Shraman Mitra
911 operators in Colorado Springs, Colorado, received a frantic phone call in August 1990 informing them of a violent attack that originated from a bar fight. By the time first responders arrived on the scene, the victim, Michael Drake, had already been shifted to a nearby hospital. Still, with numerous witnesses ready to give their statements, the police knew they had a tough investigation on their hands. Investigation Discovery’s ‘Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda: Primal Instinct’ chronicles the gruesome incident and even portrays the police investigation that found out the truth.
What Happened to Michael Drake?
A resident of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Michael Drake was 39 years old at the time of the attack. Most knew him as a caring and generous man who treated everyone with kindness and was always ready to extend a helping hand. Michael maintained a friendly relationship with most but loved spending time alone at a local bar. In fact, even the owner of the bar was good friends with Michael and knew him as a regular patron. However, no one could have ever imagined that an act of kindness would make the 39-year-old face a near-death situation.
On August 22, 1990, first responders reached a biker bar in Colorado Springs after hearing complaints about a shocking confrontation that originated from a bar fight. Upon arriving at the scene, authorities learned that Michael Drake was enjoying a drink when he was approached by a 5-year-old child who wanted a quarter to play on one of the arcade machines in the bar. Since the boy had just had five nickels, Michael took them in exchange for a quarter, but this soon led to a misunderstanding.
Onlookers mentioned that the boy’s uncle, Gene Pack, who was pretty drunk by this point, got up to confront Michael, and the altercation would have come to blows if others did not interrupt. However, once the 39-year-old got up to leave, Gene pursued him outside and tried to pick up a fight for a second time. Incidentally, Michael insisted he wanted no beef and even explained the misunderstanding, but to no avail. The attacker soon brandished a knife and stabbed the victim in the chest before driving away in a motorcycle. Subsequently, the men accompanying the assailant fled the scene in a four-wheeler along with the 5-year-old.
While onlookers shifted Michael to a nearby hospital, the police learned that his condition was severe. However, the crime scene did not provide a lot of leads, and ultimately, authorities had to turn to witnesses in an effort to catch the perpetrator. That was when they learned that all three men had Arizona plates on their vehicles and were seemingly not from the local area. Shortly afterward, Margie Daniels, the mother of the five-year-old, approached authorities and claimed she believed her brother, Gene Pack, was behind the murders. Margie stated Gene could never control his anger and had a violent streak. Moreover, she was worried about her child as she had not seen him for several hours.
Based on Margie’s information, the police launched a state-wide hunt for the missing suspects, and pretty soon, an officer was able to arrest Gene at a felony stop on the highway. The two other suspects were apprehended at a local gas station, and authorities found the five-year-old unharmed in their car. Meanwhile, the police also learned that Michael had received sufficient treatment and was on the way to making a full recovery. Hence, with murder out of the picture, Gene Pack was accused of attacking Michael with a knife while his friends were allowed to walk free.
Gene Pack is Out of Jail and Now Leads a Private Life
When produced in court, Gene pled not guilty and insisted on his innocence. However, the jury believed otherwise and eventually convicted him on a single count of first-degree assault. As a result, Gene Pack was sentenced to 8 years in prison in 1990. While the show mentioned that Gene has since been released after completing his prison term, he prefers to keep his personal life under wraps and has embraced privacy. Besides, with a highly limited presence on social media, Gene’s current whereabouts remain unclear.
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