California Highway Patrol captain is found shot dead in Tennessee three months after her estranged husband was killed in suspected ‘murder-for-hire plot’ – as Ring camera shows her stealing his dog from his girlfriend’s home

• A California Highway patrol captain was found dead in Tennessee Dec 10
• Julie Harding, 49, was found dead from a single gunshot wound her driveway
• Police said that her death did not appear to be the result of foul play
• Harding’s husband Michael went missing in Sept and was later found dead
• Thomas Francis O’Donnell was arrested in connection with Michael’s killing
• Authorities have not made a link between Harding and O’Donnell

A California Highway patrol captain has been found dead in Tennessee over the weekend a day after being arrested on stalking charges and another man was jailed in connection to the murder of her estranged husband.

Julie Harding, 49, was found dead from a single gunshot wound near the driveway of her Celina home on Saturday, according to KPIX.

Police said that her death did not appear to be the result of foul play, but haven’t confirmed whether she had died by suicide.

Harding’s husband, Michael, went missing in September 2022 but was found dead a week later from multiple gunshot wounds in a vacant house in Cumberland County, Kentucky.

His death is being investigated as a homicide by the Kentucky State Police who have partnered with the FBI and other law enforcement agencies, according to KCRA 3.

Julie Harding, 49, was found dead from a single gunshot wound near the driveway of her Celina home on Saturday

Harding’s husband Michael (pictured) went missing in September 2022 but was found dead a week later from multiple gunshot wounds in a vacant house in Cumberland County

Just days before Harding’s death authorities assisted in the arrest of Thomas Francis O’Donnell, 60, in connection with Michael’s killing.

O’Donnell was arrested at the Sacramento International Airport on a murder charge.

He remains in the Sacramento County Main Jail and has waived a hearing on extradition to Kentucky, KCRA 3 reported.

The 60-year-old has a criminal history that involves stalking and threatening to kill an ex-girlfriend in the Houston area in 2006.

The victim had accused him of threatening to kill her after she broke up with him in 2005.

Harding was on leave from her CHP job at the time of her Dec 10 death. She had been arrested on Dec 8 for stalking and burglarizing the home of a woman who had been dating Michael

The woman who filed the complaint reported seeing Harding on her ring camera on Oct 10 walking up to the front door and calling a dog’s name, ‘Charlie’

In the ring camera footage Harding can be seen grabbing the dog by the collar and leaving Michael’s girlfriend’s home

https://youtube.com/watch?v=HNOOchjJJ1g%3Frel%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26hl%3Den-US

In incidents that spanned nearly a year, he was accused of pushing her, choking her, forcing her to have sex with him, harassing her where she worked and chasing her with his car, according to court documents.

O’Donnell was charged but released on probation.

Authorities have not said what they believe his motive could be in relation to the death of Harding’s husband.

KPIX reported that a close source had made claims that Michael’s death had been part of a ‘murder-for-hire plot’ involving Harding, but authorities have not made a connection between Harding and O’Donnell. 

Harding was on leave from her CHP job at the time of her Dec 10 death.

She had been arrested on Dec 8 for stalking and burglarizing the home of a woman who had been dating Michael.

Just days before Harding’s death authorities assisted in the arrest of Thomas Francis O’Donnell, 60, in connection with Michael’s killing

https://youtube.com/watch?v=enwZPpMS6Bc%3Frel%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26hl%3Den-US

The Hardings had been going through a divorce, according to documents from the Murfreesboro Police Department in Tennessee.

The woman who filed the complaint reported seeing Harding on her ring camera on Oct 10 walking up to the front door and calling a dog’s name, ‘Charlie.’

Charlie was Michael’s dog and the woman had agreed to take custody of the beloved pet after he died, the documents state.

The woman told officers she was willing to give the dog to Harding if they met at a nearby police department.

In the ring camera footage Harding can be seen grabbing the dog by the collar and leaving Michael’s girlfriend’s home, which is when the woman filed a warrant for Julie’s arrest for trespassing.

Sgt. Jeremy Weyland of the CHP’s Valley Division told CBS that Julie Harding had been on the force since 1999 and was a commander since 2018.

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