'A problem at the Odd Corner': 20 years later, clerk Greg Peters' slaying remains a mystery

For two decades, Terry Buehl has wondered what would have happened if he had worked at the Odd Corner on the night before Thanksgiving in 2003.

Would his friend and co-worker Greg Peters still be alive?

Buehl normally worked with Peters on Wednesdays at the head shop near the University of Akron campus. But that night, the store manager asked Buehl to instead watch his dogs while he was on vacation.

So, Peters was by himself when a man wearing a bandana and carrying a gun came in the store about 8 p.m. — presumably to rob the store, which sold smoking supplies and memorabilia. However, the masked man took nothing before shooting the 50-year-old Peters and running away.

“I should have been there,” said Buehl, who, unlike Peters, carried a gun when he worked. “That haunts me.”

Buehl has called Akron detectives every Thanksgiving for the past 20 years to see if they have any new leads on who shot and killed his friend. The answer each time has been, “Not yet.”

Like Buehl, Akron detectives haven’t forgotten about this case that struck many because it happened at an unlikely spot to an unlikely victim, whom many described as an “old hippie.” A reward poster for Peters’ case still hangs in the sixth-floor lobby of the detective bureau.

“Sex, drugs and rock 'n roll, I think, was probably his main ambition in life,” detective Jim Pasheilich said of Peters. “Nobody's ever said anything bad about him.”

Working at the Odd Corner was Peters’ dream job

Peters grew up in Akron but was born in Moundsville, West Virginia, while his parents were visiting relatives.

He graduated from Garfield High School in 1971 and studied graphic arts. He attended a technical trade school for printing and worked as a printer for Akron General Medical Center and the Summit County Department of Human Services.

But working at the Odd Corner, where he once shopped, was Peters' dream job. He worked there for seven years.

The Odd Corner was part of the retail district on East Exchange Street just off the UA campus. Some students frequented the store, but most customers were repeat customers, including some like Peters and Buehl who were aging hippies with long hair.

Besides smoking items, the Odd Corner sold trinkets, posters, figurines and other unique things that couldn’t be found elsewhere. Buehl said it was “like a coffee shop without the coffee.”

“Everybody knew everybody in there by name,” Buehl said during a recent interview at this Akron home that is decorated with music posters like those sold at the Odd Corner. “It was, ‘Hey Terry. ‘Hey Greg.’ ‘Hey John.’”

Peters lived near the store, so he could walk to work because he didn’t own a car, having given his away to someone who helped him with work on his house. He dressed in blue jeans, beads, moccasins and American Indian garb. He didn’t use credit cards and had only recently opened a checking account.

“He was laid back and very happy-go-lucky,” John Kruger, the Odd Corner manager, told the Beacon Journal in December 2003. “He still preached peace and love and considered everyone his brother.”

Peters didn’t have any children but loved them. He was a father figure to his friends’ children, cousins and one nephew. He enjoyed volunteering for events like the Special Olympics.

“He was very easygoing, affectionate and enjoyed taking care of people,” Rene Keene, Peters’ sister, said in 2003. “He was a good listener and always had a big shoulder to cry on.”

Keene, who lived in North Carolina, said she warned her brother to be careful at work because there was money and a cash register. He told her not to worry, especially because the store hadn’t had any major trouble during its 30 years in business.

“I’ll be alright,” he told her. “Only good people come in here.”

Peters is shot on the night before Thanksgiving

That wasn’t true on the night of Nov. 26, 2003, the eve of Thanksgiving.

Two teenage males were browsing in the Odd Corner when they saw a man walk into the back door of the store holding a gun. They ran out the front door.

A man standing at a bus stop saw the teens run from the store, then heard a gunshot, according to an incident report.

Another man working at McDonald's told police he saw two males jump into a vehicle and leave after officers had arrived at the store, according to the report.

Police found Peters shot behind the counter. Paramedics rushed him to Akron City Hospital, where he was pronounced dead from a shot to the chest that exited through his side.

None of the witnesses were able to give the police a detailed description of the shooter besides that he wore a bandana or mask over his face.

The store had a video camera, but it wasn’t recording.

Buehl said he’ll never forget getting the call about the shooting.

His wife answered the phone.

“Oh my God!” she told him. “We’ve got a problem at the Odd Corner.”

The couple headed to the store from Kent and spoke with police.

“As soon as they were done talking to us, we went to the hospital, but he was expired by then,” Buehl said of Peters.

Odd Corner community rallies after shooting

In the days following the shooting, the Odd Corner community rallied to try to help find Peters’ killer.

Harry Jackson, the store’s owner, offered a $20,000 reward.

Greg Peters Reward Flyer by Dan Kadar

Buehl printed 100 reward posters that he and others hung around town.

“We had them all over Akron – campus, everywhere,” Buehl recalled. “We had quite a few people helping out to do that.”

The reward and the posters netted no leads.

Odd Corner is moved, then later closes

The years passed and Buehl continued to check in with detectives at Thanksgiving to see if they’d made any progress.

Keene also checked in with police a few times a year.

“It’s devastating,” Keene told the Beacon Journal in 2013 on the 10-year anniversary of her brother’s slaying. “I’m mad. I’m sad. I’m pissed because I know somebody knows something.”

More: Ten years and no arrest in Odd Corner slaying

Keene said 10 years with no answers was difficult.

“I don’t know how I’ve had the strength to get through this,” she said. “It’s unexplainable — like a broken heart.”

Pasheilich, though, said detectives didn’t have much to go on, with no DNA evidence, fingerprints or video from the store or other nearby businesses.

The Odd Corner was torn down in 2008 to make room for the new UA football stadium. The store opened in another location on Exchange Street but has since closed.

Asked what he thinks prompted the shooting, Pasheilich said, “Your guess is as good as mine.”

“It could have been a robbery,” he said. “It could have been somebody’s mad at him for whatever reason.”

Buehl, a semi-retired carpenter who continued working part-time at the Odd Corner a few years after Peters’ murder, has his own theory. He thinks Peters knew the man who shot him. He said Peters threw an ashtray at the shooter and the man then shot him.

“Why would you throw an ashtray?” Buehl asked. “Somebody’s probably like, ‘Go on. Get outta here. You know. You’re kidding me.’”

Buehl thinks the shooter likely was motivated by money, either the store’s or Peters’ own.

More: Who killed Javan and Markus Rogers? Akron brothers’ murders remain unsolved after 21 years

Like with other cold cases, Pasheilich said, cracking this one would take someone who knew something coming forward.

“I never say ‘never’ but it’s slim,” he said.

Pasheilich said it’s possible the shooter hasn’t survived the past 20 years.

“I'd have to think that people that do that kind of stuff normally don’t have a long lifespan, whether it's from some violent ending for themselves, or some overdose or something else they’re into,” he said.

Regardless, Buehl, 67, plans to keep making his annual Thanksgiving call to detectives. And, he hopes, one day he’ll get a different answer.

Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com or 330-996-3705. Paula Schleis can be reached at feedback@ohiomysteries.com.

About the case

NAME: Gregory "Greg" Peters

ADDRESS: The former Odd Corner store on East Exchange Street, Akron.

AGE: 50

DATE OF MURDER: Nov. 26, 2003.

OCCUPATION: Store clerk

INCIDENT: Peters was shot while working at the Odd Corner.

SUSPECTS/MOTIVE: Attempted robbery; no suspect identified.

INVESTIGATING AGENCY: Akron Police Department, Lt. Dave Whiddon, 330-375-2490.

About the series

To read past stories in this series, visit Beacon Journal.com. To listen to podcasts that are part of the series, visit the Ohio Mysteries' website. Send tips for future stories to Beacon Journal reporter Stephanie Warsmith at swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com.

Each Unresolved episode features a story, podcast, photos, police reports and fact boxes.

Here's a look at the episodes they've done so far.

Episode 1: Janice Christensen

In 1987, Janice Christensen of Cuyahoga Falls went for a run on the Summit County Bike and Hike Trail, where she was raped and killed by a man who has never been caught. Now, Hudson police hope a partnership with Ohio's new Cold Case Unit will identify her killer through DNA found at the crime scene.

Podcast: Unresolved Ep. 1

Beacon Journal package: Questions remain in 1987 Hudson murder case

Episode 2: Melissa and Jasmine Collins

In 1991, 17-year-old mom Melissa Collins and her 8-month old baby girl, Jasmine, vanished from their West Akron apartment. In the decades since, police have searched a local park and followed leads to other states in search of the pair.  And now, 30 years later, women are calling Akron police to ask: Could I be the missing Jasmine?

Podcast: Unresolved Ep. 2

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Episode 3: Roderick Clemons

In 1991, 26-year-old Roderick Clemons wanted to ask for a transfer from the Church's Chicken restaurant in Akron, where he was assistant manager. There were too many shady characters in the Copley Road neighborhood, he told his mom. But Clemons never got the chance to request the change.

Podcast: Unresolved Ep. 3

Beacon Journal package: Akron police still seek answers in 1991 cold case

Episode 4: Leslie Ann Barker

In 1978, Akron schoolteacher Leslie Ann Barker went to the Red's discotheque with a friend to participate in a new matchmaking event. That morning, she was found dead in her burning car. To this day, Barker's colleagues and loved ones wonder what happened to the outgoing young woman who was looking for love but found death instead.

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Beacon Journal package: After 43 years, Akron teacher's slaying remains a mystery

Episode 5: Jeanette Bartee and Roy Addison

In April 2002, Roy Addison and Jeanette Bartee were both shot and killed, execution-style, in broad daylight. Both struggled with addictions, and detectives suspect they were targeted because of something they did or saw. Family members still hope for answers and think someone may have seen something that could assist the investigation.

Podcast: Unresolved Ep. 5

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Episode 6: Phyllis Mosley

In August 1971, Phyllis Mosley was found by her 11-year-old daughter shot to death in her bed. The murder of Mosley, 28, changed the lives of her four children, who struggled with addictions and other demons. Fifty years after Mosley's slaying, her children hope her death won't be forgotten even if it's never solved.

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Beacon Journal package: ‘The pain of losing her’: Siblings hope for justice 50 years after mother’s unsolved murder

Episode 7: The Patel Family

In October 1991, a mother, father and their 6-year-old daughter were killed, execution- style at their house next to the infamous Steve's Motel. Sheriff's deputies initially thought the motive for killing the Patel family, who operated the motel, might have been murder. Deputies now have a different theory — hired hitmen who were famous mobsters were hired by someone with designs on the valuable property in Green.

Podcast: Unresolved Ep. 7

Beacon Journal package: A hired hit, a flying robber and 3 murders: New details emerge in Steve's Motel killings

Episode 8: Jeff Sauber

In September 1980, Jeff Sauber, 18, a Marine on his first leave, is fatally stabbed at a drive-in theater in Coventry Township after watching a movie about a vigilante killer. His mother sued the theater, saying her son's killer might have been incited by the violent flick. Sheriff detectives, though, think the attack may have been prompted by a racial exchange. Detectives have a suspect but, so far, not enough evidence to charge him.

Podcast: Unresolved Ep. 8

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Episode 9: JoAnn Bartholomew

In October 1987, JoAnn Bartholomew, a Stow wife, mother and business owner, was found stabbed to death in the woods near Chapel Hill Mall in Akron. She was one of four women slain in Summit County that year, leading to concern that this could be the work of a serial killer. Detectives, though, quickly concluded the cases weren't linked. All but one of the cases, including Bartholomew's, remain unsolved.

Podcast: Unresolved Ep. 9

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Episode 10: DeShawn Brown

In March 2004, DeShawn Brown, a North High and University of Akron star running back, was found dead in his Akron apartment, shot through a glass window on his door. His family members are still hoping to find out who killed him. Detectives, though, say this will be challenging because of a lack of evidence.

Podcast: Unresolved Ep. 10

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Episode 11 (Part 1): Ruth Guthrie and Tommy Sumerix

In the summer of 1963, two Summit County youths disappeared within a week of each other. The vanishings of Tommy Sumerix, 15, and Ruth Guthrie, 12, so close together prompted some to worry about whether someone might be kidnapping local children. Months passed with no answers. Then, in May of 1964, a farm owner in Portage County and mushroom hunters in Stark County made sad discoveries.

Podcast: Unresolved Ep. 11, Part 1

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Episode 11 (Part 2): Ruth Guthrie and Tommy Sumerix

The remains of two Summit County youths who went missing within a week of each other are found a year later in separate parts of the county. Nearly 60 years later, detectives and family members haven’t given up hope that they’ll discover who was responsible for the slayings of Ruth Guthrie and Tommy Sumerix. Modern-day investigators wonder if the two deaths could be connected, a link their predecessors dismissed, despite their many similarities.

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Episode 12: Charles Wright

Charles Wright was shot and killed in May 2004 while sitting in the driveway of his Akron home, talking to his girlfriend on his cell phone. The postal worker had just returned from a trip to Las Vegas. Detectives wonder if the killer may have intended to rob Wright -- for money or drugs they thought he had -- but panicked when they realized he was on the phone. Detectives and family members still hope that his killer may still be caught.

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Ep. 13: Sam Hughes

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Ep. 14: Melvin Horst

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Ep. 15: Mary Yocono

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Ep. 16: Javan and Markus Rogers

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This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Who killed Greg Peters? Odd Corner clerk's slaying remains a mystery