Former California Highway Police captain, Julie Harding, allegedly hired a hitman to kill her husband, Michael Harding, before she committed suicide a day after Thomas O'Donnell was arrested in connection with her husband's death. Former sergeant Brian Wittmer testified that Harding acted differently towards the end of their 3.5 years as co-workers and lost weight, shared more about her personal life, and made accusations against her husband. Wittmer believed Harding was insincere when she called him, claiming she had found her husband dead. Then-Assistant Chief Doug Lyons also received a strange call from Harding, which convinced him that she might be a suspect in her husband’s murder. The death came after Harding was arrested on Dec. 8, 2022 on criminal trespassing charges related to a series of complaints filed against her.