BCSO Solves 1988 Murder Cold Case, Perp Gets Life
By Wayne Ivey, Brevard County Sheriff // April 7, 2015
DNA identifies Ramona Lee Moore's killer
Judge James Earp Sentences Robert Edward Peek of Melbourne To Life In Prison
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – The Honorable Circuit Court Judge James Earp on Monday sentenced 49-year-old Robert Edward Peek of Melbourne to life in prison, with no eligibility for parole for the 1988 murder of Ramona Lee Moore.
Peek, who had withdrawn his previously entered plea of not guilty and entered a plea of guilty to Premeditated Murder in the First Degree and Sexual Battery, was arrested in 2012 by Agent Joe Martin of the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office after a Cold Case Homicide Investigation identified him in the murder of Moore.
On the morning of July 14, 1988, construction workers paving a northern extension of Washingtonia Drive, west of Melbourne, discovered the body of a woman later identified as 22-year-old Ramona Lee Moore of Melbourne.
The victim was found nude, beaten and impaled in a retention area which had filled with water during a recent rain. The Medical Examiner determined the cause of death to be drowning and classified the death as a homicide.
During 2011, the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office received a CODIS hit in reference to a DNA profile match from evidence recovered at the murder scene. During 2012, Peek was interviewed by investigators about the murder.
Peek denied any involvement in the death of Moore and provided a DNA sample for comparison to any evidence from the case. Lab comparisons between this sample and evidence from the murder confirmed the previous CODIS results.
Homicide agents then re-interviewed Peek, who has been detained at the Brevard County Jail since his arrest on January 16, 2012, for two unrelated cases involving trafficking of stolen property.
As a direct result of the interview, coupled with the DNA findings, an arrest warrant was obtained and Peek was charged with the murder of Moore.
This investigation was the seventh Cold Case Homicide successfully solved by the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office Homicide Unit during the past several years.
I am very proud of Agent Martin, our Homicide and Crime Scene Units and our State Attorney’s Office for bringing closure to this senseless crime.
It is a very good feeling when we can meet with the family of the victim and tell them that the individual responsible for their loss has been brought to justice.
Our team is absolutely committed to solving every case, and our citizens would be amazed to watch them work. They are a very dedicated group of people who I am honored to work with.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey has been a law enforcement officer for over three decades. Sheriff Ivey is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and has a Bachelor’s Degree from Daytona State College in Management and Supervision. Sheriff Ivey’s background in law enforcement is inclusive of Management, Criminal Investigations, Narcotics, Patrol Services, Public Integrity Investigations, and Corrections.
Prior to being elected in 2012, Sheriff Ivey served the citizens of the State of Florida as a Resident Agent in Charge for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. As a member of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Sheriff Ivey developed and created the country’s first ever statewide Task Force on Identity Theft.
That same year the Task Force was named one of the top five most innovative programs in the country by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and investigated approximately 44 million dollars in fraud cases. Additionally, as a member of FDLE, Sheriff Ivey created the Child Abduction Response Team (C.A.R.T) that re-defined the way Child Abduction cases are conducted throughout the country today.
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey has been a law enforcement officer for over three decades. Sheriff Ivey is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and has a Bachelor’s Degree from Daytona State College in Management and Supervision. Sheriff Ivey’s background in law enforcement is inclusive of Management, Criminal Investigations, Narcotics, Patrol Services, Public Integrity Investigations, and Corrections.
The program was later selected as the most innovative program in the country by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and is now used as a nationwide model in the response and investigation of child abductions.
Sheriff Ivey has testified before the United States Congress on law enforcement related matters and has extensive experience in the area of Public Integrity Investigations. Sheriff Ivey was honored as the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Special Agent of the Year (1996) and was also recognized by the Commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for his Outstanding Contributions to Criminal Justice. In August of 2011 Sheriff Ivey was honored by the National Organization of Victims Advocacy for his work at the national level as an advocate of victim’s rights and protection.
Sheriff Ivey speaks regularly on topics such as Identity Theft, Crime in America, Human Trafficking, Domestic Violence, and Self Defense through Mental Preparedness. Sheriff Ivey firmly believes that Crime Prevention and Education are vital to reduce our crime rate and protect our community.
