Court documents: Former CHP Captain, alleged hitman conspired to murder her husband Michael Harding
SACRAMENTO -- Disturbing new details are coming to light about an alleged murder-for-hire plot involving a now-deceased, former CHP Captain and her estranged husband, revealed in court documents.
Documents filed by prosecutors in Cumberland County, Kentucky accuse Thomas O'Donnell, the alleged hitman, of capital murder. The 7-page document is a notice of intent to seek the death penalty in his case.
Outlined by the prosecution, Julie is accused of conspiring with Thomas to kill her husband.
"The defendant was engaged in a conspiracy with the victim's estranged wife, Julie Harding," the document reads. "The defendant committed the offense for himself or another (Julie Harding) for the purpose of receiving money...
Phone records crack the case wide open.
In the three months before Michael's September 19, 2022 murder in Burkesville, Kentucky there were 194 calls on record between Julie and Thomas.
In May, after filing for divorce, prosecutors say evidence shows Julie made three major cash withdrawals from her and Michael's joint bank accounts in both California and Tennessee. They totaled $102,000, $73,000, and $47,700.
"Sometime thereafter notes were found at Michael Harding's residence reading 'no money here' in an apparent attempt to taunt the victim," court documents allege.
The married pair had planned to move from California to Tennessee together in a home they bought in Celina, Tenn; but they became estranged. Julie stayed in Sacramento, Michael moved to their Tennessee home and their divorce was never finalized.
MORE: Friend of CHP Captain found dead has called police 1 year ago to request welfare check
Through police records, CBS13 can confirm Michael was living with a girlfriend in Tennessee and running an HVAC company.
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Michael's close friend Preston Cleary details the dark days before his final day.
"He was scared to death and I didn't know what she was capable of. I kind of do now," Cleary said of Julie.
The court documents allege Michael was tricked and lured to his death.
Prosecutors say Thomas O'Donnell posed as a realtor, using a burner phone to call a real estate agent to get the keypad lockbox code to unlock a rental property that was for sale on Glasgow Rd. in Burkesville, KY.
Using that same burner phone, he allegedly called Michael to the home under the guise of an HVAC service call.
Michael's body was found in the home on Sept. 26, when a realtor was showing the property to two clients.
"He always saw the best in people. It's a shame what happened to him. He was a great man," said Cleary.
Just days before the murder, prosecutors say phone records pinged Thomas' real cell phone to the Sacramento home of Julie Harding.
Phone records prove he then flew to Tennessee, one day before the murder.
Thomas came back to California after the alleged crime, his phone pinging to a location near Julie's Sacramento home on Oct. 7, Nov. 29.
"FBI personnel from Sacramento conducted surveillance near the residence and found O'Donnell, inside his 2020 Toyota Tundra parked approximately 0.4 miles away at the Foothill Community Center parking lot," court documents read.
On several occasions, O'Donnell drove past the home of Julie Harding and returned to the parking lot.
He was arrested at the Sacramento airport on December 8th, en route to Texas.
Julie was found dead by apparent suicide just two days later at her and Michael's Tennessee residence on December 10th.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has not yet concluded Julie's death investigation.
The very last line in the court document reveals what could be a possible motive.
Could this have been a love triangle? Investigators say they found Valentine's Day and Birthday cards addressed to Julie at her home from a man called "Rob."
Thomas O'Donnell's sister confirmed to investigators this is a nickname Thomas went by.
