verdict. But was it the truth . An adulterer is a person whos done evil things. But that does not make him a murderer. I looked at him, i said hey, lets go down to the comic book store and help barb with the party. We pulled out to the party, the Police Stopped us. I knew immediately, all the crime scene tape was there, and they said you cant go through. Were investigating a homicide. Were investigating the comic book store. The comic book store was a mom and pop shop in a strip mall outside detroit. Bins for the fantasy big guys, spidey, hulk, xmen. But in the Storage Space in back was an ugly reality. One of the shop owners, the woman was on the floor with the life draining out of her. Customers had found her. Most of the time we were there on friday nights. Did was yul of 1990, a friday the 13th, when tom and lenora ward stopped by the comic book shop before going out to dinner. They liked buying from the woman there, barb. She knew our names. Immediately when we would walk in she would light up with a smile. Many times she would actually come around the counter to greet us. But not on this summer evening. It was just after 6 00. Tom and lenora had picked out a comic, but there was no one behind the counter to take their money. Not barb or her husband michael, the coowner. It wasnt uncommon that someone wouldnt be at the cash register. But this was a longer than normal time. So we thought we would stick around just to make sure because we liked her. Some teenage customers were also in the shop browsing and they too were itchy to pay and go. They were the first ones to peek into the back room and see barb sprawled. Cried out theres somebody back here and at that time tom and i rushed to the back storage area and found barb on the floor. We thought she perhaps had fallen backwards and hit her head. I noticed that she was blue around her mouth. Her pupils were dilated and big. And i could not find a pulse. Lenora the customer happened to be a nurse and took charge. She noticed only a small amount of blood and concluded that barb had suffered a heart attack or a sheeshz. She told her husband to call 911 while she began administering cpr. I had never done cpr on someone that i knew and loved. It was please, god, let this be okay, shes a mother. As the ambulance rushed barb to the hospital, lenora ward felt shed done her professional best. But she wasnt at all sure her prayers would be answered. I knew that she was medically in dire straits. The woman rushed into the emergency room that evening was 32yearold Barbara George. She was a little heavy but physically fit, an enthusiastic softball and volleyball player. Doctors and nurses began working feverishly to get a pulse. Thumg the wom thumping the womans chest in rapid bursts. One e. R. Nurse was kris kehoe. If you can give 100 compressions a minute to that patient the better the chance of revierg the heart. But after 15 minutes it was all over. A doctor pronounced barb george, the mother of two, dead. It fell to nurse kehoe to clean up the body to view. Thats when she saw it. When we were straightening up her hair we noticed some blood on the top of her head. I noticed there was a small hole. My first thought as a nurse was that it had to be a bullet hole there. Imagine that, Barbara George, the nice lady behind the counter, shot to death. We were shocked. Shot in the head . It didnt seem like it could happen to such a good person. Back at the comic book shop, friends and family continued to arrive for what was supposed to be a Surprise Birthday Party that night for Michael George, barbs husband. What a pleasant night it should have been, with toasts, the singing of happy birthday, and all the superheroes from his beloved marvel and action comics looking on. All those guests now stunned to find the party turned into a crime scene. And barb, the hostess, dead. Coming up, what could be two key clues to solving the mystery. Right after the murder witnesses reported seeing a speeding car. And we both thought to ourselves and then said it to each other, boy, that cars going too fast. And a man waiting outside the comic book shop. He had on kind of a dark outfit for that time of the year. A greek fishermans cap is how i would describe it. When dateline continues. Es does cleansing drain the life out of your skin . Try garnier micellar water rose. With rose water and micelles that work like a magnet to gently cleanse and remove oils and makeup. And now, even hydrates skin. Its cleansing, reinvented. Micellar waters by garnier, naturally. [phone rings] sore throat pain . Aters try new Vicks Vapocool drops in honey lemon chill for a fastacting rush of relief like youve never tasted in. Honey lemon ahh woo Vicks Vapocool drops now in honey lemon chill robinwithout the commission fees. So, you can start investing today wherever you are even hanging with your dog. So, what are you waiting for . Download now and get your first stock on us. Robinhood. Their hole in the wall shop, comics world, had been barb and Michael Georges just go for it passion. Hed collected thousands of comics over the years and he liked superheroes adventures way more than he liked selling insurance. So with some help from barbs parents they took the jump and opened their little shop in a Clinton Township, michigan strip mall in the winter of 1988. Joe kowynia is barbs brother. When we met joe, he earned a living by removing dents and dings from cars. But back in 1990 he was the kid brother who looked up to his sister, admired her on the softball field where she was a standout. I used to go to her games. I remember going to the tournaments with the family. You know, she was your typical older sister. She was always there to help you. Barb had been brought up in a traditional polish catholic family. And when she found her man, Michael George, marriage became the organizing principle of her life. Was she a happy bride . Very happy. Yeah. She couldnt she couldnt wait. And when children came along, two girls, Barbara George seemed complete. Her kids were her pride and joy, and i think that was everything to her. The night of friday the 13th brother joe and his then girlfriend, now mary shamo, drove over to the comic shop for what was to be a celebration. Barbs Surprise Birthday Party in the store for michael. He was turning 30. Michaels mother was going keep the two kids at her house for the weekend while barb and michael took off after the party for a cozy couple of days at a lodge. So that would have been a friday night and it was going to be a romantic weekend . Right. A weekend not meant to be because by the time joe and mary got to the comic book store just before 9 00, there was confusion, cop cars. We pulled up and joe rolled down the window and the Police Stopped us and they said you cant go through, were investigating a homicide. Somebody was killed. I immediately thought mike because i thought no one hated my sister. Absolutely nobody. But the victim wasnt mike. It was joes sister. And it was up to detective Sergeant Donald steckman to make sense of the senseless. Hed been the investigator on duty when the hospital called that theyd had a woman come in with a single gunshot to the head. So now we had a fullblown homicide. You know its going to be a long night. Yes. As the Detectives Team scoured the strip mall dumpsters for maybe a tossed weapon, clothing, something, he turned over the few facts he had so far. A woman with children gunned down execution style in the back of a little comic bookstore, Police Interviewed merchants and customers at the mall, had anyone seen anything out of the ordinary . It turned out tom and lenora ward did, the couple who had given barb first aid had picked up on something when they arrived that evening. A speeding car in front of the comic book shop. And we both thought it to ourselves and then said it to each other, boy, that cars going too fast. Later theyd wonder if that was the getaway car. But another observation tugged at them, who was the guy lurking outside the comic bookshop . He had on kind of a dark outfit for that time of the year, a greek fishermans cap is how i would describe it. Another man visiting the strip mall would say he saw a different suspicious character. Someone wearing what appeared to be a fake beard, possibly a bearded lady. The shop was small, deeper than it was wide. Aisles of bins filled with comic books out front by the register and a door to the back storage room. Barbara george had been found just inside the back room. On the far wall was a locked door that led to the alley in the rear. Now were inside the comics corner. Crime scene techs began videotaping the crime scene. The cash register. There was 750 still in the cash register, untouched. In a glass case just behind the till, a wall of collectible vintage comics, the good stuff. They hadnt been ransacked. In the storage area some bins had been toppled over, but the emts might have done that as they rushed in to assist barb george as she lay on the floor. More than 400 would be found in her pocket. The good jewelry she was wearing wasnt taken. Later the medical examiner would determine the shop owner had been shot from above, the bullet entering almost the very top of the skull, indicating shed been crouching. Another bullet had been fired first, police believed. It missed and went through a swimsuit calendar on the wall and into the empty shop on the other side of the sheet rock. If it was a robbery at the comic book store, it was an unusual one. Just after 8 00, detective steckman was told that the husband of the victim had just arrived. He identified himself and he said whats going on . We said well, theres been an incident here and were sorry to tell you, but your wife has been injured. Injured, not dead. We never told him what happened to her. He doesnt know what has happened to his wife. To our knowledge he had no idea what was going on. You have to go over to the hospital because your wife is seriously injured. At the hospital, Michael George was informed that his wife had died of a gunshot wound to the head. A few minutes later, mary and his brotherinlaw joe came rushing in. The girlfriend was undone by the awful news. Im blown away. Im shocked. I wasnt even related to her and i was devastated and i was crying and i was upset. But there was someone who didnt seem as upset as mary was, the new widower, Michael George. Why was she so suspicious of the comic book man . Coming up there wasnt one tear in his eyes. There was no swelling going on in his eyes. He just he had he had nothing going on. It was all an act. An untroubled husband with a very troubled marriage. They didnt see us pull up. They were really close, they were giggling together and their arms were crossed topher each other. You wouldnt think he had any care in the world the way he was carrying on with her. We started receiving phone calls, we might want to look at his relationship with his employee named renee. A little cozy, check it out. Yes. When dateline continues. Els brad apartmentsdotcom. The most popular place to find a place. Look at this human trying you know what he will get . Muscle pain. Give up, the couch is calling. I say, its me, the couch, im calling. Pain says you cant. Advil says you can. I guess i look pretty. Ridiculous. [ chuckles ] no one looks ridiculous, bob. Progressive is always here for you with roundtheclock service. Just so you know, next time, you can submit a claim with our mobile app. Good. Thanks again for for rushing over. Are you kidding . This is what 24 7 protection looks like. Okay. You smell like fish. Sorry. I was talking to jamie. You smell like fish. Sorry. Robinwithout the commission fees. So, you can start investing today wherever you are even hanging with your dog. So, what are you waiting for . Download now and get your first stock on us. Robinhood. Barbara george had been shot to death in the storage room of the comic book shop she owned with her husband michael. Six hours after her murder Michael George had returned from the hospital to show the chief detective sergeant steckman around what was now a crime scene. The back room where barb was shot was also where michael said a robbery must have happened. He noticed two important white boxes were gone. As soon as he walked into the back room he looked and said there were two cardboard boxes full of very expensive comic books missing. So hes saying i had some expensive stuff two boxes of comic books. And theyre gone. And theyre gone. Michael george made a list of stolen comics and estimated their value at 12,600. Hed later file Insurance Claims for missing spiderman, Green Lantern and ironman. To name just a few. Hes talking about his robbery. At the comic book shop Michael George told the detective he had no idea what happened to his wife. He said hed last seen her a little after 4 00 when shed relieved her behind the counter. He said he took their two kids over to his mom and is remained there, napping on her couch until a little before 8 00, when he returned to the comic book store. Detective stekman asked Michael George the questions that a cop would when the wife has just been murdered. Lets get all this straight. Were there any girlfriends . No. Why were you having any affairs . No. Any problems with your marriage . No. Everything was fine. At the funeral days later mary sham06789, the girlfriend of barbs brother, couldnt make out what he was feeling because his eyes were concealed behind dark, dark sunglasses. Like something that a xwliend person would wear. Something you see Stevie Wonder wear. And mary sensed that michael was acting strange, even goofy, only increased after a visit to the trailer park home where Michael George and barbara had lived. She and joe, barbs brother, had gone over to give michael some support during tough days. He comes in and her vacuum is sitting there and he grabs the vacuum and embraces the vacuum like he showed more emotion with this vacuum than he did the whole time. Whats he saying to the vacuum . Hes just saying, oh, this was barbs vacuum and oh, shes never going to use this vacuum again. And then he would go to like a blender and hed be like shes never going to be in this kitchen again. Are you thinking whats up with this guy . Im looking at him like hes a screwball. Here you are grieving over the vacuum and these appliances, there was no tears in his eyes no swelling in his eyes. He had nothing going on. It was all an act. The police, meanwhile, were chasing down bank records, insurance policies, looking for leads on the speeding car, the man in the greek fishermans cap, the socalled bearded lady and whether this could have been a botched robbery after all. They were also getting a crash course on the value of vintage comics. Unhappily for them, the case detectives hadnt found the gun and hoped for forensics like a bloody print just werent there, but the investigators were getting calls on the q. T. About Michael George maybe having a girlfriend. When did you learn about a shop assistant named renee . That was two days later. We started receiving phone calls from people advising us that we might want to look at his relationship with his employee named renee. A little cozy. Check it out. Yes. It was barb george who befriended renee the their Childrens School and brought her to work at the comic book store. Renee had five children and needed the money. Her floundering marriage had ended in divorce just three weeks before barbs murder. Not long after they buried barbara, mary shamo remembers dropping in unexpectedly at the comic book shop along with her boyfriend joe and the pair got a shockeroo. They saw michael and renee, the shop assistant, canoodling. They didnt see us pull up. They were really close and giggling with each other and their arms were crossed over to each other. And when you lose someone in your life and you look around at the world like whats going on . Why does the world keep moving when i just lost someone so important and here this man is and hes as happy as a clam. You wouldnt think that he had any care in the world the way he was carrying on with her. Michael and renee would set up a new home together with the help of a 130,000 Life Insurance payout on barb that hed received as beneficiary. Is he becoming what cops call a person of interest . Yes. At that point he was. At that point he had to be. He talked to the police casually at the store that night and then in a more formal interview at the Police Station six days later. But there would be no followups. According to detective steckman, Michael George said he would hire an attorney. Lawyer up. Hed stop talking. Exactly. So this is a big unsolved case . Yes. Yes. How much frustration is building with the family . What can you do . You cant take you can take the law into your own hands, but whats going to happen with that . Did you ever talk about it . I felt it. There was times i felt, you know, that i should do something, but you know, im a catholic. I couldnt live with it. In the comics, superheroes are ageless. But the comic book shop in the clinton strip mall wasnt. It closed its doors in 1992. Michael george, the shop owner, and his new wife renee had moved from town. Theyd settled some 375 miles southeast of detroit in windberg, pa, population 4,000. An old coal mining town. On the main drag there the georges had opened their new shop, comics world. With his two kids and renees five being raised together in their spacious new home, they found friends among the other parents involved in their kids sports teams. Michael coached pastor brad westovers daughter in basketball. He never missed a game. Tremendous family man. Respected business person in the community. Jeff lightly had the Electrical Supply