On New Year's Day, the life of John R. "Lefty" Grehn, a 61-year-old man, was tragically cut short in an Ashland, Ohio, home. The quiet afternoon of January 1, 2026, was shattered around 2:15 p.m. when police and fire personnel were dispatched to a residence on East Liberty Street following a 911 call reporting a shooting. Inside the house, they discovered Grehn deceased from what appeared to be a gunshot wound. He had been born in Chicago and worked for many years in retail.
Friends remembered him for his beloved English pointer, Einstein.
The events leading to the fatal shooting reportedly began with a verbal argument. Grehn was living at the home with his longtime friend, John Palermo, and Palermo's 24-year-old son, Robert Palermo. The dispute that day arose between Robert Palermo and Grehn concerning Grehn's dog being inside the house. According to the Ashland County Prosecuting Attorney, the argument initially de-escalated. However, Robert Palermo then allegedly went upstairs, retrieved a handgun from a locked box, and came back down to reignite the confrontation. It was then that he allegedly shot Grehn multiple times.
The 911 call that brought emergency services to the scene was made by Robert Palermo's father, John Palermo. In the call, he claimed his son had acted in self-defense. The elder Palermo, who is disabled, told the dispatcher that Grehn, whom he described as a "dear friend," was a large man who had "went up to my son," and he was unable to intervene to help. He informed the dispatcher that his son had unloaded the weapon and placed it on a bed before officers arrived.
Robert Palermo was taken into custody at the scene without incident and was subsequently charged with aggravated murder. Investigators from the Ashland Police Division, assisted by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Ashland County Sheriff's Office, executed a search warrant to collect evidence from the home. An autopsy for Grehn was ordered by the Ashland County Coroner. Robert Palermo pleaded not guilty to the charge, and his bond was set at $2 million. Prosecutors stated that while the aggravated murder charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison without the possibility of parole, they are not seeking the death penalty at this time. The case is filed in the Ashland County Court of Common Pleas.
