Death Without Mercy

(CBS)  This story was originally broadcast on Jan. 5, 2008. It was updated April 17, 2009.

In November 2005, quiet and sleepy Morgantown, W.Va., was left shaken when the body of James "Jimmy" Michael was discovered inside his burning home.

As correspondent Susan Spencer reports, the death appeared suspicious to police from the get-go, and investigators soon focused on Michael's widow, Michelle.

Was Jimmy's death a homicide? And was there motive?

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The opening game for the 2007 West Virginia Mountaineers is the pride of the entire state. From small towns, to the most remote mountain valleys, kids here dream of being part of the excitement in Morgantown.

Young Michelle Goots, raised in nearby Clarksburg, was no different and her dream came true. "Shelly," as she liked to be called, was a straight-A student and cheerleader in high school.

When she got to West Virginia University in 1990, her looks, brains and talent paid off: she won a coveted spot on the cheerleading squad.

But Shelly also had a more serious side. "I knew I wanted to be involved with children somehow. That was never a question. I always wanted to be a pediatric nurse," she says.

After graduation, she landed a job at Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown.

Respiratory therapist Stephanie Estel remembers Shelly well -- hard not to, she says. "Cheerleader moves in the unit. And she was all about flirting with the boys that we worked with," Stephanie recalls. "I can remember she just came over and did this high kick to her ear and just kinda giggled and kept on walking."

But what Stephanie found annoying, apparently made a very good impression on another therapist in the unit, Jimmy Michael.

But Jimmy was married to Stephanie, and they had two kids. And Shelly was also married to Rob Angus, and also had two kids.

None of this appeared to deter her or Jimmy in the slightest. "Jimmy and I would talk off and on at work. And I knew that he and Stephanie were having issues. And Rob and I were not getting along very well," Shelly says. "And kinda just connected that way."

By the fall of 1998, Stephanie suspected something was up.

Soon, both couples divorced. Just eight months after Shelly's divorce was final, Shelly and Jimmy, both 28, got married and moved to a house on Killarney Drive, only minutes away from Shelly's job at the hospital.

It seemed like a perfect match, and Jimmy's parents, Dennis and Ruth, say that "perfect" was very important to Shelly. "She wanted everybody to think that they were the perfect model family," Denny recalls.

Jimmy had left the hospital to start a medical supply business and coached football in his spare time, while Shelly coached the cheerleaders.

On Nov. 28, 2005, the Michaels were home alone; their kids were staying with the exes. Jimmy turned in early, Shelly says, and was still asleep when she left the next morning. "I left to go to work around 6-ish. I got there about 6:10, 6:15. And I went in to do my normal routine work," Shelly remembers.

Shelly says it was hours later - about 10:30 am - when she got a phone call telling her that her house was on fire. Shelly rushed back to the house. "Firemen everywhere. I was saying, 'Where is Jimmy? Where is he?' And they just kept saying, 'We don't know. We can't find him, we don't know,'" she recalls.

Firefighters fought the blaze for half an hour before finding Jimmy's remains in the master bedroom, still lying in what was left of the bed.

Morgantown Police Detective Paul Mezzanotte says police initially thought they were dealing with a routine fatal fire. But he says his impressions changed the minute he got to the scene and began watching Shelly.

"The people that were showing up, they seemed to be more upset than she was. And it was just kind of different when we talked to her that day," he recalls.

The more they talked, the more he was sure this was a "person of interest." Mezzanotte says Shelly "didn't have a reaction" and that he never saw her cry.

"There was something that just kept drawing me to be around her. 'Cause something never sat right with me from the beginning of the investigation," he recalls.

And then there was the crime scene itself, with Jimmy's body simply lying on the bed. "When we saw the body, something just stuck out to me that there wasn't something right with this," Mezzanotte explains.

Just three days later, the medical examiner confirmed why all these "somethings" weren't right: Jimmy had not died in the fire, but was dead before the blaze even started.

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[imo1971]

It would be nice to know who called in with the tip about the drug found in his body, if it was one of her lovers, I would say guilty. However if it was the ex-wife or someone who hated her I would say she was framed. I guess will never know.

[adam96233]

she doesnt seem to worried about her case.....

[adam96233]

i have photos of shelly in prison on a visit with her 2 lovers....both r wemon one was a co and was fired for her relationship with shelly....i also have photes of her that were taken as poses for a inmate penpal service. these pics are from 2009 i do want to sell them

[kenny5115]

I just read the book playing with fire. There is no doubt that Michelle Michael is guilty. When you are dealing with a sociopathic personality like hers she probably in her own twisted mind believes her own lies. There is no one else that logically have done this but her. Her own lawyer told her after her conviction to confess her guilt now and acknowledge her guilt and beg for forgiveness, and over the course of 20 years, you will get out. She went completly balistic. With her type of personality she will never admit guilt. Personally I think she got off to easy.

[sylli26]

I just completet reading the same book, "playing with fire" and will will say that in reading it, I felt from the start that Shelly was guilty. The way the book is written, everything points toward a cold and calculating woman. I have no idea if she actually did kill her husband, and as long as she claimes her innocence, nobody will ever know for certain. Had I been in that jury, I would have votet to convict her as well.I find the way her husband Jimmy died unbeleavably cruel and in fact hard to imagine. I just cannot phanthom how any person is even capable of doing something like that to another, knowingly. Again, the book is portraying her as guilty beyon the shadow of a doubt, not much symphathy...hopefully she will confess and ask for forgiveness

[mygoshtheseidiots]

gawd you people are utterly stupid (kaelinda, mjjclark1, glaswolf, rushlimpdrug). I bet you also think OJ was framed. Use your brains and open your eyes.

[skicky]

question how could his ashes be told when he died !
there is a think called shock dumb dumb!
that how I would act , there smart ass investor can make anyone look
guity, she should said her address and ss# and told him !!
I do have answer that ! then they would feed her 3 or days until said something
IT SHOULD LAW, THAT LAWER BE THERE DURING QUESTIONING!!!!!!!!!

[OneEllee]

I've been watching 48 hours mystery for years and years and this is the first time I've ever seen an episode where the editors came to the conclusion of guilt, but I still have what I would consider reasonable doubts.

My primary reason for being skeptical is that it took the prosecution's fire experts six tries to the get fire to smoulder for two hours. Obviously if Shelly did commit the crime, the fire smouldering for two hours is the best thing in the world for her. I find it hard to believe that she achieved the first time what took fire experts six times to replicate.

The fact that the drug injected into the husband would have taken a bit to take effect, and the husband is assumed to have slept through getting stuck with that big needle doesn't make much sense either. Now, if the husband had been full of heavy sleeping drugs, that WOULD have made sense. Surely Shelly has access to heavy sleeping drugs. Yet none were used.

Nobody could prove that the drug was taken from Shelly's hospital, which is also weird. Hospitals are usually extremely careful with their records of their drugs. Did they check the ex-wife's hospital? What about Jimmy the medical supply guy? Did they check if he had ordered any?

But what gets me the most is that in the beginning the detective said what made him suspect foul play was that while people were crying all around Shelly while she showed no emotion.

What happens when the verdict is read? People all around Shelly are crying, and she shows no emotion. Being reserved about your feelings and telling a lot of lies doesn't make you a killer.

Is it possible she did it? Sure.

But there are a lot of things that don't add up and I would need some of those loose ends tied to vote to send a woman to jail for life.

[cepe10-2009]

what a weak case. The drug takes a while to take effect and this guy slept though being stabbed with a needle. Everything about the case makes it look like a frame job and unethical and incompetent prosecutors.

[csi-lover]

What do Shelly Michaels, Ann Miller, and Melanie Maguire all have in common? Their last name ends in "M". And they are all in jail.

One last comment about that psychopath Melanie Maguire. Don't wear makeup when you are crying telling us your innocence about dismembering your husband and stuffing him in to your suitcase and throwing him in the river like trash. It makes you look bad. Also, you blew it when the tv commentator asked you about your final words to your husband. You said "F*** you". This not only justifies your guilt and your life sentence, but it showed your extreme anger towards him.

Remember folks, beware of women like these scumbags. They can be just as vicious and vile than any man on this planet. The best punishment would have been to put all 3 of these psychopaths in the same jail cell and without any makeup.

CSI Lover

[csi-lover]

Wow!!!

Another Ann Miller. Said she didn't do it. Leason learned: Watch out guys, you think men are ruthless? Holy smokes folks, women can be quite EVIl too. BEWARE.

When someone lies, it certainly doesn't help. But this case was based on facts, not on fiction. It all added up. And she lied. Guilty. Slam dunk.

I will admit, however, I am suprised her appear was denied. Reasonable doubt did exist, but I think if you weigh the overall case, you will see it did point more towards her guilt. Jurors are human too, and often they can see the truth beyond the lies. She should have never taken the stand. Never. She may have walked...

I had a hard time looking at this gal. Not sure why. Perhaps a little spooky and uncomforatble to see someone try and save themself from defeat. But defendants in this country are entitled to a fair trial rather than pleading guilty.

Seeing her sit right before the verdict made me quite sad.

I often wonder what it's like to be cuffed by the bailiif after being found guilty of 1st degree murder and arson. No more makeup. No more lies. No more dead bodies or broken lives to ruin. End of game. Match point over. No pun intended! Sorry bic!

I truly feel sorry for her. I couldn't handle that feeling of watching her going to the police van in an orange prison suit and shackles. Imagine how she must feel?

Did her husband feel the pain when the flames engulfed his body? And was she smiling, because we know she wasn't crying...

CSI-Lover