Wife Charged In Husband's Murder

SEMINOLE, FL — The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office has announced the arrest of a 52-year-old woman from unincorporated Seminole on a second-degree murder charge. Authorities say Mary Pender-Michielson is responsible for the stabbing that led to her husband’s Monday death.

Pender-Michielson was arrested July 13 at Largo Medical Center, the sheriff’s office wrote in an email to media. The incident the led to her arrest began to unfold around 3:23 a.m. July 10 when deputies received a 911 call from a home in the 9500 block of Hamlin Boulevard. The female caller identified herself as Pender-Michielson and told authorities her husband, Bruce Michielson, 41, suffered a knife wound during a domestic dispute, the email said.

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Bruce Michielson was taken to a local hospital, but died at 4:40 a.m. Monday, the sheriff’s office said. Pender-Michielson was also taken to a local hospital for treatment of a non-trauma-related medical complaint.

Detectives say Pender-Michielson admitted to stabbing her husband and “gave investigators multiple inconsistent statements as to her account of what took place.” She claimed the stabbing was in self-defense, but “detectives concluded the evidence did not support the justifiable use of deadly force,” the email added.

Witnesses told authorities there was a history of domestic violence between the Michielsons, the email noted.

Pender-Michielson was transported from the hospital in Largo to the Pinellas County Jail following her Thursday arrest. She remained in jail Friday without bond, county records indicate.

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Booking photo courtesy of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office