A family house hunting in Kentucky on September 26, 2022, discovered the body of missing California transplant Mike Harding inside a vacant Burkesville cottage. The discovery exposed a murder plot orchestrated by Harding’s estranged wife, California Highway Patrol Captain Julie Harding, and a co-conspirator who was later sentenced to life in prison.
House Hunters Find Mike Harding’s Body in Burkesville
Florida resident David Hammersley and his family were touring homes in Burkesville, Kentucky, on September 26, 2022, after fleeing hurricanes in Florida. While approaching the cottage, the family encountered an overpowering odor that prompted Hammersley and his father-in-law to investigate.
I saw a man on the floor, his arm outstretched, obviously dead, from gunshot wounds.
David Hammersley, homebuyer
Authorities identified the dead man as Michael “Mike” Harding, a California transplant who operated an HVAC business and lived across the border in Tennessee. An autopsy revealed he had been shot four times—twice in the head and twice in the torso. Cumberland County authorities handed the case to Kentucky State Police Detective BJ Burton, who examined Harding’s recovered mobile phone to trace how he arrived at the vacant property. Prosecutor Ann Marie Gordon Anderson estimated that Harding’s body had remained at the property for about a week before its discovery. Sheriff Brandon Boone noted that the property overlooking Dale Hollow Lake carried a local reputation for being cursed, pointing to a divorce that got pretty nasty.
Detective Burton Traces Calls to Thomas O’Donnell
Detective Burton discovered text messages on the victim’s phone showing that a person identifying as realtor James Fraser had requested an HVAC service call at the property. Investigators determined that the number belonged to a prepaid burner phone and that “James Fraser” was likely a made-up name.
Investigators traced that number to Thomas O’Donnell, a former car salesman from Houston, Texas. Law enforcement found that O’Donnell’s telephone and the prepaid handset used for reaching Harding had shared the same location weeks prior to the homicide. Detective Burton stated that O’Donnell did not arrive at the location by accident and that his only connection to the victim was through Julie Harding. Authorities arrested Thomas O’Donnell on December 8, 2022.
A Kentucky jury subsequently convicted O’Donnell of murder, sentencing him to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 20 years.
Marital Friction Fuels the Murder Plot
Investigators and family members pointed to marital friction and financial stakes in the couple’s impending divorce. Mike Harding and Julie Harding were living separately, with Mike residing in Tennessee and Julie living in California as a California Highway Patrol captain. Friends and relatives told authorities that Mike Harding feared his wife, and his friend Preston noted that Mike had noticed a major change in Julie’s behavior. Mike Harding’s daughter, Heather Cavalieri, told CBS News that her father was deeply devoted to his wife despite her own reservations.
After her husband, Mike Harding, was found dead in an apparent murder, authorities wanted to search the home where Julie Harding was living. With a warrant in hand, armed deputies entered the Harding mansion and went room to room looking for clues. There was no one home, but the… pic.twitter.com/qnO5ezIRfB
I feel like he was blinded by love. He truly loved her … So, I thought he found his dream girl. But to me personally, I just, I didn’t like her.
Heather Cavalieri, daughter of Mike Harding
Detective Burton was hoping either Julie Harding or O’Donnell would flip on the other, but neither did. Following O’Donnell’s December 8, 2022 arrest, Julie Harding received a phone call in Tennessee the next day—December 9, 2022—from California Highway Patrol superiors notifying her that her peace officer powers were revoked and she was suspended.
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