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Once convicted of killing his wife in 1990, comics retailer and convention organizer Michael George is getting a second trial, after a judge overturned the jury’s June conviction on the basis of prosecutorial misconduct, among other reasons.

The first trial delivered mostly circumstantial evidence against George regarding the killing — his wife Barbara was shot execution-style in the backroom of the comic shop the Georges owned together.

The crux of the judge’s new opinion seems to be a recently found file about a criminal who was in the area at the time of Barbara George’s murder, the Detroit Free Press reports.

Documents recently discovered in a police file at the time of the murder refer to a man with a criminal past who knew the Georges and was in the area at the time of the murder. In June — a month before the documents were found — Michael George was sentenced to life in prison on first-degree murder in her slaying.

George’s attorney, former Macomb County Prosecutor Carl Marlinga, said the folder, which was found between two other folders in July and then given to prosecutors and defense attorneys, contains seven documents including a 1990 report by a Clinton Township officer about a call from Pat Flannery at Wayne County trustee services about pertinent information on the George case.

In the report, Flannery said he lived with Rita Prog, who was once married to Marshall David Prog, a drug addict who boasted that he had been involved in criminal activity in the past and had gotten away with a murder. A few days before Barbara George was killed, Marshall David Prog had returned to Michigan from Florida, was broke, and asked his ex-wife for money, which she declined to give. But a few days after the murder he returned to Florida with a large sum of money.


The case has already been the subject of a two-hour documentary on MSNBC and looks to have many more twists and turns yet to come.

1 COMMENT

  1. Wow, I watch the TV special on it and it was pretty surreal. The whole comic angle itself give it a bizarre twist. I just hope they do catch whom ever did the crime itself.

  2. Everybody deserves a fair trial. Guilty or not guilty is for the courts to decide – however, they should have ALL the evidence there to come to their conclusion.

  3. There are 2 types of evidence: circumstantial and eyewitness. If nobody actually sees the crime being committed, then all evidence used at trial is circumstantial.

  4. He looks just devastated in the picture. : I hope that the new trial pulls up new evidence that grants a more thorough trial before the jury comes to a conclusion.

  5. This is bad. I have a feeling some people are trying to get name & air time for popularity. A second case so soon will prove nothing.

    They should jail him and let tensions & feelings ease up a bit then do a retrial (if desired/necessary), which it is not, imo.

  6. For the next 30 years lawyers will be quoting People vs George 2008 during a prosecutorial misconduct case.The judge sited over 10 instances of prosecutorial misconduct and put the prosecutor and Clinton Township Police on the spot when he asked them if they ever looked into Michael George’s alibi in 1990 or 2007.They had to answer “no”.He asked them if they ever investigated two known murders who were turned into the police in 1990 and they had to answer “no”.Now the Attorney General of Michigan has been notified and hopefully will investigate.Support the Innocence Project.There are more innocent people in jail than the public realizes.

  7. A man with a criminal past was in the area? It’s Detroit for pete’s sake. If there was only one man in town with a criminal past then that may have been the safest day in the town’s history.

  8. Michael I would like to respond to your comment that they should jail him and let tensions and feeling ease up and then if desired/necessary that then then do a retrial and the imo about it’s not necessary is bull.

    The reason I say that is they didn’t have enough evidence to convict him the first time they should have one never tried it in the small town becuase it looks to me that the town tried to get a way with a small town justice for the family of Barbara. Face it they had other leads and didn’t even look into it the cops and the prosecution messed up. If we don’t fix this righ then say you were sleeping on the couch at you aunts house and your mom get killed and they can’t find any thing to tie you to it but you and you mom didn’t get a long and you wanted her out of your life. yep lets convict you on that.

    narrow minded people such as your self make this world a worse place than what it is .. Let go by facts.

    One they didn’t check his alibi, two they had 7 other leads they never investigated, three no murder weapon, four no witnesses, five no forensic eveidence, 6 the word of a man from 17yrs ago who could get the time right about when he called now that they are prosecuting the case he finally remembers correctly they have no phone records to prove that the time he actually called., 7 they didn’t sequester the jury. (This is my biggest problem on a murder case you don’t let them go home for the weekend you keep them where they can’t be contacted by the any of the family members or anyone else to sway them).,

    So facts are fact the prosecution and police had misconduct he deserve a trial to prove his innocence. Wether you like it or not Michael.

    I have a feeling you are part of the family or close friends of the family and can’t see clearly.

  9. Let me clearify, there was no eye witnesses that can place Mike George at the scene, they however, have eye witnesses that there was another person there that wasn’t mike george at the scene and never ever checked it out.

    So before you go running about how you think they did a good job put your self in his position.

    Remember We are all innocent until proven guilty .. Not the other way around. oh and by the when the prosecution screwed up and had misconduct they still haven’t proven him guilty.

  10. “I have a feeling you are part of the family or close friends of the family and can’t see clearly.”

    I have a feeling that you are close friends with Michael George and can’t see clearly.

  11. Google Ken Wyniemko and the Innocence Project and you will see Clinton Township Police and the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office have done this before.Ken spent nine years in jail for a crime he did not commit.So far Michael George has spent a year in jail.The similarities will amaze you.

  12. Missy, let me just say that, I am not.

    I’m a casual observer. A comic book fan, nothing more. But I do have a legal background. And in my experience, when a case gets a little messy like this one, rarely does anything get fixed, properly, with a second case so soon (legally speaking).

  13. Snoid,

    I am not close friend with george or his family this is an outside observer. Unfortunately if that is all you can say to me and can’t disprove the finding and facts that I have stated then you do not understand or can’t comprhend how the law works.

    Michael,

    May I ask where you got your law degree because when someone who is innocent has to wait it’s sad and it’s not right . Those who are innocent and Goerge still is innocent since there was misconduct and withheld information he has a right to a quick and speady trial. Not wait becuase hey let’s let it cool down and then maybe we can slip by on the same thing again.

  14. Snoid,

    I am not close friend with george or his family this is an outside observer. Unfortunately if that is all you can say to me and can’t disprove the finding and facts that I have stated then you do not understand or can’t comprhend how the law works.

    Michael,

    May I ask where you got your law degree because when someone who is innocent has to wait it’s sad and it’s not right . Those who are innocent and Goerge still is innocent since there was misconduct and withheld information he has a right to a quick and speady trial. Not wait becuase hey let’s let it cool down and then maybe we can slip by on the same thing again.

  15. I am a friend of Mike’s and I have had him at my home several times to play poker. I also have a comic business in the same area. Having dealt with him on a personal and business level I would be inclined to feel that a man that does charity work, runs a business, runs a comic show and juggles 2 families could never ever have committed a crime. Anyone that knows him will tell you the same thing. When the police picked him up at his store in Windber he didn’t run. He didn’t get into a white bronco and hold a gun to his head. He went along peacefully. There was no gun, no dna, no witnesses. So he hooked up after his wife died. So what! He married her and had several great kids that even worked for me. I love the wheelchair guy at the trial who remembers calling him 17 years ago. I don’t remember who I called 17 days ago! Does anyone? Hopefully a new trial and some people with common sense will re-judge him and let an innocent man free.

  16. I am also a friend of Mike’s and have been a loyal customer of his since I was 13. I agree with Jeff wholehearedly about Mike. He was always doing so much for his family and the community in general it was such a shock to even hear he was charged with this crime. I hope with this new evidence and a proper trial and not a smalltown public lynching that mike will be proven innocent and will be able to return home to his wife and family.

  17. It is clear that there is definitely a reasonable doubt. The Jury is stupid. There were 4 witnesses that saw him sleeping at his mom’s house. Even if he did do it, there was definitely not enough evidence. If he was a Hollywood actor he would have never even have been tried and if he was tried as a Hollywood actor he would have been found innocent. Jury’s are way to quick to convict people who are just common folk in this country just because they were arrested by the police. My Lord, this man should have never been convicted, shame on the jury!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1