[John] It's a major break. TBI agents say they now know
who killed Tina Farmer in 1984 and then dumped that redhead on
the side of I-75 in Campbell County. Despite knowing her killer,
agents say they can't charge him. The suspect died four years ago. Jerry Johns was serving time
for trying to kill someone else, someone with red hair like Tina Farmer, someone he tried to kill in the very same
way, according to FBI and TBI agents. 10News reporter Cole Sullivan joins us now
with the connection between those two cases and the effort to use this cold case as a way to crack a series of cases
known as the Redhead Murders, Cole. [Cole] John, those are the murders
of half a dozen redheaded women dumped along the sides of interstates
across the country in the 1980s. The TBI says there isn't yet a firm
connection between Johns and those cases, but agents are looking into it. Investigators now have an
answer to a 34-year-old question. [Agent] This hasn't been easy, but we never gave up. [Cole] The TBI says it knows who killed Tina Marie Farmer. Police found her unidentified body dumped on the
side of I-75 near Jellico New Year's Day 1985. [Brandon] We know that she had been at a truck stop. Mr. Johns was a long-haul truck driver, and we believe the connection lies somewhere in there. [Cole] Jerry Johns, convicted later in 1985 for trying to kill a Knox County woman who looked similar, died in 2015. He was a suspect back then, partially because of the similarities between the cases, but police just did not have enough proof. [Brandon] DNA technology changing has
made it possible for us to be able to find the profile on the items and then that
match is what made all the difference. [Cole] Newly tested DNA evidence helped get the indictment. [Brandon] Today's technology to solve yesterday's crimes, but we have to wait on that technology. [Cole] Now, the TBI is working with
investigative agencies across the southeast trying to see if Johns could be responsible
for the so-called Redhead Murders, a string of similar-looking women
dumped along the sides of major interstates. [Brandon] I can't tell you with any definitive
proof that he's involved in any other cases. [Cole] The agent in charge of the 30-year-old
cold case called Farmer's family Thursday, after more than a decade working to
find out who killed their loved one. [Brandon] Tell them that we've been able
to solve, you know, a 34-year-old mystery. [Cole] Agent Elkins says the family had mixed emotions. They were happy to have a conclusion but disappointed no one will be
convicted of her killing, John. [John] And as you mentioned and reported, Cole, this raises a lot of questions
about those Redhead Murders and perhaps, some leads on new cases. [Cole] Yeah, John, we know that the
suspect in this case tried to do it again. That's why he was in jail. The indictment says both women had red hair, and he tried to kill them in the same way, leaving their bodies on the side of the interstate. The other Redhead Murders were also
found dead along the side of the interstate. Jerry Johns was a long-haul trucker. But for now, the TBI is only linking him to Tina Farmer. It says it does not have anything
conclusive on the other cases. [John] Maybe a shred of hope for those families though. Cole, thank you. We'll stay on this story. Right now, in the 10News app, we have all of
our past coverage of the Redhead Murders, how investigators identified the victim
with the help of the Body Farm at UT, the other unsolved cases, and
the podcast featuring the killings.
