On June 6, 1975, the life of 50-year-old White female Marianne Mitzner came to a brutal and tragic end in Lincoln, Nebraska. Her son made the horrific discovery, finding his mother's body in the bathroom of the Mitzner Rare Coin Shop she co-owned with her husband. The scene was one of violence; Mitzner's hands and feet were bound, and she had been shot three times in the head, with one of the entry wounds being inside her mouth.
The immediate conclusion by law enforcement was that the
murder occurred during a robbery, as a significant number of rare coins and an amount of money were missing from the shop. An early description of a person of interest emerged: a Caucasian male, approximately 5'8" and 140 pounds, with medium-length blonde hair. He was reportedly seen wearing a short-sleeved shirt and riding a dark-colored motorcycle.
The investigation ultimately led to the arrest and conviction of Wesley H. Peery for the murder of Marianne Mitzner. The evidence against him was described as astounding. While incarcerated, Peery confessed to other violent crimes, including another murder for which he was also convicted. He claimed responsibility for a third unsolved murder in the Lincoln area and admitted to raping and beating women in other states. Peery was sentenced to death for his crimes but ultimately died of a heart attack in 1988 while on death row.
