A former Charlotte County Deputy has been identified as the suspect in the killing of his wife and alleged lover in 1979.
According to the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office, on Monday, Nov. 5, 1979, at 1:40 a.m., Charlotte County deputy John J. Greer reported that he discovered a homicide.
Greer said the clerk at the Farm Store had been murdered, and $7.34 was also taken from the store.
The Farm store was located on Highway 17 and North Washington Loop Road in Punta Gorda.
CCSO said the medical examiner determined the victim, Adele Marie Easterly, 25, from Arcadia, was shot twice with a 12-gauge shotgun.
Easterly was shot once in the back and once in the head.
People in Easterly's life were interviewed, and some were considered potential suspects.
According to the sheriff's office, no evidence developed that would establish a solid suspect was found during the initial investigation.
Information and statements gathered years later would explain why.
CCSO stated that some people suspected that Greer could have been responsible for Easterly's death, but there was no evidence to back it up.
On Aug. 27, 1979, Greer called CCSO and reported his wife, Jackie Greer, shot herself in their Port Charlotte home.
After an investigation, there was no proof that the case was anything but a suicide.
Greer was the person who "discovered" Adele Easterly's body 71 days after his wife’s death, according to the sheriff's office.
Greer resigned from the sheriff's office in 1980 while under investigation for other activities. He was suspended on Oct. 3, 1980, and resigned the same day.
Another female acquaintance of Greer was found dead while sitting in her Ford Mustang in a wooded area of Port Charlotte.
Her husband reported her missing on Sept. 20, 1980, and her body was found on Sept. 29.
CCSO stated the cause of death was undetermined, but it was suspected that she overdosed on pills because empty pill bottles were found in the car.
Her body was too decomposed to determine the cause of death. The sheriff's office also noted there were no signs of trauma.
A suicide note was also found that seemed legitimate.
Her husband told CCSO that Greer had been following his wife around and was coming to their house while on duty and attempting to have sexual relations with her.
According to CCSO, the Cold Case team suspects this is why an internal investigation was opened on Greer by the sheriff’s office, ultimately resulting in his resignation, although there is no proof this is why.
In October 1986, detectives interviewed one of Easterly’s friends.
She told a detective she was afraid to come forward before because of a deputy.
Her friend stated she had conversations with Easterly about her different relationships.
Easterly told her she had been dating a Charlotte County deputy.
The deputy would visit her on night shift and bring his gun into the Farm Store to "protect" her.
The friend felt this gun was an additional one other than his duty weapon.
The sheriff's office said Greer carried a personal double-barrel 12-gauge shotgun in his car.
Easterly was shot twice with a 12-gauge shotgun, and no casings were found at the scene. CCSO said double-barrel shotguns do not self-eject spent shells.
CCSO stated it was common for deputies to carry personal shotguns and rifles in their patrol vehicles.
Easterly told her friend she found out Greer was married and tried to break up with him. She told her friend that Greer told his wife he wanted a divorce. Greer said his wife took his gun and was going to shoot herself.
According to Greer, he and his wife fought over the gun, and it went off and his wife was killed.
About two weeks before her murder, Easterly told her friend she was afraid of the deputy.
When asked about Greer, Easterly's friend said she believed that was the name of the deputy she was seeing.
CCSO noted no other deputy lost a wife to suicide or homicide in that time period.
The Farm Store was in a zone that Greer worked often during midnight shift.
In November 1986, detectives requested that a crime scene investigator with blood splatter training examine Greer's wife's death scene.
An investigator from the Broward County Sheriff's Office examined the scene but could not determine if her death was a suicide or homicide. The investigator could not determine if the death happened in the manner Greer explained.
Greer told responding deputies he was sleeping and heard a "pop."
He looked for his wife and saw smoke coming out of the closet.
He opened the door and found his wife was in the closet and had been shot. CCSO said chemicals used to detect blood were used, and no blood splatter was found on the inside of the door.
There was evidence of blood in the door jam, which would prove the closet door was open at the time of the shooting.
The current Cold Case unit was formed in 2009. Detectives began going through cases, including these two.
CCSO said detectives purposely released more information in 2016, with the hope someone with knowledge of this crime would respond.
The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit Cold Case Detectives believe that the male suspect in the murder of Adele Easterly had left the State of Florida and has been residing in Kentucky/Tennessee for many years.
Detectives received information that a former sheriff's office explorer had information about Greer.
The woman said she had been sexually assaulted numerous times by Greer, and he had threatened to kill her.
During one assault, Greer said, "ask them dead...like Adele Easterly, what happens when they say no to me."
The woman was working in dispatch the night Easterly was found dead.
She said she watched Greer drive into the sheriff’s office complex, appearing disheveled with a gun.
She also noticed one of his gloves was off and he had something on his bare hand that could be blood, according to CCSO, Greer was known to wear black gloves while on duty.
Additional information was obtained to support some of the statements of the victim.
Detectives developed probable cause to arrest Greer. The detectives continued to investigate in order to help with a conviction.
Once detectives gained as much evidence as possible, an interview with Greer was attempted.
He was monitored over the years and had been living in Kingsport, Tennessee.
Cold Case detectives discovered Greer moved from his home to an extended care facility in Kingsport.
In April 2023, detectives interviewed Greer.
At that time, CCSO said he was bedridden and could only give short answers to questions.
The sheriff's office said Greer understood questions but could not carry on long conversations.
Greer admitted to shooting Easterly and his wife, Jackie. Detectives could not confirm with Greer if he shot his wife Jackie intentionally or if it was an accident.
CCSO 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.
Greer died at the care center in Kingsport, Tennessee, on March 2, 2024, at the age of 77.
After leaving the sheriff's office in 1980, Greer applied to other agencies and worked in a few police and sheriff's offices near the west coast of Florida. CCSO said he was a pilot and held different aircraft-related positions in and near Kingsport, Tennesee.
No other victims have been identified.
CCSO said they will continue to investigate Greer to determine if he was or could have been involved in any other violent crimes in Florida and other states.
DOWNLOAD the free NBC2 News app for your latest news and weather alerts.