Dateline NBC - Talking Dateline: Deadly Omission

Episode Date: October 30, 2024

Blayne Alexander and Andrea Canning go behind the scenes of Andrea’s latest episode, “Deadly Omission." When Kasi Peek was found shot to death in her bed in 2005, investigators turned their attention to a double homicide from nearly a decade earlier to help catch her killer. Andrea tells Blayne what she learned about love bombing from reporting on this case and plays an extra clip from a police interview with the main suspect about his previous marriages. Later, they answer your questions from social media.Listen to the full episode of “Deadly Omission” here: https://link.chtbl.com/dl_deadlyomissionWant to see the shirt Blayne’s husband made? Check it out: https://x.com/DatelineNBC/status/1843663263508378057

Hi, everyone. I'm Blaine Alexander and we are Talking Dateline. Today I'm here with Andrea Canning. Hi, Andrea. Hey, Blaine. Hey. This episode is called Deadly Omission. If you haven't seen it, it's the episode right below this one on your Dateline podcast feed. So go over there, listen to it or stream it on Peacock and then come right back here. For this Talking Dateline, we have an extra clip from John Peake's interview with police after they learned his previous wife, Carol Marlin, had been murdered. But to recap, when Casey Peake was found dead in her bed in 2005, investigators turned their attention to a double homicide that had happened nearly a decade earlier to start unraveling

what had happened to her. They ultimately learned that Casey's husband, John Peek, had killed not one, not two, but three women before finally being put away for good. Okay, Andrea, let's talk Dateline. Andrea McAllister Let's do it. Tess Terrible You know, one of the fun things about watching a Dateline episode is, okay, where does the title come in? And of course, deadly omission. We find out pretty quickly what the omission was. When investigators say, you didn't think of mentioning that

sooner. Yeah. And there were actually two big omissions in this one. Of course, the biggest one was my first wife was murdered along with her friend. I mean, huge. Your second wife has now been murdered. But also the friend Barry Webb, that's another thing that the police are like, hey, you didn't want to mention that you'd gone over to Barry Webb's house and, you know, broke in? Like that's maybe important? Maybe a little bit. I, you know, I found myself as I was watching this episode, I was just so shocked that he

kept being able to slip through the cracks so many times, right? Like, or at least for the first one, he just didn't really do a good job making a lot of stuff make sense. No. I mean, you get caught breaking into, as we said, Barry Webb's house. And then you're saying that you've never been to Maggie Gin's house, but yet everyone in her world knows that you've been there because you helped fix the VCR. He certainly did make a lot of mistakes in that first one.

I have to say, I was fascinated that he didn't move further away. I'm here in Atlanta, so Marriott and Smyrna are literally right next to each other. It's 20 minutes to get from one town to the other. So the fact that after the first murder in 96, he didn't go to Texas or kind of skip town was unbelievable to me that he stayed so close by. Yeah. And I think he was brazen and bold and, you know, had a huge ego. I think he was like, he got away with it and he's like, I can do whatever I want. He slipped through the cracks in 96. But 30 years ago, almost 30 years ago, the technology then wasn't what it is today. There were a lot of kind of bits of the investigation that had it happened today, he probably would have gotten caught a lot sooner.

Yeah, the technology, I mean, for one, it was so weird to hear the detective say that he couldn't find Maggie Gin's phone number or address. I mean, can you imagine today a police officer saying, well, I have no way of finding her address. What? This wasn't in the show either. And I said, well, was she in the phone book? And he's like, no, unlisted. So, you know, because then you would go to the phone book, right? Or you'd call 411, you know, back in the old days, how people did things. So it was odd, right, to see that that was an obstacle. But yeah, I mean, everything has changed so much with technology and DNA. It's hard to get away with stuff now, right, between cameras everywhere and text messages and your cyber footprint,

cell towers. It's a different world. It's hard to do things now without leaving some trace. Hostie Let's talk a little bit about John and his fascination with true crime stories. What was it like for you learning that detail? Jennifer It's something that I hear a lot in Datelines, that the person was obsessed with, you know, CSI or they watch Dateline or they watch all these true crime shows. In another story that I did, it was actually part of like the prosecution that the killer went to the CSI crime experience in Vegas.

Oh, wow. That's mighty creepy. That's just- Well, yeah. Yeah, if you're going to take that knowledge and then commit a crime. I mean, most of us watch it because we're fascinated by it. But like if you're going to go that next step and actually put into practice, that is very creepy. That's creepy. You know, I think that a lot of our Dateline fans who were watching this episode could probably say that John, he messed up a lot of things. And one of them would be kind of the staging of the crime scene to try and make it look like a burglary gone wrong. And I think that initially investigators, right, they were like, oh, could this be the

case? But they were pretty quickly able to see that no, this wasn't actually a burglary gone wrong. Yeah. And I mean, I would say nine times out of 10 on our datelines, the burglary gone bad theory is quickly dismissed. It's always a thought, could have been, but then a lot of times it's weird. They make it look like it's a burglary, but then nothing's missing. So that happens a lot. They walk through the house and just kind of throw things around and that's the burglary. Our datelines so often start out, detectives had to wonder, was it a burglary. Right. I mean, yeah, our datelines so often start out, you know, detectives had to wonder

was it a burglary gone bad? The answer is no. And then it's usually crossed off their list. So yeah. I want to talk about the two police detectives that represented these two different departments that worked together on this. And I loved watching their relationship. I even loved the original detective being the one to make that arrest and just kind of like what that meant for him personally. He really was affected by this because he couldn't get that arrest and also that fear,

you know, that, well, what will happen in the future? Because I wasn't able to close this case. And you heard him talk about like how he would run into him jogging and just kind of pop up and visit him out of nowhere just to see if he could get him off his game and nothing worked. And so then to find out that Casey was murdered, I mean, imagine the guilt, not that it's his fault in any way, but like you would think, oh my gosh, if I had just solved it, you know, Casey would be alive. Did you feel that guilt when you talked to him? I did. I did. It was one of those things he said that just haunted him. And these detectives

carry this stuff around with them, you know, for years. It's sad because it's not their fault, right? He worked the case really hard. He just couldn't get that arrest and somehow, somehow John Peek got away with it for a while there, for a good while. A good while. I think the hardest part for so many viewers and certainly watching this, it was so frustrating to see that he really did move on with his life. He got $700,000 in health insurance. He married again. The thing that, for me, that really stood out about John Peek was he looks like the guy who could be barbecuing next door and waving to you as you're leaving to go to

work in the morning. And obviously killers all look different. But John Peek, he was not some creepy loner. He seemed very considerate, right? Right. Oh, yeah. Yeah. He was not some creepy loner. He seemed very considerate, right? Like when getting... Oh, yeah. Yeah. Okay, I'm going to confess. I had never heard this before.

So, Liz Cole, our executive producer, wanted this in the show. I always say you learn something new every Dateline that you do. Every episode, yes. And for me, this one was love bombing. So I had not heard that term. I guess love bombing is where like John Peake showered, you know, all the women in his life with cards and flowers and... Too much, yes. ...dress and like jewelry and too much.

Doing too much, yes. And then it turns out, he turns out to be evil. So anyway, so I was like, oh, I'd never heard of love bombing. I mean, I feel like I'm up on pop culture, but I guess not on that one. Well, you had the phrase, you knew if you want to find a man, you got to get off the couch. Like you had that one. You had that one on lock in the episode.

But love bombing, I feel like typically is it somebody who texts like, good morning, good morning, good morning every morning, or just like is doing a lot, right? It's just kind of like, maybe that's a bit much. I don't want that much. You want the person to care about you and show you they care, but not in an obsessive like way that's over the top. Smothering, right? Smothering, at least for me anyway.

That's not my thing. When we get back, John Peek married a total of four times. Two of his wives were brutally murdered, but what about the other two? Let's talk about the ladies in this episode. I think that, you know, we've talked about them kind of piece by piece, but women really were the backbone of this episode. And just to say their names, we're talking about Carol, Maggie, and Casey, the three victims of John. One thing that I really loved was when you interviewed Casey's friends.

I loved hearing the two of them talk together. Yeah, they were fun. They were. They were. And they really gave you this kind of sense, almost kind of an inside look into what their friendship was like. I could feel that just hearing from them. Yeah. And Blaine, I'm sure you living in Atlanta, you're a member of the Atlanta Ski Club, right? That was new to me.

I said, oh. I never heard of such a thing. I never heard of that. I was like, oh. The Atlanta Ski Club. Where do we ski? I don't know. I know. I don't know either. Because I'm a skier. I grew up in Canada, so on a ski hill. So when I heard Atlanta Ski Club, then they quickly cleared it up for me that it's

much more about the partying than the skiing. Yeah, we'll have to look into that. I mean, you could tell how close they were. Every woman wants friends like that, to have that tight-knit group that's got your back, right? And those women, we've all had that time where a good friend is with a guy. You know they shouldn't be with that guy, you maybe try to say a thing or two, but they, your friend can't see it, right? Because as they say love is blind, but it's not blind for friends, right? Of course. I could tell how just, they just seem like such good friends. And then when one of the friends said during the funeral how she looked back at John and said, we're

going to find whoever did this and just stared him down. I said, oh, that is a girlfriend right there. Like that is a good friend. Yeah. That was really brave. Yeah. I feel like that's something I would do. Exactly. You do it for your friends, right? I would stare him down and then I'd probably be scared after that. Oh my gosh, he's going to come after me. So I think when we talk about this, I mean, this human nature of everybody wants to find love. These are women who are just looking for love, but unfortunately they came across John Peake.

I want to talk about that aspect of just how this kind of desire for love led them to this very dangerous person. Yeah, I think Carol, I don't know as much about. I mean, I know she'd been married before and didn't want to marry again. That's why they were considered common law. Casey was more obvious because we were able to talk to her friends, so we really got more into her head. She just seemed like she really wanted a partner, you know, at that point. She really wanted to get married. So you can see like John Peake comes along, you know, he's, I mean, she thought he was

good looking, he had a good job. For her, it seemed like Prince Charming had come along. And he, remember, he came over to a party at her house. And so someone brought him as a friend, right? And so when that happens too, you're like, oh, well, if he's friends with that person and you meet him, I think for women, we always think that's the best way to meet someone, right? Through someone. Through someone, right? Because then someone can vouch for that person. And so I think she probably was lulled into this false sense of security that a friend had brought him over. And why would you think that there's anything wrong with him? There's nothing wrong.

Except for when he did tell her, he did fess up that his wife had been murdered, that would be a little strange for me. Not to say that I wouldn't believe the person, but I would be like, I'd have to sort of wonder like, is there anything more to this? Yeah. I'm curious as you get some insight from talking to her friends, why she was still able to move forward with him, that she was able to kind of brush that under the rug. I wasn't in her head, I didn't know her, but she probably, you know, was like, if he's being honest with me about this, why shouldn't I believe him? I mean, people do have murdered

people in their life, you know, it, unfortunately it happens. And so I'm guessing that she probably saw him as someone who was going through something really hard. Like a little bit of truth, right? Like she got some of the truth. So it's like, why would I doubt that that was the full truth? Right. I don't know. That's just a thought. So we know about his two relationships, unfortunately, that ended in murder. John Peake, though, had been married and divorced twice before he met Carol. So what do we know about those two women? We didn't find out too much about those first wives. We do have an extra clip from John

Peek's interview with police that did not make the show that gives a little bit of insight into that. How many different women have you lived with? Five. How many have you married? Ummm... Let's see... I'm gonna... Married Mary when I was real young, that lasted about two years. Then Colleen. Mary, Colleen, Carol, and Casey.

So four. Four, yes. And then, semi-Elisa, we're not living without living together. Besides Casey and this other lady, are all the others living? Yes. Yeah. What a question to have to ask somebody, are the others living? Right?

Oh. Yeah. And his answer, yes, definitely. Oh, gosh, they're maybe the lucky ones then, I guess. Yeah. Yeah. That whole section is scary. I think it also just underscores just how creepily manipulative he could be. I mean, right? Deceptive to the fact that so many women were trusting

him to the point of sharing their lives with him. Yeah, absolutely. So let's talk about Lisa, John's latest girlfriend. I was fascinated hearing from her because she could have very well been John's latest girlfriend. I was fascinated hearing from her because she could have very well been John's next victim. Yeah, she was set to inherit some money. I believe it was Coca-Cola shares that her grandmother had. So he love bombed her, right? He did the classic John Peek acting like the perfect gentleman.

I'm curious how she reacted when she was talking to investigators and they'd started telling her some of this. Nicole Sade She was just surprised by so much of it. She was surprised to hear that he really hadn't fully broken it off with Casey, that they were still seeing each other, they were dating. And also, let's not forget that he threw her under the bus, as if she was the one who might have killed Casey. Lauren Ruffin It was unbelievable.

This is a woman who was really blindsided in that interview. Absolutely. But you know, the police don't know her at this point, right? So you have to think in that moment when a detective is first on a case, they don't know these people. They barely know anything about their histories. They don't know them personally. You've got to like do more digging and get more insight into this person, into that relationship until you can make that call.

I'm curious, what do we know about John's family, his friends, anybody in his circle? That was something that we really had a hard time finding a lot about. I don't know a lot about him, to be honest with you. He's almost a bit of like this mystery man to me. You know, obviously, when we kind of get to the. He's almost a bit of like this mystery man to me. You know, obviously, when we kind of get to the end of this, a very big surprise was that he decided to plead guilty at the end. What do you think happened there? I think he saw the writing on the wall and the walls were closing in. It's either I'm going to go through two trials and possibly face the death penalty or I'm going to plead

guilty and not be killed. I think that was probably the motivating factor if I had to guess. LESLIE KENDRICK After the break, what did one fan tell her dog while watching this episode? We've got your social media questions and comments when we get back. Let's move to some social media. Misha Hackman on Facebook, I thought this exact same thing when I watched another Dirty John. That's what Misha said, another Dirty John, right? He is absolutely a Dirty John. I watched both seasons of Dirty John and it was such a good short-lived series. But yeah, he would be perfect because he is a dirty John. He victimizes women. He manipulates, abuses, lies to them, gaslights them. I just think he never met a woman he didn't like

or want or want to seduce or want to manipulate. What is it with the name John? You also talked about your story John that you... John Smith. John Smith, yeah. John Smith, I know. And also it goes with the guy next door, right? The most unassuming name, John. Exactly.

Exactly. Just a regular average name, John. Feels safe. Feels like a safe name. Yeah. Okay, Nancy Sorbo on Facebook said, I'm not buying his, John's, fake crying on the 911 call. Let's talk about that 911 call because he did. Just to the untrained eye, untrained ear, he sounded devastated. He sounded upset on it.

Yeah. And then it's funny because Liz Sonaty, another viewer, replied to Nancy's comment and said, the minute I heard that I said to my dog the husband did it. Shoot, you were a dog. You know what, Liz, I can tell you I talk to my cat all the time. But listening to it, did it seem believable? I mean, you know, it's so hard when you just don't know the person, right? You just don't know what their mannerisms are or how they talk, but probably over the top.

Probably. Colleen Ann Carton on Facebook wrote, wow, banged on the hotel room door. Bravo. She's talking, of course, about how Casey suspected John was cheating on her and she went to the hotel and took matters into her own hands. Yeah. I mean, John and Lisa did not answer the door. And then poor Casey was escorted out by security. I was just amazed that at first she got to the hotel reception desk and they said no. And whatever she did, whatever she said, convinced them to finally give her that room number. I thought that was a win. I don't think that would happen now, do you?

I don't think they would give the number. Absolutely not. Like, would they just easily give out the person's room number. Not good. Okay. We had fans on X who talked about what they thought about the invoice that was found in Maggie's hand when police arrived at the scene. And Tom Largo had a good question.

He said, how is someone who is getting the life beat out of them able to hold on to a receipt in their hands? It's a sad question, but it's a good question. Why do you have it? And why are to hold on to a receipt in their hands. It's a sad question, but it's a good question. Why do you have that? And why are they holding on to a receipt? She's sitting in a chair, like holding a receipt. Randomly. That whole thing seemed to me to be very far-fetched. And I think the detectives thought that as well. And what is so sad, and Layla, Maggie's granddaughter granddaughter said it so well, Maggie was collateral damage.

Sure. Can I just say I'm so glad we heard from Layla, from her granddaughter. Yeah, she was so sweet, wasn't she? She was so sweet. And just hearing about Maggie as a grandmother just broke my heart too. I just thought that you did such a good job of showing us who she was. And I'm so glad we learned about her. Me too. Yeah. And I love this comment on Instagram from Soto Michaela. I never watch Dateline alone.

I always have a whole line in my hand. Also saw someone on Facebook who made a cocktail on Friday. That's fun. How do you watch? How do you watch, Andrea? Oh, do you really want to know? It's so sad. No, I want to know.

I'll tell you mine too. Usually we like by then because it's on late later, my husband and I are like, we get into bed, we start watching it and then we fall asleep. Yeah. But I've already seen it. So for me, I have an excuse. He does not. And then he tries to finish it the next morning when he's eating breakfast. I love it. There's a two-part watching experience. It's so boring. There's a two-part watching experience.

I have to DVR it. I'll DVR it. And then we sometimes will watch on Sundays. And my husband, Jay and I will watch. It's very fun to watch it with him for the first time because he then kind of has these reactions or sees different things I didn't see. Like, oh, that's interesting insight. Yeah.

So does Tony, my husband. He's like, whoa, I didn't see that coming. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. She's like, you know, he gets really into it. But Jay, your husband's so sweet. He had the, didn't he have like a party for you? He did.

He did. And he came to New York when you were like, when we were announcing you were on the show. And I feel like Jay, I'm like, does Jay want to be on Dateline too? Low-key, he would do a great job. It was so funny because he was like, he was, I felt like he does Jay want to be on Dateline too? Low-key, he would do a great job. It was so funny because he was like, I felt like he was part of the team everywhere we went, you know, and then they brought him in on the Today Show and he had the shirt on that he had made with your name at the bottom and orange and like he's a good cheerleader. Can I tell you how much he loved meeting all of you guys? He loved meeting you all. He's

like, this is such a great group, but he had so much fun. And I think that jumping into the Dateline world, like it's kind of a family thing, right? I mean, like, you know, Tony knows these things. He knows these stories. So for Jay to be there and just know the team and also see how things are put together was perfect. And well, we're so, again, so happy you're part of the team. And it's been really fun talking Dateline with you. It has been the best, Andrea. Thank you for the warm welcome and thank you for talking Dateline with me today.

And that's it for talking Dateline for this week. Remember, if you have any questions for us about stories or about Dateline, you can reach us 24-7 on social media at DatelineNBC. And be sure to check out Keith's newest Dateline original podcast, The Man in the Black Mask. It's the story of a rising young director shooting a film about a serial killer in a hockey mask. But when a man goes missing near the set, a real life horror story unfolds. All six episodes are available now wherever you get your podcasts. Dateline premium subscribers can binge the entire series ad free. And of course, we'll see you Fridays on Dateline on NBC. Thanks for listening.

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