Bio

Daniel Jon Peterka was born on September 9, 1967. He grew up in Nebraska. On February 11, 1989, he was scheduled to report to authorities in Nebraska to start serving two one-year prison terms for theft. Before going to jail, Peterka told his girlfriend that he did not want to go to prison. He mentioned wanting to get a job and build a life elsewhere.

Later in February 1989, Peterka moved to Niceville, Florida. He started living with Ronald LeCompte. LeCompte was supportive and even bought Peterka a .357 magnum handgun as a favor. In April of that year, Peterka moved into a duplex with John Russell. Reports indicated that Peterka and Russell did not have a good relationship.

On June 27, 1989, Peterka acquired a driver's license using Russell's name and his own picture. He then cashed a money order sent to Russell by a relative, which made Russell suspicious when he did not receive it. Witnesses noted that Russell planned to report Peterka but was hesitant to confront him because of the gun in the house.

On July 12, 1989, Peterka's girlfriend, Frances Thompson, helped move her belongings out of the duplex where Peterka and Russell lived. That evening, Peterka went to Thompson's job, driving Russell's car. He told her that he was a fugitive and didn’t want to go to prison. He then spent the night at the duplex. Thompson left for work the next morning, but Russell did not show up for work.

Concerned about Russell, a co-worker went to the duplex and entered through a window when no one answered. He noticed that some items were missing and later reported Russell missing when he could not find him. The investigation that followed led to the discovery of troubling evidence, ultimately resulting in Peterka's arrest.

Murder Story

On July 12, 1989, Daniel Jon Peterka shot Ronald LeCompte with a .357 magnum handgun. The shooting took place in Okaloosa County, Florida, where Peterka had been living with LeCompte. The incident occurred after Peterka had forged LeCompte's name on a money order and taken money that was not his. When LeCompte became aware of the situation and confronted Peterka, a fight broke out between them.

During the struggle, both men reached for the gun that Peterka had. In the chaos, the gun fired, striking LeCompte in the head. After the shooting, Peterka wrapped LeCompte's body in a rug. He then drove the body to a remote area on Eglin Air Force Base and buried it in a shallow grave.

Peterka was arrested two days later, on July 14, 1989. After his arrest, he confessed to killing LeCompte. His trial began, and on March 5, 1990, a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder. The jury recommended the death penalty by a vote of 8 to 4. He was sentenced to death on April 25, 1990.