Detectives Sam Murphy and Ted Armstrong conducted telephone interviews with Achim Michaelis' co-workers in Germany. Translators were employed on both ends of the conversation to ensure clear communication. Piet van Meegen, Thomas Weiler, and Magdalena Holm, all members of the Omega Arts Group (OAG) with Achim Michaelis, were interviewed separately and those interviews are summarized below.

Piet van Meegen

Van Meegen stated he has known Achim Michaelis since 1985 and the two of them formed the Omega Arts Group (OAG) in 1992 with Thomas Weiler. He said that he, Michaelis, and Weiler worked solely on OAG projects for a few years. For the last five or six years, each of them has also worked other jobs in the Advertising or Information Technology industries to supplement their incomes and earn additional funds for OAG projects.

Van Meegen stated he was acquainted with Michaelis' former wife, Elena Weiss. He said Michaelis and Weiss dated in the early 1990s and were married for approximately one year, but have been divorced since 1994. Van Meegen stated he has not been in contact with Weiss for many years and does not know her current whereabouts. Van Meegen said he did not know the identity of Michaelis' current girlfriend, whom Michaelis said he met online.

Van Meegen said he does not know Wenzel Hitzig as well as he knows Michaelis. His contact with Hitzig has been primarily by email and telephone though he has met Hitzig on a few occasions when Hitzig visited Michaelis in Germany.

Van Meegen stated he first heard about the TINAG project from Michaelis, who mentioned it in mid-2000 as a potential opportunity for OAG. Michaelis told him about the basic concept of the game, which Michaelis and Wenzel Hitzig had developed, and van Meegen said he, Michaelis, Weiler and Holm agreed that OAG would participate in the project. Van Meegen said he, Weiler and Holm were working exclusively in Germany and Michaelis and Hitzig were responsible for any travel required.

Van Meegen said Michaelis was very enthusiastic about the TINAG project while he was living in Germany, but after his arrival in the United States, Michaelis seemed to lose some of that enthusiasm. Van Meegen said Michaelis did not discuss it with him in detail, but van Meegen's impression was that Michaelis was finding it harder to work with Hitzig in person every day than he had anticipated. While Michaelis and Hitzig had been close friends as children and had maintained that friendship via letters, telephone conversations, and later email, it had been many years since they spent so much time together and it was not as easy as Michaelis expected. Van Meegen said Michaelis did not specify what the source of the difficulties was.

Van Meegen said he last spoke to Michaelis by telephone the day before Michaelis and Hitzig left Atlanta for Oxford. He was not aware that Arlene Melton was traveling to Oxford with Michaelis and Hitzig, but was not surprised. However, van Meegen was surprised when informed that Michaelis was carrying a loaded handgun at the time he was killed. Van Meegen said Michaelis had mentioned being nervous, especially about someone trying to steal the TINAG game, but van Meegen said he had not realized Michaelis was concerned enough to carry a gun. Van Meegen stated he was not aware of anyone who was interested in or attempting to steal the game.

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Thomas Weiler

Weiler stated he had known Achim Michaelis since 1986 and that he, Michaelis and Piet van Meegen had formed the Omega Arts Group in 1992. Weiler said he invited Magdalena Holm to join OAG in 1993.

Weiler said he knew Michaelis' ex-wife, Elena Weiss. He said he had never liked her and was glad when she and Michaelis divorced. He said Weiss was possessive and jealous with Michaelis and, when Holm joined OAG, Weiss got worse. Weiler speculated that may have been the reason Michaelis and Weiss finally divorced, but said he was not aware of any romantic relationship between Michaelis and Holm during Michaelis' marriage. Weiler said he has not stayed in touch with Weiss and had no idea where she might be currently.

Weiler said Michaelis had mentioned a woman he met online, but Weiler did not know many details about her. Michaelis did say she was an American and that he hoped to meet up with her while he was in the United States, but did not reveal any other information about her. Weiler suspected the woman might be married and that is why Michaelis did not talk much about her. Weiler stated he was also aware that Michaelis had begun a sexual relationship with Arlene Melton, but Weiler believed the relationship was not serious for either Michaelis or Melton.

Weiler said he and Michaelis had traveled on business to New Orleans in 1999 and had planned the trip to give them enough time to visit local attractions in addition to meeting with their client. Weiler said the trip was not OAG-related, but was for a client of the advertising agency he and Michaelis were both doing freelance work for at the time. Weiler said Michaelis had hoped they might have time to visit his friend, Wenzel Hitzig, in Atlanta while they were in the country, but did not have enough time. Weiler stated Michaelis collected business cards and ticket stubs from the places they visited and kept the ones from places they especially enjoyed so he would remember which ones to visit if he got another opportunity to visit New Orleans in the future.

Weiler said OAG joined the TINAG project in June 2000. Michaelis worked on the project in Germany with Weiler, van Meegen, and Holm until he went to the US in March 2001 to work with Wenzel Hitzig. Weiler said he had met Hitzig a few times, but primarily communicated with him by email and telephone. Weiler said Michaelis and Hitzig seemed to get along most of the time, but had arguments over "creative differences" from time to time.

Weiler said he last spoke to Michaelis by telephone approximately one week before Michaelis and Hitzig left for Oxford, though he and Michaelis had communicated by email after that conversation. Weiler said Michaelis seemed generally happy with his situation in the United States, but did seem a little worried about funding for the TINAG project and the need to attract investors who could finance the project to completion. Weiler was not aware of any competitors or other parties who might have been attempting to steal the game, but said he would not be surprised if there were some. Weiler admitted he had advised Michaelis that, if he truly believed he was in danger, he should obtain a weapon of some type that he could use to defend himself.

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Magdalena Holm

Holm stated that Thomas Weiler, whom she was dating at the time, invited her to join the Omega Arts Group in 1993. She said she had met Achim Michaelis and Piet van Meegen a few times prior to joining the group, but became better acquainted with both men after she began working with them.

Holm said she had also met Michaelis' former wife, Elena Weiss, a few times while the couple was still married, but said she did not get along well with Weiss and felt Weiss did not like her. Holm said Michaelis and Weiss separated within six months of the time she started working with OAG and she did not see Weiss again after that. Holm said she did not know where Weiss is currently.

Holm stated she and Michaelis had a brief romantic affair in 1995, but it ended amicably and the two were still close friends. She said she often discussed Michaelis' subsequent relationships with him and provided advice when he asked for it, and he did the same for her. Holm said she was aware that Michaelis had established a relationship online with an American woman, but she did not know the woman's name. Holm added that she was also aware of Michaelis' sexual relationship with Arlene Melton, but said she had advised him against it because she felt it could be disruptive to the work environment and did not think it was worth the risk. Holm said Michaelis opted not to take her advice and they did not discuss the issue further.

Holm said she and Michaelis had taken a vacation trip to Thailand shortly before he left for the United States. She said both of them enjoyed diving and, since they did not know when they would have an opportunity to go diving together again because Michaelis would be in the United States, they decided to take a trip together before he left.

Holm said Michaelis had told her about the TINAG concept he was working on with Wenzel Hitzig before he made the suggestion that OAG might participate in the project. She said Michaelis was excited about the game itself and about the opportunity to work closely with his long-time friend, Hitzig. Holm said, in the time she had known Michaelis, he had often mentioned Hitzig and was eager to introduce her to Hitzig when Hitzig visited him. Holm said she liked Hitzig and got along well with him. She said Michaelis and Hitzig disagreed frequently, but she said there was never any real animosity between them, only the clashing of two strong personalities.

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