“Return to the Early Shift”: Dateline Reports on Michelle Mockbee Homicide May 24 2025

Dateline NBC returns with an in-depth look into the tragic 2012 murder of Michelle Mockbee, a mother of two who was found brutally killed at her workplace in Florence, Kentucky. Titled “Return to the Early Shift,” the episode dives into a case that shook a community, unraveling layers of workplace deception, judicial misconduct, and two gripping trials that left many wondering if justice was truly served.

With exclusive interviews, detailed courtroom developments, and unseen footage, Dateline examines the long path to accountability in the murder of a beloved wife, sister, and mother, while raising questions about investigative ethics and due process.

The Life of Michelle Mockbee and the Morning of the Crime

Michelle Mockbee was a devoted mother and the head of payroll at Thermo Fisher Scientific, a job she had held for 16 years. She was married to Dan Mockbee, whom she met at the same company, and together they raised two daughters, Madelyn and Carli. Friends and family described Michelle as warm, caring, and dedicated to her family and job.

On the morning of May 29, 2012, Michelle left for work just as she always did. Surveillance footage showed her arriving at the warehouse at 5:53 a.m. Less than an hour later, her body was discovered on a mezzanine level by a supervisor and janitor David Dooley. She had been bludgeoned to death and had a plastic bag over her head. The violent nature of the scene immediately pointed to a personal and desperate act.

The Initial Investigation and Dooley’s Arrest

Investigators quickly ruled out Michelle’s husband as a suspect after he passed a polygraph and provided a verified alibi. The focus then shifted to the employees present in the warehouse that morning. Surveillance footage revealed that only one employee left the property during the critical time window: David Dooley.

Dooley, who worked alongside his wife as a janitor at the facility, told investigators he had briefly gone home to check on his wife. However, his wife’s statements were inconsistent. She first claimed he had not come home, then said he had come home to change his pants—a detail Dooley denied.

Authorities soon discovered a payroll fraud scheme involving the Dooleys. The couple had been falsifying timecards to get paid for hours they didn’t work. Investigators theorized that Michelle may have discovered the fraud and confronted David Dooley, leading to her murder. Despite no physical evidence directly tying Dooley to the murder weapon or bloody clothing, he was arrested on September 27, 2012.

The 2014 Trial and First Conviction

David Dooley was charged with murder and evidence tampering. At trial, prosecutors presented the payroll fraud as motive and emphasized his unaccounted absence from the warehouse. The defense pointed out that unknown DNA was found on Michelle’s body and argued that Dooley was being railroaded without physical proof.

Still, the jury returned a guilty verdict in 2014, and Dooley was sentenced to life in prison. He continued to claim innocence, insisting that he was denied a fair trial. The case might have ended there if not for an explosive revelation two years later.

Misconduct and the Collapse of the Conviction

In 2016, a whistleblower revealed an undisclosed affair between lead prosecutor Linda Tally Smith and Detective Bruce McVay, which allegedly began shortly after the trial. During their contentious breakup, Smith penned a letter accusing McVay of withholding surveillance footage showing an unidentified man near the crime scene the day before the murder.

The footage had never been disclosed to the defense, raising serious questions about due process and discovery obligations. Smith accused McVay of letting her conduct a murder trial without critical information. Though prosecutors claimed the video had been turned over, the defense team denied ever seeing it.

Based on this revelation, a judge threw out Dooley’s conviction and ordered a new trial, determining that the original proceedings had been compromised.

The Retrial: New Leadership, Same Verdict

Kentucky Assistant Attorney General Jon Heck took over the case and prosecuted the 2019 retrial. He addressed the controversial video directly, arguing that the man seen on surveillance was simply throwing away trash and had no link to the crime.

Heck maintained that Dooley was the only person with the motive, opportunity, and a suspicious gap in alibi. He pointed to missing timecards, a missing pair of steel-toed boots, and a screwdriver in Dooley’s locker matching the pry marks on Michelle’s office door.

The defense argued that other suspects had not been properly ruled out and attempted to cast suspicion on Michelle’s husband, noting large insurance payouts and significant cash withdrawals following her death. They also raised the possibility of the man on surveillance being the real killer.

Despite these efforts, the jury once again found Dooley guilty. In March 2019, he was sentenced to 43 years in prison—38 years for murder and five years for evidence tampering.

Impact and Aftermath

Michelle’s family expressed mixed feelings after the retrial. While they were relieved that a second jury had also found Dooley guilty, her sister Jennifer Schneider said no sentence would ever be enough to account for what was taken from their family. Michelle’s death, she said, left a permanent void.

Dooley has continued to deny his involvement in the murder and claims he was unfairly targeted. At the sentencing in 2019, he remained silent, unlike at his first sentencing when he publicly stated he had been railroaded.

As the episode of Dateline airs, Dooley also faces unrelated child pornography charges from alleged incidents in the early 2000s. A pretrial hearing was set for May 23, 2025, with a potential trial expected to take place during the summer.

Conclusion: A Case That Continues to Raise Questions

The murder of Michelle Mockbee was tragic and senseless. The multiple legal proceedings, misconduct allegations, and competing narratives have made the case a lasting source of controversy. Dateline’s Return to the Early Shift revisits these developments with fresh interviews, giving viewers an opportunity to reassess the facts and consider the broader implications for justice.

As Michelle’s family continues to grieve, and Dooley serves his sentence, the story remains a powerful reminder of how deeply one violent act can ripple through lives—and how difficult it can be to uncover the full truth.