Michael John Morgan (Phoenix Police Department).
An Arizona man will spend nearly 20 years behind bars for finally winning a fight, one that killed his older brother.
In May, Michael John Morgan, aged 46, admitted guilt to one count of manslaughter arising from a sudden altercation, as documented in Maricopa County court records. This charge is connected to the demise of his brother, George Thomas Morgan, who was 45, and passed away in November 2023.
The defendant initially faced several charges, which included second-degree murder, abandoning or hiding a body, and altering evidence, according to previous reports by Law&Crime.
These initial accusations have been dropped following the court’s acceptance of the plea bargain during a sentencing session earlier this month. The court issued the final sentencing decision in the case this week, and Law&Crime obtained it on Friday.
The since-condemned man was sentenced to 18 years and four months in state prison; he will receive 500 days of credit for the time he spent in pre-trial detention.
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The sad siblings” strife had brewed for a while. It is believed to have ended during the last final – and fatal – bout of fisticuffs on Nov. 11, 2023. Police accused the killer of hiding his brother’s body following an extended series of arguments and resulting fights inside the family’s home in the Encanto Heights neighborhood of Phoenix.
“The repeated incidents ended, and neither were seen for a period of time,” the Phoenix Police Department said in a statement obtained by Phoenix-based Fox affiliate KSAZ at the time. “When Michael returned to the residence but George did not, [it caused] family to report George missing on November 12, 2023.”
Michael Morgan was arrested on Nov. 18, 2023.
The mother of the Morgan brothers saw the final fight in question, according to court documents obtained by independent and CBS-affiliated Phoenix TV station KTVK and AZ Central. The fight began in the dining room and was overheard by the deceased man’s daughter, who also lives there, according to the mother’s witness statement.
George Morgan was said to be in control of the fight, his mother allegedly told police, hitting and injuring his younger brother several times before leaving the house. Then, Michael Morgan reportedly cleaned up his wounds and followed his older brother outside, but the argument started anew, the mother said. After that, however, George Morgan was never seen or heard from again.
The mother told police that she saw her younger son leave in his red Chevrolet Tahoe. Family members also told police the deceased would never go without his daughter, glasses, or false teeth. But all were reportedly left behind on the day in question.
George Morgan’s adult son arrived home some 15 minutes after the defendant first left and tried to find his father by repeatedly calling his cellular phone, police say. That effort went nowhere as it became clear the phone had been turned off. After that, the distraught son told police he searched the backyard and saw what looked like blood that had been cleaned up using a water hose. The slain man’s son also said he found blood on his father’s car and hat.
George Morgan’s son later confronted his uncle, who had since returned to the family home, about the blood. The defendant allegedly mentioned the numerous fights between the two but insisted he did not know where his brother was, police say.
After a search of nearby areas and hospitals, the matriarch of the family filed a missing person’s report just after midnight on Nov. 12, 2023. The defendant is alleged to have left the house again upon learning police were called. Michael Morgan allegedly returned home one last time after that — in order to clean something up with chemicals — and left for good at 9 a.m. on Nov. 13, 2023.
An ensuing investigation determined that the missing man’s cellphone left the residence at around the same time as Michael Morgan drove away, according to law enforcement.
It is unclear whether the victim’s body was ever found – after the arrest and initial charges, the location of the man’s remains was a mystery.
Now, after long maintaining his innocence, the surviving brother will have time to consider just what was won and what was lost.
