Detectives look into Charlotte County woman’s 30-year-old murder

Thirty years after she was brutally stabbed to death in her home, a Southwest Florida woman’s killer is still not behind bars. Investigators are now spending even more time reducing the large number of potential suspects.

We spoke to Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office detectives looking into the decades-old cold case murder of Sharon Gill, 42, about how they are accomplishing that task Friday.

“Probably, this case has more suspects than any case I’ve ever worked in my 43-year career,” said Det. Mike Gandy with the cold case unit.

Traveling north of the Peace River, east of I-75, you’ll find yourself in Charlotte County’s Deep Creek community.

“Deep Creek was a fairly new community, up-and-coming community, at that time, with a very low crime rate,” Gandy said.

That’s why the 1990 deadly stabbing of Gill inside her home was extremely unexpected.

“It was just not your typical homicide,” Gill said. “People walking, neighbors outside, and she was stabbed multiple times.”

Det. Kurt Mehl said special attention has been given to Gill’s murder.

“We have been heavily focused on this particular case,” Mehl said.

Their work is paying off. The cold case team put together a list of more than 20 potential suspects.

“The ones that we have spoken with so far have been very cooperative,” Mehl said.

Their cooperation, along with evidence, lie detector test results and new technology have helped the detectives clear several potential suspects from that list.

“We still have the potential of having some DNA that is being examined as we speak today with new methods,” Gandy said.

Investigators won’t completely clear them until they positively identify the person responsible. But it brings detectives one step closer to finding that person.

“If for nothing else for providing some type of answer to the families of the victims,” Mehl said.

Detectives received an anonymous tip about a suspicious person walking in the Deep Creek area around the time of Gill’s murder. They want to speak more with that tipster.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office. Non-emergency lines include 941-639-2101 and 941-474-3233.