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Michael Pagel, the former husband of murder victim Renee Pagel who was stabbed to death at her Courtland Township, Michigan, home in 2006, was arrested 14 years after the crime first occurred. He commited the killing weeks after their divorce because a judge ruled in Renee's favor contrary to his wishes and avoided arrest for nearly fourteen years due to a lack of evidence.
In 2019, Michael's brother Charles divulged information, claiming that the former showed him the murder weapon before thowing it in a river. The following year, he was arrested and later accepted a plea deal for second-degree murder before getting sentenced to 25 to 50 years in prison.
The Michigan Department of Correction states that Michael Pagel is currently serving his sentence at the Saginaw Correctional Facility in Tittabawassee Township.
NBC Dateline will chronicle Renee Pagel stabbing death by ex-husband in an episode titled Window of Opportunity, airing this Sunday, May 21, at 7:00 pm ET. The synopsis for the episode says:
"A Michigan community is shocked when a local mother is found stabbed to death. After the case goes cold for more than a decade, a bombshell reignites the investigation. Andrea Canning reports."
Michael Pagel attempted to pin his ex-wife Renee Pagel's stabbing death on his brother, who tipped off authorities about his involvement
In October 2020, Michael Pagel was given 25 to 50 years in prison more than fourteen years after he fatally stabbed his ex-wife Renee Pagel, which was fourteen years and two months prior. Earlier that year, Michael pleaded guilty to second-degree murder as part of a plea deal with prosecutors after years of maintaining innocence.
Renee was found with more than 50 stab wounds in August 2006 while recovery from a sergery in her Courtland Township, Michigan home. She was bedridden at the time after reportedly donating a kidney to a student's father five days ago. Moreover, her divorce with Michael was finalized only a few weeks ago when a judge ruled in her favor following a contentious custody battle.
According to the Cedar Spring Post, Michael apologized to his adult children and others prior to the the sentencing on October 5, 2020, and claimed that he plotted Renee’s murder but alleged that his brother Charles executed the vicious attack on the mother-of-three. She died of multiple stab wounds to her head, face, and torso and also sustained defensive wounds to her hands.
According to Kent County Sheriff's Office assistant prosecutor Kellee Koncki, there was no evidence to support Michael's allegation that his brother committed the murder. He is required to spend at least 25 years of his sentence in prison and won't be until he becomes 80 that he may apply for parole. He is currently serving time at the Saginaw Correctional Facility in Tittabawassee Township.
Renee and Michael Pagel's contentious divorce over custody, alimony, and property influenced the murder
On August 5, 2006, Courtland Township responed to a frantic 911 call from Renee Pagel's father who fount the mother-of-three stabbed to death in her bedroom. First responders found her body with multiple stab wounds in a bloody crime scene. All valuables were still intact and there were no signs of a break-in.
Detectives soon found out about Renee and her estranged husband Michael Pagel's bitter divorce over custody of their children and over property and alimony. However, due to a lack of evidence, the former husband was let go and the case went cold while the victim's three children moved in with their father.
In the autumn of 2018, the case was given to a Lansing-based cold case team. Michael was charged in his estranged wife's murder after subsequent interviews and investigations yielded significant evidence - especially after his brother Charles divulged information claiming that the suspect showed him the murder weapon in 2011 before throwing it into the river.
In February 2020, Michael Pagel was arrested in the Bay City region with the aid of the Michigan State Police. He soon accepted a plea deal.
NBC Dateline will further delve into the Renee Pagel's slaying this Sunday at 7:00 pm ET.
