A man has been arrested in the 2008 homicide of Everett “Peanut” Jackson, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office’s Cold Case Unit stated on Thursday.

  • The cold case involves a victim who was killed, dismembered in 2008
  • Witnesses tell authorities that suspect allegedly told them how he killed victim, deputies say
  • Suspect charged was already in jail for a separate incident

John Kelliher, 52, was charged with second degree murder in the homicide of Jackson, deputies stated.

On Sept. 6, 2008, Jackson’s family reported him missing to the Ocala Police Department. His torso was found floating in the Ocklawaha River on Sept. 14, 2008, but the rest of his body has never found, according to deputies.

While there was not enough evidence to make an arrest at the time, the Ocala Police Department made a break in the case when they spoke with Kelliher in January of this year. He allegedly made statements to deputies that implicated himself in Jackson’s death, according to deputies.

A few years ago the cold case unit began to review the case and they were able to track down witnesses who say Kelliher allegedly gave details to them about how he supposedly killed, dismembered and disposed of Jackson, deputies stated.

“Additionally, cold case unit detectives found witnesses who said Kelliher asked to borrow their hacksaw around the time of Jackson’s disappearance. They also found a witness that said she saw Kelliher load ‘several heavy, black bags’ into his vehicle around the time Jackson went missing as well,” deputies stated in a media release.

On Wednesday, the unit spoke to Kelliher while he was in the Marion County Jail for disorderly conduct. He allegedly refused to speak about the Jackson case and asked for a lawyer.