An Ohio man is charged with gunning down his roommate — and his father’s lifelong friend — in a New Year’s Day argument over a dog inside the home.
The Ashland County Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement that police were called to the home Thursday afternoon and found John “Lefty” Grehn, 61, dead from apparent gunshot wounds.
Robert Palermo appeared in court on Friday on an aggravated murder charge in Grehn’s death, the Ashland Source reported.
Ashland County Prosecutor Chris Tunnell said the murder was over Grehn’s dog being allowed in the house the two shared, which was owned by Palermo’s father.
John Palermo and Grehn were lifelong friends, Tunnell said.
The prosecutor said the argument began as a verbal spat before Palermo went upstairs, retrieved a gun from a locked box, then returned and “reignited the argument.”
Then, Tunnell said, Palermo shot Grehn multiple times. John Palermo called 911 to report the shooting.
Tunnell said in his statement that Ashland County “is and always will be a safe place to live” and that the focus should not be “on the negative aspects of one human’s poor choices.”
Palermo was given a $2 million bond in Friday’s court session.
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[Featured image: Robert Palermo/Ashland County jail]