‘They were melting’ – four-year-old ran barefoot to school after finding great-grandparents slain in their sleep
A young boy pretended to be asleep while the man who murdered his loved-ones in cold blood stood at his bedroom door, but his quick thinking meant he was able to help the police catch the killer.
Four-year-old Dameon Huffman was living with his great-grandparents, Jack, 51, and Linda Myers, 55, in Darke County, Ohio, US, when the 25-year-old Greg Myers, Jack’s son from his first marriage, went on a rampage.
The Myers family were well regarded by the local community, lived on a 40-acre farm and also ran a popular pizza restaurant. Dameon’s mother – Amber – was 16 when she had her son but they were set to be reunited when he finished pre-school.
Greg was the best man at the Jack and Linda’s wedding less than a year before the attack, but when he hit financial troubles he donned a dark green jumpsuit and latex gloves, and set out to grab his inheritence via a shotgun.
The 25-year-old killed both his father and Linda on the morning of March 27, 2003, by shooting them both in the head at point-blank range while they slept.
When police started investigating they thought Dameon may have encountered the murderer when they found traces of blood in his bedroom.
Dameon did not have the language to describe the horror he saw but later revealed the sighting of a ‘ghostly’ figure to police after they built him a model home, fit with dolls to try and encourage him to recount the morning. Moving Greg’s figure to his own room he whispered “I heard a click”, referring to the opening of his door.
When the youngster went downstairs in the morning he discovered both his great-grandparents dead. He tried to call 911 but the phone line has been cut. Dameon ran barefoot to his preschool, covered in blood,where he reported that his loved ones “were melting.”
Police found the front door wide open. The house was silent – with no sign of struggle in the kitchen. They then found the bodies were still warm.
Detectives interviewed neighbours and friends and found nothing until the alarm was raised around Greg, who appeared for questioning and said he was at work at the time of the crime handing over his timecard as proof. He even volunteered for a polygraph test and said they could search his home.
A few days later, five miles from the house, police found a shotgun in the stream and found the serial number wiped off – they cross referenced fire arms sales and found an advertisement for the Winchester shotgun – they tracked seller who handed over a notepad listing Greg Myer’s name as the buyer.
Police dug deeper and found Greg was in serious financial trouble. He would inherit Jack and Linda’s entire farm if they died. Police confronted Greg with the evidence – he said he didn’t own anything like a green jumpsuit. Greg was then bought back in for a second questioning. He insisted that he had sold the shotgun.
A team of officers then found another item – a bin bag tied up in the stream. It contained a dark green jumpsuit, latex gloves, and a pair of tennis shoes. A fingerprint on one of the gloves matched his perfectly. Investigators believe he wore smaller shoes on purpose.
Lead investigator Mark Whittaker informed Amber he was being charged. She said “I just dropped to my knees – I couldn’t believe it. Greg was family, he was someone I trusted.” In April 2004, a year after the murders, he stood trial for two counts of aggravated murder.
The defense attempted to argue the weather was circumstantial while the prosecution said Dameon “saw what no child should ever have to see.”
A jury found Gregg guilty on both charges of aggravated murder and one count of aggravated robbery. He received two life sentences without parole. Gregg Myers is serving his time at Ohio’s Marion Correctional Institution, according to Forensic Files.