It was Valentine’s Day of 2001, and fifty-two-year-old Peter Gowling was at his home on Osborne Road in Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne, England. He wasn’t long out of prison; in January, he’d been released after serving less than six years of an eleven-year sentence for drug-related money laundering. It was likely his longtime drug connections that contributed to his sudden death.
Shortly after two p.m., someone rang Peter’s doorbell. When he answered the door, he was shot four times at close range, in both the body and head. Two men clad in hoodies were then seen fleeing from the scene and running toward Sanderson Road.
Peter’s remains were not discovered until hours later, near midnight, when his girlfriend, Teresa Holmes, came by and found him dead just inside the doorway.
It seems probable that Peter’s criminal past was a key factor in his execution, but despite years of diligent investigation, the crime remains unsolved.
Crime Immemorial 