Michael Surber

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

Ocean Springs Police Department (MS)

Offense Location:

Ocean Springs, MS

Summary:

51 year old Michael Surber was found stabbed to death in his Ocean Springs, Mississippi home on November 12, 2009.  Two days prior to his body was found, he was seen leaving Skeeter’s Billiards in Gulfport with an unknown man. Despite surveillance video and images of the suspect in his murder, the man has yet to be identified and the crime remains unsolved.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Offense:

Mike Surber was a longtime casino employee who’d relocated to the Mississippi Gulf Coast area of Ocean Springs from Las Vegas. Biloxi Mike, as he was known by many locals, loved to play golf and was a nationally ranked pool player. He was a regular at Skeeter’s Billiards in the nearby city of Gulfport. Mike was well liked and respected in the community and he was known for being an all around nice guy. On November 10th, 2009, Mike was back at Skeeter’s playing pool. In the early afternoon, another man entered the bar and he was not a regular. Skeeter’s had a surveillance system and a lot of the details you’re about to read were caught on camera. In an interview with the Sun Herald News, the owner of Skeeter’s said that the stranger's demeanor quickly set off alarm bells with one of his bartenders. The bartender expressed concern to the owner that the man was up to no good because as soon as he ordered his first drink, he asked her to point him to the pool table where he could beat someone out of a lot of money. By this time, the man was on his 2nd beer and he hadn’t paid for either one and he had not opened a tab. The owner instructed the bartender to ask him for a credit card for a tab or cash to pay for his drinks. The man provided a credit card but it was declined. At that point, the owner went over to the man and basically said “hey you’ve got a tab but your credit card is no good.” The owner told the Sun Herald that the man got aggressive with him and grabbed his arm and pulled him close. The owner told the man not to touch him again and that he either needed to provide another card or pay cash for his drinks. The man gave the owner another credit card but it too was declined. The owner described how the man then became irate and talked loudly. He finally pulled out a $10 bill to pay his $6 tab but he never ordered another drink during his time at Skeeter’s. After the newcomer paid his bar tab, he walked over to the pool table where Mike Surber and friends were playing. The owner said he warned Mike about him a short while later and told him to be wary of the man. Mike told him that the guy was just down on his luck and brushed it off. While they were playing pool, the man introduced himself as Jericho Cooper. He told the other patrons and the employees that he owned a recording studio in Atlanta and that he was going to be opening a 2nd studio in south Mississippi. The recording studio name he gave them was the name of a real studio in Atlanta. He also bragged to them about having lots of money and owning a huge home in nearby Long Beach. One of the other men involved in the pool game that day reported that Jericho also confided in them that he’d spent 8 years in prison but he never said why. He was dressed nicely, clean shaven and very well-spoken. Other than the owner and the bartender, none of the other patrons reported having any concerns about the man. Eventually, Jericho told the men that he wanted to see the nicer casinos in the area and Mike agreed to take him. The 2 men left the bar in Mike’s vehicle around 3:30 pm that afternoon. Investigators later discovered that Mike first took Jericho to a friend’s office who was an attorney because Jericho claimed he needed legal advice in relation to opening his 2nd recording studio in the area. The attorney wasn’t in that afternoon but another employee in the office was able to provide a timeframe. The 2 men arrived at the attorney’s office around 4:30 pm and left just minutes later. Next Mike and Jericho drove to another friend of Mike’s Ocean Springs home to pick up a 2nd vehicle Mike owned, a Toyota 4Runner. Mike had left the 4 runner at his friends when a recent hurricane was approaching the area. On the way, Mike called the friend to let him know he was coming. He explained that he had another man with him so that he could get his vehicle back home. Jericho drove the extra vehicle and followed Mike back to Mike’s home which was also located in the city of Ocean Springs. Investigators believe the 2 men arrived at Mike’s house around 5 pm and they said that Jericho stabbed Mike in the back within seconds of walking through his front door. Investigators believe Jericho knew exactly what he was doing. Mike Surber was known for carrying large amounts of cash and that day was no exception. The cash has never been found. This information released by the investigators would suggest that the suspect is a manipulative, cold-blooded killer and con man. He walked into the bar looking to take someone for a bunch of money. He identified his target, a man who was well known for carrying large sums of cash on him, spun a tale to lure him into leaving the bar with him and he didn’t hesitate to kill him within seconds of arriving at a private location. By 6 pm, one of Mike’s vehicles was back in the parking lot of Skeeter’s. Investigators stated that they believe his vehicle was brought back to the parking lot to divert attention from Mike’s home where he was lying dead just inside the front door. One of Mike’s friends told reporters that he was concerned Mike had left with a man he didn’t know but he still never imagined he’d be murder. Due to his concerns, he began calling him that afternoon and into the next day. While he called numerous times, he reported he got a busy signal every time. 2 days later on November 12th, Mike was expected to be at Skeeter’s to play pool with friends. When he didn’t show up, they became concerned and then found his vehicle in the parking lot. It was unlocked with the keys in the ignition and his wallet, credit cards and identification card were all inside. That’s when they all knew for sure that something was wrong. They made attempts to locate Mike but when they were unsuccessful, they drove to his home. They looked through a window and saw their friend lying on the floor dead. Mike’s friends at the bar told police about the events at the bar the last time they saw him and investigators immediately began to search for Jericho Cooper. They called the Atlanta recording studio that Jericho claimed to own. No one at the studio had ever heard of Jericho Cooper and they also said they didn’t know anyone who fit the description of him. A few days later, Jericho was seen at a bar and grill in Ridgeland, MS approximately 175 miles away. This time, he was in the company of an unknown woman and his stop there came to the attention of law enforcement because he walked out without paying a $100 bar tab. Through their investigation, they also learned he was seen in a club with an unknown woman the week before Mike’s murder in Villa Rica, Georgia which is about 30 miles west of Atlanta. Investigators located the real Jericho Cooper and they found out his identity had been stolen. The real Jericho was at the same club in Villa Rica at the same time as the fake Jericho. Not only did fake Jericho skip out on that bar tab too, he managed to steal the real one’s identity. Investigators have been able to determine that the man who assumed Jericho’s identity was the last person to see Mike Surber alive and he is wanted for questioning for capital murder. While they don’t have his name, they have some pretty dang good images and video of him, especially considering they came from surveillance video in 2009. They have also identified some other information through their investigation that should be helpful in locating this suspected killer. Investigators believe he may have traveled interstate 20 frequently. He is white male who would now be estimated to be in his late 50’s to 60s and between 5’8” to 6 foot tall. At the time of Mike’s murder, the unidentified suspect had brown hair that he wore pulled back in a ponytail and his weight was estimated at 175-185 pounds but both of those are characteristics that could have changed over the years. He also had a receding hairline. Law enforcement has stated that he is known to walk out without paying his bar tabs and he should be considered armed and dangerous. Based on his behavior in Mike’s case, he’s bold and he is unafraid to integrate himself in with his potential victims’ associates and friends. The images captured of this suspected killer are of good quality. Someone has to know and recognize this man. If you have any information that could help identify this suspected killer and solve this case, please call Seargent McClellon with the Ocean Springs Police Department at 228-875-2211. You may also submit tips anonymously to Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-877-787-5898 and a cash reward may be available.

Case Last Updated:

Oct 16, 2024