ID's The Murder Tapes: What happened to Michael Agerter?

The upcoming episode of Investigation Discovery's The Murder Tapes, which explores the case of Michael Agerter's murder, will premiere on November 22, 2022, at 7 PM EST. Agerter was a beloved citizen of Maricopa, Arizona, and it was difficult to imagine anyone having anything against him.

Yet, things changed on December 16, 2016, when Michael's cousin, who was on a call with him, rang up the authorities and reported hearing three loud booms. The episode of The Murder Tapes, titled Three Loud Booms, draws its name from this incident. The synopsis for the episode reads:

"In what looks like a planned ambush, a young man turns up dead in his garage in Maricopa, Ariz.; police must look into a romance gone wrong to find his killer, and the child that the two may share."

The episode originally aired on July 6, 2022, covering the case in detail.

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Who was Michael Agerter and how did he die?

Michael Agerter was a resident of Maricopa, Arizona. He was described by friends as a pleasant person who would readily help out anyone in need. Agerter was also described as a happy-go-lucky person. He was in the middle of a bitter custody battle at the time of his death. This was shortly after he broke up with his ex-girlfriend Kathryn Sinkevitch.

The day he was killed, Agerter was returning from a paternity test, which he had to take as part of a custody battle over his infant son. He was shot three times inside his car. When the police arrived at the crime scene, Michael Agerter was still alive, but he passed away before he could be treated. The police looked into the details concerning the incident and began investigating the homicide.

Yet, apart from the fact that he was shot to death, there was nothing much that authorities could use to zero in on a suspect. After interviewing many of Agerter's friends and acquaintances, police learned about the dispute between Michael and his ex-girlfriend. Soon enough, they also found CCTV cameras installed at the crime scene.

While going through hours of footage, the authorities saw a woman approach Michael’s car, take out a gun, and shoot thrice through the glass side window before fleeing the scene. Aware of Michael's dispute with his ex-girlfriend, authorities quickly named her a prime suspect. The police also reasoned that owing to the paternity test, it was also likely that she knew about the victim's whereabouts that day.

Authorities also found out that Michael Agerter had taken out a restraining order against Kathryn after their break-up and was reportedly fighting for custody of their infant son, who was born right after they split. This further confirmed their suspicions about Kathryn.

As the police investigated her, they found out that she had two sets of fake license plates, indicating that she already had plans to commit a crime. Though there was no direct evidence, the circumstantial evidence was enough for authorities to apprehend her.

Kathryn pleaded not guilty to the crime. However, looking into all that transpired, as well as the evidence made available by the police, the jury convicted her of first-degree murder. She was sentenced to life in prison without parole in 2019. Shortly after this, it was confirmed that Michael Agerter was indeed the father of Kathryn's child.