A CRIME boss convicted over a plot that saw his son’s friend kidnapped and killed has been found dead inside his prison cell.
Michael “Mike” Miske had been holed up in a federal Hawaii lockup since 2020 and was waiting to be sentenced.
Miske, aged 50, was supposed to receive his sentencing in the upcoming year following his conviction in relation to a scheme that resulted in the kidnapping and murder of his son’s friend, as reported by the CBS affiliate KGMB-TV.
Fraser, 21, survived a car crash in November 2015, but Miske’s son, Caleb, died of his injuries months later.
Miske tried to blame Fraser for his son’s death, according to prosecutors.
In July 2016, Fraser vanished without a trace, and his remains have not been found more than eight years later.
Miske was found guilty of a slew of charges, including kidnapping for hire and murder for hire, according to the US Attorney’s Office.
Cops are probing the convict’s death as a suicide, but it’s not known if he was on suicide watch, as reported by the CBS affiliate KGMB.
Alexander Silvert, a former federal public defender, revealed it’s rare for inmates to die from suicide.
“The guards are highly trained,” he explained.
“There are a lot of security cameras, so having a death there is a very rare circumstance.”
Fraser is believed to have died around July 30, 2016, and court documents, seen by KGMB, claimed Miske was the mastermind behind the plan.
Police believed Fraser was murdered by the leader of an organized crime ring.
They claimed Miske ordered an associate to buy a white van after capturing Fraser.
Mike Miske charges
HAWAII crime boss Mike Miske was charged and convicted over a plot that saw his son’s friend kidnapped and killed. The charges are outlined in full:
- Racketeering Conspiracy
- Murder in aid of racketeering
- Conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering
- Kidnapping resulting in death
- Conspiracy to commit kidnapping
- Murder-for-hire conspiracy
- Conspiracy to commit assaults in aid of racketeering
- Conspiracy to commit kidnapping
- Conspiracy to use a chemical weapon
- Use of a chemical weapon
- Use of a chemical weapon
- Obstruction of Justice
- Obstruction of Justice
Cops also claimed he bought a $425,000 Boston Whaler bought to help get rid of the body.
During the trial, Fraser’s girlfriend, Ashley Wong, claimed she was offered a spa trip on the day Fraser was believed to have been kidnapped.
But she grew concerned when she couldn’t get through to her partner.
She revealed she had gone to Miske’s home, but the lights were off.
Wong called Miske and asked her where her boyfriend was.
“He told me he was at home,” she recalled.
“I didn’t believe that.”
Fraser’s car, a 1994 grey Honda hatchback, was found two weeks after he was last seen.
VANISHED WITHOUT A TRACE
Fraser vanished without a trace, and Miske’s legal team claimed he had nothing to do with the disappearance.
Miske’s lawyers claimed Fraser was smoking marijuana and not taking medication for depression before his disappearance.
Wong stressed her partner wasn’t going to vanish – despite recovering from depression following the crash.
In 2018, FBI agents admitted that foul play may have been involved.
Four years after Fraser vanished, his dad, William, spoke out for the first time.
He revealed he had a gut feeling something wasn’t right around four days after his son disappeared, as reported by KGMB.
‘FOUL PLAY’
Miske was hit with a slew of charges, including conspiracy to release a chemical weapon in Honolulu nightclubs.
He was found guilty of obstruction of justice and racketeering.
The racketeering conspiracy and murder in aid of racketeering charges carried maximum life sentences.
This was despite Miske’s legal team claiming he wasn’t a monster, as reported by The Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
The jury was unanimous in delivering their verdict in the summer.
Fraser’s mom described the verdict as “justice for her son.”
Wong described Fraser as her “superhero.”
“He is the individual responsible for allowing my children, all the children in our community, and the youth of Hawaii to feel safe walking on our streets, free from the threat of individuals like him who could target families like mine,” she remarked.
During the trial, she said she wouldn’t stop looking for answers.
Miske was due to be sentenced in January 2025.
