A witness who spoke to the killer the night of the murder. He sounded like he was busy. He was in a hurry to get off the phone. Thats the one piece that was missing. Reporter but would it be enough . Its true that we didnt have forensic evidence supporting our case. Ate under the theory, you dont shoot, you dont score. Reporter was this shot a shot in the dark . He says, is your heart beating fast . And i said, yeah, it is. I mean, this is it. I looked at him and said the comic bookstore. I knew immediately, the crime scene tape was there, they said you cant go through, we are homicide. Theyre investigating the comic and pop shot outside detroit. The fantasy big guys, spidey, hulk, xmen. Rage space in back was an ugly reality. One of the shop owners was on the floor. Her. Multiple times there friday night. It was july of 1990, friday the 13th. Nora stopped by the comic book shop before going to dinner. They liked to buy from the woman there, barb. Name when we walked in, she would light up with a smile. Many times would come around the counter to greet us. Is summer evening. It was just after 6 00. Tom and lenora picked out a no one was behind the counter to take their money, not barb or her husband michael. It wasnt uncommon someone he cash register, but this was a longer than normal time. We thought we would stick around in the shop browsing, they, too, were itching to pay and go. Rst to peek into the back room and see barb. Cried out theres somebody back here. And i rushed to the back storage area and found barb on the floor. We thought she perhaps had and hit her head. I noticed she was blue around her mouth. Her pupils were dilated and big. And, um, i could not find a pulse. Lenora, a customer happened to be a nurse and took charge. She noticed only a small amount of blood and concludered heart attack or seizure and she told her husband to call 911 while she began administering cpr. One cpr on someone that i knew and loved and i thought please, god, let this be okay. Shes a mother. As the ambulance hospital, lenora ward thought shed done her at all sure her prayers would be answered. Dire straits. The woman rushed into the emergency room was Barbara George. She doctors wea pulse. One e. R. Nurse was kris kehoe. If you give 100 compressions tter the chance to revive her. After 15 minutes it was all over. A doctor pronounced barb george, the mother of two dead. It was up to nurse kehoe to clean up the body for the family to view. Thats when she saw it. Straightening up her hair we noticed blood on the top of her head. I noticed there was a small my first thought as a nurse was that it had to be a bullet hole there. The nice woman behind the counter, shot. Shot in the head and it didnt seem like it could happen to such a good person. Back at the comic bookshop, friends and family showed up for a Birthday Party for her husband. Singing of happy birthday and all of the superheroes froel and action comics looking on. All those guests now stunned to find the party turned into a crime scene. Stess, was dead. Two possible clues to solving the mystery, right after the murder witnesses reported seeingnd a man waiting outside the comic book shop. And he had on a dark outfit for that time of the year. At kay, the numberone jewelry store. In america. Levian chocolate diamonds. For the sweetest thing in your life. Egins with kay. Aaaaaaaand we re back at Cricket Wireless switch and get a brand new or take a spin with the Samsung Galaxy grand prime for 29. 99 Cricket Wireless. Feel a spark of emotion light up every inch of you. Feel warm inside. Beautiful candle. Feel glade. Lilly. She pretty much lives in her favorite princess dress. But once a weekay sheriff so i can wash it. I use tide to get out those week old stains and downy to get it fresh and soft. You are free to go. Tide and downy hole in the wall shop, comics world, had been barb and Michael Georges just go for it passion. He collected thousands of comicsnd he liked superheroes adventures way more than he liked selling insurance, i used to go to her games. I remember going to the tournaments and she was the he was because up in a bash was brought up in a polish family. When she found herman, marriage became the organizing principl was she a happy bride . Very happy. She couldnt wait. And when children came along, two girl, 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 ov 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 touple 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 bookstore before 9 00, was there ars. We pulled up and joe rolled cant go through. Were investigating a homicide. I immediately thought mike because i thought no one hated my sister. Absolutely nobody. It was joes sister and it was up to detective Sergeant Donald steckman to make sense of the eless. Hed been the investigator on duty when the hospital called that theyd had a woman come in with a single gunshot to the head. Now we had a fullblown homicide. You know its going to be a long night. 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 backtle comic bookstore, Police Interviewed merchants and ordinary . It turned out tom and lenora picked up on something when they arrived, a speeding car in front of the comic bookshop. Ght to fast. Later, they wondered if that was the getaway car, but another observation tugged at them, who was the guy lurking outside the comic bookshop . On a dark outfit for that time of the year, a greek fishermans cap is how i would describe it. Another man would say he saw icious character, someone wearing what appeared to be a fake beard, ed lady. It was wide. Aisles and bins filled with comic books out front by the register and a door to the back storage room. Barbara george had been found back room. On the far wall was a locked door that led to the alley in the rear. Now were inside the comics cotechs began videotaping the crime scene. Register, untouched. Case just behind the till, the collectible vintage comics and they hadnt been ransacked. He storage area, some bins were toppled over, but the emts might have done that as they ran to assist barb george as she lay on the floor. George as 400 was in her pocket and the good jewelry wasnt taken. Later the medical examiner would determine it the shop owner had been shot from above, indicating shed been crouching. Another bullet had been fired first, police believed. Nt through a swimsuit calendar on the wall and into the empty shop on the of the sheet rock. If it was a robbery at the comic bookstore, it was an unusual one. Just after 8 00, detective steckman was told that the husband of the victim had just arrived. Nd he said whats going on . We said well, theres been an incident here and were sorry to injured. Injured, not dead. Happened to her. He doesnt know what happened to his wife. To our knowledge we had no idea what was going on. You have to go over to the hospital because your wife is ously injured. At the hospital, Michael George was informed that his wife had died of a gun shot wound to the head. A few minutes later, mary and rushing in. The girlfriend was undone by the awful news. m blown away in shock. I wasnt even related to her, and i was devastated and i was crying and i was upset. But there was someone that m as upset as mary was, the new widower, Michael George. Why was she so suspicious of thec book man . An untroubled husband with a very troubled marriage. We started receiving phone calls. We might want to look at his relationship with his employee renee. Real cozy. You checked it out . Ything you need to put the fun in your tax refund. Happy tax refundays from walmart. The citi double cash card comes in very handy with cash back twice. With 1 when you buy and 1 as you pay. With two ways to earn on purchases, other cards seem one sided. Get ready new superstar mascara by loreal. Super dramatic lashes. To the max supervolumized two black fiber formula stretches to the max superextended Barbara George had been shot to death in the storage room of the comic book shop she owned with her husband michael. Michael george had returned from the hospital to show the chief around what was now a crime e. The back room where barbara was shot was where a robbery must have happened. Nt white boxes were gone. As soon as he walked into the back room he said there were two cardboard boxes full of very expensive comic books missing. So hes saying i had expensive stuff. Two boxes of comic books and theyre gone. E made a list of stolen comics and estimated their value at 12,600 and he later filed claims for missing spiderman, Green Lantern and n. To name just a few. Hes talking about his robbery. His whole scenario was it had to be robbery. Michael george told the no idea what happened to his wife. Hed last seen her a little after 4 00 when she relieved him behind the counter. He said he took their two kids over to his moms and remained there napping on her couch until detective steckman asked him questions the cop would when a wife was murdered. Y girlfriends . No. Were you having any affairs . No. Any problems with your marriage . No. Ine. At the funeral days later mary shamo, the girlfriend of barbs uldnt make out what he was feeling because his eyes were concealed behind dark, dark sunglasses. Like something a blind person would wear. Oud see Stevie Wonder wear. And mary sensed that michael was acting strange, 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 isd 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 . Bs vacuum and oh, my gosh, shes never going to use this vacuum again and he would go to a blender and shes are you thinking whats up with this guy . Ike a screw ball. Here you are grieving over the vacuum and these appliances, there was no tears in hisgoing on. It was all an act. The police, meanwhile, were chasing down bank records, insurance policies looking for lead 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. For them, the case detectives hadnt found the gun and hoped for forensics like a bloody print just werent there, 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. Tarted receiving phone calls might want to look at his named renee. Check it out. Yes. It was barb george who befriended renee the their Childrens School and brought her to work at the comic bookstore. Renee had five children and her floundering marriage had ended in divorce just three weeks before barbs murder. Not long after they buried mbers dropping in unexpectedly at the comic bookshop along with her boyfriend joe and the pair got a they saw them canoodling. Their arms were crossed over to each other and when you lose 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. Nk that he had any care in the world the way he was carrying on with her. Help of 130,000 Life Insurance hat he 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. The police casually at the store that night and then in a more formal interview with the Police Station six days later, but there would be no followups. Ective steckman, Michael George said he would hire an attorney. Lawyer up. Hed stop talking. Exactly. This is a big, unsolved case . Yes. How much frustration is building with the family . What can you do . Cant take you can take the law into your own hands, but whats going to happen with did you ever talk about it . I felt it. There was times i felt, you i should do something, but, you know, im a catholic. I couldnt live with it. Are ageless, but the comic book shop in the clinton strip mall wasnt. Ors in 1992. Michael george, the shop owner and his new wife renee had moved from town. They settled some 375 miles southeast of detroit in windberg, pa, population 4,000. Ning town. On the main drag there, the georges had opened their new shop, comics world. 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. Coached the pastors daughter in basketball. He never missed a game. Tremendous family man. Respected business person in the community. Ectrical supply shop three blocks down from comics world. His life were the kids and i would have to say his life was for renee. Like gold. Where families went back generations by raising money for wish charity and giving comics to the public library. S good works, they say he was just plain fun. The guy always had a smile on his face and also always joking and everybody enjoyed being around him. He had all, but severed ties with the murdered wifes family. Uncles and aunts rarely saw barbaras two girls. Ear 2000, was Michael George even aware that the longtime chief of police in his former town had passed away. Th had died without solving the nagging case of the comic book murder. Everyone in this town was ime, and probably myself more so because my dad was the chief of police at that time. Chief smiths son, eric smith. I had driven by that store a thousand times with my old man bout every time we drove by there there was there was something he said. Still gnawing at him. Four years after his fathers death eric smith was elected chief prosecutor in Macomb County, michigan. He became responsible for all of the criminal cases in Clinton Township and beyond. I cant tell you how many people came up to me and said ily member of theirs had been murdered and been killed and nothing had been done and you could see the desperation on their face and they really thought that the d them by, and i thought if im going to be the chief Law Enforcement officer of this county i cant let people out there think that we dont care. So we started a cold case unit after i came in. One of prosecutors smiths first acts in office was to send out a letter to all of the Police Departments in his county asking Police Chiefs and ok at their old unsolveds with fresh eyes. I did it with Michael George in mind. Y mind that at the time i was hoping that wed get a lot of cases i was hoping that Clinton Township would pick this case up. And maybe resolve one for the old man. Thats it. Dad. Just as hed hoped, the Clinton Township p. D. Reopened book murder case and what a surprise the detectives find there, someone did have a vital piece of information about the night of the murder, but his story had the cracks. How could police have missed it all those years . The comic bookshop that seemed to come at a very bad time. He sounded like he was in a busy and in a hurry to get off the phone. R. He blend you need suave professionals works as well as salon brands. 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Breo opens up airways to help improve breathing for a full 24 hours. Breo contains a type of medicine that increases the risk of death and may increase the risk of hospitalization in children and adolescents. Breo is not for people whose asthma is well controlled on a longterm asthma control medicine,icosteroid. Once your asthma is well controlled, your doctor will decide if you can stop breo and prescribe a different asthma control medicine, li do not take breo more than prescribed. See your doctor if your asthma does not improve or gets worse. Ask your doctor if 24hour breo could be a missing piece for you. Eligible for the comic book murder files came out of the archives, and the lead detective blowing off the dust was lieutenant craig keith. Hed been on the Clinton Township force long enough to remember the killing of the strip mall and he took it personally that someone out there had gotten away with murder. The lieutenant had identified with the victim. I was approximately the same d children the same age and maybe that was something that just stuck with me. This is a tough one to pick up the stack. Yeah. I knew that going in, but i always operate under the theory dont shoot, you dont score and i owed it to myself, because it was something i had told myself, but i owed it to barb, too. Ective needed help, good, oldfashioned shoe leather cops to make the calls and knock on doors.