A trial date has been set for comic book retailer and Pittsburgh Comicon organizer Michael George. His trial has been scheduled to begin February 26 in Michigan. The trial is scheduled to last two weeks.
George stands accused of murdering his wife, Barbara George, 17 years ago execution style in the comic book shop they both owned. Investigators initially believed that that the murder was the result of a robbery gone bad. George claimed at the time that many high-value comic books were missing from the store. He filed an insurance claim against the missing books and received $13,000 from his insurance company.
It’s the prosecutor’s contention that no comic books were stolen and that the story of missing books was made up by George to make it look like a robbery. Both cash registers in the store still contained money and Barbara George still had all of her jewelry when they found her. A witness will testify that George was in the shop at around the time of the murder. The witness is claiming that he called the comic book shop at around the time of the murder and spoke to Michael George.
Michael George claims that he was asleep on his mother’s sofa at the time of the murder. His mother and his then 4-year old daughter will testify that he was asleep on the sofa. Neighbors will also testify that they remember Michael George’s vehicle parked in front of his mother’s house at the time of the murder.
No physical evidence links Michael George to the murder. The weapon used to kill Barbara George has not been found.
Dan Potchak
/ February 12, 2008Not guilty sfobv.
Joe
/ February 15, 2008Sounds circumstantial at best…and if the murder weapon has not been found, what reason did they use to link him to the murder? Sounds like they’re looking for a scapegoat.
Rick
/ February 16, 2008Joe wrote:
Right you are about the evidence against him being circumstantial, but you have to admit that it’s certainly pilling up. And don’t forget, people get convicted all the time over circumstantial evidence. I have to believe that even if he is found ‘not guilty’ for the murder of his wife, they will be able to convict him on insurance fraud.
I don’t know about anyone looking for a scapegoat. I think they be honestly believe he committed the murder.
aab
/ February 27, 2008Mike is a womanizer and a gambler. It is funny how he tried to clean up his act when he moved away with the person he was having an affair with and started a new life. I have to believe Renee knows quite a bit of what happened that evening. There was going to be a surprise party for him and I am sure she was invited since she was a “friend” of the family. She probably passed that information on to him. He can fool anyone. I hope he gets what he deserves. He never showed any remorse. Ask any of the family of Barbie how he acted at her funeral. So cool with his sunglasses on and not speaking with anyone. Hmmmmm. $$$$$$$$ He wanted the money and to move on with his life.
richard
/ March 8, 2008Nobody shoots a gun in the middle of a strip mall in broad daylight to rip off comic books.
Either:
A.) He did it
or
B.) He hired someone to do it.
Either way, he needs to go to prison. He’s a sleazeball that wanted a new life with a new woman via $$$. I hope the jury can see that.
Ryan O'Hara
/ March 8, 2008I think everyone is missing something very important here, Michael George looks like Steve Carell with a moustache. And I’m sick of seeing his picture because it’s freakin’ me out.
Rick
/ March 8, 2008Ryan, I never noticed that, but you are correct. He kinda does look like Steve Carell with a porn mustache.
Ryan O'Hara
/ March 10, 2008HOW DOES NO ONE SEE IT? IT’S ALL I CAN SEE!
I guess it’s like that image that looks like two faces from one perspective, and an hour glass from another. Some people see Michael George’s picture and see Steve Carell with a porn ’stache, others see a guy who looks like he probably killed his wife.
RonAndrewSchooly
/ March 10, 2008How appropriate that you’d see that as, as you put it, a “porn ’stache.”
Tell me, what does this inkblot look like?
tjd
/ March 11, 2008He is not guilty, just because his marriage was unhappy does not mean he is a killer. The Grant case is a springboard for targeting husbands.
Rick
/ March 11, 2008The Grant case? Why bring Lou Grant into it?
aab
/ March 14, 2008Funny Renee did not take the stand, she is probably involved in the murder. He lied about the comic books being stolen and proceeded to collect on the insurance. Oh your wife was just killed and you know what books were taken and come to find out nothing was taken. (including the cash that was available) Why the hell else would someone kill Barbara George if there was nothing taken. Mike had a secret apartment and a gambling problem he wanted to make up for his debts and what a perfect way to do so. Collect on the insurance for the “supposed” theft and her life insurance. Isn’t funny Mike had
not put that amount of life insurance on himself just for Barbie. I hope he gets what he deserves, and Renee also.
aab
/ March 17, 2008All of the believers of Michael George…Check out Dateline in a few months.
Guilty of 1st degree murder today as well as insurance fraud.
The legal process does work.
tjd
/ March 18, 2008My ex-girlfriend just testified
KAG
/ March 18, 2008aab is right Mike was a big time womanizer and a jerk. Everyone who ever knew him, always knew he killed Barb. The police just failed to prove it. Barb was a nice girl who sure didn’t deserve that. Mike was always hitting on me when I was only a teenager and he was 4 years older than me. He even bought me a gold ID bracelet that had my name on it and it “Love Mike” on the back. Nobody liked him. He was like a virus that would not go away and kept coming over to my house. He even prank called my mom one day and told her he wanted to sniff her pantyhose. He used to try and get my other girlfriends to go out with him too. He was after any female he could get. We were all relieved when he met Barb cause we figured he would finally leave us alone. They should go after Renee too. She had to know. Finally Justice for barb!!!
Reneemb
/ March 18, 2008I have been reading these blogs for awhile, but couldnt respond because i was a witness at the trial. Although i think the evidence was circumstantial, i always thought that mike was involved in someway with barbs murder. He was always very erogant, and it was very obvious him and renee K were having an affair. He was very unemotional at the funeral, and seemed more interested in what i said to the police then the fact that i probably was the last one to talk to his wife alive, other then the killer. Maybe thats why he didnt care, he knew who the last person to talk to her really was. I think justice was done, for barb, and for her poor little girls who grew up without her.
Mark
/ May 9, 2008Looks guilty to me. The evidence of his answering the phone — when he claimed he was 30 min away asleep — did it for me.
He also was tired of his wife — said she was heavy. And he could get a lot of other women — he did so. He wanted the money. Why would she have 150K in insurance, and almost none on his.
derf
/ May 9, 2008He was found guilty of First Degree Murder. The defense has asked for a special hearing since the Judge was unsure of the evidence that put him behind bars so a hearing is scheduled for next week May 2008
Dan Schlueb
/ May 10, 2008All you people are stupid. if you watched the program last
night you would have heard that the dumb ass cops after 17
years (found) a piece of paper with a guys written statement
stating he called the store at 5 pm . Good detectives dont lose
this info. the funny part of this is the show doesnt tell us
how much they paid this wheel chair boy .wheel chair boy lied
cops lied too. The son of the original detective .Mr half smerk
grinning thru the whole show .planned it all ,It is all plain to
see. any professional detective .wont say on tv they all celebrated
after the verdict. They did get a scapegoat.sure mike cheated
but , funny thing most men do.they dont go to jail for life..
No evidence, Damn Judge should have thrown wheel chair boy
out of the court room .. Those laim jurers Know this info , they
probably got paid too.. Anything about govt.issues ,ITS ALL ABOUT
MONEY.. that is what america is always about..
Dan Schlueb
/ May 10, 2008PS. Wheel chair boy.. you purjered yourself you need to go to
jail too . and give that million dollar chair back to the cops that
bought it for you…LoL
Rick
/ May 10, 2008Dan Schlueb, you are an idiot. “Wheel chair boy”? I hope something happens to you that puts you in a chair for the rest of your life. Try getting up and down the steps to your mother’s basement when that happens.
Most men cheat? Really? Just because your boyfriend cheats on your when you aren’t around doesn’t mean most men cheat.
Not only are you an idiot, you are a dick. If you think the prosecutor in the Michael George was smiling about the conviction, that’s nothing compared to the smile on my face the day I read in the paper that you died in a fire or drowned in a holding tank at a raw sewage plant.
howard
/ May 10, 2008how did this wacko end up in windber… ps you two sound about as messed up as mike george.. do us a favor in pa stay away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dan Schlueb
/ May 10, 2008Rick I could stoop to your level and say something negative about
you . and wish harm to you as well . but I dygress. you must be a cop or you know a dumb ass cop. to you drop dead.. my writings
earlier was about Mike George being incarcerated from
fabricated lies and people that were paid off. ‘why do I have to be
in a wheel chair. Lol …
RonAndrewSchooly
/ May 11, 2008Dear Dan,
You are an illiterate yahoo. “Stoop to your level?” For christ’s sake, what level do you think you are at now? My guess is sub-imbecile, with an option on mongoloid.
Not only is your opinion half-informed, but your punctuation makes your response almost unreadable. Seriously, get some help for that. I honestly don’t ever attack people for their bad grammar or spelling, even when they’re as ignorant as you are, but for fuck’s sake- your writing makes you look like you have a serious mental problem. Charles Manson makes more sense than you.
heather
/ May 11, 2008I think he is truely guilty. How did he know that his wife was murdered in that back room and that she had a head injury. My husband knew him, worked a couple comic conventions and said he is a jerk. But I do not feel that they have enough evidence to convict him. Going by what the wheelchair man says and no proof that he called at that time is no reason to put some one away for life.
DJ Sloofus
/ May 11, 2008Hey, there are a lot of comments on this story. Can someone sum it up for me, please? Thanks!
Jesse Jace
/ May 12, 2008In summary: Dan Schlueb killed Michael George’s wife.
Rick
/ May 12, 2008Ryan O’Hara is currently writing a piece on the story that will be published in an upcoming anthology book published by Image Comics about comic book retailers who murder their spouses. I’m looking forward to reading it.
PH
/ September 20, 2008conviction overturned today.