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The murder of Renee Pagel, a 41-year-old resident of Michigan, brought the small town of Courtland to a standstill due to the heinous nature of the crime. Pagel, a devoted mother, was stabbed to death while she was bedridden after a critical surgery.
Renee had suffered about 50 stab wounds to the head, face, and torso. The authorities assumed it to be a crime of passion by someone she already knew.
The Dateline: Unforgettable episode titled Window of Opportunity showcases the horrific murder of Renee Pagel as it aired on Oxygen on August 8, 2024, at 8 pm EST. The official synopsis reads:
"A bombshell more than a decade after the crime reignites the investigation into the death of Sarah Pagel's mother; Andrea Canning looks back at her emotional interview with Sarah, whose mom touched so many lives."
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Dateline: Unforgettable: What happened to Renee Pagel?
Episode 10 of season 4 of Dateline: Unforgettable brings the horrific story of Renee Pagel's murder as she was stabbed to death while bedridden in her home. A WOOD-TV report says that Renee was found dead in her Rockford-area home on August 5, 2006.
Renee Pagel was last seen the evening before the tragedy as her father was picking her children up to leave them at her estranged husband, Michael's place. Renee had had a word with her father the night before she was found dead the next morning. While people spoke of Renee and Michael, they mentioned they shared a tight and loving relationship.
However, Oxygen reported that the issues between the couple began in 2005 and went on. They were in the middle of a divorce, and Michael wanted full custody of their children, their home, and $2,000 in alimony. However, the judge ruled against him. The authorities believed Michael had been behind the crime.
Assistant Prosecutor Kellee Koncki shared in the same report:
“He stabbed her 50 times in the head, face and torso. Her hands were mutilated by defensive wounds as she fought desperately.”
Renee had donated her kidney to the father of a student after which she had been strictly bedridden, according to Oxygen.
The authorities suspected that the person behind the brutal crime was someone Renee had been acquainted with. In addition, they discovered a difficult divorce battle between Renee and her husband, Michael Pagel, which may have caused tensions.
Michael Pagal had been in a legal battle surrounding the property rights of their residence and the immediate future. After drawing the timeline, prosecutors assumed that Michael had big reasons to murder Renee, in which case he had the motive prepared.
Michael's alibi checked out and Renee's murder case remained unsolved for 13 years before an anonymous tip to the station came along. Michael's brother, Charles, had admitted to Renee's best friend, Chris Crandle, that he was reportedly afraid of situations and would be his next victim.
However, Bill Marks, a detective sergeant for the KCSD also shared:
“It was the break we were looking for. It was the big piece of information we needed."
The bad blood between Charles and Renee also raised suspicions but the police eventually ruled him out as a suspect. The murder case picked up investigation after 13 years and the cold-case investigation resulted in the arrest of Michael Pagel in February 2020.
Catch all the details of Renee Pagel's murder on the Dateline: Unforgettable episode aired on Oxygen.
