John Harden
Real Name: John W. Harden
Nicknames: No known nicknames
Location: Clermont, Florida
Date: March 22, 1975
Case
Details: Thirty-two-year-old air-conditioning repairman John Harden grew up in South Florida. When he was eighteen, he married his high school sweetheart, Rita. They raised four children in Jacksonville. However, after fourteen years of marriage, he left them. About a year and a half later, he remarried and moved into a house on Oscela Drive in Clermont, Florida.
At around midnight on March 22, 1975, John woke up to the smell of smoke and looked out to find his truck in flames. As he was attempting to put out the fire, someone shot him at close range with a .20-gauge shotgun. Police investigation noted that the phone lines to the house were cut and that the fire was set on purpose to lure him out. Although the suspected murder weapon was found in the bushes, the killer was never identified.
Suspects: None known; police noted that they did have several suspects, but did not have enough evidence to charge anyone.
Extra Notes: This case first aired on the October 30, 1991 episode with a focus on John's ghost in his house. Some sources have his last name spelled "Hardin".
Results: Unsolved. Unfortunately, investigators did not receive any new leads as a result of the broadcast. However, this case was reopened by the Lake County Sheriff's Office in 2007.
Links:
- TV Show to Re-enact Murder of Lake Man - September 20, 1991
- TB Show Tells Tale but Murder Still a Mystery - November 1, 1991
- Murder Mystery Remains but the Ghost Has Vanished - October 30, 1992
- Clermont murder case reopened after 32 years - February 8, 2007
- Sitcoms Online Discussion forum
- John Harden on Find a Grave