True Crime – Recapping The Gruesome Murder Of Gene Thurnau

True crime needn’t be current to engage fans of the genre, and recently, the Kallmekris vlog revisited the murder of Gene Thurnau. It graphically illustrates how murderers don’t necessarily look or behave in an evil way. Read on to find out more.

Danger Isn’t Confined to Strangers

Two days ago on YouTube, true crime vlogger Kallmekris reminded her viewers that “sometimes, the greatest danger doesn’t come from a stranger, but from the person quietly beside you.” A friendly and diligent air traffic controller named Gene Thurnau found that out the hard way.

After a heartbreaking divorce in Nebraska, he sought a fresh start in Florida. There, he found love with a woman named Juanita, also known as JJ. Soon, they started building a life and a new home together.

However, back in Nebraska, his quiet, unassuming coworker, Bob Peterson, had developed a dangerous obsession with Gene. Sadly, the social outcast at work had only received kindness from Gene.

Without telling anyone, Bob secured a transfer to the same Florida airport. Obsessed with Gene, Bob even went so far as to secretly photograph every stage of Gene and JJ’s new house being built. And that obsession turned deadly after he kept turning up in their lives. Actually, it verged on what we call stalking these days. 

A Deadly Obsession

Kallmekris talked about how the obsession reached its deadly climax on November 1, 2006, when Bob insisted on visiting the couple’s new home. Under pressure, eventually, they’d invited him for an early dinner. However, he didn’t take the hint that it was time for him to leave.

After dinner, he gave them a scrapbook of the photos he’d taken of their home being built. Clearly, he’d been stalking their private lives. Stunned by the disturbing gift, Gene and JJ were relieved when JJ’s daughter arrived, providing an excuse for her to leave.

When she was gone, Bob made his move, presenting Gene with a three-page letter where he confessed, “I have loved you for some time now.” He then issued a horrifying ultimatum, telling Gene he would not leave until he had a sexual encounter with him. In the letter, Bob wrote, “I’m not leaving until I taste your in my mouth.”

Returning To A Terrifying Scene

JJ returned to find a blood-spattered home and her husband’s clothes discarded in a heap. Both Gene and Bob were missing. A spent bullet casing and Bob’s letter, with its twisted confession and proposition, confirmed a violent struggle. The letter was a “written confession and motive left behind by the likely perpetrator,” as police later explained.

For two days, a frantic search for the two men ensued. Authorities eventually found them at a house Bob had rented. Both men were dead. Gene’s body had “been mutilated” and he was shot in the head. Bob had died by suicide from a self-inflicted gunshot.

The Finding Of The Investigation 

The police concluded that Bob killed Gene at his home, then transported the body to the rented house where he killed himself. As his brother later said, “I didn’t even think he had a gun. I didn’t think he was capable of doing it. He might have snapped.”

Gene’s story stands as a tragic case of deadly obsession. Notably, Bob hadn’t shown any signs of violence before the actual crime. Mind you, his obsessive behavior, always wanting to be around Gene, seemed rather creepy.

Viewers React

True crime fans who viewed the recap of the murder by Kallmekris took to the comments section to discuss the way it needn’t be a stranger that people need to fear. One of them wrote, “…there are just way too many times when people overlooked smaller signs and ended up dead… We’ve learned the hard way that you can’t be too careful.”

Here are a few more responses in the discussion area:

• He was just nice to someone who was considered a social outcast and that kindness was his end. It’s heartbreaking.
• This video has made me feel a bit strange about a coworker of mine. Im definitely going to start keeping him completely at arms distance.
• I was stalked when i was younger, and I’ll forever be grateful that it never got to this point.

What are your thoughts on Gene Thurnau ending up dead after he reached out to befriend a man that other co-workers shunned for being socially awkward? Sound off in the comments below, and come back here often for all your true crime news and updates.