Haunting final texts emerge after CHP captain and her Napa Valley hitman lover lured her husband to his death
Thomas O'Donnell has been found guilty of murdering Michael Harding, who was lured to a vacant Kentucky home under the pretense of an HVAC repair. Prosecutors presented text messages, phone data, and DNA evidence linking O'Donnell to the September 19, 2022, killing, which they say was orchestrated by Harding's estranged wife, former CHP captain Julie Harding. Julie Harding died by suicide months after the murder, and O'Donnell now faces 20 years to life in prison.
- ▪Thomas O'Donnell was found guilty of murdering Michael Harding in a plot linked to Harding's estranged wife, Julie Harding.
- ▪Text messages showed Michael Harding was lured to a secluded home in Burkesville, Kentucky, where he was shot on September 19, 2022.
- ▪Phone and DNA evidence placed O'Donnell at the crime scene, though the murder weapon and prepaid phone were never recovered.
- ▪Julie Harding, a former California Highway Patrol captain, died by suicide months after the killing and was believed to have orchestrated the murder-for-hire.
- ▪The defense argued that O'Donnell did not intend for Harding to be killed and suggested a third unknown person may have carried out the shooting.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Metro Haunting final texts emerge after CHP captain and her Napa Valley hitman lover lured her husband to his death By Zain Khan Published May 3, 2026, 11:16 a.m. ET A Napa Valley man hired by a former California Highway Patrol captain to kill her husband has been found guilty as text messages revealed details of the murder-for-hire plot. A Cumberland County courthouse in Kentucky found Thomas O’Donnell guilty Friday of killing Michael Harding, the estranged husband of Julie Harding. 6 Toward the end of the day, jurors heard briefly from Michael’s son from a previous marriage for the first time on Thursday.
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