In an unexpected turn of events, the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office identified a former deputy, John Greer, as the primary suspect in the 1979 murder of store clerk Adele Easterly.
Adele Easterly, aged 25, was tragically shot twice with a 12-gauge shotgun while on duty at a Farm Store located off U.S. 17 in Punta Gorda on November 5, 1979. Her death was initially reported by John Greer, a deputy on duty at the time, who claimed to have found Easterly inside the store. Following the incident, Greer resigned from the force under suspicion in October 1980, coinciding with an investigation into other alleged activities.
The case took a significant turn in 1986 when a close friend of Easterly’s divulged to detectives that Easterly had spoken about dating a deputy. This deputy, believed to be Greer, often visited her at the store during her shifts. Furthermore, Easterly reportedly expressed fear of this deputy two weeks prior to her murder. Notably, Greer was known to have carried a personal 12-gauge shotgun in his vehicle, identical to the weapon used in Easterly’s demise.
In a related event that occurred earlier, on August 27, 1979, Greer’s wife, Jackie, was found shot at their home in Port Charlotte. Initial assessments concluded Jackie’s death as a suicide due to insufficient evidence suggesting otherwise. However, further investigation in 1986 uncovered statements from Easterly’s friend, who revealed that Greer had reportedly told his wife of his desire for a divorce, leading to an altercation over a gun that resulted in her death. Greer offered a different account, stating he awoke to a gunshot and discovered his wife dead without recollection of the event.
Years passed without resolution until the Cold Case Unit of Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, established in 2009, revisited Easterly’s case. It garnered attention on social media in 2016, where detectives indicated the suspect’s knowledge of law enforcement and potential relocation to Tennessee or Kentucky. This social media exposure prompted several tips regarding Greer. A notable tip came from a woman involved in the CCSO’s Explorer program, who accused Greer of sexual assault. She chillingly recounted a threat made by Greer referencing Easterly’s fate. On the night of the murder, she observed Greer returning with a long gun, appearing agitated.
Efforts to locate and interview Greer were fruitful in 2023, despite complications due to his deteriorating health. In an April 2023 interview, Greer confessed to the shootings of both Easterly and his wife, Jackie. However, he did not clarify whether Jackie’s death was intentional. Although this admission provided crucial answers, Greer was deemed unfit for trial due to his health conditions and subsequently passed away on March 2, 2024, at the age of 77.
Sheriff Bill Prummell commented on the revelations, expressing determination to confront the agency’s past openly and asserting a commitment to pursuing justice, even when the findings are uncomfortable. He reassured the public that Greer’s actions do not reflect the integrity of the agency’s workforce, highlighting the importance of accountability and expressing his condolences to the victims and their families.
The resolution of this decades-old case underscores the relentless pursuit of justice by law enforcement agencies, despite the challenging nature of historical investigations. While the confession from John Greer brought some semblance of closure to the mystery surrounding Adele Easterly’s murder, it also serves as a stark reminder of the enduring impacts of unresolved crimes on communities and victims’ families.
Source: Fox13news
