A Look Back - 1967: Young engineer killed wife, her lover

Michael Daugherty’s estranged wife broke his heart, so he put a .22-caliber bullet through hers.

Then he shot her lover to death.

The year was 1967, and 26-year-old Michael Daugherty was a lead engineer at UC Irvine’s aeronautic metrology laboratory. His wife, Mary Ann Daugherty, also 26, was a senior computer coder at the new University of California campus, which opened its doors in 1964. The university hired Michael Daugherty in December, 1965. His wife had been employed at UC Irvine since March, 1966.

Michael and Mary Ann Daugherty had separated after two years of marriage by the day of the shooting, Jan 19, 1967, according to historical news accounts.

Mary Ann Daugherty had been dating Peter Dean Keefe, a 31-year-old co-worker from the university for the past six months at the time of the shooting, the Los Angeles Times reported in a story dated Jan. 21, 1967. She was in the process of moving into a new apartment in the same Costa Mesa complex as Keefe, the Harbor Green Apartments at 2700 Peterson Place. The complex is now called Harbor at Mesa Verde.

Keefe had already moved into a separate bachelor unit of the apartment complex after leaving his wife, Carole, and their home in Santa Ana.

Michael Daugherty had gone to the apartment complex that day in January to try and talk to his wife, who had moved out of the couple’s Costa Mesa home the day before, the Los Angeles Times reported. The young engineer brought a .22-caliber rifle.

When Michael Daugherty arrived at his wife’s new apartment, Keefe was there as well, helping her move her belongings.

An argument broke out and Michael Daugherty shot Keefe once in the back as he fled into the garage.

There was then a scuffle between Michael Daugherty and his estranged wife over possession of the gun.

The gun went off and a single bullet pierced Mary Ann Daugherty’s heart, killing her instantly, according to contemporary news accounts.

After killing his wife, Michael Daugherty went to the garage, where he shot Keefe twice more, once in the hand and a second time through the head.

The young aerospace engineer pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder for shooting his wife and her lover.

On July 7, 1967, he was sentence to five years to life in prison.