Suvechha Sarkar
It was an early morning in May 2012 when a regular workday turned into a scene of tragedy at a warehouse in Florence, Kentucky. Michelle Ann Whalen Mockbee, a loving wife and a dutiful mother of two, was found brutally murdered inside her office. The quiet hours of dawn gave way to a massive heartbreak that would haunt her family and the community for years to come. NBC’s ‘Dateline: Return to the Early Shift’ focuses on this harrowing crime, guiding viewers through the investigation details, the suspects that emerged, and the long road to justice. It also features emotional testimonies, courtroom footage, and exclusive interviews with the officials and her loved ones.
Michelle Mockbee Was Found Dead in Her Office an Hour After She Arrived
Born on August 8, 1969, in Covington, Kentucky, Michelle Ann Whalen arrived as a beacon of light in the life of her parents, John and Patricia Harlow Whalen. From childhood, she radiated an energy that always drew people to her sincerity and caring nature. As the elder sibling, she became a guiding light for her brother, Christopher, and sisters, Jennifer Schneider and Cynthia Whalen. She was not only their big sister but also their role model. Michelle carried that spirit into her adulthood. When she joined Thermo Fisher Scientific Warehouse in Florence as a Logistics Support Representative, she quickly became known for her diligence. It was there she met the love of her life, Carl D. Mockbee, AKA Dan. At a company Christmas party in 1999, he finally found the courage to confess his feelings for her.
Michelle and Dan’s relationship quickly blossomed into an enduring love. By 2001, they shared their forever vows in the presence of their loved ones. Soon after, the pair joyfully welcomed their daughters, Carli Grace and Madelyn Rose, into the world. They became the center of her world. She always cherished her time with them, from taking them to concerts to playing together. Michelle and Dan always had a date night every Monday. It was the same case on May 28, 2012. The next morning, she got up for her early morning shift and kissed Dan goodbye. At 5:53 am, she arrived in the parking lot at the warehouse and passed by the time clock before going upstairs to her office. Around an hour later, her coworker, Ed Yaska, noticed a large stain on the upstairs hallway carpet.
Ed began looking around the area with another of his coworkers, the janitor, David Wayne Dooley. The former first noticed Michelle on the floor. He called 911 immediately, informing them that she had been killed by someone since there was blood everywhere. When the officials arrived on the scene, they found a plastic bag over her head. They deduced that she was dragged around the corner from the stain on the hallway carpet. Detectives noticed fresh pry marks on the door, indicating an attempted break-in. The autopsy result determined her cause of death to be from blunt force trauma to the head. Apart from cuts on her neck, her hands were tied with tape. This ultimately launched a full-blown homicide investigation that would eventually lead to a long courtroom drama.
A Mountain of Circumstantial Evidence Brought Michelle’s Killer to Justice
After Dan reached the scene, he informed the police that he was at home sleeping at the time of the murder. He was ruled out as a suspect when he passed his polygraph test. Officials next focused on the 13 employees who were present in the warehouse during that time. Even after interviewing them, they came up with no leads. Soon after, they found surveillance footage capturing David’s vehicle leaving from the back of the building around 6:31 am and returning around 7:00 am. Although David initially did not mention this before the officials, he later claimed that he went to check on his wife, Janet, because of an unanswered call. When the latter was questioned, she first mentioned that he did not get home that morning. Shortly after, she alleged that he had returned home to change his ripped pants.
One of David’s co-workers also recalled that he had mentioned going home for the same reason. However, the former insisted that he never ripped his pants. When detectives searched his residence and car, they found no evidence. The detectives considered the possibility that he had access to cleaning supplies, which would have helped him easily get rid of any evidence. Furthermore, the fact that he was the only person to leave the premises around the time of the murder raised red flags. They also discovered that he was falsifying time cards. He was double-dipping, clocking in himself and Janet, although they got paid hourly to do a job for which they already got a monthly salary. Furthermore, David’s time cards from the week of the murder were nowhere to be found. Ultimately, David was arrested on September 27, 2012, on charges of murder and tampering with physical evidence.
After his first trial in 2014, the jury found David guilty on both charges, and he was sentenced to life. However, an affair between the case’s lead detective and the prosecutor brought a twist. Their trial in March 2017 reportedly revealed that there was footage of a random man on the property 10 hours before the murder, which was not presented in court. The judge overturned David’s conviction due to withholding critical evidence that could have potentially assisted the defense. His retrial began in February 2019, and he was convicted on both charges in March. David was sentenced to 38 years for the murder charge and 5 years for tampering with physical evidence. He will be eligible for parole after 13 years, with a credit of 7 years he has already served, but not before September 17, 2032. Currently, David is incarcerated at the Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex, located in West Liberty, Kentucky.
Read More: David Dooley: Where is Michelle Mockbee’s Killer Today?
