Veteran CHP Officer: Authorities in Tennessee investigated if a murder-for-hire scheme occurred when a veteran California Highway Patrol captain and her husband were shot to death.
On December 10, Julie Harding, a captain with the California Highway Patrol with more than 20 years of experience on an extended leave from the Yuba-Sutter CHP office, was discovered dead.
According to CHP, she recently bought a house on Lake View Drive in Celina, Clay County, Tennessee.
In September, Michael Harding, Harding’s husband, vanished in adjacent Cumberland County, Kentucky. Michael Harding was discovered dead with multiple gunshot wounds to his head and torso, according to Cumberland County Coroner Gary White, who spoke to KPIX.
Death is being looked at as a possible homicide. White told KPIX that a nearby realtor discovered Michael Harding’s body in a bedroom of a foreclosed home while showing it to prospective buyers. He had numerous gunshot wounds when he was found on the ground.
According to a source close to KPIX, Michael Harding’s death was a component of a murder-for-hire plot, including his wife. According to sources, Julie killed herself on bail following her arrest. Her death is still being looked into, though.
Harding passed away on Tuesday from “a gunshot wound,” according to Clay County Sheriff Brandon Boone, who could not say if it resulted from a failed suicide attempt or a potential homicide.
Boone said the Tennessee Bureau of Inquiry had taken over the investigation into Harding’s passing.
“She was found deceased here in our county,” Boone said. “The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is handling her death. The FBI handles the husband’s death along with the Kentucky State Police.”
The TBI performed an autopsy on her body at the Nashville Medical Examiner’s Office.
“At this time in the investigation, her death does not appear to be a result of foul play,” authorities told KPIX.
The Appeal Democrat claims that Julie Harding reportedly paid Thomas Francis O’Donnell to murder her husband.
According to a source familiar with the matter, O’Donnell was detained Friday at the Sacramento International Airport by a Kentucky law enforcement officer after O’Donnell stepped off a plane. Keep yourself updated with all the latest news from our website Newswatchlist.com and get all the recent updates.