Michael George is the Michigan comic book store owner convicted of murdering his wife Barbara inside their shop in 1990, a case that stayed cold for seventeen years before a rediscovered witness statement led to his arrest, two trials, and a life sentence. Dateline NBC’s “Comic Book Murder” broadcasts tracked the investigation and prosecution, with correspondent Dennis Murphy reporting on how a single phone call ultimately unraveled George’s alibi.
The 1990 Killing at Comics World
Barbara and Michael George opened Comics World in the winter of 1988 with financial help from Barbara’s parents. She was a mother of two young daughters. On the evening of Friday, July 13, 1990, she was found shot in the head at close range in the back room of the store in Clinton Township, Michigan.1ClickOnDetroit. Man Convicted of Murdering Wife in Comic Book Store
Michael George told police he had left the store around 4:00 p.m. that afternoon and driven to his mother’s house in Hazel Park, where he said he fell asleep on the sofa. He suggested Barbara had been killed during a botched robbery and claimed roughly $30,000 worth of comic books had been stolen.2Legal News. Comic Book Store Killer Sentenced to Life in Prison The scene did not match that story. Cash registers still held money, Barbara had over $400 in cash and a $2,500 ring on her person, and the safe and back door showed no signs of forced entry.3Michigan Courts. People v. George, No. 141254
No murder weapon was recovered. There was no DNA and no blood evidence connecting Michael George to the killing. He was not charged. In the years that followed, he collected approximately $130,000 in life insurance proceeds on Barbara’s life, married his former mistress Renee Kotula, and moved with her to Windber, Pennsylvania.4NBC News. Comic Book Murder
The Overlooked Phone Call That Broke the Case
In 2005, Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith established a cold case unit. His father, former Clinton Township Police Chief Robert Smith, had considered the George case one that “had gotten away.”5NBC News. Dateline – Comic Book Murder
The break came from a report already sitting in the file. A police document dated July 14, 1990, contained a statement from Mike Renaud, a college student and regular Comics World customer. Renaud said he had called the store around 5:30 p.m. on the day of the murder and spoken with Michael George, who sounded rushed and eager to end the conversation. That put George at the store roughly thirty minutes before Barbara was killed, directly contradicting his account of napping at his mother’s house.4NBC News. Comic Book Murder
Lead detective Donald Steckman, who had worked the original investigation, said he never saw Renaud’s statement. He later acknowledged that if he had, the case likely would have gone to trial by 1991.4NBC News. Comic Book Murder
In August 2007, cold case detectives traveled to Pennsylvania and interviewed George without warning. He contradicted his earlier accounts. He dropped the robbery theory and suggested Barbara’s death might have been “revenge” or a “vendetta” against him. He also admitted an extramarital affair and marital problems he had denied in 1990.4NBC News. Comic Book Murder
Insurance Money and an Affair
The financial evidence was central to the prosecution’s theory of motive. At the time of Barbara’s death, Michael George was the beneficiary of two life insurance policies on her life totaling $130,000. He had allowed a $50,000 policy on his own life to lapse, keeping only a $30,000 policy.3Michigan Courts. People v. George, No. 141254
His conduct after the killing tracked the same theory. During visitation hours at the funeral home, he asked his mother whether she had called the insurance company. He secured the proceeds within three weeks. He also filed and collected a $12,604 insurance claim for comic books he reported stolen. Investigators caught him in that claim after identifying a customer who had previously purchased one of the comics George listed as stolen; George recanted.3Michigan Courts. People v. George, No. 141254
Alongside the money, prosecutors pointed to George’s affair with Renee Kotula, whom he later married, as evidence of a life he wanted with Barbara out of it.4NBC News. Comic Book Murder
Two Trials, One Reversal, a Life Sentence
George was charged in 2007 with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, firearm offenses, insurance fraud, and false pretenses. The case was almost entirely circumstantial. At the 2008 trial in Macomb County Circuit Court in Mount Clemens, Assistant Prosecutor William Cataldo argued financial motive, the affair, and Renaud’s phone call. George’s mother testified he had been asleep on her sofa when Barbara was killed.6CBS News Detroit. Husband Found Guilty in Comic Book Store Murder The jury convicted him of first-degree murder. One juror later said that without Renaud’s testimony, she likely would not have voted guilty.7Macomb Daily. Cold Case Verdict Defended on NBC’s Dateline
The verdict did not stand. In September 2008, Macomb County Judge James Biernat overturned the conviction after police found three tip sheets missing from the case file that pointed to other potential suspects investigators had never pursued. Biernat also cited prosecutorial misconduct and conflicting evidence.8The Oakland Press. Comic Book Murder Case Appeal Shot Down by State Supreme Court, New Trial Likely The Michigan Court of Appeals upheld the ruling, and on September 30, 2010, the Michigan Supreme Court declined to hear the prosecution’s appeal, clearing the way for a retrial.9Macomb Daily. Ruling on George Appeal Means Case Headed Back to Trial
The retrial ran roughly a month and concluded in October 2011 before Macomb County Circuit Judge Mary Chrzanowski. The core evidence was the same: Renaud’s phone call, the shifting alibis, the insurance money, the affair. On October 11, 2011, a second jury convicted George of first-degree murder, insurance fraud, false pretenses, and felony firearm.1ClickOnDetroit. Man Convicted of Murdering Wife in Comic Book Store On November 21, 2011, Chrzanowski sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole and ordered him to pay $130,023 in restitution to the insurance company that had paid out Barbara’s policies.10MLive. Michael George Gets Life in Prison
The Michigan Court of Appeals affirmed the second conviction in May 2013, and the Michigan Supreme Court denied further review in March 2014.11Daily American. Bullet Found at Comic Book Murder Scene
The Unfired Bullet Found Years Later
In February 2013, an unfired 9mm bullet was discovered behind a water heater in the back room of the former Comics World store. Because it had never been fired, it could not be ballistically compared to the fragmented bullets recovered from Barbara’s body in 1990. In late February 2014, Judge Chrzanowski approved a defense motion to have the Michigan State Police test the bullet for DNA or fingerprints, though prosecutors noted the lab could only perform one type of test without destroying evidence for the other. The bullet had also been handled by at least two people after its discovery, potentially compromising any biological evidence.11Daily American. Bullet Found at Comic Book Murder Scene No publicly reported results from the testing have emerged, and the discovery did not lead to a new trial.
The Dateline Broadcasts
Dateline NBC produced at least two episodes on the case. The first was filmed in 2008 after the initial conviction. A longer episode titled “Comic Book Murder,” reported by correspondent Dennis Murphy, aired on January 25, 2013. It included interviews with Barbara’s brother Joe Kowynia, former detectives, attorneys, and witnesses, along with previously unaired footage of Mike Renaud.12Patch. Dateline NBC Revisits Comic Book Murder Case in Clinton Township
Kowynia had pushed for a prosecution for years. After the second verdict, he told reporters, “There’s no way that a jury is going to get this wrong twice,” adding, “This man should have been in jail the first time.”1ClickOnDetroit. Man Convicted of Murdering Wife in Comic Book Store After sentencing he said, “Now that this is over, our family can go on with our lives, and Barb can rest in peace.”13ABC 13. Comic Book Killer Gets Life Sentence
Michael George remains incarcerated in the Michigan prison system, serving life without the possibility of parole for the 1990 murder of his wife.