The Gloversville man who is a “person of interest” in the 2019 death of his wife in Fort Johnson has now been indicted in a pipe bomb case from February.
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Ensure access to everything we do, today and every day, check out our subscribe page at DailyGazette.com/SubscribeMichael D. Darling, 41, was indicted Thursday on one count each of possession of firearms by a prohibited person and unlawful possession of unregistered firearms.
He is accused of illegally possessing a .308 caliber rifle, a 20 gauge shotgun and six pipe bombs Feb. 12 at his 14 McLaren St. residence.
Gloversville police discovered the devices Feb. 12, which authorities say Michael Darling was not allowed to possess, as they checked on his welfare following reports from his family and girlfriend that he had left suicide notes.
He has been held since his arrest in the case Feb. 14. Charged federally, prosecutors revealed at an early detention hearing that Darling remained a person of interest in the Feb. 6, 2019 death of his wife, Kristine M. Howland Darling, 44, the mother of a young teenage daughter, at her Fort Johnson residence.
Her death involved a gunshot and has remained an active investigation by the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department for two years, the sheriff said in February. The department is working with state police on the investigation.
Family concerns over Kristine Howland Darling’s death surfaced in a Facebook page created earlier this year called “Seeking Justice for Kristine Howland.”
The judge in the pipe bomb case ordered Darling held pending trial.
Ahead of the indictment being handed up last week, Darling’s attorney May 28 asked the judge for a new detention hearing, noting his client had yet to be indicted then and the attorney has “been waiting for more than six weeks for a proposed Plea Agreement.”
The judge then set a new hearing date for Monday, to be held in-person. It was unclear if the new indictment would impact the scheduled Monday hearing.
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