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In 2014, David Dooley, a Thermo Fisher Scientific company employee, was first convicted in the murder of another employee named Michelle Mockbee, who was found bludgeoned to death at the Florence-based warehouse in late May 2012. He was sentenced to life in prison, but his conviction was overturned afterwards.
According to prosecutors, Dooley allegedly killed Mockbee after she discovered that he and his wife, who also worked at the same company, had been forging time cards. He was re-tried in 2019 and was found guilty of murder and tampering with physical evidence, receiving a 43-year prison term.
David Dooley later pleaded guilty to two charges of unlawful transaction with a minor in the second degree and was given two five-year terms to be served with the prior sentence. He is reportedly serving time at the Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex in West Liberty, Morgan County.
An upcoming Dateline: Secrets Uncovered episode titled The Early Shift will revisit the case this Tuesday, February 28, 2023, at 7 pm ET on Oxygen.
The synopsis states:
"Michelle Mockbee met her husband at the warehouse where they both worked; it was also where she met an untimely death; security footage led police to a suspect, but when it appeared justice had been served, a scandal turned the case upside down."
David Dooley was found guilty in a re-trial after his former conviction in Michelle Mockbee's killing was overturned
In a March 2019 re-trial, David Dooley was found guilty of murder and tampering with evidence in the killing of Michelle Mockbee, a 42-year-old kentucky mother, at Thermo Fisher Scientific in Florence. The jury deliberated for more than seven hours before finding Dooley guilty and recommended a sentence of 43 years for Dooley, which included 38 years for murder and five for tampering with evidence.
According to Fox 19, Michelle Mockbee’s husband Dan, breathed a sigh of relief, saying:
"It's been a long, long, long time. It’s great to finally have this over so we can move on. I mean, it’s been a long, long road."
Dooley, a contractual cleaning employee, was previously found guilty of her murder in 2014, but the conviction was overturned after fresh evidence came to light. Nonetheless, the additional information produced yet another guilty verdict.
According to the prosecution, Dooley allegedly beat Mockbee to death in the warehouse where they both worked after she discovered that he had falsified time records by clocking in with his wife while she wasn't present to perform cleaning duties.
Medical examiner Dr. Gregory Wanger claimed that an industrial tape gun was used as a murder weapon even though the alleged object was never discovered. Wagner also stated that Mockbee suffered multiple wounds to her body and died from blunt force trauma to the head. An expert further testified that Dooley's DNA was likely present on the plastic bag that was wrapped over the victim's head.
Testimony at David Dooley's re-trial revolved around the alleged murder weapon and surveillance footage from the crime scene
However, David Dooley's defense focused on shifting suspicion away from him after surveillance footage surfaced that captured an unidentified man walking the Thermo Fisher Scientific warehouse compound at the time Mockbee was killed. His defense team set out to demonstrate that someone other than the accused had the chance to murder the victim at the location.
Defense attorney Deanna Dennison reportedly said:
"Michelle Mockbee deserves to have the right killer prosecuted and it’s not David Dooley."
While mentioning that Dooley and his wife Janet worked as contractual cleaners at the company, Dennison further stated that:
"Did you hear the evidence about the force that would be necessary in order to cause these injuries? It would be a rage so great to have bludgeoned this woman to death and they want you to believe it’s over a time card. It’s over cheating on time in an $11 an hour job."
The tape gun, the alleged weapon used to kill Mockbee, was once more at the center of the testimony during the re-trial. The defense used a biomechanical engineer's testimony, who claimed that the device used to bind Mockbee's hands behind her back was not strong enough to cause four fatal wounds to her head. This immediately conflicted with the medical examiner's views.
Prosecutors claimed that out of all the employees present at the warehouse that morning, only Dooley was spotted leaving the property for about 30 minutes before returning to work.
They believe that he took the suspected murder weapon and other evidence out of the location. However, the accused stated that he only left to return home and check on his sick wife.
Where is David Dooley now?
David Dooley was found guilty yet again in March 2019 and sentenced to 38 years for the murder and five years for the tampering charge, to be served consecutively, the following month.
According to Fox 19, attorney General Andy Beshear said:
"Justice demands a fair trial process. Through this retrial, Mr. Dooley received a fair trial and was convicted. Justice has now been served."
Reports state that Dooley will be eligible for parole after 13 years since he was previously held without bond for seven. However, in 2020, he pleaded guilty to two charges of unlawful transaction with a minor in the second degree, receiving two five-year terms to be served consecutively with the prior sentence. He is currently serving time at the Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex in West Liberty.
