Shraman Mitra
‘Dateline: Window Of Opportunity’ details the gruesome murder of the mother of three, Renee Pagel, who was killed by her ex-husband Mike Pagel at her home in Courtland Township, Michigan. Before their divorce, Mike and Renee welcomed three wonderful children into this world. The children were extremely young at the time of the murder and were forced to live without a mother. Still, the siblings leaned on each other and powered through to survive.
Who Are Mike and Renee’s Kids?
When Mike and Renee were married, the couple first had a pair of twins named Sarah Pagel and Joel Pagel. From what we can tell, the twins have always been quite close. Hannah Pagel, who came into this world four years after her elder brother and sister, further shared this bond. The three siblings were inseparable from each other, and they also loved their parents, especially sharing a special connection with their mother, Renee.
At the time of the murder, Sarah and her twin brother Joel were 7 while Hannah was just three years old. On August 4, 2006, the children saw their mother for the last time when they were being taken to their father’s house. Since their father and mother did not live together owing to a contentious divorce, the children used to share their time between both parents. On August 5, 2006, Renee was stabbed multiple times and left to die in her Courtland Township home.
After their mother’s death, Mike got full custody of all three children, and thus the siblings moved into Mike’s house. For thirteen years after the murder, the kids were parented and looked after by Mike. Even though they loved their late mother and knew that she loved them, the children were not so familiar with the case’s proceedings. When they came across pages on the internet that talked about the heartbreaking case, they came to know what had transpired and how the suspicion was on their father.
In 2019, when new evidence came to light, the police set about building their case against Mike Pagel. When Mike Pagel was arrested in February 2020, reports said that Hannah was still living with her dad. It was not easy for the three children to watch their father get charged with their mother’s murder. The children struggled a lot with the loss of both parents but have still managed to stand by each other in trying times.
Mike and Renee’s Kids Are Thriving in Their Lives Today
After their dad’s arrest, the authorities contacted the children and consulted with them on what Mike’s guilty plea should be. The children were also present in the courtroom when Mike was sentenced to 25-50 years in prison. There, they were addressed by their father, who apologized to them and told them that their mother loved them very much. Furthermore, after the sentencing, Sarah wrote a letter to the presiding judge where she said that she and her siblings had felt “indescribable pain.” She even proclaimed that Mike was a great parent and that they were raised wonderfully by him.
Presently, all three siblings seem to be thriving in their lives. In April of 2021, Sarah graduated from Grand Valley State University and is working as an analyst with Blackford Capital. From what we can tell, her twin brother, Joel, is inclined towards politics, having gotten a degree in the same. It seems as though he still resides in Michigan, but he did do a summer semester at The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) in 2022. He’s a messenger for Varnum as well as a Board Member of the Michigan Youth Education Fund. On the other hand, their younger sister, Hannah, chooses to keep her private life under wraps, and thus her present whereabouts are unknown. Nonetheless, it is inspiring and lovely to see how the strong bond of love between the three siblings has helped them stand against their dark past and overcome it.
Read More: Where Is Charles Pagel Now?
