WHO KILLED T.K. HARTY?
“ALL THAT DEATH AND DESTRUCTION OVER WHO COULD SELL DRAFT BEER”
-Jimmy Dunnett, former Business Partner of John Mooney
Photo Courtesy of Minla Shields, 1970s, used with permission
The Station: The Place to be in the 1970s in Athens
Lee Epting was the mastermind behind the station, seen at far left. He was also the master leaseholder at the beginning of this story, obtaining the lease from Southern Railway.
Dream it.
Lee Epting had a dream, and he made it come true- for a while- at The Station. The old train railway depot would now serve as a place of fine dining, entertainment, shops, businesses, a bar called T.K. Harty’s Saloon, and eventually a train car turned pizza joint called Somebody’s Pizza.
T.K. Harty would own the bar with a deck— and would be the only bar at the Station to sell Draft Beer initially— but soon someone was trying to steal his business.
Build it.
T.K. Harty built a business that became the hotspot for local students to study and drink a beer, and for late nighters to cool off and have a good time. The beer on draught, Pabst Blue Ribbon, was a hit among the college students, for a while.
John Mooney and Somebody’s Pizza soon made it’s appearance at The Station, comprised of three railway cars and…a deck. They would sell bottled beer, but soon- draught beer was being poured.
Ruin It.
John Mooney could not stand T.K. Harty, and he and his business partner soon realized they could not make good money selling bottled beer and pizza alone. Somewhere along the way, as you’ll find out, a connection made the sell quite possible.
MURDER-FOR-HIRE.
John Mooney ultimately is able to sell draft beer and tries stealing business from T.K. Harty. But, T.K. is able to get back at John when he becomes the lease holder on the Station— and chooses to evict John Mooney and Somebody’s Pizza.
It was this decision coupled with the beer war that led John Mooney to hire Elmo Florence (right) to kill T.K. Harty. Be sure to listen to Part 2, where you hear Robby Reinhold talk about Florence’s confession to him in the Primetime Restaurant in September of 1977.
DA Harry Gordon
District Attorney Harry Gordon served as the chief prosecutor of the Western Judicial Circuit for over two decades, prosecuting the cases against both John Mooney and Elmo Florence. Throughout the series, Gordon helps listeners understand the challenges he faced and the whirlwind of speculation that occured after Harty was murdered.
Part 3: Trials and Trouble.
Ed Tolley, Esq.
Attorney Ed Tolley has been a recurring guest on Classic City Crime, as he’s been a part of the defense in several high-profile cases in Athens throughout his career. But in 1977, a young Tolley represented- along with Joe Salem- John Henry Mooney. What was Mooney’s defense? Part 3 lays it out!
WANTED: JOHN HENRY MOONEY.
After spending just 19 months in Prison, John Henry Mooney escapes from Wayne State Prison, evading police for 9 years and leading a double life in the state of Arizona. In Part 4, we discuss where Mooney went- and how he was captured again.
Mooney not only had a new life, but a wife and son. We hear not only District Attorney Harry Gordon talk about the escape, but we also talk with former Oconee County Sheriff Scott Berry- who led the search for the fugitive on the run.
Part 5: Lessons and Letters ft…
Wayne Ford
Reporter Wayne Ford of the Athens Banner-Herald spent a considerable amount of time meeting with Elmo Florence at Alto State Prison and also communicated with Florence through a series of written correspondence.
In Part 5, hear the contents of these letters and what Elmo contends happened nearly 43 years ago.
Robert Reinhold
When Elmo Florence confessed to killing T.K. Harty, Robby’s life was changed forever— being brought into a trial and media frenzy.
What lessons did Robby learn and what can we all learn from this case? Be sure to hear what he has to say.
Jimmy Dunnett
Jimmy Done-it (kidding!) has become a good friend throughout the course of the podcast.
John Mooney and Jimmy started Somebody’s Pizza together, but before long John left Jimmy behind— probably for the best, Jimmy said— with what came next. The Murder.
Part 6: Another Angle…
featuring Bob Gentile (Far Right)
In Part 6, Bob Gentile takes us back to the Georgian Hotel in Downtown Athens, 1977. The space is now a ballroom complete for weddings and fine social affairs, but then it housed Gentile, Arva Weinstein, and Rick Peckham’s restaurant, “Friends.”
Friends is a place where T.K. Harty and other bar/restaurant owners would go after their late night tips to “shoot the shit”, let off some steam, and talk about life in the service industry in Athens.
At some point, Harty began confiding in Gentile— telling him, “they’re going to kill me.” Who was they? Did it include John Mooney? Listen to Part 6 below to find out.
Part 7: The Psychology of the Case
Dr. Cyterski
Dr. Cyterski got her BS at the College of Charleston in SC, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Sociology. She then obtained a PhD from Virginia Tech in biobehavioral psychology. While there, Dr. Cyterski conducted research on the Machiavellian personality, the death penalty, and on people known as Aberrant Self-promoters; people who score in between normal individuals and true psychopaths.
Dr. Cyterski completed her post-doctoral research at The Chicago Medical School (now Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science) under Dr. David Kosson, a well known researcher in the field of psychopathy.
Dr. Kosson had an established research program out of the Lake County Jail in Waukegan, IL so twice a week, Cyterski would go to the jail and conduct interviews with the inmates there.
Since 2001, she has taught a variety of classes at The University of Georgia, including Forensic Psychology, The Psychology of Crime and Aggression, Research Design, Abnormal Psyc, and Elementary Psyc.
Listen Here:
Dr. Steckler
Debra Cowart Steckler grew up in Louisville, KY, attended Sacred Heart Academy high school, and swam competitively. She attended college at Butler University in Indianapolis and earned a BA in Psychology. At Butler, Dr. Steckler was president of her sorority, Pi Beta Phi.
From Butler, she came to the University of Georgia and earned an MS and PhD in Psychology. While in Athens, GA- she happened to work at Somebody’s Pizza, Friends Restaurant, and the Agency on Aging for a short time.
Dr. Steckler was then hired by the University of Mary Washington in Virginia where she has taught ever since. During her time at UMW, she was the chair of the Psychology Department for nine years. The courses she has taught include General Psychology, Adolescent and Adult Development, Psychology of Aging, Sport Psychology, Forensic Psychology, and Research Seminar in Developmental Psychology. In addition to teaching, Dr. Steckler works in Academic Services with transfer students and students who have not declared a major yet.
