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There is no motive for the murder of a Seattle realtor.
CASE DETAILS Mike and Mary Beth Emert of Redmond, Washington, had it all. They were inseparable soul mates. They were also prosperous partners in the competitive world of Seattle-area real estate. Few couples shared a bond so intimate. But on January 4, 2001, their dream life together was shattered. Mary Beth received a call from her mother that Mike had been murdered:
 Was this a professional hit? Mike Emert’s murder was as mysterious as it was shocking. It appeared to be carefully planned and meticulously executed. But why would anyone plot to kill an unassuming realtor with an exemplary past? Mike’s killer left behind few clues, but enough to make investigators believe he may have used a most unusual weapon. On the day he was murdered, Mike wrote in his date book that he planned to meet a prospective homebuyer named Steven. He planned to meet him at 11:30 at a local mall. He told Mary Beth that Steven was in his 50s, carried a cane and spoke with an East Coast accent. Steven was interested in a house Mike had shown him the previous day.  Mary Beth and Mike Emert At 12:30 PM, the owner of the house, Gail Garland, returned from her job to spend her lunch hour at home. She entered through the garage and was surprised to find the front door ajar. Then she heard the sound of water running upstairs. A trail of blood, still wet, led toward the bathroom. Mike Emert was dead. He had been stabbed 19 times. Investigators believed that Steven, the supposed homebuyer, committed the brutal murder. They also think Steven chose this house because it was isolated from most other homes in the neighborhood. James H. Doyon was a Detective for the King County Sheriff’s Office at the time of Mike’s murder:
If the mysterious Steven had methodically planned Mike’s murder, it was also possible that his handicap was merely a ruse. Detective Doyon believed this would explain how a man in need of a cane was able to overpower Mike:
But if Steven was a professional hit man, who would have a motive to kill Mike Emert? Investigators considered Mike’s wife, Mary Beth, and his business rivals as possible suspects. But all were eliminated. They also checked Mike’s background to see if he had any enemies who might want him dead. But according to Detective Jon Holland, that probe also proved fruitless:
Was Mike Emert the victim of a random killing? Or was his death the result of an elaborate murder-for-hire scheme? To this day, this case remains unsolved. Update: Gary C. Krueger was named as a suspect in the murder of Mike Emert. Krueger was a former Seattle police officer who died in 2010. Watch this case now on Amazon Prime in season twelve with Robert Stack and in season three with Dennis Farina. Also available on YouTube with Dennis Farina. Various seasons available now on Hulu. SUBMIT A TIP |
J.M.
This might be tied to a bank robbery. Their MO was to leave the stollen, get-away, car in some random parking lot or area. did you check to see what other crimes correlated to this event? It is possible that Gary, knowing the area as he did, wanted a place to stage for a robbery or to recon the area ( a stakeout) for a home invasion, robbery or other target. Using an agent that was not assigned to the property might have been done to decrease risks. IDK just a thought. It could have been related to properties that Gary owned and were sold while he was in prison…revenge.
T.Norman
If Mike’s wife did it she got away….
Anonymous
I’m very sure it was Gary Kruger. He was trying to communicate with me. I refused to interview him. I even woke up with a water faucet turned on full blast. (That was his signature he enjoyed doing.)
Magic Mike
The mall where Mike met Steven was filmed at the same mall as the pawnshop from Pulp Fiction.
Bill Blaski
What made Gary Krueger a former Seattle police officer kill Mike Emert? At one time Gary was a real estate agent, could he have had a vendetta against him for making all the sales?
Karol
Same person who killed Emert killed Lindsay Buziak.Woman in a dress was a man in a wig.That is why her hair looked great in a winter.Both locations was remote both was high end both crimes took place in winter time Jan 2 Feb 4 both crimes was stabbing.Suspect is a male who dresses as a male.
Brie Baker
R.I.P. But why did the police think that Jeffery John Solo was the killer. and then Hope Solo hearing about it made her woried and she had a soccer game in china that week. She was so consernd she wanted to know where her dad was and if he was safe. And Note: Hope Solo was only 19 years young whe this happened. Can anybody explain that?
Anonymous
So, why is this case still here if it was solved?
Ralph
This story is similar to a murder in Winnipeg back in the late 80’s…Real Estate sales woman Irene Pearson killed in similar fashion & a note on the show home saying “Back in 9 minutes” …which is odd number & maybe a lead to her killer? This note & Mike being stabbed times maybe be linked…but there was also a cop that was a suspect in her murder. Drugs may have been involved in Irene’s murder…
Kristie Emert
My husband would like details and a reach our from the family as he is trying to find me
Chantal
RIP both the suspect and the victim May God bless both of u Just Remember God Forgives!
polock
That type of brutality smells of a jealous husband….hope somebody checked to see how faithful he really was…
Michael
Looks like this was solved – Gary Krueger was the murderer.
http://www.truecrimediary.com/index.cfm?page=cases&id=135
carolee
The case apparently has not been solved to the satisfaction of authorities. The person believed to have killed M. Emert (Krueger) is dead, so police cannot question him to determine motive. If Krueger was a professional hitman, as evidence suggests, who hired him? And why? These questions linger still.
Anonymous
I just watched this on tv and I just got this over wheeling feeling.. I think it was his wife… Her story was too good to be true and she even looked like she was lying…. The story she gave was too much In detail I hope u all look into this case a lil further.. For mike
Lerch
Krueger tied to Emert’ murder by DNA….it’s official….
Lj
I personally know them. It was not anyone they knew!
Dee Jay
Gary Krueger killed 3 other guys Jim Barry, (real estate attorney) Terry Dolan (retired cop) and Mario Vaccarino (Seattle Hotel and Restaurant Employee Union President) and their murders have identical similarities.
Dee Jay
Gary Krueger killed 3 other guys Jim Barry, (real estate attorney) Terry Dolan (retired cop) and Mario Vaccarino (Seattle Hotel and Restaurant Employee Union President) and their murders have identical similarities.