An Oklahoma man shot himself while police were questioning him about 2010 murder of a woman.
Michael Wayne Thomas, 54, was in a virtual meeting with detectives when he shot himself in the head, committing suicide on May 31, The Oklahoman reported.
Thomas was out of state near a casino at the time of his death.
"The phone landed right by his head, so we got to hear him die, hear the death rattle," Thomas' attorney Ed Blau told the newspaper. "It was as shocking and horrific as you can imagine."
Police described Thomas as a person of interest in the murder of 34-year-old Julie Mitchell. Mitchell was found dead in her home in November 2010 with about $30,000 missing from a safe, the newspaper reported.
Thomas was on his phone in a wooded area near a casino and shot himself about 45 minutes into the conversation, according to The Oklahoman.
Mitchell's 13-month-old baby was found near her body, unharmed, KOCO reported. The station reported that Blau had represented Thomas since about 2012 and he had previously been interviewed five or six times.
"He had agreed to be interviewed by detectives, but only on the stipulation that he wasn't going to be at the same location. He wanted to be in a manner like a Zoom call," Master Sgt. Gary Knight with the Oklahoma City Police Department told KOCO.
Mitchell's husband, Teddy, was in California at the time of her death.
The Oklahoman reported that Teddy hosted illegal high-stakes poker games at his home and was a bookmaker for sports betting, The Oklahoman reported. Mitchell was indicted in 2014 and sentenced to 27 months for these activities.
The newspaper reported that Thomas played poker at Mitchell's home and also placed bets with him. He denied murdering Julie Mitchell, although his company checkbook was found at the home after the homicide.
KOCO reported that investigators considered the case open and that the investigation into Julie Mitchell's death is ongoing.
