Haslam Announces Reward in Franklin Murder Case

 
$5,000 for information in 1991 case of restaurant worker Peggy Cox 
 
NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today announced a $5,000 reward from the state for information leading to the apprehension, arrest and conviction of the person or persons who have committed, attempted to commit or conspired to commit the murder of Peggy Cox on February 1, 1991.
 
“We encourage anyone with information in this case to contact local authorities so the person responsible for this crime can be brought to justice,” Haslam said.
 
Peggy Beurlein Cox was a 49-year-old widowed mother of three children. She had worked at Hardees restaurant in Franklin for two years. She was tragically killed on her birthday.
 
On the night of her death, Cox was working the drive-thru window at Hardees. According to a receipt, at 11:45 p.m. she took a drive-up order. Her son, Jude, was also working at the restaurant and heard a male voice place the order over the intercom. As Jude prepared the order, he saw his mother quickly back away from the drive-thru window and then heard two gunshots. Jude ran to his mother’s side while another employee called 911 to report the shooting.
 
At 11:46 p.m., a Franklin police officer arrived and found Cox lying on the floor near the drive-thru area. She had been shot in the neck. She was transported by ambulance to Williamson Medical Center and pronounced dead. A thorough search for witnesses in the area was conducted for months after the murder. Interviews and evidence gathering continued but to no avail.
The case is being re-investigated and has been reassigned to a Franklin Police Department criminal investigator currently assigned to the FBI Violent Crime Task Force.
 
Kim Helper, district attorney general for the 21st Judicial District, requests that anyone with information about this case call Chief Deb Faulkner of the Franklin Police Department at 615-794-2513 or at deb.faulkner@franklintn.gov.