Who Is Michael Haim? New Details About The Man Now Standing Trial In Former Cold Case Trial For Murdering Wife Bonnie Haim
It was a 22-year-old cold case.
getty When unsolved crimes are finally closed and solved, it brings us a sense of relief. Recently, authorities apprehended murderers who had eluded justice for decades.
The Golden State Killer, Joseph James DeAngelo, a retired police officer, murdered and raped multiple women from 1975 to 1986, and was arrested and charged last April. Gary Hartman was arrested and charged last June for the 1986 rape and murder of Michaella Welch, a 12-year-old girl, using DNA samples from the crime scene. These are just a few recently-solved cold case crimes.
But in 2015, another cold case murder was solved: that of Bonnie Haim, who disappeared in 1993, leaving her young son behind. The suspect? Bonnie’s husband, Michael Haim. But who is Michael Haim exactly?
In 2014, the case became the subject of police attention after Haim’s son, Aaron Fraser, won his childhood home in a wrongful death suit against his Michael. Fraser discovered his mother’s skeletal remains while making repairs. A water leak forced Fraser to remove a concrete slab, and it was underneath the slab that he found Bonnie’s remains.
A medical examiner later determined she died from homicide, “by unspecified means.” Also found where she was buried? A shell casing matching the rifle that Michael Haim owned. But that’s just the beginning of this case. Here are a few more details to know about Haim and his involvement with his wife’s disappearance and murder.
1. Detectives never charged him.
All along, Haim was the main suspect but detectives struggled to build a case against him, as they had no physical remains or body. Once her remains were discovered, however, they used DNA testing to confirm it was Bonnie. Authorities arrested and charged Haim, who has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder.
2. His motive: he was afraid Bonnie would leave with their son.
Prosecutors say Haim killed his wife because she threatened to leave with Aaron. Haim claims Bonnie left their home without Aaron after an argument, and that he went searching for Bonnie but didn’t alert authorities to her disappearance. A maintenance worker later found Bonnie’s purse in a hotel dumpster and called police.
According to the arrest affidavit, “Michael Haim was the last known individual to have contact with the victim. The suspect admits that he and the victim were fighting over marital issues and that she was planning to leave and take their child.” During the trial’s opening statements, Alan Mizrahi, the State Attorney’s Office Homicide Director, said, “That was the only thing he could do to stop her from leaving and taking his son.”
In 1999, six years after Bonnie’s disappearance, Michael lost custody of Aaron, who was adopted and changed his last name to Fraser.
3. Aaron was a key witness to the murder.
At the time of Bonnie’s disappearance, Aaron told a child welfare worker, “Daddy hurt mommy,” “Daddy shot Mommy,” “Daddy placed Mommy in timeout,” and “My daddy could not wake her up.” But when he testified at Michael’s trial, he said he had no memory of Bonnie or the killing.
“From what Aaron told us that day, my only conclusion was that there had been a domestic fight and that Michael Haim had killed his wife and had removed her, and that their three-and-a-half-year-old son, Aaron Haim, had witnessed this,” Robert Hinson, Jacksonville Homicide Detective, admitted.
Aaron did, however, reveal finding his mother’s skull, saying, “I picked up the coconut object and it ended up being the top portion of her skull.” He didn’t want media attention, and attempted to contact the original case detective. “I left her a message and said, ‘I think I might have found my mom,’” he said in court.
4. Bonnie was planning to leave Michael.
The arrest affidavit states that Michael abused Bonnie, and she made plans to move into an apartment and leave with Aaron while Michael was away on a trip. She even opened a secret bank account but when Michael found out about it, he made her close it. It was then that Bonnie started giving money to a trusted friend to save for her. She also enrolled Aaron in preschool and made a deposit on an apartment.
He covered up the murder by saying Bonnie left him ... without their son. At the time, the couple had been married for five years. On the night of her disappearance, Michael said they argued and that Bonnie left their home, driving off, and he went to search for her. Both missed work the next day, and theft was ruled out after the discovery of her purse, as nothing was missing.
His story didn’t add up. According to Hinson, he became suspicious when he noticed the driver’s seat pushed back, indicating that someone taller than Bonnie had to have been driving. There was also a fresh shoeprint that perfectly matched Michael’s shoes.
“I would love her to come back home and work everything out. Everyone has a few problems, but she never did this before. Basically, she was unhappy and just wanted to leave,” Michael told reporters at the time of her disappearance.
5. Bonnie’s father believed Michael.
Along with her family, they believed Michael was innocent, though his family thinks he’s responsible. Bernie Haim, Michael’s uncle, always suspected his nephew because he didn’t believe Bonnie would ever leave her son behind.
But Bonnie’s father, Robert Pasciuto, stuck by Michael’s side, saying, “The credibility of a child is something that you have to judge in perspective. He’s said a couple of things that we know were not true. Mom’s car is in the lake. We know her car wasn’t there.”
Samantha Maffucci is an editor for YourTango who focuses on writing trending news and entertainment pieces. In her free time, you can find her obsessing about cats, wine, and all things Vanderpump Rules.