YUBA CITY, Calif. — As the investigation into the deaths of Julie and Michael Harding continues, many questions still remain.
Police said Michael Harding, of Celina, Tennessee, was found dead with gunshot wounds on Sept. 26 at a home in Burkesville, Kentucky.
Then, Thomas O'Donnell, a 60-year-old from Napa, was arrested at the Sacramento International Airport on Dec. 8 on suspicion of killing him, according to Kentucky State Police.
Months after Michael's death, Julie Harding was found dead in a home on Lake View Drive in Celina, Tennessee on Dec. 10.
Her body was taken to the Medical Examiner's Office for an autopsy. However, according to Susan Niland, a spokesperson for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Julie Harding's death doesn't appear to be a result of foul play.
Michael and Julie Harding separated months earlier on May 23, 2022, according to court documents.
Still, many questions remain about how the events unfolded. There are few details available about the relationship the Hardings and Thomas O'Donnell.
Officials are investigating Michael Harding's death as a homicide and one of his friends says he doesn't think it was an accident and that Julie had something to do with it. Police have not confirmed any information about her potential involvement.
"I feel bad for his kids now, his grandkids and his mom… we all believe that she had Mike murdered. Hired a guy to have Mike murdered, that he wouldn't know, that he wouldn't suspect. And I believe it was months planning the process," said Michael's friend, Preston Cleary.
Former Sacramento County Sheriff John McGinness told ABC10 officials would need to investigate possible angles into how the events unfolded.
"I absolutely see this as consistent with a murder for hire, I'm not in a position, obviously to have reviewed all the evidence and draw a conclusion to that end, but I think is part of what has to be eliminated as a possibility," McGinness said.
Authorities have not confirmed there is a connection between Julie Harding and Thomas O'Donnell, but it is something they are looking into. While the investigation unfolds, ABC10 will update details as they become available.
Watch more on ABC10: Timeline | What we know about the death of a CHP commander and her husband
