expected to line up along the river to see the athletes from over 200 countries. to get ready for the olympics, paris is getting completely transformed with new stadiums and arenas. athletes will compete from swimming to gymnastics to track and field but that is not all. >> i told you she was a gold medalist. you can catch all of the action from the olympics streaming on peacock and across nbc. it will be eight extraordinary next two weeks. go team usa. on that note i wish you all a fantastic and winning night. from all of our colleagues at nbc news, thank you for staying up with us. i will see you at the end of monday. michael george felt pray to the two issues most known to

the common man, sex and money. a comic book store, but not that night. >> they said you cannot go through, somebody was killed. >> she was a young wife and mother minding the store for her husband. >> we may want to look at his relationship with renee. >> years passed without a arrest but for one prosecutor, this case was personal. >> that was the case unsolved for my dad. >> the clues, a lover's triangle, cash and a bearded lady. it is a mystery with so many had snapping turns it took two trials. >> you waited 18 years for justice only to have carpet pulled out from under you. >> was it the truth? >> a adulterer is a person who

has done evil things but those that make him a murderer? >> we looked at him and said let's go to the comic book store and help with the party. the police stopped us, all of the crime scene tape was there and they said you cannot go through, we are investigating a homicide. >> the comic book store was a mom-and-pop shop in a strip mall outside of detroit. by the register, bins of the fantasy big guys. in the back was a reality, one of the shop owners was a woman on the floor with the life training out of her. it was july 1990, friday the 13th when tom and lenore stopped by the shop before going

out to dinner. they liked purchasing from the woman there. barb. >> immediately when we walked in she would light up with a smile. many times she would come around the counter to greet us. >> not on this summer evening. it was just after 6:00, tom and lenore picked out a comic but nobody was behind the counter to take the money. >> it was not uncommon that somebody would not be at the register but this was longer than normal so we thought we would stick around to make sure because we liked her. >> some teenage customers were also in the shop browsing and they were itchy to pay and go. they were the first ones to peek into the back room and see barb. >> they called out there is somebody back here. at that time we rushed back there and found barb on the floor. >> we thought she felt

backwards and hit her head. >> i noticed she was blue around the mouth and her pupils were big and i could not find a pulse. >> she happened to be a nurse and took charge. she noticed a small amount of blood and concluded barb suffered a heart attack or seizure. she told her husband to call 911 while she began administering cpr. >> i never did cpr on somebody i knew and loved. please god let this be okay. >> as the ambulance rushed barb to the hospital, lenore felt she did her best she was not sure for prayers would be answered. the woman rushed into the emergency room that evening was 32-year-old barbara george, she was a little heavy but physically fit, a enthusiastic softball and volleyball player.

doctors begin working to get a pulse. one er nurse was chris. >> if you can give 100 compressions permitted to the patient the better the chances. >> after 15 minutes it was all over, the doctors pronounced barb the mother of two, dead. she cleaned up the body for the family to view, that is when she saw it. >> when we straightened her hair i noticed blood at the top of the head, i noticed a small hole. i knew it had to be a bullet hole. >> imagine that, barb, the nice lady behind the counter, shot in the head. >> we were shocked. it could not happen to a good person. >> back at the comic shop, friends and family continued to arrive for a surprise birthday party for barb's husband.

a pleasant night it should have been. all of the superheroes looking on. all of the guests are now stunned to find the party turned into a crime scene and barb the hostess, dead. >> coming up, what could be to clues to solve the mystery? after the murder witnesses reported a speeding car. >> we all thought the car was going too fast. >> a man waiting outside of the comic book shop. >> a dark outfit for that time of year. when dateline continues. en dat. coworker, and trusty copilot. for all your dog does for your family, give them cosequin a daily joint supplement that supports healthy joints and cartilage for dogs of all ages and sizes. it's the number one veterinarian recommended retail joint health brand.

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team usa is back! let's see that enhanced 4k from xfinity. wow. everything you'd want is right here when you say... “olympics” so, what if your favorite athlete is... "grant hollowa”" nice. or you can't get enough... “swimming” definitely adding that to favorites. now let's check... “medal coun”" and when is gymnastics on? “olympic schedule” it's that easy. find it, see it, count on it with the best seat in the house. get the fastest connection to paris with xfinity. comics world had been barb and michael georges just-go-for-it passion. hed collected thousands of comics over the years their whole in the wall shop comics world had been barb and michael's go for it passion. he collected thousands of comics over the years and he

liked superheroes more than selling insurance so with help from barb's parents they took the jump and opened their shop in the strip mall in the winter of 1988. joe is barb's brother, when we met him he earned a living by removing dents from cars but in 1990 he was the kid brother that looked up to her sister, admiring her on the softball field where she was a standout. >> i used to go to the games, she was the typical older sister, always there to help. >> barb had been brought up in a traditional polish catholic family. when she found her man marriage was the organizing principle of her life. >> she was very happy and could not wait. >> when children came along, barbara george seemed complete. >> her kids were her pride and joy. >> the night of friday the

13th, brother joe and then girlfriend, drove over to the comic shop for the celebration, the surprise party for michael who was turning 30. michael's mother was going to keep the two kids at the house for the weekend while they took off after the party for a cozy couple of days at a large. >> that would have been a romantic weekend. >> not meant to be, by the time joe and mary got to the store just before 9:00, there was confusion. >> we pulled up and police stopped us and said we cannot go through, we are investigating a homicide. >> i immediately thought mike, i thought nobody hated my sister. >> the victim was not mike it was joe's sister and it was up to detective sergeant donald to make sense of the senseless, he

was the investigator on duty, the hospital called and they had a woman come in with a single gunshot to the head. >> we now had a full-blown homicide on her hands. >> he turned over the few facts he had so far, a woman with children gunned down execution style in the back of the comic book store. police interviewed merchants and customers at the mall, had anyone seen anything out of the ordinary? it turned out tom and lenore did, the couple picked up on something when they first arrived, a speeding car in front of the comic book shop. kp we both thought to ourselves and said it to each other, the car is going too fast. >> later they wondered if that was the getaway car another observation tugged at them. who was the guy lurking outside? >> he had a dark outfit for that time of year. a fisherman cap.

>> another man visiting the stripmall would say he saw a different suspicious character, somebody wearing what appeared to be a fake beard. possibly a bearded lady. the shop was small, deeper than it was wide. aisles of bins and a door to the back storage room. barbara had been found just inside the back room, on the far wall with a locked door that led to the alley in the rear. crime scene text began videotaping the crime scene. there was $750 still in the cash register untouched. in the glass case just beyond the till, a wall of vintage comics, the good stuff. they had not been ransacked. in the storage area some bins

have been toppled over but the emts may have done that as they rushed in. more than $400 was found in her pocket and the jury was not taken. later the medical examiner determined the shop owner was shot from above, indicating she had been crouching. another bullet was fired first, it missed and went to a swimsuit calendar on the wall and went into the empty shop on the other side. if it was a robbery it was unusual. just after 8:00 the detective was told the husband just arrived. >> he identified himself and said what is going on and we said we are sorry to tell you but your wife has been injured. we never told him what happened to her. to our knowledge he had no idea what was going on. i said you need to go to the hospital. >> at the hospital michael was informed his wife had died of a

gunshot wound to the head. minutes later mary and joe came rushing in, the girlfriend was undone by the news. >> i am shocked, i was not related to her and i was devastated and crying. >> it was someone that did not seem as upset, the new widower, michael, why was she so suspicious of the comic book man. >> there was no tears in his eyes, he had nothing going on. >> a untroubled husband with a very troubled marriage. >> they did not see us pull up, you would think he did not have any care in the world. >> we started receiving phone calls, we may want to look at his relationship with a employee named renie. >> when dateline continues. lin

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in the storage room of the comic book shop she owned with her husband michael. eo 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 returned from the hospital to show the chief detective around the crime scene. the back room was also where michael said a robbery must've happened. he noticed two important white boxes were gone. >> as soon as he walked in the back room he said there were as two cardboard boxes full of expensive comic books missing. two boxes of comics and they are gone. >> he made a written list of the comics and the storm boxes and estimated the value at 12,600. he later filed a insurance claim for vintage additions of spiderman, green lantern and iron man to name a few. >> his scenario was it had to be a robbery.

>> uncle george told the detective he had no idea what happened. he last saw her a little bit after 4:00 when she relieved him behind the counter. he took the two kids to his mom's and napped on the couch until he returned. the detective asked michael the questions a cop would when a wife had just been murdered. >> whether any girlfriend? any affairs? any problems with the marriage? everything was fine. >> mary the girlfriend of barb's brother could not make out what he was feeling because his eyes were concealed behind dark sunglasses. mary sensed that michael was acting strange, even goofy, it increased after a visit to the trailer park home where michael george and barbara lived. they went to give michael

support. >> he grabs the vacuum and braces it, he showed more emotion to the vacuum, this is barb's vacuum, she will never use it again and then he would go to a blender and say she will never be in the kitchen again and i looked at him like he was a screwball. there was no tears in his eyes. no swelling. he had nothing going on, it was a act. >> the policemen well were chasing down bank records, insurance policies looking for leads on the speeding car. the man in the fisherman's cap, the bearded lady and whether this could have been a botched robbery after all. there are also getting a crash course on the value of vintage comics. unhappily for them the detectives had not found a gun and hoped for forensics like a

bloody print, they were not there. they were getting calls on the qt about michael george maybe having a girlfriend. >> two days later we started receiving phone calls from people advising us that we may want to look at his relationship with his employee reni. >> it was barbara george who met and befriended renie at their children's school and brought her to work at the comic store. renie had five children and needed the money. the floundering marriage ended in divorce three weeks before barb's murder. not long after they buried barbara, mary remembers dropping into the comic shop and the pair got a shock. they saw michael and renie together. >> they were close and giggling and there arms were crossed.

when you lose somebody, you are trying to figure out why the world keeps moving in here this man is happy as a clam. you would not think she had any care in the world. >> michael and renie would set up a new home together with the help of a $130,000 life insurance payout he received as a beneficiary. >> at that point he had to be a person of interest. >> he talked to the police casually at the store and in a more formal interview at the station, but there are no follow-ups. michael said he would hire a attorney and lawyer up. >> so this is a big unsolved case. >> yes. >> how much frustration is building within the family? >> you can take the law into your own hands but what will

happen with that? i felt it, there were times i felt i should do something but i am a catholic. i could not live with it. >> in the comics superheroes are ageless but the comic book shop in the strip mall was not, it closed in 92. michael george, the shop owner and his new wife renie moved out of town and settled 375 miles south, a old coal mining town. on the main drag they opened their new shop, comics world. with his two kids and renie's five being raised together in their spacious new home they found friends among the other parents involved with the sports teams. >> a tremendous family man, a respected business person in

the community. >> just had the electrical supply shop three doors down. to make his life was for the kids and for renie, he treated her like gold. >> endeared themselves to a town where families went back generations by raising money for the make a wish charity and giving comics to the public library. >> the guy always had a smile on his face. >> michael had all but severed ties with his murdered wife's family. aunts and uncles rarely solve barb's two girls. come the year 2000, was michael even aware that the long time chief of police in the former town passed away? chief robert smith died without solving the case of the comic book murder.

>> everybody in this town was aware of the crime and myself more so because my dad was the chief of police. >> his son eric smith. >> i drove by that store 1000 times and every time we drove by there was something he said. >> four years after his father's death eric was elected chief prosecutor. he became responsible for all of the criminal cases in clinton township and beyond. >> i cannot tell you how many people came up to me and said a family member had been killed and nothing had been done and you can see the desperation and they thought the system passed them by. if i am going to be the chief law enforcement officer of the county i can't let people think

we do not care so we started a cold case unit soon after i came in. >> one of his first acts in office is to send out a letter to all of the departments in his county asking chiefs and detectives to look at the old unsolved is with fresh eyes. >> i did it with michael george in mind. i was hoping that clinton would pick this one up and maybe resolve one for the old man. that was the case that was unsolved for my dad. >> as he helped the clinton township pd reopened the comic book murder case and what a surprise they found, somebody did have vital information about the murder but his story slipped through the cracks. how could have police missed it all those years? coming up, a phone call to the comic shop that seemed to come at a bad time. >> it sounded like he was busy and in a hurry to get off the phone. >> it kept coming back to mike. we started looking at a lot of

things and a lot of people and it narrowed down like a funnel. >> when dateline continues. lin (♪♪) voltaren... for long lasting arthritis pain relief. (♪♪) (whisper) air wick. how far would you go to control the fragrance in your home? there's an easier way. try air wick vibrant, with 2x more natural essential oils for up to 120 days of amazing fragrance per dual pack. now that's a breath of fresh air wick.

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i am just kill what the top stories. paris kicking off the opening ceremony of the olympics in historic fashion. athletes from over 200 delegations floated down the river. singers lady gaga and celine dion dazzled the crowds despite the rain. meanwhile officials are searching for the arsonists that caught and burned cables at three critical junctures for the countries high speed rail system. officials say it will take a few days to get the system fully running again. now back to dateline.

was lieutenant craig keith. the comic book murder files came out of the archives and the lead detective blowing off the dust was lieutenant craig t. he had been on the force long enough to remember the killing and he took it personally that somebody got away with murder. the lieutenant identified with the victim. >> i was around the same age and had children the same age and maybe that stuck with me. >> this is a tough one to pick off the stuck. >> i knew that going in but i operate with the theory if you do not shoot you do not score. i owed it to myself and barb. >> the detective needed help, shoe leather cops to make the calls and knock on doors. so he recruited veteran detectives jimmy and lenny. the three of them went into the old boxes, reading and rereading police reports but there is a reason crimes go

into the file and stay unsolved, lack of evidence. they wondered if they had one of those here. >> finally we came to the conclusion it was doable and we notified the family. >> they were painfully aware of giving barb's family false hopes after 17 years but in early 2007 the detectives laid out what they found for barbara's brother joe and other family members. >> we were honest we said we did not know how successful we would be. >> still after that meeting barb's family and friends allowed themselves to be optimistic. >> i told my sister when we walked out, something will come out of this. >> joe and mary had broken up after barbara's murder but they remained close. >> my dad was in the hospital at the time dying of cancer and i told him what was going on,

he could barely talk and he lit right up and said good. >> the detectives started the investigation as though it was july 13th 1990. all three knew it was not going to be a episode of csi, forensic science saving the day. no weapon, blood smears or hair fibers. >> in terms of what people are used to see nowadays, we did not have it. get out and interview. >> they say without preconceived theories they chased down the old leads again. the speeding car, the man in the fisherman cap, the bearded lady and re-examined the motive, was it possible that barbara had been shot to death over a pricey comic book? the detectives interviewed over 100 people. all all of those fresh 2007

interviews the one they did with this man turned out to be the game changer. his name mike a softball coach that was confined to a wheelchair after a swimming pool accident in 2003. in 1990 he was a college senior and a spiderman fanatic. i'm july 13 the night of the murder he placed a call to the store, he thought it had been about 5:30 pm or so, 30 minutes before the murder, the collector wanted to know why one of his comic books zoomed in value, michael answered the phone. >> it sounded like he was busy in a hurry to get off the phone. >> just something you could hear in his voice? >> we would be as a little bit and there was no time for that. >> the cold case cops struck gold, his story was the missing

piece detectives were looking for. if his account was true, it demolishes michael's alibi that he was snapping at his mother's house when she was murdered. the story meant george was buying and annulled with certain he talked to michael at the shop and a brief conversation must have the taken place a few minutes before barb was killed. the embarrassing thing about the clue was that mike told the same story to police in 1990, the day after the murder. what looked like a case breaker in 2007 simply slipped to the cracks back then. they had it in the case file all along. there it was, a record of the july 13th phone call to police. the statement said he called comic world at 5:30 pm and talked to michael.

even so it was a piece that still had flaws, there was no existing phone logs to corroborate or to pin down the exact time. to this day the former detective does not know how that note went astray but he says he was unaware of the story of talking to the husband minutes before the murder. >> how did you not see it? well i never saw it. if we had seen it we would not be sitting here today. >> you would have gone for a arrest and a indictment. >> no doubt. >> now the leads pointed one way, to the husband. >> it kept going back to mike like a funnel effect. we looked at a lot of things and a lot of people and it narrowed down like a funnel. >> it was time for the cold case detectives to take a road trip to pennsylvania, a trip across miles and time.

they were going to make a surprise visit to michael at comics world. was the longtime husband finally collectible? coming up. and that was something entirely different from what he has told the police back in 1990. dennis murphy : after seventeen years a conversation a suspected killer never expected. michael george (recording): if youre going to show up tomorrow, let me know. ill get a lawyer, because this is bull---- now. dennis murphy : when dateline continues. >> exactly that was something entirely different from what he told police in 1990. >> after 17 years a conversation a suspected killer never expected. when dateline continues. okay. so, what about $574 for switching your home insurance to allstate? tempting. but that's way too much of a hassle. actually, it's not. allstate can handle the switching for you. just call 'em. so, it's easy and i could save? and you get allstate. huh, like a cherry on top. oh, you brought your own. check allstate first and you could save hundreds.

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check allstate first and you could save hundreds. and hall--punched up a mapquest address for comics world in windber, pennsylvania, uthe two of the cold case detectives, rico and hall, punched up a mapquest address for comics world in pennsylvania, it was 17 years after the murder and like commandos synchronizing watchers, they decided to execute simultaneous surprise interviews on michael's turf. >> we had detectives go to all

three locations at the same time. >> michael at the store, his wife renee at the house and his mother back in michigan. unannounced. when they found comics world they waited for customers to leave, checked watches and then moved in. >> we were a minute behind the other detectives, when we walked in michael was on the phone, he said there is nobody here and he had his back to us and he turned around and said they are here and got off the phone. he just looked sick at that point. >> detective whole switched on the tape recorder in his jacket. >> mike was unemotional, he said come in and have a seat. >> this is some of the conversation. michael george (recording): they had leads. uh, they never, uh, told me what the leads were. lenny hrecho: he didnt say much at the beginning. dennis murphy: does he say, "this is great news"? lenny hrecho: no. jimmy hall: very unemotional.

dennis murphy: "ive wondered for seventeen years. whats happening? ive been waiting for you guys?" lenny hrecho: no, he doesnt give typical-- >> he did not t?say much at the beginning just this is great news. >> he does not give the typical response like you found somebody . nothing. >> 17 years on michael claimed a flickering memory for events. make eye con >> is he getting sweaty? >> he was very nervous. >> very pale. did not make eye contact. he was looking down at the table. >> in 90, his late-night conversation with the lead detective after the murder, michael speculated barb was killed in a botched robbery, someone after valuable vintage comics. books.

the whole case was gone, the whole box was gone. lenny hrecho: he couldnt remember exactly how many comics were taken or the amount. dennis murphy : although he was sketchy on those details he had no trouble coming up with the totally new answer when the cops asked him to speculate on why barbara of all people had been murdered, listen as michaels theory switches >> he could not remember how many comics were taken or the amount. >> although he was sketchy on details he had no trouble coming up with a new answer when they asked him to speculate on why barbara? >> i think barb was in the wrong place at the wrong time. maybe somebody wanted to get back at me. i should have been there. tirele >> took the bullet meant for him? >> exactly and that was somebody saying something different from what he told us in 1990. very interesting he came up with a new motive.

>> meanwhile the son of the onetime police chief was curious about how the interview was going. >> were you surprised that he talked and did not lawyer up? >> very surprised, he was so shocked by the fact that we are still looking at him, so shocked he did not know what to do. >> as the interview continued, michael, as he had not in 1990 now owned up to his philandering. >> described your marriage. >> it was rocky. we had the store, we would have our arguments. >> what was the cause of most of it? >> was it a extramarital affair? >> yes. >> late in the 90 minute interview the conversation

circled back to the earlier theme, robbery. the supposedly theft of valuable comics. the detectives asked if anybody knew he kept the good stuff in the storage room? that is when things got testy, listen how his tone gets more direct and confrontational. >> i am trying to figure out how that suspect would have known they were there unless it was a inside job. >> so you are saying i am line? >> no. i am just saying that is a possibility. >> now you are saying i lied about the books being gone? now you are saying i better get a lawyer. >> we never said that. >> you just said one of the possibilities -- if you show up tomorrow i am going to lawyer up.

>> the next day in fact he would need a lawyer, a criminal defense lawyer. the michigan detectives in pennsylvania police arrested him at his work place. the comic book store. as he was led away after a court appearance he loudly acclaimed they have the wrong man. >> they know i did not do this. >> the cold case turned red hot. michael was returning to michigan and would stand trial for the first degree murder of his wife. a case prosecutors knew would be hard to prove in the age of csi because there was none so it would come down to a single witness and his recollection of a solitary phone call he said he made in 1990. >> coming up, a twist in court few would have predicted. >> did you think it was possible

he would say this case is dismissed? >> initially and never crossed my mind. >> that is probably the toughest moment i ever had as a lawyer. >> when dateline continues. tel i asked my doctor about treating my td, and learned about ingrezza. ♪ ingrezza ♪ ingrezza is clinically proven for reducing td. most people saw results in just two weeks. people taking ingrezza can stay on most mental health meds. only number-one prescribed ingrezza has simple dosing for td: always one pill, once daily. ingrezza can cause depression, suicidal thoughts, or actions in patients with huntington's disease. pay close attention to and call your doctor if you become depressed, have sudden changes in mood, behaviors, feelings, or have thoughts of suicide. don't take ingrezza if you're allergic to its ingredients. ingrezza may cause serious side effects, including angioedema, potential heart rhythm problems, and abnormal movements. report fevers, stiff muscles, or problems thinking as these may be life threatening.

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arexvy is number one in rsv vaccine shots. unidentified man (in court): all rise. dennis murphy : in a michigan courtroom not far from his old comic book store, michael george was standing trial, in a michigan court room not far from his old comic book store, michael george was anding trial, charged with the first degree murder of his then wife, barbara. in early 2008, the man who intended to put george away was steve, the trial prosecutor for the cold case unit. >> it is true we did not have forensic evidence. >> he knew getting the comic book man with nothing but circumstantial evidence made this a tough case, something he never let on to the jury of course. >> we will prove that it is a

murder and if it is a motor there is only one person that had a reason to kill this wonderful person. >> it all boiled down to a case of who do you trust, with the jury believe his mother who said he was asleep at the time of the murder or would they accept the word of the comic collector. >> who answered the phone? >> michael george. >> how long did you talk to the defendant? >> less than five minutes. >> when did you call the defendant? >> between 5:15 pm and 5:45 pm. he seemed like he was in a hurry. >> without michael we cannot take the case, we cannot place the defendant physically in that store close to the time of barbara's shooting. >> then came a routine moment

we have all seen in courtroom dramas on tv. the prosecutor rosen told the judge -- >> the people rest. >> the defense response was to try to get the case thrown out, not enough evidence, the state did not meet the burden and asking the judge for a directed verdict. >> when you just do not know you have to pull the plug and say that is it. >> then it got strange. >> you say you are honored the state has not proved the case, we ask you dismiss it now. it happens all the time. almost always you are rebuffed. >> that is right, always within 10 seconds. >> that did not happen here. >> this time the judge james listened for 20 minutes as michael's defense lawyer argued

there was no way the prosecution proved beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant was in the comic shop with a gun. >> the trial judge is obligated to make a call to say whether or not there was sufficient evidence to justify this. >> the prosecutor knew the judge had to regard all evidence in a light most favorable to the prosecution. he took 30 seconds arguing why the case should go to the jury. >> the evidence presented -- the motion should be denied. >> the judge went to his chambers to ponder the motion. he stayed out for hours. >> what was going on? >> i can tell you what was going on with the prosecution, we were fit to be tied, we

tried hundreds of cases and these motions are dismissed almost immediately. >> did you it was possible he would come out and say this case is dismissed? >> initially and never crossed my mind, after a couple of hours it still did not, after five you start to worry. >> for the defense, they were feeling better than ever. >> do you remember walking outside with the client and saying this is good news. i cannot lie, judges do not take this long to decide. >> after hours of watching the clock, the defendant out on a million-dollar bond praying with his circle of friends, the judge at last returned. >> the court has been reviewing this matter for approximately five hours. i think a extraordinary amount

of time. >> he started, there was a defense to be made for their decision and then he seemed to point out the merits of the prosecution's argument. >> this is in many ways a classic murder case. if the evidence is believed by the jury then the jury could reach a finding of guilt. >> on the one hand and the other where was the judge going? >> the court at this point cannot substitute the judgment for the jury. >> he decided for the prosecution, there was enough evidence to go forward. the defense lost a five hour long high-stakes game and apparently by the closest of margins. >> that is probably the toughest moment i ever had as a lawyer. i thought i may have delivered this guy from this horrible experience of not only having lost his wife but then being

falsely blamed for it after all of these years. >> the jurors filed back in unaware of how close they have come to being sent home without ever hearing more evidence. fired up by the knowledge that the judge almost tossed the case, the defense set out to counter the prosecution's call that placed the defendant at the scene. the lead defense attorney said it was impossible to be at two places at once so he called michael's mother as the alibi witness to tell the jury that michael arrived sometime after 5:00 on friday the 13th. >> he said he was tired and i am taking a nap. >> she then testified she took his two daughters to the playground. >> when you got back where was

he? >> on the couch sleeping. >> it was up to the jurors to decide whether they believe michael's mother or the comic collector. decision day, michael prayed quietly to himself. his freedom, family and his life were at risk. a murder conviction meant mandatory life, no possibility of parole. the jury of eight women and four men filed in nervously as one juror explained. >> my hands were sweating and i took a look at michael george and saw his family and i was numb and scared. to make my brother turned and said it's your heart beating fast? i said yes. >> coming up, the verdict. when dateline continues. en dat.

dennis murphy : michael george was on trial for gunning down his wife in the back room of their comic bookshop. his future was about to be decided.

dennis murphy : the foreman read the verdict. unidentified man (in court): count number one, first-degree murder. we find the defendant guilty. dennis murphy : guilty of first-degree murder, michael george slumped and sobbed in his attorneys arms. book shop. his future was about to be decided. the foreman read the verdict. >> account number one, first- degree murder, we find the defendant guilty. >> guilty of first-degree murder, michael george slope and sobbed in his attorney's arms. >> please be seated. >> barb's sister and two brothers seemed to share a gasp of relief. >> he took away my oldest sister. she did not get to see me get married. she did not get to see my son be born. she would never get to see him m do anything. i mean, he took a part of me away. >> across the room, the convicted man's younger daughter, what of barb's two children, collapsed into his step mother, renee. michael george would go on weeping for a full two minutes.

but lieutenant craig keith, the cold case detective who rediscovered the crucial evidenceov, was unmoved by george's tears. >> mike showed no emotion back in 1990, no he cries. my impression of that is he is crying for himself. >> it was devastating. it was just devastating. >> barely able to stand, george was helped to the podium to face the judge, the same judge who had apparently been a heartbeat away from dismissing the case altogether. statement the jury has found you guilty of all charges. at this time, i am permitting you to the custody of the sheriff's office. >> the comic book man was not a convict. [ crying ] >> can we transport him? [ crying ]

>> his hands were cuffed, and deputies led him away. >> i have no doubt that the verdict we came to was the correct one. >> the jurors had returned to their deliberation. they said, they could hear george solving, but that did not shake their confidence in their verdict. they said, it came down to the testimony of the men that got the spider-man comic. >> he should not have been there when mike renard called. >> the cold case unit started by prosecutor eric smith's. smith had watched one of his dad, the late police chief, or so he believed. like my thoughts went right to u my old man. i thought, i wish he was here to share this with, but i know he's slightly. select the losing defense lawyer voice

because of comments you would be expect to hear. >> i think the jury got it wrong. i believe we have a strong shot with this judge to be able to get either an outright reversal or a new trial. >> but that wasn't brave bluster. in this case, the defense attorney was being prophetic. the defense tried again in six months. a new motion for a new n trial for the same judge. one of the grounds for the appeal was prosecutorial misconduct. >> cuthis is a murder. >> what happened was, in his closing argument, the prosecutor had a display for the jury. out of the judge's eye shot, began assembling puzzles, like a jigsaw puzzle. the punchline would you put the picture together, jurors, there is your killer. maybe clever, or maybe cornball , but either way, the prosecutor may have overstepped his bounds. the image of the finished puzzle with a mug shot of michael george that was never introduced into evidence.

and according to defense lawyers , showed him in a bad light. presidential era, the defense argued. strike one. strike two was newly discovered evidence in the police case files possibly favorable to thei defense. the judge had had enough. >> a judge ruled michael george should get a new trial in the 1990 comic book murder store case. >> it was just elation. it's like, okay, the greatest , injustice that i had ever been associated with as a lawyer had just been corrected. we are going to get a new trial. >> defense attorneys always believed in their client's innocence, now they wanted another chance to prove it. [ crying ] >> michael was devastated by the verdict. suddenly, he has got a new life . suddenly, he has faith again

in the system. >> i think he had two things working, new evidence, unfairness in the closing argument, on top of this real heartfelt feeling by judge. it that this innocent man had been convicted. >> the prosecutor was not buying any of it. the judge directed that there be a new trial because of prosecutorial misconduct. >> since this case again, it appears he is not comfortable with this case. what he did was set aside a murder conviction, which is unheard of. >> smith was beside himself, even though the judge's controversial decision wasn't initially backed by michigan's highest courts. >> you wait 18 years for justice and you finally get justice, only to have it-- the carpet pulled out from under you. >> after the 2008 guilty verdict, barb's brother had gone to her gravesite to share the good news. >> we finally got him. he did not get away with it and you

can rest now. >> now, there was the judge's blockbuster decision. >> it tore a hole in our hearts . it is something we thought was over. >>'s family would have to go through this painful ordeal all over again, but with even more uncertainties this time around. though the jury had found michael george guilty, the judge clearly had serious doubts. a new jury could go either way, especially since the defense now had new evidence, or possibly alternate killers, and just the dirt or the prosecution's star witness. two completely new prosecutors were revved up for the court battle. steve fox and bill, teaming up to make michael george face the music one more time. the trial of the comic book murder, volume 2, was now at hand. coming up, a different jury, different prosecutors. >> michael george will pray to

two issues most known to common man, sex and money. >> will there be a difference verdict when "dateline" continues? " continues? coworker, and trusty copilot. for all your dog does for your family, give them cosequin a daily joint supplement that supports healthy joints and cartilage for dogs of all ages and sizes. it's the number one veterinarian recommended retail joint health brand. for your dog, your co-everything choose cosequin and other nutramax laboratories brand products. finish ultimate. engineered for the toughest conditions. dry burnt-on stains. old dishwashers. very hard water. finish ultimate, with cyclesync technology, helps deliver the ultimate clean. (♪♪) introducing new advil targeted relief. the only topical pain reliever with 4 powerful pain-fighting ingredients that start working on contact to target tough pain at the source.

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for up to 8 hours of powerful relief. the last comic book murder trial, l september 2011. in the nearly 3 years since the last comic book murder trial, michael george had been locked up in the county jail, where he said, inadequate where care cost a vitamin d deficiency.

he was now confined to a wheelchair as a second trial got underway before a new judge, mary chrzanowski. but if the defendant's disability made him appear feeble, it may be more sympathetic to jurors. the new execution team of bill cataldo and steve fox with work hard to demonize him. >> michael george will pray to two issues most commonly known to man, sex and money. >> what was your theory for the jury? >> i think motive is important and it was easy. $130,000 in insurance proceeds, and the fact that he really didn't want to be married, he did not like his wife, he found her completely unattractive. >> in his opening argument, prosecutor steve fox told jurors that in 1990, michael george was having a torrid affair with a shop assistant, renee, now his second wife.

>> he wanted to get rid of his overweight wife and move on to something better. >> before the murder, the husband wasn't bothering to hide his disdain for his wife barbara, according to this prosecution witness. teresa testified that she and her son went to comex world the saturday before the murder. michael, barbara, and their two young daughters were in the store when teresa walked in. >> i had remarked how beautiful his little girls were. what did he say? >> that is it if it were not for his daughter's, he would not be with his wife, that he found her unattractive and heavy . if it was up to him, he would take the girls and moved to florida. >> what was your reaction to that response? >> i could not believe he had said something to me like that while she was in the store. >> and that sent customer was shocked again days later when michael made what she thought was a pass at her during his own wife's viewing at the funeral.

>> he gave me a very inappropriate hug. it would have been a hug i would only give my husband, a very intimate hug. >> a little creepy, the following saturday, as was their custom, teresa and her son stopped by comex world. michael slipped her a note. >> would you read that note to the jury. >> is a very, very, very pretty today. thanks for coming in, sincerely, michael. >> publicly scornful of his wife, hitting on other women, and not a longtime friend of barbara's was testified that her friends and family were all well aware of capital t trouble in the marriage. got a call from barbara weeks before the murder. >> she was crying, very upset that mike wanted a divorce. she did not want a divorce. >> prosecutor fox then asked the witness about the defendant at barb's funeral. >> i overheard mike singh to his mother, yelling out, mom,

did you call the insurance company? it's just did not sound good because of the phone conversation i had with barb, and then down her death. >> michael george, a one-time insurance salesman himself, received $130,000 tax free from his wife's life insurance policies. not that many in 1990. a witness who works with michael in the insurance business was asked about the money. >> what is the document? >> this is a claimant statement for payment of the proceeds. >> who signed the claim? >> michael george, it looks like . >> on what day? >> seventh of 1990. >> july 18th, 1990? >> yes, sir. >> are you aware that she had been buried? >> yes. >> womanizer, the prosecutor dissected michael george's character and referred to him as the only possible killer.

>> our concentration was to show that he was the only guy. he was the only got to have done it because no one else on earth would have. >> prosecutors called this witness who works at a nail salon in the same strip mall as comic's world. >> i would say about 30 to 35 arguments. >> she testified she heard many heated arguments between michael and barbara that summer, but the one she overheard that afternoon, friday the 13th, found it even uglier. >> it was much louder, he was much angrier, seemed much more violent. >> then the ones in the past? >> yes. >> less than four hours later, barbara george would be discovered by customers in the back of comic's world comic store. yet, in the place of the stripmall, customers coming and going, no witnesses remember hearing gunshots, although two had been fired. no one remembers seeing anyone leave the store and no witnesses saw michael george leave the store from the time he left after 4:00 until you drove up at 8:00

for what was to be his birthday party. by then, police were all over the scene. >> he had told us who he was, identified himself and wanted to know what happened in the store. >> lead detective testified that michael said his wife was working at comic's world. >> i advised him, there had been an incident at the store and his wife had been injured. >> did he ask you about her condition? >> no. >> did he ask about how it happened? >> no. >> stefan told the husband that then lieutenant donald would be driving to the hospital we could find out about his wife. the former lieutenant testified that michael started chatting without being prompted. >> he made a statement i thought was noteworthy. something must have failed or dropped on her in the back room . >> why is that statement interesting to you? >> because i never told him that mrs. george was in the back room of the store. >> those things he should not know. >> he knows evidence only the

shooter would know, not realizing how unique that information is. >> later that night, according to police, michael george told investigators that two white boxes of expensive comics were missing and that poor barbara must have sounded stumbled into a robbery gone by bad, a theory that was rejected. >> this is why he was not a robbery. it was $720 cash in the registers. they were untouched. expensive comics behind the glass were untouched. the safe, untouched. >> the safe was in the back storage room, michael claimed the music missing comic books have been. >> what was unique, these two boxes were unmarked. they did not say missing comics here. >> the missing comics were never found. the prosecutors believe they never were stolen, either, even though michael recovered a $12,000 insurance claim for

them. >> there are 100 unmarked boxes in that room. the only way to know which ones to grab would be if it were in an inside job. >> but the only inside job, according to prosecutors, is the murder itself. >> the reason it is an inside job is because of the accessibility to that door. >> that door was essential to the prosecutor's theory of the murder. michael george, they said, sneaked into the back door and concealed himself until his wife was alone in the store. when she came into the back room, their belief was he fired two shots, the first one hitting a swimsuit calendar on the wall, the second striking barb on top of her head as she was ducking away. >> the murder took place. where he went from there, our theory is out the back door and gone. >> slipping into the alley unseen. not before doing what he could do. >> as deadly as he came in, he left, through the back door, locking that lock, double locked

. >> indeed, the door was locked from the outside when police arrived, something prosecutors claimed only michael george could do. >> you have to have those keys. >> no one but the defendant had keys to the back door, prosecutors maintained. and they added, any supposed robber would have flitted through the busy front doors, and certainly would have been spotted. >> there were witnesses walking in a minute to two minutes of that gunshot. no one saw anyone living with boxes of comic books, no one saw anyone running out the front door. >> and what about the people responded minutes before the murder? the guy in the fisherman's calf, the suspicious character who seemed to be wearing a fake.? the so-called bearded lady. police even made a sketch of the weirded lady, but prosecutors said, none of the would-be suspects never amounted to anything, except in the case of the bearded lady.

prosecutors theorized that this person may have been michael george's accomplice. now, prosecutors would offer up their star witness, the sole person who could say the husband was indeed in the door as the minutes were counting down to murder. comic collector mike auld. this time, the defense was ready with new evidence to challenge not only run auld's credibility, but also his memory. coming up. >> in 1990, you used marijuana and you drank alcohol on the weekends? did you not? so the strategy is to go nuclear on michael? >> i would not say nuclear, we would just gather the facts. >> when "dateline" continues. if this is as good as it gets. but trelegy has shown me that there's still beauty and breath to be had. because with three medicines in one inhaler, trelegy keeps my airways open and prevents future flare-ups.

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ask your doctor about once-daily trelegy for copd dennis murphy : once again, michael georges guilt or innocence would likely come down to the man who once again, michael george's guilt or innocence would likely come down to the manual said, he made an innocent phone call about a spider-man comic book. in the first trial, the jurors had bought mike renaud's account of speaking to the shop owner over the phone apparently just minutes before the murder . the judge, however, had seemed skeptical. now, 12 new people would be deciding the case. prosecution and defense lawyers had to start fresh with the all- important start witness, but stakes could not be higher. >> michael renaud, without him you had a case ? >> no. he is the only one who puts the defendant at the scene. he's

the only one alone that can destroy the alibi. >> defense lawyers knew their client's freedom dependent on their challenging renaud's story and the alibi. >> so what we really had to focus on, what we hope to direct the jury to focus on was specifically that alibi. >> the defendant's 1990 story was that he left his clinton township shop sometime after 4:00 p.m. to go to his mother's house. she lived in hazel park about half an hour away. it is michael george's alibi that he was at his mother's house about 4:30 to 7:30. a little after he arrived at his mother says, she took her grandchildren to the park and he was sleeping on the couch when they got back sometime after 6:00. barb was murdered a little after 6:00. if michael george's account was true, he was at his mother's at that time and therefore could not be the killer.

but according to prosecutors, michael george was not napping on the couch at all. they contended that he had returned to comic's world and snuck into the storage room with a gun when barb left to order pizza for his birthday party. and about what time was that? >> between 5:00 and 5:30. >> that is the timeframe of this witness, a friend of barb's that came to the store. it was locked and she had to wait for barb to return from the pizza place. >> if she is not in the store at 5:30, she couldn't answer the phone at 5:30 correct? so if someone answered the phone at 5:30, it had to be someone other than her? too correct. >> now, prosecutors question the one witness that said they could identify who answer the phone. mike renaud, in 1990, a decade before, his disabling accident he was married, a young daughter, and was holding down two jobs. the prosecution wanted the jury to regard renaud as both a

serious person and knowledgeable, collector. >> before july 13th, 1990, how frequently would you go to the store? at least once a week. >> the day of the murder, he testified, he actually stopped by comic's world before work . but critical story for the jury had to do with a phone call he made later in the day to the shop. he had a collectors question about a spider-man comic book. >> he called because he was excited some had jumped from $8 to $40. >> did you contact anyone to discuss the reasons it had gone up in value? yeah, i called mike. >> he knew the voice, he knew the time he to be there. that is the whole case. >> tell me about michael george and the demeanor of the phone call. >> the answers were very short, and he seemed to be in a hurry to get off the phone. >> you might wonder, as some of you people did, if michael george was lying to wait to murder his wife in a few moments

, why would he be so dumb as to pick up a ringing phone in the store? >> he picked it up one of two reasons, either as a businessman , if they call he does not want to lose business, or number two, it's his accomplice from the outside, letting him know what is going on. >> couldn't investigators simply pull the phone logs and verified renaud's story by seeing what times the records had come in? not in 1990, the phone company did not keep those kinds of log on local calls. but remember, renaud's story had fallen through the investigative cracks altogether until eight cold case came upon it in 2007. in that rediscovered file was a statement saying that a guy renaud had called the police department the day after the murder. he wanted detectives to know yet spoken with michael george in the comic shop at 6:00 p.m. on that fateful day. >> after you hung up the phone with the department, did you think about it further? >> yes. i did not want to get mike in

trouble if i was wrong on my time. >> according to the newly discovered police records, renaud had called the police back almost immediately to amend the time yet spoken to michael george. >> what did you advise police this time when you called back to marks >> it was closer to 5:30, instead of 6:00. >> there were multiple calls to police, we saw that as a strength to police. he's tried to help michael george. he's telling the police, don't get him in trouble because of me. it is establishing, he's not it is because of some ill will against the defendant or he is making it up to 15 minutes of fame. >> that is not how the defense team told renaud. they thought he was basking in the limelight of a big murder trial. >> we thought he was exaggerating his own importance in his mind, he saw a way to become important in a homicide investigation. >> when the defense sought

renaud, they wanted to question his motives, memory, and credibility. >> this guy sounds like a really good buddy of michael george, michael george doesn't remember him at all. >> is the defense tell it, renaud's multiple calls to police changing times indicated this witness did not have a good handle on his recollection and was therefore unreliable. >> he called back avril times, the uncertain of the time he was making the call. >> if the call to michael george happened at all, and that defense that it did, defense attorney michael marlinga believes, it must have been placed before the shop owner left for his mother's house, an hour before the murder. >> you are saying, he is a person of mischief? >> we think he wanted to become a hero. >> in fact, since the last trial, he tried to bolster his story by adding effect, according to the defense. renaud revealed for the first time that he went to the clinton township police department days after the murder to make a report in- person.

marlinga's of examination brought out that renaud's memory of that interview was at hazy. >> the person you met with the face-to-face position, you remember that person? >> i do not. gender? male or female? >> mail. >> young or not? make i cannot say. was this person in a uniform or sportcoat? >> i cannot say. >> do you remember seeing a batch? >> i cannot say. >> did you ever see a police report that was generated as a result of that interview? >> no,. there no report of that interview. was it another example of the defense team, or a figment of renaud's examination? >> either the police department lost a very important police report or the lack of effect because it never happened. >> is an interest or that you invented, that you made up this conversation? >> i did not do that.

>> now, the defense is moving on, telling the jury there may be a reason why renaud's memory is so hazy . back in those days the lawyers asserted, he was often in a pot smoke. >> henry miller the times that you were high? >> argumentative. >> the strategies to nuclear on mike renaud? >> i would not think nuclear, we were just trying to bring up the next. >> in 1980, you used marijuana and drank alcohol on the weekends, did you not? >> i was in college, and that would not surprise me. >> a homicide we are talking about occurred friday, july 13th. your two initial cost into the clinton township police occurred on saturday, july 14th of 1990. we are agreed that friday and saturday are weekend days, correct? >> correct. >> when questioned whether he got high on the only weekend that mattered, july 13th and

13th, 1990, renaud had to admit, you just did not remember. >> you didn't use it or you could've used it, you do not remember? >> correct. the goal was to raise reasonable doubt about renaud's memory and credibility. >> marijuana can cost time distortion so we may not have the best handle on that time. now the defense believed it had shredded renaud's story. it was time to tell the jury who really murdered barbara george. coming up, another possible suspect in an impossibly strange the size disguise. >> music, it looks like a woman in a fake beard, or a thin guy with womanly hips or something. >> a july day with no theater productions or halloween parties. this is just too suspicious under the circumstances. >> when "dateline" continues. discover caplyta. unlike some medicines that only treat bipolar i,

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i am jessica layton with the hour's top stories. former president barack obama and former first lady michelle obama both endorsing kamala harris for president by day. the crucial backing cafe week of high profile endorsements, and substantial financial support to the harris campaign following joe biden's withdrawal from the race on sunday. is really prime minister benjamin netanyahu extended his united states visit to meet with donald trump at mar-a-lago on friday. the meeting allowed trip to

washington, in which he addressed congress and urged to the u.s. to give support to israel in its war in gaza. now, let's get you back to " dateline." dateline." michael george had been married to his second wife, rene, for almost 20 years. through thick and thin, they still seemed very much in love. >> this case will show you-- but, at his 2011 trial, the defense acknowledged right up that during his first marriage, michael would have never won an award for his end of the year. this is not a matter of suspicion, innuendo, discuss discussed with a person for having an affair, this is a matter of evidence. >> the lead defense attorney reminded the jurors that the defendant was on trial for murder. >> an adult euro is a person who has done evil things, but that does not necessarily make

him a murderer. >> as for any hard evidence that michael george killed his wife in cold blood, the defense maintained, it's a didn't make -- exist. >> you have no murder weapon, no witnesses, no forensic, nothing, nothing to tie your guide to the crime. >> nothing that ties him to the crime. >> and then, just as in the first trial came that moment when the prosecution rested and the defense filed a motion saying, your honor, they have not proved their case. >> there's no physical evidence which links michael george to the crime. >> this time, there was no five- hour retreat to chambers for the judge to think about. her ruling came in seconds. >> finding the prosecution has presented substantial evidence. >> the defendant teared up, there was enough evidence, the judge declared, to move forward. with that said back, not unexpected, the defense began its 3-prong line of attack, that the original police work was innate, that there was

evidence someone new someone else committed the murder, and certain, that michael george had a strong alibi. >> we decided that our strongest evidence was alibi. that would normally be sufficient to win, but knowing that we are dealing with michael's history of the affairs that could make him an unlikable character, joe and i realized that we almost had to prove innocence. >> michael george told police, he left the stores with his daughters a little after 4:00 p.m. that friday. they went to his mother's janet's house about 30 minutes away. he says, he was asleep on the couch with tragically his wife was shot. janet george, the mother, had testified in the first trial and back of her son's asleep on the couch story. defense attorneys altered their strategy for trial number two. >> ma'am, do you swear in front

of the jury to read everything work from word in the transcript? >> mom didn't testify in-person this time around. the defense had a standing read george's 2008 testimony into the record. an account in which michael arrived in her house a little after 5:00 p.m. that day. he said he was tired, so he took a nap while she took her granddaughters to a nearby playground. >> when you got back, did you observe michael at all? >> yeah. >> where was he? >> he was on the couch, sleeping. >> if the jurors believed the story, michael george could not have possibly been at the shop around 5:30 answering the phone, that is when the star prosecution witness said he talked to mike on the phone. >> she is still alive, why did it you put her on the stand? >> tough call. we agonized about it. the problem with janet george is that she loves her son, but she is a wildcard. her memory is fading.

>> but the lawyers were confident about their decision not to call the mother because they had a strong witness to substantiate parts of her story. peggy was janet george's next- door neighbor. on that friday, the 13th, like most days, peggy said, she got home from her job at 25:45 and the clock. >> as you got close to your house, did you see anybody? >> i actually saw janet and the two girls in the school playground at the end of our street. >> when you saw them there, what, if anything, did they do? >> just waved. >> as you pulled into your house, what, if anything, did you see when you look in front of janet's house? >> there was a van parked in front of the house. i it was one of michael's bands, yes. >> in the prosecution's theory of the timeline, there was a missing link of logistics. how did michael get from his mother's place and back to the door in time to kill barbara? the neighbor's fighting of the van outside of his mom's could

plant the seed of reasonable doubt. >> she has no dog in the fight. he is not a close, close lifelong friend of michael or janet's, she's a neighbor. why would you believe? >> when you take the combined testimony of janet george and peggy, you have solid evidence that he was at someplace else. >> and that neighbor was a person the defense team had found on its own. police had never knocked on doors to cooperate michael's alibi of being at his mother's, evidence itself, the defense argued, of shocking police work. even the former lieutenant admitted on cross examination that as of the termination-- investigation could have been better. >> if you were a prosecutor in this case, would you have conducted a canvas of the neighborhood to see people could have placed him there at the time of the homicide? >> yes, sir. >> that police work was a

defense theme. police never tested michael george for gun residue the night of the murder, and also failed to dust the prosecution's critical back door for your prince. >> if the bad guy reached for the handle to try to get out that way, he would have left some prints, but we will never know that, because the police did not test that. >> police photos inside the comic shop's storeroom where barbara was found, seem to show a lot of clutter blocking that back door. how could michael george have gotten in or out past all of that. shown a photo, the former lead detective did not know how to read that junk, apparently in the way. >> i really can't tell the perspective here. it is hard to tell. >> the defense felt it had already raised enough reasonable doubt to secure a not guilty verdict. even though they in no way had to, the lawyers wanted to offer the jury other possible murder

suspect to consider in a scenario of a robbery gone bad. the defense put on a witness told a worry about being with two friends outside a comic book shop in flint, michigan, some 50 miles away from michael george's shop. a sinister looking guy, he said, was peddling what appeared to be hot comics. >> amanda post us in the parking lot and asked us to take a look at old comics he wanted to sell. >> this new defense witness said, he came forward only after watching the first comic book murder case on deadline. he testified that the then teenagers did not trust the seller and bought nothing from him. too five the gentleman was giving us told us, no way. >> that encounter took significantly the day after barbara george's murder. his friends called by the prosecution contradicted it and said, it actually happened

weeks earlier. >> we were walking towards the building-- >> the defense was not out of alternate suspects. one of the store's customers that initially came upon barbara george, thomas ward, recounted seeing a suspicious man lurking about when he got to comic's world a little after 6:00 p.m. . >> it appeared this individual was looking, trying to gauge quite focused, in a quite focused fashion. >> ward said, he remembered them in because of his cap. a greek fisherman's cap. black cap. >> like this. still, another new witness testified that in 1990, she briefly dated a guy that wore a short rimmed cap like that, a guy that carried a gun and was up to no good when it came to the comic books doors they frequented. >> i realized after we left comic book doors that he was stealing these comic books. >> these were all possible suspects, the defense claimed. on the top of its list of

curiosities was someone who became known as the bearded lady. witness, joe gray, a friend of the george, came around 6:00 to drop off supplies for george's birthday party. he had gotten a gander of something strange. make you sick, he looked like a woman in a fake beard, a thin i with womanly tips or something. >> they even warned barbara george to be on the lookout. he did not feel right. >> why would someone wear a fake beard? maybe somebody was coming to the party is a joke or maybe they were trying to rob the place. >> it was joe gray's friend who would help police make a sketch of the so-called bearded lady. >> i believe the person was the fake beard and mustache is the killer. that's right. it's a fake beard and mustache on a july day with no theater productions for halloween parties. this is just too suspicious in these circumstances. that person is the killer. >> what would 12 fresh jurors

believe this time? the comic book murder case, volume 2, had one final chapter left. coming up-- >> all right, gentlemen, we have a verdict. >> when "dateline" continues. e it takes healthy joints to be a copilot, and a trusty coworker. give your dog cosequin, a daily supplement for joint health support in dogs of all sizes. for your co-everything, choose cosequin. oooh! this is our night! shingles doesn't care. but shingrix protects. only shingrix is proven over 90% effective. shingrix is a vaccine used to prevent shingles in adults 50 years and older. shingrix does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients or to a previous dose. an increased risk of guillain-barré syndrome was observed after getting shingrix. fainting can also happen.

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and upset stomach. dennis murphy : the comic book murder was a grueling the comic book murder was a grueling case in search of an ending. barbara george had been shot to death in 1990, her husband was arrested in 2007. his first trial ended in a guilty verdict that was later overturned. now, after a six- week retrial in 2011, a second jury was behind closed doors deliberating, 21 years in all.

once again, michael george hadn't testified, as was his right. his lawyers had put him through a mock cross examination that sprang leaks. they said, his memory was faulty after all that time. >> i put together a pattern of cross-examination questions where he had to say, i don't remember about 20 times in a row and we had two solid alibi witnesses. it is almost malpractice to put him on the stand. >> the prosecutor believed his reluctance to testify was more about him not being able to stand up to the grilling he would face in a real cross- examination. >> my wife was murdered, that's the most important day of my like and i forgot what happened that day, maybe because i have talked myself out of wanting to remember. >> i wanted to hear what he has to say. >> these jurors said, the entire panel was disappointing he did not hear the story from michael george's own mouth >> i think you can see a lot about a person when they talk

about themselves. >> "dateline" talked intent of the jurors and they told us the first straw vote revealed seven yes, four no. >> it was clarification and a couple had an idea that maybe the robbery did happen. >> the essential question for each juror was which story to believe? the comic book collector who said, you talk to michael george in the shop just before the murder, or the defendant's murder, his alibi witness that he was napping on her couch across town the same hour? >> to me, ultimately, it came down to michael renaud's testimony on the phone call he made that placed michael george at the scene of the crime. >> needed the fence damage michael renaud's credibility by depicting him as a marijuana, beer guzzling college kid? >> i think they were trying to get us to believe that he could not remember anything because he was a drug abuser.

>> several jurors questioned them mother's recollection of events. >> i'm not saying she would lie for him, but i mean, would you stick up for your kids? >> the jurors talk it through for 3 days and finally took a vote. their job was done. michael george cried quietly. his wife, renee, remained stoic. on the benches across the court order bob's brother hope for justice from a second jury. the four person read the verdict. >> first-degree premeditated murder of barbara george, guilty of first-degree premeditated murder. >> guilty, murder in the first degree and guilty on the other counts as well, felony firearm and insurance rod. michael george did not break down this time and closed his eyes and seemed to talk to himself. behind him, his wife, renee, buried her head. barb's brother stopped his joy to continue the respect for his

nieces, who had lost their mother. >> they have to come to the realization that their father is a murder. >> prosecutors quietly congratulated each other on a conviction. >> is usually a family is getting the justice they reserve dessert. >> michael george was let out of the courtroom to begin the rest of his life in prison, no possibility of parole, a terrible injustice as his staunch defense attorney saw it . >> i am left with this case four years and i don't see any evidence he was there committing the crime and i have prosecuted killers and defended killers, this man is not a killer. >> i don't know why god has put us through this. but i do know he loves us. >> six weeks after the verdict, michael george did finally speak out, but as a convicted murderer at his pro forma sentencing hearing. >> the catastrophe of people being put away that are innocent has not started with me and will not end with me.

before this i have been accused of no crime. no domestic violence. i have no police record. no problems with drugs. i can only hope and pray that the lives destroyed by people being overzealous in the police community will find god. >> once again, no apology. he thinks he is better than everybody else and he thought he was going to get away with it. >> and as barb's emily saw it, since 1990, he did get away with murder until county attorney eric smith's cold case unit finally made him pay. >> you still talk to barbara? yes. >> did you talk to her in the courtroom that day? >> yes. i love her, we miss her, we finally got it. hopefully, we can rest in peace and move on. move on. it's okay to show off. with dupixent, show off your clearer skin and less itch. because you have plenty of reasons to show off your skin.

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