By Evert Caldwell
On March 6, 1991 George James Trepal was convicted and sentenced to death for the poisoning murder of his Alturas, Florida neighbor Peggy Carr. Prosecutor John Aguero convinced a jury of 12 that Trepal was the only person with “the motive, the opportunity, and the knowledge” to commit the crime.
Aguero called witnesses who affirmed his portrayal of Peggy as a happy newlywed with a loving husband, Parealyn “Pye” Carr. According to testimony Pye was constantly at Peggy’s side in the hospital, caring for her and his son Travis, who had also been severely poisoned.
Pye was eliminated as a suspect early on when it was learned tiny traces of thallium were detected in his system, and detectives didn’t believe he would poison his own son “who he dearly loved.”
Trepal became the prime suspect when he acted suspicious, fidgeted, and “spoke with a nervous stammer” during his first interview.
The quirky genius, they professed to jurors, also wrote the “murder mystery weekend plots” which were eerily similar to the actual murder.
The issue, however, with much of what the the prosecution was telling the jury, is that it was based on lies, and they knew it.
Mr. Trepal suffered from a speech impediment, which causes him to make noises with his tongue. It renders him “physically clumsy.” Prosecutors became aware of it, but prevented his wife from testifying to it by threatening to take away her immunity deal.
She also would have revealed she was the one who wrote the murder mystery plots, but the State successfully argued the question was “beyond the scope of direct.”
Although the tactics were effective, they weren’t exactly what you’d call a pristine display of ethical standards, especially in a capital punishment case.
Mr. Aguero also had in his possession a letter from Peggy to Pye exposing the fact their six month marriage was in shambles, but he hid it from defense counsel. It wasn’t uncovered until after the trial. The jury never saw it.
Pye’s own son (Travis) believed his father and aunt were trying to kill him as his health deteriorated in the hospital, but that was brushed off as well. When Travis recalled he was the one who purchased the pack of Coca-Cola bottles, allegedly planted by Trepal, they concluded his memory was likely affected by the poison.
Aguero was also quick to discard and block testimony from friends of Peggy who said she had already made plans to leave Pye for good after discovering, just prior to being poisoned, he was having an affair.
Although infidelity is often a ‘red flag’ in murder cases, it wasn’t seriously considered in this instance by prosecutors, and they took steps to ensure it wouldn’t be by anyone else.
Instead of the truth, jurors were assured Peggy and Pye were “just two lovebirds at the time this occurred.” This, despite Peggy’s own son telling detectives she was so fearful of Pye after learning he had taken out a large life insurance policy on her, she was “planning her escape” to Tennessee to stay with him.
Other testimony brought to light post conviction, alleges Pye was living with another girlfriend while Peggy was on her deathbed. Although not illegal if true, he wasn’t exactly living up to the prosecution team’s “loving husband” portrayal, who just six months earlier professed “Till death do us part.”
While it’s also true none of this proves Pye killed his wife nor does it eliminate Trepal as a suspect, the question is “could it have raised enough ‘reasonable doubt’ for an aquitall” if the jury was privy to it ? Is justice really served when evidence is suppressed and relevant facts are distorted or quashed by what clearly was an overzealous prosecutor ? Shouldn’t the impartial jury be the one to sort it all out ?
The answers seem quite clear.
To the untrained, unbiased observer it’s evident Trepal’s constitutional rights were brushed aside, but the court, at least to this point, hasn’t seen it that way. As a result, George Trepal was found guilty, sentenced to death, and has languished in Florida State prison for over thirty years, awaiting the inevitable.
Meanwhile those who put him on death row have enjoyed the fruits of their “career making” conviction, paid for by Floridian tax dollars.
The much anticipated movie, which no doubt would have highlighted how Polk County detectives “solved” the high profile case, was never made.
The portrayal of how they “discovered” the only piece of evidence tying Trepal to the crime would have been tricky.
Maybe someone figured, better leave well enough alone.
Please read all about the case in the first installment of the all-new Rounder Life – “Reasonable Doubt Murder Mystery Series Investigations” on rounderlife.com.
