Investigators: Death of CHP captain's ex-husband being investigated as murder-for-hire
SACRAMENTO -- The death of a California Highway Patrol Captain's estranged husband is being investigated as a murder-for-hire, according to sources who spoke to CBS13.
Michael Harding was found dead in a home on Glasgow Road in Burkesville, Kentucky on September 26. Authorities told CBS13 Michael did not have a known connection to the home. He had been shot multiple times, according to police, in the home that was listed for sale.
Weeks later, his estranged wife, Yuba-Sutter CHP Captain Julie Harding, was found dead in the front yard of their Tennessee home. Sources tell CB13 she committed suicide.
Then, last Thursday, December 8, Thomas O'Donnell was arrested at the Sacramento International Airport and faces a murder charge in connection with Michael Harding's death.
A friend of Michael Harding's, Preston Cleary, said he is shocked by the circumstances surrounding his friend's death.
"I really think he was targeted; this was definitely well organized," said Cleary.
He believes Michael was in trouble when he went missing on September 19. The last time they spoke was when he was on his way to pick up the tuxedo that would be worn in Cleary's wedding. That was also the last time Harding's car was seen.
Harding called Cleary every morning at 7 a.m., and when nearly two days passed without a call, Cleary got worried.
"We knew right where to go to start looking: Julie Harding," said Cleary.
Several law enforcement sources tell CBS13 that Michael Harding's death is being investigated as a murder-for-hire and they believe Julie Harding died by suicide.
Cleary shared stories of the weeks following the start of the Hardings' divorce. Court documents show the divorce was filed for in May and Cleary told CBS13 Michael and Julie were living apart and estranged. Cleary said he knows that, on at least one occasion, Julie came back to the home in Celina, Tennessee, and attempted to take money out of a safe in the garage.
This experience, Cleary said, prompted Michael to add security, including at least six security cameras, chains on the doors, and special locks on the windows.
"He loved his wife; his trust was kind of betrayed," said Cleary.
Cleary said the two men were part of a close-knit friend group that, he said, has been torn apart by his loss. He said the group believes that the answers to what happened to Michael may sit with O'Donnell.
