BURKESVILLE, KY (December 16, 2022) – On September 26, 2022, at approximately 1:03 P.M. CST, Kentucky State Police (KSP), Post 15, received a call from Cumberland County 911. They requested investigative assistance regarding finding a deceased male inside a residence on Glasgow Road in Burkesville, Ky.
KSP Troopers and Detectives responded to the scene and learned 53-year-old Michael Harding, of Celina, Tennessee, had suffered fatal injuries from apparent gunshot wounds.
The ensuing investigation led KSP to partner with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other local and state law enforcement agencies in Kentucky, Tennessee, and California, as the planning and execution of the crime included multiple local and state jurisdictions.
Information obtained through this collective effort led to the arrest of 60-year-old Thomas O’Donnell of Napa, CA., in Sacramento, CA, on Thursday, December 8, 2022. KSP, the FBI, and local authorities arrested O’Donnell at the Sacramento International airport, charging him with the Murder of Michael Harding.
O’Donnell is lodged in the Sacramento County Main Jail in Sacramento, CA. where he is awaiting extradition back to Kentucky.
KSP Detective BJ Burton, assisted by Detective Mike Dubree and Special Agent’s with the FBI Louisville/Bowling Green Resident Agency, are continuing the murder investigation.
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