Michelle Craite murder: Timothy Ronk loses second bid to avoid death penalty after stabbing woman to death, burning down her house for coverup

Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.

MISSISSIPPI, UNITED STATES: The Mississippi Supreme Court has reiterated its decision not to reconsider the appeal of a 44-year-old death row inmate who was convicted for fatally stabbing a woman he lived with.

In 2010, Timothy Ronk was found guilty of capital murder and armed robbery in Harrison County, relating to the August 2008 homicide of Michelle Craite, as per The Messenger News.

He was handed a death sentence for the capital murder charge along with 30 years for armed robbery.

What did prosecutors say?

As per prosecutors' accounts, Timothy Ronk allegedly stabbed Michelle Craite and set her house ablaze in the Woolmarket community near Biloxi, purportedly to conceal the crime. 

Further, they reported that the stabbing occurred during a dispute between Ronk and Craite as the former revealed his intention to end their relationship as he planned to be with another woman.

Subsequently, Ronk reportedly took possessions from Craite and presented them to a woman he connected with online in Florida.

Ronk's defense contended that he stabbed Craite in self-defense. In the recent ruling, the state Supreme Court dismissed Ronk's latest attempt to argue that he had received inadequate legal representation.

Currently, no execution date has been scheduled for Ronk, who, at the age of 44, remains on death row at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman.

What happened to Michelle Craite?

As reported by WLOX, Michelle Craite's lifeless body was discovered by Biloxi Police on August 26, 2008, within the charred remains of her residence.

A subsequent autopsy revealed that she had been fatally stabbed. Investigators soon learned that Ronk had used Craite's credit card at a local store, leading to the issuance of a warrant for his arrest.

On August 27, the day following the discovery of Michelle Craite's body, Ronk was apprehended in Jacksonville, Florida, on multiple outstanding warrants.

He was subsequently extradited to Mississippi and held in the Harrison County Jail, facing charges of murder.