Michelle Mockbee , the 42-year-old mother of two who was murdered in the workplace three years ago, will have her story aired on the next Dateline NBC .
Tonight’s episode, entitled “Mystery on the Early Shift,” will retell the events leading up to Michelle Mockbee’s murder. The married woman’s death was in the news in 2012, when her dead body was found at the Thermo Fisher Scientific warehouse in Florence, Kentucky. Coworkers found the body and alerted police. An autopsy report indicates that Michelle, also known as Michelle Ann Whalen Mockbee, died of blunt force trauma. Medical examiners also noted cuts on the victim’s wrists. David Dooley, an employee who worked as a janitor at Thermo Fisher, was arrested and charged with her death. Today, he still sits in prison serving a life sentence, according to WCPO.
The case is controversial because many residents do not believe that Dooley was guilty of this crime. Some are even going as far to say that the police were pressured into finding a suspect. Law enforcement officials interviewed all 13 employees who were present on the morning of the murder.
One person who stood out was David Dooley but only because Michelle’s husband pointed him out first. Court documents indicate that Michelle’s husband, Dan, told them that Dooley was shady and that he had had run-ins with him in the past — one after asking him to clean up, the other after asking Dooley not to wear short sleeves to work, according to a report by WLWT-5 . Investigators also relied heavily on statements made by other coworkers who didn’t like the janitor, according to the defense. Crime investigators say they zeroed in on Dooley due to his inconsistent statements to police and the fact that he was the only employee who could not account for where he was during the murder.
Even still, it is strange that David Dooley was convicted of Michelle Mockbee’s murder with no evidence, no murder weapon, no motive, and no DNA linking back to him. His supporters go a step further. They believe that it was Michelle’s own husband, Dan Mockbee, a second-in-command supervisor at Thermo Fisher, who actually committed the crime, citing a $700,000 insurance policy as a possible motive. Michelle’s husband denies any wrongdoing or having anything to do with her death, and he says that life has not been the same without her. As for Michelle’s two children who were left behind, they are getting along as best they can as relatives try to make life normal for them. Michelle Mockbee’s family say she was a loving caring mother who loved soccer and the color red.
David Dooley’s wife says she will continue to stick by her husband because he is not guilty of this crime. In court, David cried as he was as he listened to the guilty verdict. Later, he addressed the court, stating that he did not kill Michelle. Here is his exact statement, according to Cincinnati.com .
“This courtroom is divided between people who know I didn’t do it, and people who think I did… I’ve been railroaded. It’s totally unfair how I’ve been treated. I wasn’t afforded the time to defend myself properly. I feel cheated out of that as well… All I know is that I did not kill Michelle Mockbee. I stand by that. I will continue to fight.”
For the rest, you’ll have to watch Dateline NBC tonight to see how the entire case unfolded. Is David Dooley innocent, or is he a cold-blooded murderer? Recently, the Inquisitr reported on Dateline NBC’s coverage of teen killer John Albert Gardner and the murder of Amy Jane Brandhagen .
“When a wife and mother is found dead in a Kentucky warehouse where she worked, investigators discover a small number of employees on site at the time of the murder. Detectives soon zero in on one person of interest, but can they connect him to the crime? The final suspect after the investigation speaks out on Dateline.”
Listen to David Dooley’s wife speak out below.
Michelle Mockbee’s kids remember her in the following clip.
[Photo Credit: Facebook]