Shraman Mitra
Investigation Discovery’s ‘The Killer Beside Me: Living a Lie’ chronicles the November 2006 slaying of Gene Thurnau. Gene was first noticed missing by his wife, Juanita “Jaye-Jaye” Thurnau, who noticed her husband’s bloodied clothes lying in a pile on the floor of their Land O’Lakes, Florida, home. With the police involved, they took a couple of days to recover Gene’s deceased body, thus uncovering a murder-suicide plot. If this case intrigues you and you want to know where Juanita Thurnau is at present, we have you covered.
Who Is Jaye-Jaye Thurnau?
According to reports, Jaye-Jaye or Juanita was a resident of Florida and is a mother. A working woman, she was employed as an air traffic controller at St. Pete/Clearwater Airport and was considered to be quite good at her job. With Gene Thurnau going through a difficult divorce from his previous wife, he decided to move to Florida and start his life anew. Surprisingly, his former co-worker, Robert Dean Peterson AKA Bob, also followed him as he shifted.
Once in Florida, both Gene and Robert took up employment as air traffic controllers and incidentally met Juanita. She seemed quite taken with Gene and began a relationship that soon turned into marriage. After a few years of dating, the couple seemed happy as they had a new house in Land O’Lakes, Florida, and were excited to move in. Surprisingly, Robert invited himself over to their home one night, claiming that he had a gift for the pair. Although Juanita and Gene weren’t on the friendliest of terms with Robert, they agreed.
On November 1, 2006, Robert brought along a photo album that had pictures of the Thurnaus’ house being built. Even with the gift being a little strange, Juanita didn’t think much of it and left to run an errand with her adult daughter. On her return, she was shocked to find a blood trail going all the way into the house through the door. Stepping inside, she found a spent bullet casing and her husband’s clothes lying in a bloody pile on the floor.
Sensing danger, Juanita immediately called the police and informed them of the situation. The authorities took a couple of days but ultimately searched Peterson’s rented property in Safety Harbor. There they found the bodies of Gene and Robert in what they deemed was a murder-suicide.
Where Is Jaye-Jaye Thurnau Now?
Gene Thurnau’s death was quite hard for Juanita to accept, and she could not believe how an act of cruelty ruined their perfect lives forever. She told the police about Robert Peterson’s odd behavior around her husband but claimed that she had no idea about his obsession with the victim. Moreover, once the police determined that Robertson had propositioned Gene for oral sex before the murder, Juanita was sure that her husband turned him down.
However, Juanita tries to think kindly of people and does not hate Robert as she said, “I don’t hate Bob. How can you hate someone who is mentally disturbed?” When appearing on the Investigation Discovery show, Juanita mentioned that she was lucky to get to know Gene and experience how being truly loved by someone felt like. It has been difficult for her to come to grips with reality, and she stated that her belief in God helped her remain strong throughout.
Although Juanita prefers to keep her current whereabouts under wraps, it seems like she has finally managed to keep her dark past aside and is now in a wonderful relationship. Although the identity of her supposed partner has remained a mystery, we want to wish Juanita the very best for all her future endeavors.
Read More: Gene Thurnau Murder: Is Robert Peterson Dead or Alive?
