True Crime with Kimbyr - Part 2: The Heartbreaking MacIvor Family Murders

Episode Date: July 10, 2026

The investigation deepens as detectives uncover new clues, conflicting accounts, and unsettling details that challenge everything believed about that stormy August night. In True Crime with Kimbyr, Ki...mbyrleigha continues exploring the tragic case of Missy and Mike MacIvor, examining the evidence, the unanswered questions, and the twists that kept this heart breaking mystery alive. As the truth slowly begins to surface, the case becomes even more shocking than anyone could have imagined. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript
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Starting point is 00:00:00 It's been almost a year at this point and investigators have exhausted all the tips, all their leads, and now they started digging into Michael's business. He had no longer been working in Miami at the actual Tamiami Airport as part of his everyday routine. As the owner, he was currently working from home. They wanted to account for his whereabouts in the weeks leading up to the murders. So that's what they do next. It wasn't Missy that went many places. maybe the grocery store, the local gas station, the doctor's office, work, and then back home. It's a different story when it came to Michael. And this posed a problem because investigators found out
Starting point is 00:00:41 where Michael had been recently. This makes them turn back to Michael as a potential target. While Missy is spending her time with her students, her friends, going to PTA meetings, Michael is flying back and forth from Central America. And investigators want to get a complete picture of what Michael's business dealings entailed. They go to his older brother, Jim, who is also in the aviation industry.
Starting point is 00:01:09 And Jim tells investigators that their father had had some suspicion that Michael could have been caught up in a bad business deal. And now Jim's thinking the very same thing. During the 80s and 90s, Miami was considered the drug capital of the world. and Florida was notorious for the importation of drugs. And how does that occur? Well, one way is by air, and that means someone needs access to airplanes. What's even better?
Starting point is 00:01:40 An airplane that doesn't have to land at an international airport with a bunch of security. It's much better to land at a private air strip. So was his love for aviation the only reason Michael wanted to live in Tavernaro? Sometimes locals did not voluntarily get involved in the drug. business. These cartels, they would send smugglers over and threaten people just like Michael. And these people are dangerous. Michael may not have had a choice. It's also a really fast way to make some money, some big money. This seems like a very viable lead. And it's the biggest one they've had in a long time, especially because Michael had just flown to Belize just about
Starting point is 00:02:21 a week before his death. And supposedly he was going there to buy a plane. This particular area was known for drug trafficking and money laundering and when Michael gets back to Florida he made a plan to go back to Belize a couple weeks later to fly home his new plane but that plan falls through because he's found dead so investigators wonder if there were two sides to Michael's business perhaps the airplane repair business was a front for something much deeper And the way that the McGubert were killed raises suspicions. The drug cartels are known for being ruthless. They definitely wouldn't care about a woman or a child.
Starting point is 00:03:07 So Jim tells the investigators that that trip to police, it wasn't, like, it was unexpected. It wasn't planned. All he knew was that a plane just all out of the blue became available for sale at a great price. And Michael flew there to complete this transaction. And then he says something that took the investigators by surprise. I'm surprised. Jim explains that he had given Michael all of the savings, all the money that he owned to buy this plane. Michael told him that this deal was legit. He was buying it from the police government. They had an auction. Michael won the auction. And detectives are not so sure. The story itself just sounded a little bit fabricated. Instead, they believe the plane was purchased illegally from the drug cartels. And there's another issue. When they run the plane's registration, number it belonged to another plane. It had been confiscated by the police government and sold off. But this doesn't mean it was a government plane, not at all. Clearly it belonged to someone who it was
Starting point is 00:04:08 taken away from. And perhaps that someone wanted it back along with all the money that Michael paid for it. And not only that. When they started looking over some paperwork that was in connection with the deal, the price that Michael told Jim he was paying was $17,000. But it was actually 34,000. If Michael couldn't even afford 17,000, where in the world would he get the 34,000? Where did he get the money? Because when they investigated it, it didn't come out of Michael's bank account. And this was concerning.
Starting point is 00:04:41 And if you think that this is confusing and convoluted, and sometimes when I tell this part, I'm like, people are probably leaving because it's too much. Just wait. Because as the investigators dig deeper, they find out that at one point in his career, Michael crashed a plane during a landing operation. And during that investigation, the location of the plane was in this rural area. They searched a plane and they found remnants of marijuana. There were some seeds. There was some other things. This didn't constitute a crime, but they were under the impression that there had been marijuana in that entire plane at one point and that this was part of a smuggling operation. So at this point, Detective Powell has no choice, but to fly to Belize. He needs to get as much, information as possible about this business deal. And as he travels to Central America, Word is traveling around Key West. News articles are coming out through accusing Michael being involved in the drug
Starting point is 00:05:35 trade and his family is devastated. They didn't raise their son like that. His reputation is being dragged through the mud. Their last name is being dragged through the mud without any proof at this point. Losing their son was horrific enough. But to have him painted as a shady criminal with, you know, these crooked business deals and that be the reason that he ended up getting himself his innocent wife and his unborn child killed was too much and of course investigators want to believe that michael was on the straight
Starting point is 00:06:05 narrow believe his family but they know better families have a tendency to put their best foot forward for those that they love instead these investigators have to rely on their investigative skills so they turn back to belize and detective powell's intel he meets with the present of Belize. And it's determined that Michael did legally purchase the plane, and that's fine. But the plane itself had a very bad history, and it was indeed used for drug smuggling. Powell decides to interview people in the area. And surprisingly, many of the locals remember Michael. Everyone says positive things about him, how he is such a nice person, and no one had anything bad to say. They didn't know why anyone would want her. But someone comes forward with a
Starting point is 00:06:54 conflicting story. Someone that claims they're connected with South Florida drug dealers. He claims that two Colombian brothers that work with this notorious drug smuggler named Nelson Viejo. The informant says that the plane actually was sold to these brothers for a quarter million dollars, and that Michael never delivered the plane as a result. These brothers tortured the MacGyvers as revenge and to cover their asses and get their money back. So investigators quickly begin to follow this lead. I know, I know, this is getting deep. And maybe it seems like it's going nowhere and you may want to stop watching.
Starting point is 00:07:34 But imagine how difficult it was on the investigators. Because the family want answers and they are required to follow up on leads like this. It's too bad because it didn't pan out. It turns out the informant is lying. They made up the whole thing because they're going. because they had been arrested on a drug charge, and they were hoping if they gave this information to the investigators, he would get out of jail.
Starting point is 00:07:58 It's pathetic, and investigators are defeated. They've spent so much time on this lead. Devoted so many resources, and it turns out to be completely worthless. The family thinks, okay, we can finally clear Michael's name in regard to being involved in drug smuggling, but that didn't happen. Because although the story from the informant didn't pan out, investigators still think that there's some kind of connection,
Starting point is 00:08:20 between that private airstrip and drug trafficking involving Michael. So they decide to go back and search locally. And everyone in Michael's life becomes a suspect, especially his brother and business partner, Jim. After all, he was the one that emptied out his bank account, his savings account, to purchase this airplane in Belize. They start to think it was Jim. Maybe Jim was involved in the drug business.
Starting point is 00:08:44 Maybe Jim was buying a plane to continue this drug trafficking ring. So they begin following him. everywhere to and from his home. They went everywhere he went. And Jim starts to notice. And they notice he's acting strange. And they can't tell whether it was out of fear because if this happened to Michael, could something happen to Jim and his family? Could the cartel be targeting him next? Or was he scared because he did this to his brother and his family? He finally tells them, you know what, just take a DNA test for me because it's not me. Period. End of story. It was completely frustrating and sad for the McIver family to have one of Michael's own brothers accused of this
Starting point is 00:09:25 heinous crime. Their whole family is in these articles, in the media, but ultimately his name is cleared. His DNA is not a match. I have to say they were doing their due diligence and it must continue because these weeks, months are going by with no answers. And at this point, Michael's sister Sharon pays to have billboards placed all over the town. She has a reward for a quarter million dollars for information. I don't know if that's like a coincidence with it. I'm not really sure, but you think that something big would come for this. But sadly, there was like one tip that they believe was credible about a guy in a bar that was in a bathroom stall crying and someone hears him and he's talking about what happened to Missy saying, you know, she didn't deserve this. And it turns out he
Starting point is 00:10:13 went to school with her. Once again, they follow this lead. It goes nowhere. The DNA doesn't match. It's the whole thing over again. Nothing to do with this crime. Now, I do not want this video to be dragging on unnecessarily, but I think it's important to at least make you understand every lead where it took investigators and how they finally connect the dots to find the real killer. And we're getting so close. We're getting closer to not only knowing who did this, but like I said in the beginning, how and why. And that's probably the worst part. Investigators finally dropped the theory about Michael being involved with drugs, especially when his family is speaking out publicly. Sharon specifically making it clear that Michael wasn't that type of person. What is that type of person?
Starting point is 00:11:00 Because anyone can get involved in this, but they said he would never, ever put his family in danger for money. This man was simple. He had a simple backyard wedding. He wasn't. outwardly a show off by any means. Yes, he owned a plane. He lived in a gated community, but he worked very hard to achieve what he did legally. So the detectives spent two years already investigating this drug angle. They were at a total and complete loss. So the FBI is now involved in the case and they turned back to profiler Dale Hinman for guidance. It was then that they got a potentially totally different picture of their killer. A lot of factor are taken into account when creating this criminal profile.
Starting point is 00:11:44 This is one of my favorite parts when the FBI does this. The most significant factor in this case was that someone would do this to a woman that was eight months pregnant. It takes a specific type of individual to commit such a heartless crime. Dale believed Missy was the target. The way that Michael was kind of pushed to the side, subdued and discarded, but the perpetrator took his time with Missy, made Dale lean toward this being a sexual crime.
Starting point is 00:12:15 She believed that the person who did this was obsessed with Missy. She also theorized that this person had experience in home burglaries because they knew to cut the phone lines. And the fact that they were not scared to go into an occupied dwelling at night and risked being confronted by the homeowners meant something that he was confident in his abilities, that he didn't need to even bring anything. Instead, he knew he could rely on things found at the home.
Starting point is 00:12:44 She thinks the offender had been stalking or watching Missy, that he was aware of her daily schedule as well as the exterior of their home and where her bedroom was located. The reason she said that he was probably obsessed was because of the fact that he didn't care of Michael would be there. He had to have Missy no matter what. And he was willing to risk being confronted by her. athletic husband. He was confident that his urges and his needs were stronger than Michael's
Starting point is 00:13:17 will to survive and protect Missy. He was prepared to take him on, unlike Michael, who was caught off guard. So the FBI concluded that this person is also a local to the area, someone who could have bumped into Missy on not one occasion, but multiple times getting to know her in some way. So they're looking for a man with a criminal past who's had contact with Missy in one way or another. So they interview Missy's family and friends once again, and this time specifically asking about where she went on a regular basis and whether she'd ever talked about anyone that had a romantic interest in her or creeped her out, made her feel uncomfortable in any way. As I mentioned earlier, Missy didn't go many places. the grocery store, the gas station, the local school events, and back home. So they narrowed down places and then they paid them a visit.
Starting point is 00:14:09 They find out everything who works there, whether they had like surveillance cameras, and they go through records of any of the residents of the Keys who have criminal backgrounds that include burglaries or violent crime. Finally, Sharon puts something together. A few weeks before she was murdered, Missy said something. that Sharon didn't really think twice about at the time, but now it seems there could be more to it. Missy just mentioned in passing, but she said that there was a guy that was working at the local gas station, and he tried hitting on her. But then, Sharon recalls, and this was crazy, but the night before
Starting point is 00:14:53 Missy was murdered, she mentioned this guy again. She said, this time he was like making advances toward her and she's clearly pregnant, like belly's out to here. And she thought it was gross. She said something like, who does that? And Sharon really doesn't think that this comment is that significant. And Missy doesn't seem that concerned. She's just annoyed. And she went on to say, yeah, it made me feel kind of strange.
Starting point is 00:15:19 And Sharon agreed. She was like, it's creepy, it's odd. She asked Missy, well, what did you do? And she said that she told the guy she didn't like it and not to do it again. and to leave her alone and then she added, my husband knows you and you know my husband. This gas station was the closest one to the McGuvers home.
Starting point is 00:15:37 It was under a mile away. They went to it all the time. Missy would go by there every morning. It was her routine to get coffee on her way to work. So investigators turn back to the video that they took from the crime scene because now it's been like over two years. They don't have a crime scene anymore.
Starting point is 00:15:53 The house is owned by somebody else. But they're looking through the video to see if there's any connections to this gas station and sure enough, On the dresser, they find receipts from that exact gas station and now they have a solid connection, not just word of mouth, but proof that Missy was a regular patron of this gas station. Remember that this is a small town. It's not like they're looking for a needle in a haystack. Even the police frequent this gas station and sure enough, there's a detective that thinks he knows who their potential killer may be.
Starting point is 00:16:27 his name is Thomas Mitchell Overton. This detective, he had been working on some burglary cases, many of which point to Overton. And he is hell-bent on catching this guy. You could call him obsessed, and he wants to put him behind bars. The main reason is because this detective, he had been working on some burglary cases, many of which point to Overton. And he is hell-bent on catching this guy. You could call him obsessed and he wants to put him behind bars. The main reason is because he was linked to a murder, an unsolved murder that occurred a year before the McGivers.
Starting point is 00:17:07 In May of 1990, there was a 20-year-old girl, Rochelle Surrett. She was last seen when her father dropped her off at the local movie theater in Tavinear. Two weeks later, hikers stumbled upon her body in the woods wrapped in a tarp and it turns out she had told her father, previously that there was a guy working at the theater that creeped her out he was coming under her and she kept turning him down and he wouldn't leave her alone it's crazy though i know so many people including myself that have been in these situations but guess what when they open the tarp and they found popcorn kernels inside and i know what you're thinking these could have come from michel she could have definitely eaten popcorn that night but what's crazy
Starting point is 00:17:54 is that Thomas Overton worked at that theater. Detectives have always believed that Overton killed Rochelle, but there was no evidence to prove it. There was no DNA to link him to the crime. But what stood out to them was how rude he was in the interview. Not only that, when they said he might have been the last person to ever see Rochelle alive, he smiled. That's sick.
Starting point is 00:18:18 It's like he knew he was. Like, ha-ha, you're right, I was. It just seemed really off. Now, comparing what happened to Rachel to what happened to Missy, they make another observation. The women had similar characteristics. They looked alike in a number of ways, and both women had overtly rejected Thomas Overton, and then they were found dead. Could this have been his trigger? If they had been nice all the times before, and he spared them until they turned him down, is this what happened?
Starting point is 00:18:53 and that's scary. That someone could snap like that. It makes you think, we come in contact with so many random strangers every day. Can you imagine being face to face with one like this? 36-year-old Thomas Overton checked off so many of the detectives' boxes. He's already served time in prison for armed robbery. He was a burglar in the area. He worked at the gas station where Missy stopped every day. He worked at the theater where another woman complained about being hit on by a creepy man and both women end up dead. And not only that, he was known to burglarize homes during storms. He usually struck around 3 a.m. and liked to cut phone lines. Dale Hinman says he matches the profile of the perpetrator. It doesn't mean much. It's all
Starting point is 00:19:38 circumstantial. It seems easy like they can say, hey, Thomas, give us your DNA so that we can compare it to this crime scene, but that is not how it works. They have to have a valid legal reason, unless he gives it to them willingly, but they also don't want to tip him off. It is April 1993, and they have their most likely suspect to date. But wait until you hear what happens. What he says to police, what they find out, because it is terrifying. I couldn't sleep after I read some of this stuff. They bring Overton in.
Starting point is 00:20:14 They interview him about missing. He says, he's seen her before, but he has nothing to do with the murder. They ask him for his DNA. He says no. They had to get him into custody to get his DNA. They had nothing to hold him on. And I hate when they say that in these cases, like, you have nothing to hold him on. I wish the law was different, but you know what? It's got to be the way it is. Got to have a fair trial. Got to have a fair chance. In a sent to proven guilty. Proven guilty. They try to locate his previous records, military records, jail records, anything, but he'd never had his DNA taken. And Florida law states that police can obtain a court order to request a DNA sample if someone is arrested on a felony charge. So they wait, hoping that their suspect will commit another crime. They're following him as much as they could, just waiting for him to mess up. And then six months later, they get a break in the case. It was 3 a.m. and officer saw a man, suspicious man riding his bike. I don't know what that means.
Starting point is 00:21:15 Just read the report. Don't know what it means. And the officer stops him and asks him for his ID. it's Thomas Overton. He says he's leaving a party. That's it. That's all. It's fine. Let's him go on his way. Fifteen minutes later. A call comes in from a girl that lived at the house that Overton was coming out of. The girl is frantic. She says she's so scared she can't get up. Someone was in her house. There was a message written in lipstick on her bathroom mirror or something like, I'm going to kill you. And I might be wrong, but as I understood it from what I read, it said, get a dog. get an alarm next time you won't be so lucky so weird next to her pillow was the head of a stuffed parrot that she had in her living room he had ripped the head off and placed it next to her and that's insane he's just playing these games of people's lives like these are real people and yes of course overton's in that area but they can't link him to that incident it sucks but they can't But then not too long after that, in April's Florida, this is three hours away, a man is seen running through a cemetery at night and he's wearing army fatigues. There's a no trespassing sign and the cop sees him.
Starting point is 00:22:29 He starts running faster. So the cop calls for backup and they arrest him because when they question him, he drops a bag. Inside are burglary tools. They have wirecutters, flashlight, gloves and a notebook with surveillance notes describing homes in the area. and this is a wealthy area. This is how Overton worked. He canvassed areas. He found victims.
Starting point is 00:22:53 He burglarized them. And then he went back home to his home base in the Keys. Pretty smart, I guess. He's captured and arrested and Monroe County back in the Keys are alerted. And the Naples police try to get that DNA willingly. But he refuses and trespassing is not a felony. So they let him go. And he goes straight back to the Keys in your point.
Starting point is 00:23:17 probably as frustrated as I am and the detectives were, because they're even more frustrated, years have gone by and they still haven't nailed him down. They still have an eye on him, but the case is going cold. The McGiver family, they kept checking in from time to time, and there's no news for years, no news. Until 1996, and I hope you're still here. Thank you to those that are. They get help from another criminal. It's been five years. since the murders, and I'm going to go through this quickly, but there are important things here that I have to get to. What happens is this criminal, he's close. He's like a close friend, so to speak to Overton, and he wants to get a charge off his record. So he gives police information
Starting point is 00:24:03 that Overton is planning a burglary on a stormy night in the upper keys, and it's coming up soon. He gives police all the info, the address, the time, the date, and the cops hide out at that residents waiting on Overton and sure enough they see him. It's the middle of the night pouring rain. He's wearing all black like a ninja outfit. He's carrying a bag full of those same tools to burglarize a home. And what's the first thing that Overton does? He cuts the phone lines. They move in. They arrest him and this time. He's carrying a firearm in Florida. It is a third degree felony for a convicted felon to be in possession of a firearm. And this third degree felony is also when it's in connection with a burglary.
Starting point is 00:24:50 And he intended to burglarize this home clearly. October 6th, 1996, Thomas Overton is arrested on a burglary charge. And finally, they think we can get a warrant for his DNA. But it's going to take a couple months, at least maybe more. When he's questioned, they asked him about Missy. And once again, he denies having anything to do with it. But once he's incarcerated, this man tries to break out of jail. And I don't even know how this happens.
Starting point is 00:25:22 But he gets a hold of a razor for shaving, and for shaving his face. And they allow him to have it. And I guess they think it's safe because it's a plastic razor. But you're given it to a criminal. So he grabs a wire that's coming out of an air conditioning box somewhere in the jail. And this man uses it to pop that razor blade right out of that plastic housing. And what does he do? I mean, he doesn't cut himself out of jail.
Starting point is 00:25:46 He cuts himself. No, no, no, no, no. This coward is not trying to do himself any damage. He's just trying to cut himself a little bit. I don't have to die. Just enough to be sent to the hospital because his plan was he gets out of jail and he beats up the guards and he runs. Like when they're transporting him. However, when the detectives find out, they decide to send EMTs to the jail so that he won't leave.
Starting point is 00:26:13 And as they're working on him, someone, someone smart, grabs a piece of bloody gauze for the detectives. So now they have his DNA. And it was a perfect match to the MacGyvers. Perfect match. 100% perfect match. And finally, oh wait. I have something important to tell you. Here's where things get crazy from this point on.
Starting point is 00:26:35 And I wanted you to stay for this next part. They know they've got him. But they want to see if they can get him to confess because the more evidence you have, the better. They bring him into the interview room. Their plan is that they're going to pretend that they want his help. They want to question him on other burglaries and murders that he didn't commit in the area. And if he knows who committed them or if he has anything to do with them. But really, they're waiting to ask him about the McIvers once again.
Starting point is 00:27:02 And I have part of this interview. So here they are showing him other crime scenes. He would let them know if they were familiar. Here's that. There were some people I wanted to talk to you about. Some photographs of those people I wanted to talk to you about. Like a lot of pictures or something? I don't remember anything.
Starting point is 00:27:20 He's too good. He denies being there. And he says he definitely did not burglarize it. But interestingly, if you listen carefully, he says, I haven't been over there too much. So doesn't that mean he has been there? Then they show him a picture of Michael, and he says he doesn't recognize him.
Starting point is 00:27:46 But then, they show him a picture of Missy. He says she looks familiar. And to me, it is so damn creepy listening to the way he talks. He denies having anything to do with her murder. My, call. You know, you never met that guy. You don't know that guy. No, I don't know.
Starting point is 00:28:09 I'm doing with me. How about Missy and a guy? She looks weird, but can't please where they were found murder in their home. I know it's stolen. I know what you're talking about. But you didn't have anything to do that. that and he catches on he's not stupid this is a career criminal he catches on what they're trying to do so he's done talking he doesn't know that they already have his DNA match so they
Starting point is 00:28:33 know he's lying and that's when they let him know but this part made me sad the detective says that that was a viable baby that that baby would have been five years old and that hurts me that semen that was left at that cry scene it matched positive to you and a son you cut your own truck we got you in that bedroom on that night with those people you're looking at triple homicide that was a viable baby that maybe'd be five years old today this next part annoys me he won't respond he just keeps saying like I'm ready to go back to my cell but don't worry we'll find out exactly what happened November 16th 1996 overton finally arrested in charge with the murders of Missy, Michael, and Baby Kyle. It's not
Starting point is 00:29:25 until October 17th, 1998, two years after his arrest, the Thomas Overton's trial begins. The star witnesses are two jailhouse informants and I know you may be thinking they're not credible but you'd be surprised. You'd be surprised what these criminals confess to other criminals. You have to listen to this. The first informant was William Green. He testified that Overton had admitted to him, that he had, quote, done a burglary at a real exclusive, wealthy, wealthy area down in the keys. The guy had his own airplane and private airway, and you can land his plane in the frayyard, unquote. Overton further told Green that when he went into the house, he started fighting with
Starting point is 00:30:09 the lady, who he later described as, quote, a fat bitch, and that she, quote, jumped on his back and he had to waste her. Green also testified that Overton said, stated he struggled with another person in the house. Further, Overton spoke to him about specific things that happened when he committed the burglaries. And one of these was cutting the phone lines before going in the house to stop the victims from calling the police, but also in case they had an alarm system and he always wore gloves and he would bring a kit with him. It had a gun, a knife, gloves and disguises. Green also says that Overton told him the best time to commit a burglary was during a power
Starting point is 00:30:54 outage or a severe storm. Okay, fine, you heard that, but here's the part I've been waiting to share, and I couldn't do it until now, and it's not good. It's terrible. It's sickening. It's the worst part of the story, and it's one of the worst things I've ever read, and I hope you're ready for it. It's a lot to take in.
Starting point is 00:31:14 I'm going to be reading this verbatim right from the legal documents that. that are related to this trial. Whenever there's an exact quote, I hope I'm not gonna be annoying, but I am gonna say like quote unquote, because I think it's important. The second informant to testify was a man named James Zintech. He met Overton in the Monroe County Jail
Starting point is 00:31:32 back in May of 1997. Overton believed that Zintech was a hardened criminal straight from New York, so he wanted his help. He had this scheme, Overton did, that he would get all the charges dropped because he was going to give Zine Tech all the details of the MacGyver murders and then have Zincet contact the authorities and tell them another inmate by the name of Ace had given him the details.
Starting point is 00:32:00 Overton's logic was that this would create reasonable doubt and he would be found not guilty. Therefore, during the course of the several months, according to Zintech, Overton gave him precise details of what occurred in that home the night the cost of the cost of. couple was murdered. Overton also showed Zine Tech all the pictures related to the crime scene. He had gotten these from his attorneys because they were preparing his defense. This absolutely disgust me that he would be in possession of pictures that he could show each other inmates because these killers get off on this. It's gross. But it's his right to have that information. Overton tells Zentech that he met Missy at the gas station where he worked. He believed that he had a
Starting point is 00:32:55 relationship with her. It was a hot and cold type relationship in his words. Some days she was polite and other she was quote cold and bitchy. There came a point when Missy stopped coming to the gas station. However, Overton had gotten her home address from a check and Zine Tech testified that Overton informed him he had been canvassing that house on many occasions. And on one occasion, he saw Michael doing construction in a lower level of the home. Another time, he said he was going to go into the house. But he didn't because he realized the MacGyvers had friends over. Now I'm going to turn to the events of the night of August 21, 1991.
Starting point is 00:33:39 Overton told Zintech that he went to the home carrying a bag which contained, among other things, a police scanner. He described his attire as being ninja-like, consisting of a mask, black military style fatigues, and gloves. One thing he did when he got there was he cut the phone wires. He then positioned a ladder against the balcony that surrounded the home. But in the process of moving that ladder, he made a noise. A light came on in the house, and it caused him to wait outside for approximately 20 minutes before he climbed the ladder. Once he reached that balcony, he cut some of the clothes line. Then he said he popped the sliding glass door open to the spare bedroom
Starting point is 00:34:26 and gained entry to the home. He walked around the house and he saw the McGuiver sleeping in their bedroom. He proceeded to walk throughout the house, but then he heard a noise. When he turned around, he saw Michael walking to the kitchen and opening the refrigerator. Overton said at this point his adrenaline was rushing and he panicked. Michael could sense that somebody was there and something was wrong. So he walked out of the kitchen and he went into the area where Overton was. At this point he approached Michael from behind and according to him he quote slammed him in the back of the head with a pipe that he
Starting point is 00:35:08 found at the house. He also said that the blow to the head with the pipe didn't immediately knock him out. There was a struggle, and Overton knocked him out with his fist. Those were his words. While Overton was attempting to restrain Michael, Missy ran out of the bedroom screaming. He chased her back into the bedroom and temporarily restrained her, using things he found inside the bedroom to bind her.
Starting point is 00:35:34 He tried to calm Missy down by telling her that as long as they both cooperated, no one would get hurt. but she started to plead with him. She asked him, why are you doing this to us? And she told him that she had a baby on the way, and she was scared. Overton also said that Missy told him, I know who you are. At this point, he became concerned about Michael being temporarily knocked out. He knew he wasn't dead.
Starting point is 00:36:06 So then he went and placed two socks over Michael's eyes and covered his. his face with masking tape. And according to Zine Tech, Overton did not strangle Michael at this point. Instead, he went back into the master bedroom and did what he did to Missy. So Michael could potentially hear what was going on. Maybe not. Maybe not. When he was done with Missy, he said he strangled her because he, quote, doesn't leave any witnesses. Now this next part gave me. the chills because it is just evil. It's just evil. I knew I was going to get to this part and I was dreading getting to this part, like absolutely dreading getting this part. He said that either in the process or after completing the strangulation, he noticed that her stomach was moving and he put his
Starting point is 00:37:08 hand over her stomach and felt the baby move. I really hope that Ms. She did not witness that. As sad as it is for me to say that, I really wish she was unconscious or already passed because that is pure evil. She has been through so much and to think that this monster is hovering over her, he's violating her and then he's touching her unborn baby.
Starting point is 00:37:37 Knowing that the baby's gonna die, that's too sad for me. Overton continued to show Zine-tech pictures of the crime scene. When asked why he ripped the pages out or the book in the bedroom, he said that it would throw off the police and lead them to think that the attacker wanted to remove their name from the phone book.
Starting point is 00:38:00 So he did do that. He also admitted that he did take things from the crime scene, but things that no one would notice. The family could only account for several pictures being missing, and they were pictures that Missy had just taken of her pregnant stomach. And he did admit to Zine Tech that the only reason he did this is because he just wanted to have sex with Missy. That's it. Zincet also testified that while looking at the autopsy photos of one of the victims, he actually threw up.
Starting point is 00:38:34 And Overton laughed. And he said, don't get the pictures wet. It just has no care. Now this was something I noticed and I didn't want to show it until now, because I wanted it to be relevant and you would understand. But Overton shows a picture of a chalkboard in the kitchen where someone had written Renew Life Insurance as something that they had to do.
Starting point is 00:38:59 And he laughed. And he said something to the effect of, you don't think they knew what time it was. It's like, really? Here's the picture of it. These people were just living their lives. They had no clue that this was going to happen. And he's making jokes.
Starting point is 00:39:17 You can imagine how hard it was for the families to hear this in court. Not to mention hearing the defense attorneys trying to discount all the evidence that they had. The primary part of the defense's case, just so you know, it was centered upon the theme that law enforcement planted Overton semen in the bedding. And this was essential to the prosecution's case. So that's why the defense said a detective obtained Overton sperm. from one of his girlfriends, Lorna, and then took it in the condom and placed it on the bedding. It's so fabricated, but he says that they made this all up. So the defense counsel consulted a doctor named Dr. Wright, even though I think he's wrong.
Starting point is 00:40:07 He's a pathologist, forensic pathologist, and he suggested that they need to examine these samples for an ingredient that's in spermicide. that's found in condoms. I think you pronounce it in anoxoneal 9. I'm not going to say it again. Specific compound found in condoms that have spermicide. So the defense, they do that. They test it.
Starting point is 00:40:31 They send the samples to this lab that's a consumer product testing company in New Jersey. Sure enough, there was 53 micrograms of this substance found on the bed sheet stains. On cross-examination by the state, it is concluded that this chemical alone, if it's found on something, you can't tell whether it was there because of a spermicide or because of commercial grade cleaning products. They both have this ingredient in them. And they further went on to argue that Overton could have been wearing a condom to attempt to hide his DNA, which could have torn because of the struggle during intercourse with Missy. And the defense witness, Dr. Wright, had to acknowledge that this could be true. But he continued to say that his opinion was that the semen had been placed there by the cops. Yep, by the detectives using a condom.
Starting point is 00:41:27 And these, I swear, these defense attorneys, I have to give them credit for creativity. But come on. And the jury wasn't buying it. Overton had this evil stare during the trial. He was totally indifferent. He looked at you in a way that gave you chills down your spine. Our March 18th, 1999, eight years after the McGuiver homicides, 41-year-old Thomas Overton is found guilty and sentenced to death for the murders of Missy, Michael, and baby Kyle.
Starting point is 00:42:00 And the court said this, Thomas Mitchell Overton, you have forfeited your right to live among us. Under the laws of the state of Florida, you have forfeited your right to live at all. Wherefore is hereby ordered by the judge, for the first degree murder of Michael McGuiver, you, Thomas Mitchell Overton, be sentenced to death. And for the first degree murder of Susan Michelle McGuiver, you, Thomas Mitchell Overton, will be sentenced to death.
Starting point is 00:42:27 And for the crime of killing an unborn child, you, Thomas Mitchell Overton, will serve the maximum sentenced by law, 15 years in prison. After this, Overton literally turned around to face the crowd. and he smiled. He looked right at these families of these three precious, innocent people, and he smiled. Then he looks over at gorgeous Sharon, Michael's sister, and he waved at her, almost taunting her in an unspoken way saying, I would do the same to you.
Starting point is 00:43:06 It took everything in Sharon not to jump out of her chair and attack him for what he did to her family. She referred to him as the physical form of Satan. Sadly, after the trial, Michael's father suffered a massive heart attack and died. And then his mother passed away soon afterward. And Sharon truly believes that the heartbreak cut their lives short. Thomas Overton is currently still on death row awaiting execution, and I am so sorry for this one. We're all here. We're able to laugh and cry and experience life, and it is a little.
Starting point is 00:43:43 gift. I know what can be taken away in the blink of an eye in the most unexpected ways. The McGivers didn't deserve this, so please remember them. Thank you so much for being here. I will see you in my next video. Bye.

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