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Former Florida deputy ID’d as suspect in 1979 cold case homicide

John J. Greer admitted to shooting, killing 25-year-old Adele Marie Easterly

Adele Marie Easterly and John J. Greer (Charlotte County Sheriff's Office)

CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. – A former Florida deputy has been identified as a suspect in a 1979 cold case homicide of a 25-year-old woman in Punta Gorda, according to sheriff’s officials.

The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday said then-Deputy John J. Greer said he found Adele Marie Easterly dead in a store on Highway 17 and North Washington Loop Road in November 1979. The store clerk was shot twice with a shotgun, once in the back and once in the head, the sheriff’s office said.

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“Initially, many Sheriff’s Office investigators and commanders were concerned with Deputy John Greer. Some believed he could be responsible for Adele’s death but lacked substantial evidence to back up their suspicion. Some deputies were already suspicious because of an earlier investigation and other strange behavior exhibited by Greer,” a release said.

Greer called authorities in August 1979 to report his wife had shot herself in their home in Port Charlotte, deputies said.

“Greer was off duty at the time. An investigation was completed, and although investigators suspected something was not right about the incident, there was no evidence to prove the case was anything other than suicide. Greer was the person who “discovered” Adele Easterly’s body 71 days after his wife’s death,” the release said.

Then, deputies said a woman who was an acquaintance of Greer’s had been found dead in September 1980 in her car. Her cause of death was undetermined, but she was found with empty pill bottles in her car.

“No signs of trauma were noted. The female left behind a suicide note that appeared to be legitimate. Her husband told sheriff’s officials that John Greer had been following his wife around and was coming to their house while on duty and attempting to have sexual relations with her,” the sheriff’s office said.

While under investigation, Greer resigned from the sheriff’s office the same day he was suspended in October 1980, officials said. The sheriff’s office said in a release there are no records to confirm whether he was under investigation for the death of the woman.

According to the release, a friend of the 25-year-old store clerk told deputies she was afraid to come forward with information because she was scared of a deputy. The friend said the woman had been dating a Charlotte County deputy and that he would visit her at the store at night to “protect her,” officials said.

“Adele told her friend she became aware the deputy she was involved with was married and later tried to break up with him. Adele stated to her friend that the deputy had told her that he informed his wife he wanted a divorce. He said his wife took his service revolver and was going to shoot herself. They fought over the gun, and it went off and his wife was killed,” the release said.

After asking for information in the case in 2016, the cold case unit spoke with a woman who said she “had been sexually assaulted numerous times by John Greer, and he had threatened to kill her.”

“During one sexual assault, Greer told her to ‘ask them dead bitches like Adele Easterly what happens when they say no to me,’” the release said.

After probable cause was developed to arrest Greer, cold case detectives learned in April 2023 he was in an extended care facility and “was bedridden and could only give short answers to questions.” He admitted to shooting the store clerk and his wife during the questioning, detectives said.

Greer died in March 2024 at 77 years old.

“It was determined Greer would never be well enough to stand trial, but the deaths of Adele Easterly and Greer’s wife were confirmed to have been at the hands of John Greer,” the sheriff’s office said.

No other victims have been identified, but the cold case unit is continuing its investigation to determine if Greer was involved in any other crimes.


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