Naman Shrestha
As the title of the episode suggests, CBS’ ’48 Hours: Where is Jermain Charlo?’ chronicles the mysterious disappearance of Jermain Charlo, who went missing from downtown Missoula in 2018. Given the history between the mother of two and her ex-boyfriend, Michael DeFrance, the investigators were focused on him, hoping to find significant leads and get to the bottom of the case. Although he is deemed innocent of any involvement in the vanishing of the mother of his children, he has made headlines for other reasons.
Ex-Boyfriend of Jermain Charlo, Michael DeFrance Was Arrested For an Unrelated Firearms Charge
Hailing from the census-designated place of Evaro in Missoula County, Montana, Michael Blake DeFrance was in a relationship with Jermain Charlo for a long period of time, during which they became parents to two sons. Employed as a truck driver, Michael resided with Jermain in a camper on property that belonged to his family. In 2013, he reportedly physically assaulted his girlfriend at the time, for which he was sentenced in May of the same year. Apart from that, he also lost his firearms rights as he signed a waiver of rights form. Despite the assault, the couple continued to live together. In the near future, he made false statements on the firearms forms at a pawn shop just to purchase more guns for himself.
Fast-forward to the summer of 2018 — Michael and Jermain had broken up by then, but when the latter went missing on June 16, he ended up becoming a person of interest. In the surveillance footage of the areas of downtown Missoula where Jermain was seen at the time of her disappearance, Michael was seen with her. When questioned about it, he claimed that he dropped her off around 1 am near a food market nearby, where she was supposed to meet a friend named Cassidy. As the investigators dug deeper, they learned that just a day prior to her disappearance, Michael allegedly yelled at Jermain and asked if she had been seeing someone new. It was also alleged he wanted to get back together with her.
Despite all these allegations against him, Michael was not considered a suspect in the case. According to him, Jermain had left her phone in his car, and he got rid of it on Highway 12 in Idaho at mile marker 94. When the detectives searched his truck, they found a .357-caliber revolver, a box of ammunition in the console, and a couple of .22-caliber rifles under the back seat. He got into further trouble when the investigators searched his residence and found his firearms. When the police inquired him about it, he claimed that it was not clear that he could not own guns. So, in 2021, he was charged with illegal possession of firearms and lying during a firearms transaction.
Michael DeFrance is Likely Under Police Supervision After His Supposed Release
While the investigation of Jermain Charlo’s disappearance was ongoing, the firearms case against Michael DeFrance came to light. On April 26, 2023, his trial for the same got underway. Within a week, the jury returned with a guilty verdict, and on May 1, he was convicted of all the counts he was charged with, including one count of prohibited possession of firearms and three counts of making false statements during a firearms transaction.
Several months later, on September 21, Michael Blake DeFrance was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison and an additional three years on supervision after his release. During the sentencing, several family members of his missing ex-girlfriend, Jermain Charlo, were also in attendance, and they were not satisfied with the sentence. Her aunt, Valenda, told KPAX, “It’s not exactly the victory that we wanted. Just this smallest little bit of justice. I’m happy that he has to go away and I’m hoping that will still be in place with the appeal. But it’s something for right now.” From what we can tell, Michael has seemingly been released from prison and is currently on supervised parole.
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