In the mid-1990s, Marietta, Georgia, a peaceful suburb, was home to numerous professionals working at Lockheed Martin, a hub for the aerospace and defense industry. Among these residents was Carol Marlin, 46, a program planner at Lockheed. The tranquility of this community was shattered in June 1996 when Carol Marlin disappeared, setting off a chain of events that would expose a series of shocking crimes linked to a man named John Peek.
On the evening of June 13, 1996, John Peek, Carol Marlin’s common-law husband and an IT professional at Lockheed, contacted the police. He reported Marlin missing, stating she had gone to dinner with Margaret Ginn, 64, a friend and former colleague, and had not returned home.
Eddie Herman, a retired detective sergeant with the Cobb County PD, recalled for “The Real Murders of Atlanta” on Oxygen the initial response to the missing person report. While many missing person cases resolve with the individual returning, Herman felt unease from the outset in this case.
Herman visited John Peek’s residence to gather preliminary information. He learned Marlin was driving a blue Camry. The following morning, he tracked down Margaret Ginn’s address through Lockheed and discovered Marlin’s car parked there. His initial unease intensified.
Upon arriving at Ginn’s residence, police found no response at the door. After obtaining permission from Ginn’s family, they forced entry. Inside, they found a horrific scene: Carol Marlin’s body was face down in the dining room, and Margaret Ginn was deceased in the bedroom. Both women had been brutally bludgeoned to death. The violence inflicted on Marlin was particularly severe, suggesting a deeply personal motive to investigators. Adding to the unsettling scene, the killer had locked the door after the murders and placed a torn Lockheed invoice in Marlin’s hand, bearing the name Barry Webb.
Margaret Ginn, victim in the John Peek case, highlighting the tragic events in Atlanta.
As detectives began to piece together the puzzle, John Peek arrived at the crime scene. After informing him of Marlin’s death, they brought him to the station for questioning. Investigators sought to understand the nature of Marlin’s relationship with John Peek. John Peek maintained that their relationship was healthy and stable.
When questioned about his whereabouts on the night of the murders, John Peek stated he had gotten fast food and returned home. Asked if anyone might want to harm Marlin, John Peek mentioned an anonymous threatening letter sent to some Lockheed employees a week prior.
Meanwhile, Barry Webb, Marlin’s friend and coworker whose name was on the invoice, contacted Herman. Webb reported that on the night of the murders, someone had broken into his basement workshop. That intruder, Webb identified, was John Peek.
Another image of Margaret Ginn, remembering the victims of John Peek’s crimes.
When questioned about this incident, John Peek claimed he was looking for his wife at Webb’s house. However, he had failed to mention this crucial detail in earlier interviews, raising further suspicions.
The investigation took a significant turn when detectives discovered that Carol Marlin had made John Peek the primary beneficiary of her $700,000 life insurance policy just two weeks before her murder. Susie Sutton, Marlin’s sister, revealed that the policy had previously been in their mother’s name.
For investigators, the motive became increasingly clear: $700,000 and John Peek stood to gain. Despite the mounting circumstantial evidence, John Peek denied any involvement and hired legal counsel. Without concrete physical evidence, eyewitnesses, or DNA linking John Peek directly to the crime scene, the District Attorney declined to press charges, devastating Marlin and Ginn’s families.
Sutton expressed her and her mother’s belief in John Peek’s guilt, echoing Detective Herman’s sentiment that Marlin had “signed her death warrant” by changing the life insurance policy. The case went cold, but the detectives remained hopeful for a break.
Years later, on October 2, 2005, a new homicide case emerged in Smyrna, just miles from Marietta. Police responded to a home and found a woman dead in her bedroom, face down on the bed, shot in the back with a .30 caliber rifle.
Retired Smyrna PD detective Ron Waddell described the overkill nature of the shooting, noting the clumsily staged scene that suggested an amateur attempt to mislead investigators. The victim was identified as Kasi Peek, 44, John Peek’s wife.
John and Kasi Peek, highlighting the second wife of John Peek who became another victim.
When Kasi’s sister, Jaquidon Kruger, was informed of the murder, she asked investigators if they were aware that John Peek’s first wife had also been murdered. This revelation connected the Marietta and Smyrna cases. Detectives from both jurisdictions compared notes and recognized disturbing parallels. When questioned about Kasi’s murder and the eerie similarity to his first wife’s death investigation, Waddell recounted John Peek’s chilling admission: “As a matter of fact, I was the primary suspect in my last wife’s murder. How about that.”
Investigators learned that John Peek and Kasi married in May 2000, shortly after meeting. While family described their initial happiness, their relationship deteriorated after Kasi discovered John Peek’s infidelity. She had moved out but hoped for reconciliation.
John Peek claimed to be working at his home in Allatoona on the night of Kasi’s murder. A search warrant for his residence uncovered a collection of “CSI” tapes, which John Peek explained as a casual interest. Despite the circumstantial evidence, physical evidence directly linking John Peek to Kasi’s murder remained elusive.
Undeterred, Kasi’s sister and brother-in-law pursued a civil suit, granting them greater discovery power than the police. Their investigation into financial records revealed a crucial piece of evidence: John Peek had been double-paying Kasi’s life insurance to prevent cancellation during their separation.
This discovery of John Peek maintaining Kasi’s life insurance mirrored the life insurance motive in Carol Marlin’s murder, establishing a clear pattern. John Peek was arrested and charged with Kasi’s murder, and the evidence from both cases became intertwined.
Facing overwhelming evidence, John Peek pleaded guilty to the murders of Carol Marlin, Margaret Ginn, and Kasi Peek. In April 2007, at age 54, John Peek received three life sentences without parole, to be served concurrently, finally bringing a measure of justice for the victims and their families after years of anguish and uncertainty.
For a more in-depth account of this case and similar stories, tune into “The Real Murders of Atlanta” on Oxygen, Sundays at 8/7c.
