Michael George: Dateline: Secrets Uncovered

May 24, 2024

In July 1990, Barbara George planned a surprise for her husband's 30th birthday at the comic book store they operated in Clinton Township, Michigan. She was found dead of a gunshot wound in the evening hours that same day. She had previously argued with her husband, Michael, who was having an affair with a store employee, Renee Kotula. He married her two years later.

The case remained unsolved for nearly two decades until a witness came forward, placing the victim's husband at the scene of the crime around the time the murder was committed. The witness claimed they called the store sometime around then, and Michael had picked up the call. During the initial investigation, Michael told authorities he was at his mother's house and was ruled out as a suspect.

Reports state that Michael George was later convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Dateline: Secrets Uncovered chronicles Barbara George's cold case murder in an episode titled The Comic Book Murder. The episode recently aired on Oxygen this Tuesday, May 23. The synopsis of the episode states:

"Barbara George is murdered in her comic store on Friday the 13th; the case goes cold, and her husband moves away, starting a new life with a new wife."

Michael George was convicted twice in Barbara George's 1990 comic book store death

Michael George, who owned a comic book store with his wife, Barbara George, was convicted twice of the latter's murder and was eventually sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in November 2011.

Reports state that Michael was convicted of first-degree murder in 2008 but received a retrial when a judge discovered prosecutorial mistakes and possibly new evidence. In his second trial, he was found guilty again in October.

Although he has maintained his innocence in the matter, authorities believe he killed his wife, Barbara, at their Clinton Township store, Comics World, to get rid of her and collect around $130,000 in life insurance.

According to Michael's defense counsel, he could not have committed the crime since he was at his mother's home in Hazel Park at the time. The defense also claims that the motive behind the killing was robbery, citing the theft of comic books worth $30,000.

However, prosecutors claimed that George was cheating on his wife, Barbara George, and having an affair with one of his employees. When he fatally murdered his wife at Comics World in 1990, he allegedly planned to get rid of her and collect around $130,000 in life insurance. They said her spouse attempted to cover up her murder as a robbery and stole comic books to mislead authorities.

Initially, Michael George was charged with first and second-degree murder, weapons violations, insurance fraud, and false pretenses for allegedly shooting his wife, Barbara, in the head in the back room of their comic store. George eventually cashed in on her life insurance policies and married his mistress.

The case garnered global attention when a judge overturned a guilty conviction in 2008 due to prosecutorial mistakes and probable new evidence. George was convicted for the second time in October following a month-long trial with 36 prosecution witnesses and eight defense witnesses.

Barbara George's 1990 murder case was featured on Oxygen's Dateline: Secrets Uncovered.

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