Cold Case Murder Suspect Killed Self at Kansas Star Casino Mid-Police Interview
Posted on: June 4, 2025, 07:24h.
Last updated on: June 4, 2025, 09:36h.
- Suspect shot himself mid-interview with Oklahoma investigators
- Wife of gambler killed in 2010; baby left unharmed
- Shocking death raises more questions in cold case
A suspect in the 2010 murder of an Oklahoma City woman committed suicide at the Kansas Star Casino during a virtual interview with police, The Oklahoman reports.
Michael Wayne Thomas, 54, was a person of interest in the slaying of Julie Mitchell, who was discovered beaten to death inside a closet at her home in northwest Oklahoma City 15 years ago. Her one-year-old daughter was found sitting next to her body, unharmed.
Thomas fatally shot himself in the head in a wooded area outside the casino in Mulvane, Kansas on Saturday after rambling to police officers for around 40 minutes, according to his attorney, Ed Blau.
“The phone landed right by his head, so we got to hear him die, hear the death rattle,” Blau said Tuesday. “It was as shocking and horrific as you can imagine.”
Gambler Husband
Mitchell, who was 34 when she died, was the wife of Teddy Mitchell, a professional gambler whose illicit activities were uncovered during the murder investigation. In 2014, he was sentenced to 27 months in a federal prison for hosting illegal high-stakes poker games at his home and taking illegal bets on sporting events.
Teddy Mitchell was on a plane to California at the time of the killing and has always denied having anything to do with his wife’s murder.
Thomas, an insurance salesman, became a suspect because his company checkbook was found in the home after the killing. The two men knew each other through gambling circles. Thomas also denied involvement.
According to Blau, Thomas was initially interviewed by police years ago. Although he declined to meet in person again, he agreed to the virtual interview. It remains unclear whether a recent development in the case prompted police to request the new meeting.
No Answers
Oklahoma City Police Department Detective Bryn Carter told local CBS affiliate KWTV-9 that Thomas didn’t let him ask questions before he took his own life. He “controlled the conversation from start to finish,” Carter said.
In 31 years on the police department doing hundreds and hundreds of interviews, I’ve never had anyone commit suicide in front of me,” Carter told the TV station.
“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.”
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