How did they die? Who killed them?

An episode titled “Fatal Omission” of NBC’s “Dateline” focuses on the 1996 double murder of Carol Marlin and Margaret Guinn. When the news of the murder broke, everyone got goosebumps. the entire community and the families of the victims felt a wave of grief wash over them. It took the authorities several years and another murder to get to the bottom of the case and catch the perpetrator. The episode also features exclusive and insightful interviews with families and friends of the victims, who talk about their experiences and the aftermath of the case.

Carol Marlin and Margaret Ginn were found dead in the latter’s apartment

In 1950, Carol Marlin was born into a seemingly loving family that also included her sister, Susie Sutton. The 46-year-old program planner at Lockheed was married to John Peek, who worked in the IT sector. She was good friends with her former co-star Margaret L. Anderson Ginn, who was born to Julian Paul Anderson and Nettie Mae Bell Watkins Anderson on April 4, 1932, in Georgia. Growing up, she lost her six-year-old brother, Julian James “Jimmy” Anderson, in 1939. Later in her life, Margaret met the love of her life, Thomas Eugene Guinn. As their romance grew stronger over time, they got married in the presence of their lovers.

During their marriage, they welcomed a son, Russell Sterling Guinn. Sadly, Thomas died in 1985, leaving her a widow. Carol and Margaret had plans to meet for dinner on the night of June 13, 1996. However, when the former did not return home to Marietta that evening, her husband became concerned and reported her missing to the police. While the police searched for the two missing friends, John learned Margaret’s address from Lockheed and drove to her place, only to find his wife’s blue Camry parked outside.

Arriving at Margaret’s, the police got permission from one of her relatives and broke into the house when no one answered the door. Once they got inside, they found Carol’s body in the dining room and Margaret’s body in the bedroom. During the examination of the bodies, investigators and forensic experts found out that both had received fatal blows to the head. Detectives also observed the killer lock the door and place the document in Carol’s hand before fleeing the scene. Without wasting time, an investigation into the double murder was launched.

The detectives could not gather enough evidence against the killer

First, investigators brought in John Peake for questioning to understand the dynamics of his marriage to Carol Marlin. He claimed that their marriage was fine and that fateful night he ate at a fast food chain before going home. In addition, there were several inconsistencies in his story, making him the prime suspect in the case. After digging deeper into Carroll’s colleagues at Lockheed, police learned that one of her colleagues, Barry Webb, called 911 the night of the murder after an intruder allegedly broke into his basement.

When it became known that John Peake had broken into Barry’s house, the police questioned him and he said he was only looking for his wife. What made the authorities suspect John even more was that Carol had made him the primary beneficiary of her $700,000 life insurance policy, which had previously been in her mother’s name, just a couple of weeks before the murder. After discovering a potential motive for the murder, detectives began to dig deeper into his life to gather evidence against him, but were unable to do so. Thus, due to sufficient evidence, they were unable to charge and arrest him.

Another murder in 2005 led to the conviction of the killer

After several years of investigation, the case was brought back to life on October 2, 2005, when 44-year-old Cassie Peek was found shot to death in her Smyrna residence near Marietta, Georgia. As it turned out, she was the second wife of John Peake, who again found himself at the center of the murder investigation. According to reports, they met in 1999 and married almost eight months later, in May 2000. Although they were described as a happy couple, John reportedly cheated on her four years after they exchanged vows. Insulted and angry, Kasi, of course, left their home, but still held on to the hope of somehow arranging a marriage.

When investigators questioned him about his whereabouts at the time of Cassie’s murder, John stated that he was busy building his house in Allatoona. Although they scoured his house for evidence, they were unable to gather anything incriminating that could directly link him to the murder. Thanks to a civil lawsuit filed by Cassie’s sister and brother-in-law against John, the police were able to uncover some suspicious activity in Cassie’s financial statements. John must have double paid for her insurance to make sure it wouldn’t be canceled after their divorce.

Detectives recalled that a similar scheme and financial motives were uncovered during the investigation into the murder of John’s first wife. With enough evidence against him, detectives arrested and charged him with the murders of three women — Carol Marlin, Margaret Ginn, and Cassie Peek. Unexpectedly, he pleaded guilty to all three murders and received three life sentences without parole.

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