Murder of Michael Strickland by Marie Strickland investigated on Snapped

Oxygen is re-airing the Snapped investigation into the murder of Michael Strickland, who was gunned down by his wife Anita “Marie” Strickland in the garage of their home in Tellico Plains, Monroe County, Tennessee.

On October 11, 2013, Marie dialed 911, stating that her husband had been shot. Monroe County deputies found Michael lying in the driveway in front of his garage, where he had clearly been working on his car.

The blood splatter led the police into the garage, and they concluded he had been shot from the inside and had stumbled out.

The cops noted that his wife, Marie, appeared distraught, but she did not offer any statements or opinions about what had happened to her husband. Investigators conducted two official interviews with Marie and found her to be “calm and quiet.”

Detectives then found text messages between Marie and her brother, Chris Smallin, that implied she had borrowed a firearm from him.

Smallin eventually admitted to the police that he had provided his sister with a firearm and then disposed of it after she returned it.

Marie Strickland confessed to killing Michael Strickland

During a third interview with Marie, she admitted to killing her husband. Marie claimed she could not recall precisely what happened as it was all “a blur,” but she remembered firing the gun as she ran from the garage down the drive.

She thought she’d probably hit Michael but couldn’t be sure at first. She changed her clothes and took their teenage daughter to town before meeting Smallin at a library and returning the gun to him.

Marie returned home and recalled worrying that her husband would be mad at her for shooting him. She dialed 911 after finding the body.

Marie Strickland convicted and sentenced in Michael Strickland murder

The shooter pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 21 years. She is currently incarcerated at the West Tennessee State Penitentiary in Henning, TN.

Marie claimed that Michael had been physically and mentally abusive to her and her daughter, who has Down syndrome. She said he threatened to burn down the house with their daughter still inside.

Chris Smallin pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact and was given a two-year suspended sentence. He was initially also charged with tampering with evidence, but that charge was dropped after he agreed to plead guilty.

This episode of Snapped re-airs Tuesday at 7/6c on Oxygen.