JEFFERSON COUNTY - There was a trail of blood leading from the garage to the master bedroom of Michael Blagg’s new home when investigators went inside to check on him on Feb. 6, 2002.
The radio was blaring. Art Smith, one of those investigators, said there was a distinct smell of exhaust. And in the master bedroom, they found Michael Blagg lying in the bathtub, barely conscious.
The water was stained the color of blood. A serrated knife was sitting next to the tub, near an electric drill. A Bible was open on the ledge, along with a picture of Michael, Jennifer and Abby Blagg. There was also a suicide note.
Photos of Michael, Jennifer and Abby Blagg
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Smith, now a captain with the Detentions Division of the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office, described what he saw that day more than 16 years ago in a Jefferson County courthouse during the fourth Tuesday of Michael Blagg’s second trial for the murder of his wife Jennifer.
The day before Michael Blagg attempted to take his own life, he was interrogated for 11-and-a-half hours about the whereabouts of his wife and their 6-year-old daughter Abby. He denied having anything to do with their disappearance, but also responded “I can’t” when asked to tell the truth.
Michael Blagg was under 24-hour surveillance at the time, and not just a suspect in his wife and daughter’s disappearance — he was also accused of a far lesser crime: stealing furniture from his office. That stolen furniture was later found at his house and he learned he had been suspended from work shortly before he tried to take his own life.
The body of his wife was found in the Mesa County landfill on June 4, 2002. Abby has never been found.
Michael Blagg was found guilty of killing Jennifer in 2004, but that conviction was later thrown out after a juror was caught lying on her questionnaire about being the victim of domestic violence.
Now, he’s standing trial for a second time in Jefferson County, where the case was moved because of its notoriety on the Western Slope.
Smith took the witness stand on Tuesday afternoon. He was one of multiple members of law enforcement who testified about the results of their investigation in the months following Nov. 13, 2001.
That was the day Michael Blagg called 911 and said the back door to his home was ajar and a jewelry box was thrown on the floor of the master bedroom. There was a large splatter of blood on Jennifer’s side of the bed.
Michael Blagg’s wife and daughter were gone.
Late that night, Jim Hebenstreit and another Mesa County investigator took video from outside the home and recorded the messages that had been left on the answering machine.
Michael Blagg left five voicemails that day.
“Good morning gorgeous, I’m just calling to see how you and Abby are doing,” was how the first began.
Another began with “Hello my beautiful bride … I hope you’re out and about doing all kinds of cool and nifty things.”
In the final voicemail, Blagg says “Hello sweetie, it’s me. Starting to get a little bit worried about you. I’ll try to call you on your cellphone.”
Jennifer Blagg was never heard from again.
The prosecution alleges during the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 2001, Michael Blagg shot her in the head while she was sleeping, wrapped her body into a tent and loaded it into the family minivan. He then threw his wife into the dumpster at his office, Ametek Dixson.
Michael Blagg’s public defenders say that a child predator killed Jennifer and kidnapped Abby, and ever since, the investigation has always been tainted by the false assumption that it’s “always the husband.”
The Mesa County District Attorney’s Office presented evidence of marital strife between the Blaggs on Tuesday morning when they called in Chris Buechner, who at the time of the murder was a forensic computer examiner for the FBI.
He detailed the searches for porn found on Michael Blagg’s home and personal computer, as well as the Powerpoint document he kept showing pornographic images.
Michael Blagg told investigators he only watched porn with his wife between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. for “ideas.” Buechner’s testimony refuted that.
He claims Blagg would watch porn late at night and early in the morning, as well as intermittently on weekends.
Michael Blagg also frequented look at websites for buying airplanes, according to Buechner. Blagg was a helicopter pilot for the Navy and that’s where he was working when he and Jennifer met.
The trial is two weeks behind schedule, and Judge Tamara Russell has made an effort to move testimony along.
The prosecution is expected to rest its case on Friday or Monday.
9NEWS is in the courtroom and will post an update on the trial during the lunch break on Wednesday.