911 call: 'I just had an intruder ... and I shot him' says woman convicted of killing husband

Mishler

In a roughly five-and-a-half minute 911 call early March 23, Mishler reported that a man, armed with a knife, entered her unlocked apartment on Stevens Drive and was trying to kill her.

Claiming she was fearing for her life, she said she grabbed a revolver from her bedroom and shot the man in the living room.

"I just had an intruder, he came into my apartment and I shot him," Mishler told the dispatcher.

“He was trying to hurt me. He came in with a knife.”

At one point, the dispatcher asked, “And you’ve never seen this person before?” Mishler replied, “No. I've never seen him."

Mishler said, “I didn’t know if he was gonna kill me.”

AnnArbor.com obtained a copy of the 911 call through a Freedom of Information Act request that was filed with Washtenaw County after Mishler was convicted last month of killing her husband, 20-year-old Samuel Mishler.

On Dec. 14, she pleaded guilty in Washtenaw County Circuit Court to second-degree murder, making a false report of a felony and possessing a firearm during the commission of a crime.

She is scheduled to be sentenced in February. The victim's family member's have told AnnArbor.com that they harbor no hard feelings against Mishler.

Court records show Washtenaw County sheriff’s deputies were suspicious of Mishler's story when they responded to her apartment at Tuscan Creek apartment homes.

The shooting victim had no shoes on, which would be unusual if he had been walking around on a cold night, looking to break into an apartment, sheriff's Detective Everette Robbins testified last June at Mishler's preliminary hearing, where the 911 call was played. In addition, there were pictures of the victim on the wall, Robbins said, and the victim’s name was on the lease.

After waiving her Miranda rights at the sheriff's department and continuing to mislead investigators, Mishler ultimately explained what happened, Robbins testified.

She acknowledged that she was married to Samuel Mishler, not engaged, as she initially said, Robbins testified.

Court records show the couple had been arguing all week about an engagement party they missed and household chores. Mishler told Robbins that she asked her husband to leave, pushing him toward the door. He wouldn't leave, pointing out that his name also was on the lease. When he refused to go, Mishler told him that if he didn't, she would shoot him, Robbins testified.

She went to the bedroom and grabbed a .357 caliber revolver. Her father gave her the gun as a gift and the couple kept it loaded for self-defense. While in the bedroom, she cocked it back, thinking it was loud enough for her husband to hear, Robbins testified.

She gave her husband another chance to leave. When he approached her, she pointed the gun at him at waist level, Robbins testified. Her husband pushed up her arm, putting the gun to his head, saying something to the effect of "if you want me to leave so bad, pull the trigger," Robbins testified. She shot her husband.

Initially, Mishler planned only to scare him by firing at a wall or window, Robbins testified.

Mishler admitted that she lied on the 911 call and to investigators because she didn't want to get in trouble, Robbins said. She believed the easiest way to get out of trouble was to make up a story involving self-defense, Robbins testified.

Mishler claimed that her husband had been physically abusive toward her before, but she never filed a police report, Robbins said. The morning of the shooting, her husband didn't touch her, other than to push her out of the way on one occasion, Robbins testified. Her husband didn't have a knife or other weapon.

"She stated that it wasn't even close to self-defense," Robbins testified.

Mishler is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 1 by Washtenaw County Circuit Judge Archie Brown. Under a sentencing agreement with Brown, she is expected to serve between 15 and 30 years in prison.

911 call" (MP3).

Lee Higgins covers crime and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at (734) 623-2527 and email at leehiggins@annarbor.com.