GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Investigators were finally able to make an arrest in a 13-year-old murder case this week after they found a weapon believed to be used in the homicide, according to court documents.
An affidavit says Michael Pagel made incriminating statements during recent interviews with investigators, which led them to the discovery of the weapon. Pagel was taken into custody in the Saginaw area.
Kent County officials filed a first-degree murder charge against Michael Pagel Thursday for the stabbing death of his wife, Renee Pagel, who was found in her Courtland Township home in 2006.
Michael Pagel was the only person ever considered a person of interest in her death, but authorities couldn’t make an arrest due to a lack of evidence until this week.
The investigation into Renee Pagel’s death was reopened about two years ago after the Michigan State Prosecutor’s Association reached out to the prosecutor’s office about any cold cases they could use help with. Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker said her case was the first to come to mind.
That call kicked off a new, wide-spanning investigation that included reviewing old case materials and new investigative subpoenas.
Neither Becker nor Kent County Sheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young could speak to exactly what new evidence has been uncovered, citing an open investigation.
