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Murder Discovered in Vacant Kentucky Cottage Leads to Arrests and Suicide
By Drooid · · How we work
Discovery of a Murdered Man During a Kentucky House Hunt
In September 2022, Florida resident David Hammersley and his family toured a rural 2-acre property near Burkesville, Kentucky. While inspecting a detached cottage, they were overwhelmed by a foul odor and found a man lying on the floor with multiple gunshot wounds. The victim was identified as Michael “Mike” Harding, a California-born HVAC technician who had been missing for over a week.
Investigation Findings
Kentucky State Police lead investigator BJ Burton examined Harding’s phone and uncovered a series of text messages suggesting he was lured to the property. The contact originated from a prepaid “burner” phone linked to a realtor named James Fraser. Further analysis revealed that Harding’s estranged wife, Julie Harding—a California Highway Patrol captain—had exchanged roughly 194 calls with Thomas O’Donnell, a former car salesman residing in Napa, California. Phone-location data showed the prepaid device was first activated in the Houston, Texas, area weeks before the murder.
Authorities arrested O’Donnell in early December 2022 and charged him with Harding’s murder. Two days later, Julie Harding was found dead at a Tennessee home, with investigators ruling the death a suicide. Burton suggested Julie may have feared losing substantial assets in their divorce and conspired with O’Donnell to kill her husband. O’Donnell pleaded not guilty, later faced trial, was convicted by a Kentucky jury, and received a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 20 years.
Official Statements & Responses
Burton emphasized that the text-message trail and burner-phone evidence made it clear Harding was deliberately drawn to the cottage. He also highlighted the phone’s activation in Houston as a key link between O’Donnell and the crime. Burton’s assessment frames the murder as a premeditated plot involving financial motives tied to the Harding divorce.
Verbatim Quotes
- “The house was immaculate. No furnishings in it. You can eat off the floor,” — David Hammersley, news florida resident
- “It had to be something like a dead raccoon, in my opinion,” — David Hammersley, news florida resident
- “I saw a man on the floor, his arm outstretched, obviously dead, from gunshot wounds,” — David Hammersley, news florida resident
- “Once you start looking through the text messages and phone calls, it becomes very obvious early on that he was lured to the house,” — Burton
- “It was pretty evident early on that this is a burner phone,” — Burton
- “And the first thing you notice is ... the phone is first turned on when it's in the Houston, Texas, area,” — Burton
Data & Statistics
- Victim: Michael “Mike” Harding, shot four times (twice in the head, twice in the torso).
- Call log: Approximately 194 calls between Julie Harding and Thomas O’Donnell in the months before the murder.
- Legal outcomes: O’Donnell convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment with parole eligibility after 20 years; Julie Harding’s death ruled a suicide.