13. Michelle O'Connell: The Gun That Belonged to a Deputy Artwork

I Fear You, Babe

I Fear You, Babe is a true crime podcast hosted by Dino Malvone, a New York-based storyteller who believes the most important part of any case isn't the crime — it's the person at the center of it.

Every Thursday, Dino goes deep on one case: the victim's life, the investigation, the failures, and the questions that remain. Every Monday, he covers what's moving in the true crime world right now — active trials, new arrests, verdicts, and developments that can't wait for a deep dive.

No gore. No sensationalism. No pretending to be a detective. Just careful research, honest storytelling, and a commitment to saying a person's name like it means something — because it does.

Before we talk about how they died, we talk about how they lived.

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I Fear You, Babe

13. Michelle O'Connell: The Gun That Belonged to a Deputy

January 10, 2026 • Dino Malvone • Season 2 • Episode 3

0:00 | 13:38

This is I Fear You, Babe. Before we talk about how Michelle O’Connell died, we talk about how she lived.

Michelle O’Connell was twenty four years old when she was found dead from a gunshot wound in her boyfriend’s home in Florida. Authorities ruled her death a suicide. The case was closed quickly.

Years later, a group of mothers driving their children to school began asking questions no one else seemed interested in answering. They noticed inconsistencies in the investigation. They noticed gaps in the record. And they noticed how fast the system stopped looking.

They didn’t have badges or jurisdiction. They had carpools, notebooks, and persistence.

In this mini episode, we examine the Michelle O’Connell case through the women who refused to let it disappear. We trace the timeline, the procedural failures, the conflicts of interest, and the legal limits that shaped the outcome. We center Michelle and her family, not speculation — and we ask why ordinary women so often become the last line of accountability when institutions step back.

Show Notes

Case Overview

Michelle O’Connell died on September 2, 2010, in St. Johns County, Florida.

Her death was ruled a suicide despite objections from her family.

Her boyfriend at the time, Jeremy Banks, was a deputy with the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.

Key Themes

Conflict of interest in law enforcement investigations

Domestic violence indicators that go undocumented

How suicide rulings can prematurely end accountability

The emotional and investigative labor taken on by private citizens

Sources & Further Reading

CNN reporting on the Michelle O’Connell case