A tragic act of desperation unfolded just outside the Kansas Star Casino Saturday morning when a man fatally shot himself during a live Zoom interview with police. The graphic act not only shocked law enforcement officers but also reignited a decade-and-a-half-old murder mystery tangled in gambling debt, hidden money, and unresolved questions.
The Case Revolved Around an Illegal Gambling Ring
According to a report from local media outlet KWTV-DT, the man, identified as Michael Thomas, an insurance agent from Edmond, was a long-time person of interest in the unsolved 2010 murder of Julie Mitchell, a mother found brutally beaten in her Oklahoma City home. Following up on this old case, the Oklahoma City Police Department had invited Thomas for an online interview.
Julie Mitchell’s death in November 2010 was a shock in and of itself: she was found bludgeoned in her bedroom with her infant daughter in the room but unharmed. The kicker came when detectives unraveled the double life of her husband, Teddy Mitchell, who was running an underground gambling ring. He was subsequently convicted in federal court and spent over two years behind bars.
Police have always believed that gambling was involved in Julie Mitchell’s murder. More than $30,000 in cash, linked to Teddy’s illicit gambling operation, was missing from a safe in her closet. Suspicion immediately fell on individuals in Mitchell’s inner circle, including those who owed him money. One of them was Michael Thomas.
Investigators Were Shocked
Thomas was a habitual gambler and had a complex financial relationship with Mitchell. Although he was never charged, law enforcement deemed him a person of interest with a motive, proximity, and necessary knowledge. Although initial investigations uncovered no definitive evidence, suspicion never fully faded, even after years of silence.
Thomas had agreed to meet virtually with Detective Bryn Carter, the lead investigator on the Mitchell case, along with his attorney, Ed Blau. What began as a typical conversation ended in horror as Thomas took his own life during the interview. Detective Carter had a list of questions prepared for Thomas, hoping to shed some light on the decade-and-a-half-old murder mystery. However, these will now go unanswered.
“Him taking his own life without answering the questions that I needed answered to eliminate him as a person of interest. It speaks volumes that maybe he couldn’t answer those questions.”
Oklahoma City Police Department Detective Bryn Carter
Thomas’s death may have deprived investigators of answers, but it also put the spotlight on the gambling-fueled undercurrents of the Mitchell case. Carter emphasized the file remains open, and authorities are pursuing new leads in light of the weekend’s events. However, it is ironic that someone who lived in the shadow of gambling debt for years chose to take his life next to a casino.