48 Hours: Dark Side of the Mesa - How one twist turned a closed murder case into a retrial

48 Hours: Dark Side of the Mesa revisits the shocking murder of a mother named Jennifer Blagg and the disappearance of her 6-year-old daughter, Abby Blagg. According to the investigation reports, both went missing from their home in Grand Junction, Colorado, on November 13, 2001. After six months of searching, Jennifer's body was found in a landfill, but Abby remained officially missing.

In 2004, Abby's father, Michael Blagg, was found guilty of first-degree murder, and after a retrial in 2018, the court confirmed both his conviction and his life imprisonment without parole. In June 2023, the Colorado Supreme Court rejected all the defense arguments and officially confirmed Michael's murder conviction.

Continue reading more about the Dark Side of the Mesa.

What happened to Jennifer Blagg and her daughter?

2001

On November 13, Michael reported to police that his wife and daughter went missing from their home in Grand Junction. He explained that he returned to the house and found no one inside, but in the master bedroom he discovered a large amount of blood.

After an extensive search near the Colorado River and the surrounding banks, police confirmed that the blood belonged to Jennifer. Michael stated that he was going through many problems as he was being treated as a possible suspect. His family also announced a reward of $3000 to those who would help them to find Jennifer and Abby.

2002

Dark Side of the Mesa revealed that in April, volunteers organized another search for the mother and daughter and covered an area within a 45-mile radius for 11 days but found no clues. Nearly 200 people joined the effort every day. Two months later, the crew discovered Jennifer's body in the landfill near trash from Michael's company. However, Abby was not found, and the investigators declared her dead because an autopsy report revealed that she had been shot in the head.

The Georgia police arrested Michael at his mother's home after following him from Grand Junction. The arrest affidavit revealed that Jennifer had been abused and that, just before their time to end their marriage, she disappeared. It also reported that Michael frequently used an escort service and watched more than 13,000 p*rnographic images on his computer.

In August, an anonymous woman reported to the Mesa County Sheriff's Office about a vehicle she saw on Little Park Road. Two months later, prosecutors announced that they would not seek the death penalty for Michael until they find Abby's body. In December, a judge ruled that there was enough evidence for Michael to stand trial for the murders of his daughter and wife.

The judge reduced his bond from $1 million and allowed him to live with his mother in Georgia while awaiting trial if he posted bond. Defense attorneys argued that there was no direct evidence linking him to Jennifer's murder. With court orders, the team continued searching the landfill for Abby for nearly 7 weeks, filtering 7000 tons of trash without any clue.

Dark Side of the Mesa: How one twist changed the Mesa murder case?

The original conviction in 2004

Dark Side of the Mesa showed that the trial began for Michael, and he faced four charges, such as first-degree murder, abuse of a corpse, and two thefts. According to the prosecutors, he killed his wife because she wanted to leave the marriage and then staged the crime scene.

In April, his attorneys claimed that there was no weapon and no motive. The defense said Michael was being prosecuted only because police could not find the real killer, whom they described as an intruder who broke into the home. Michael chose not to testify.

The jury deliberated for 12 hours before convicting him on all four counts related to Jennifer’s death and sentenced him to life imprisonment without parole. Abby remained missing and was presumed dead. In June, the automatic appeal of Michael's first‑degree murder conviction began.

Appeals were rejected between 2005 and 2013

Dark Side of the Mesa highlighted that Michael's attorneys filed several appeals and requests for a new trial. One of their arguments focused on a juror who was legally blind, and therefore the defense claimed that she could not properly see the exhibits presented during the case. So, the appeals were turned down.

Critical twist in the story

2014

In April, a juror named Marilyn Charlesworth testified before the Grand Junction City Council about domestic violence and revealed that she had been a victim but didn't disclose it on her jury questionnaire. This led to another request for a new trial.

In June, a judge overturned Michael's murder conviction after determining that the juror had lied about her history of domestic violence on the questionnaire. In September, the Colorado Supreme Court granted prosecutors an emergency stay, meaning Blagg should be kept in prison while awaiting his new trial.

2016

In November, Michael's new trial was moved out of Mesa County and relocated to Jefferson County.

Dark Side of the Mesa: From Plea to Life Sentence

2017

Dark Side of the Mesa revealed that Michael once more entered a plea of not guilty in the case involving the 2001 killing of his wife. During pre-trial hearings, his defense team argued that a s*x offender from Canada had targeted Jennifer along with the couple's daughter.

In September, the judge decided that Michael's lawyers should not be allowed to present this alternate suspect theory in court.

2018

In February, jury selection started for the retrial of Michael in the case of his wife's murder. The couple’s six‑year‑old daughter Abby was still missing and was believed to be dead.

2023

Mesa County prosecutors retired the case in Jefferson County. Michael's public defender argued that the second conviction should be overturned because the trial court admitted evidence from what they claimed was an unlawful home search. A three-judge panel rejected all of those arguments.

The court further noted that Michael had loaded a dumpster at his workplace and owned a gun similar to the weapon used to kill his wife. After a wide search, investigators found his wife's body in the Mesa County landfill, but Abby was never located. Ultimately, Michael received life imprisonment without parole.

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