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Marty Gordon
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Radford University alum and author Ron Peterson has released another book in his true crime series of books.
It is called “Runaway Groom,” about a missing person case in the Staunton, Virginia area back in 1983. 20-year-old Petie Miller, a good-hearted country boy, disappeared two days before his wedding.
According to Peterson, at the time, a lot of people thought he just had cold feet, decided not to get married, and had taken off, leaving the area. But his family suspected foul play.
As the weeks and months went by, it was obvious that something bad had happened to Petie. The bride-to-be’s father, Charlie Almond, soon became a suspect in his disappearance.
“It was suspected that Almond, a violent man with a criminal history, had killed Petie and disposed of his body, but there was no direct evidence linking him to Petie’s murder,” said Peterson.
As the years went by, police thoroughly investigated Almond but could only turn up weak circumstantial evidence. Not enough for probable cause, according to Peterson’s research spelled out in the book.
As the decades passed, Petie’s father never gave up, pushing the authorities to build a stronger case against Almond.
Peterson points out finally, three decades later, in 2015, a new police investigator named Aaron LeVeck, and a special prosecutor named Phil Figura, managed to gather evidence to build a case against Almond, who was in his 80s by then.
“In 2015, Almond was indicted for the first-degree murder of Petie Miller, 32 years after it happened,” said Peterson. “Almond’s murder trial was quite sensational, the oldest ‘no body’ murder trial in U.S. history.”
The book has gotten great reviews and received good feedback from readers.
“A lot of readers have told me what an amazing true story this is. Sales have been strong. It’s carried by every Barnes & Noble in the country and is an Amazon true crime bestseller,” Peterson said.
His last book (In the Wind) was adapted for television and aired on Oxygen this past summer, and two others (Under the Trestle and Chasing the Squirrel) are in development as documentary series.
“I’ve had a few preliminary meetings with TV producers about adapting Runaway Groom as a TV series or documentary show,” he said.
The genre of true crime remains hot, and Peterson has been taking advantage with this being his sixth novel.
“True crime has become a very popular genre,” Peterson said.” When I wrote my first book seven years ago, I was drawn to the true crime genre. Everyone likes a murder mystery, and when it’s a true story, it makes it even more compelling.”
“There is a lot to be learned about the law and our criminal justice system from the cases I have chosen to write about. “
Locally, many people will remember Peterson and his second book, “Under the Trestle”, which described the murder and disappearance of Radford University student Gina Hall.
Other books with New River Valley connections are on the horizon.
“It usually takes me about a year to do all the interviews, research, and writing. I am currently well underway with my next book, about a case very near and dear to the New River Valley. The unsolved 2009 double murder of Virginia Tech students Heidi Childs and David Metzler at Caldwell Fields in Montgomery County,” Peterson said.
“It is believed that someone out there – a witness, accomplice, or acquaintance of the killer – has a piece of key information, or a lead, that could identify the killer and solve the case. My hope is that by writing a well-researched book about the case, it will get people talking about it again and encourage someone to come forward to the authorities with information,” he said.
For more on Peterson and his true crime books, check out his website at ronpetersonjr.com.
