The Case of Claire and Natasha Peernock
For this case, I watched an episode of Accident, Suicide or Murder. It’s season 4 episode 6, titled ‘California Crash.’
Two women are found badly injured in a wrecked car.
Background
Claire Peernock met her future husband, Robert at a party. Many said that they had a whirlwind romance, and Robert swept Claire off her feet. They got married just a few months later and eventually had their daughter, Natasha.
By 1987, Robert and Claire were in the process of getting a divorce. Robert had moved on with a new girlfriend and was living with her. Claire and Natasha were living together in their home where Robert would stop by frequently.
Claire Peernock
Natasha Peernock
The Car Accident
Around 4 a.m., on July 22, 1987, the police responded to a 911 call in Santa Clarita, California. The call was about a possible traffic accident in a very remote area.
A witness found the car, a 1971 black Cadillac, and described what looked like 2 young women inside the car. When the paramedics and police arrived, they found that the Cadillac had gone off the road and hit a telephone pole. The driver’s side door had been left open.
One woman was found underneath the dashboard and steering wheel area. The other woman was found in the front seat. Both had very severe head trauma. The woman in the driver's seat was already deceased, but the other woman had a pulse. She was placed in the ambulance and transported to the hospital.
Around 4:45 a.m., the fire department was called in when someone at the scene smelled a strong odor of gasoline coming from the front and back seats, and trunk of the car. The fire department checked the car and stopped any chance of a fire spreading throughout the scene.
The black Cadillac on July 22, 1987
A Possible Homicide
A gas leak had been ruled out. However, a one-gallon gas can was found in the trunk. An arson investigator determined that a large amount of gas had been poured onto the seats of the car.
A leather shoelace had been found partially draped on one of the victim’s shoulders. A bottle of Whiskey was found on the floor of the car.
The crime scene was odd. There had been no damage to the steering wheel or windshield. But, there was brain matter found in the car. Both women also had severe head injuries. The head injuries didn’t seem consistent with a car accident.
The police ran the license plate and it came back to belonging to a man named Robert Peerncock. One of the victims was identified as Claire Peerncock. Her purse and driver's license had been found in the car.
The police went to the address found on Claire’s driver's license. When there was no answer, the police walked around the neighborhood and spoke to several neighbors. The neighbors told the police that Claire lived in the house with her daughter, Natasha, and that Claire and Robert were in the process of getting a divorce. Robert had been living with his new girlfriend but would visit his wife and daughter.
The Husband
It seemed like things started to change in the marriage when Natasha became a teenager. Robert also became violent and erratic.
The police went to the hospital to see if Natasha could speak to them. Natasha’s jacket smelled very strongly of gasoline. The police believed that the gasoline had been poured onto her and her mom. Natasha had been sedated and had sustained several injuries. Her doctors said that she was going to pull through eventually.
About 5 hours into the investigation, the police received a call from Robert. He heard from neighbors that Claire and Natasha had been involved in a car accident. Robert said he had been at Claire and Natasha’s earlier in the day painting shelves. Robert claimed that they had been drinking and continued to drink while he worked in the backyard. He said they were sloppy drunk and left the house in his black Cadillac.
Robert agreed to go to the police station for a further interview, but he never showed up.
The Evidence
At the police station, the arson investigators were able to determine that there were 2 separate burn patterns in the car. It had been set on fire before the crash but had died down after the collision. One had been set in the trunk and the other underneath the car.
A rope had been found tied to the trailer hitch. The rope had also been set on fire. A piece of metal had been tied with the piece of rope. It had been tied right below the gas tank and sharpened to a point. The person who had set this up had believed that the piece of metal would hit the gas tank when the car crashed. However, the metal didn’t hit the tank.
After he didn’t show up at the station, the police went to the home of Robert’s girlfriend. His girlfriend didn’t believe that Robert had been involved. He had told his girlfriend the same story about Claire and Natasha stealing his car and thought it was a traffic accident. The police told her that it was important to have Robert contact them.
After not showing up, Robert’s attorney sent the police a letter. In the letter, Robert said he was not involved. He said he couldn’t speak to them because he was a whistleblower for the state of California. He said he was afraid for his life and that the police may be involved in a conspiracy to silence him. Robert was sure that he had been the intended target of that car crash.
The Witness
About 2 days after the accident, Natasha’s condition had improved. The police went to attempt to speak to her again.
Natasha spoke in this episode only if she wasn’t shown on camera for safety reasons. Natasha said that her dad had come home on July 22, and started complaining. She said she had been trying to stay out of the way and tried to go to her room.
Robert had grabbed Natasha by the neck and put her on her bed. Natasha said he then put a mask over her face. The mask had a hole in the mouth, so he forced alcohol through the hole. Natasha said she remembered hearing her mom walk into the house. Robert also attacked Claire.
He carried both of them to the car. She said she didn’t remember anything about the car crash and woke up at the hospital. Natasha had asked about her mom and knew she was dead based on the reactions she was getting from the doctors. Natasha said she was afraid that her dad would realize that she wasn’t dead and return to kill her. The police placed an officer outside her hospital room at all times.
The police went back to Claire and Natasha’s house to search for clues about her story. There were traces of blood and blood spatter on the walls. They found the mask and tube that Natasha had described. The same type of metal bar and rope found on the car were also found inside the house.
Robert was an extensive notetaker and had written hundreds of erratic notes. The police boxed up the notes and took them back to the police station.
The Motive
On July 24, the medical examiner ruled Claire’s death as a result of a car accident. The medical examiner refused to change the manner of death, which angered the police. The police asked the head medical examiner to perform another autopsy. He eventually changed the manner of death to a homicide as a result of blunt force trauma.
By this point, Robert was nowhere to be found and his girlfriend claimed to not know where he was.
On July 25, the police obtained a search warrant for Robert’s bank statements. He had been withdrawing large sums from the bank. On July 23, the day after the murder, he withdrew about $50,000. It’s believed that he had been planning to flee even before he committed the crime.
That same day, the police went back to the Peerncock home to do a thorough forensic search. In the living room, the luminol reacted to a body-sized amount of blood.
Claire’s divorce attorney, Victoria Doom contacted the police after the LA Times ran an article about the case. Victoria said that Claire told her in a letter that if anything happened to her it was Robert that had done it. Victoria also said that Robert had convinced Claire to postpone their divorce for 6 months so that he could receive financing for a new business venture. Over those several months, Robert had been planning to kill his wife and daughter. If they were dead by August 1, he would profit from their deaths.
The Manhunt and Arrest
Natasha left the hospital after about 8 days. The police wanted to put her in a safe house until Robert was caught. Natasha refused and wanted to stay with a friend in Santa Clarita.
The police received a phone call from a neighbor where Natasha was staying. The neighbor believed they had seen someone scoping out the house. The neighbor had a for sale sign in the yard. She said a man had stopped by and handed her a business card claiming that he was a realtor and wanted to look at the house. Through a picture, she identified Robert Peerncock as the man she had seen at her door.
Natasha eventually moved out to a different state to get away from her dad.
The police spoke to Robert’s girlfriend again, but she wouldn’t give up his location or admit that they were in contact. The police placed a surveillance team on her.
On September 3, Robert’s girlfriend eventually admitted that she and Robert had been in contact after she was heard talking to him on a payphone. She told the police that he was at the Vagabond Inn in Woodland Hills. Robert was arrested on September 4.
Robert had been in Las Vegas and had gotten plastic surgery to try and conceal his identity. In his motel room, the police found about $20,000 and travel brochures for Australia. Robert was charged with first-degree murder.
Natasha believes that Robert had been staying at this motel because it was near her mom’s friend’s house.
The absolute monster that was Robert Peernock
The To-Do List
In October 1991, Robert’s trial finally began. He had fired and hired several defense attorneys while he was awaiting trial.
While the police had been going over Robert’s handwritten notes, they found a to-do list for the murder. Robert wrote about the exact angle he needed to cut the metal pipe. He wrote “h.c,” which meant handcuffs. F.M. meant facemasks. He also wrote about buying bottles of liquor.
It’s believed that Robert drove to the scene and moved Natasha and Claire to the front seat. He then bashed them in the head with a metal bar. He poured gasoline on them and inside the trunk. He put Claire’s foot on the gas pedal and tied the leather shoelace to hold down the gearshift. When his plan failed, Robert had to make up a story to the police and flee the area.
Robert’s behavior at his trial really irritated the judge. At one point, Robert was handcuffed and duct-taped in the courtroom. He was also removed from the courtroom, and he threw a cassette tape at the jury.
Robert in court
Robert’s girlfriend was arrested and charged with being an accessory after the fact.
Robert was found guilty of murder. He was sentenced to life without parole.
In December 2021, Robert died in prison after being exposed to COVID-19.
Other
Robert was also sentenced for hiring another inmate to kill Natasha and Claire’s attorney, Victoria Doom.
Robert was ordered to pay $11 million to Natasha for the wrongful death of Claire.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Robert really thought that he was going to get away with this. He created a horrible and toxic life for his wife and daughter due to his beliefs about conspiracy and the government. He became violent and toxic. He continued to terrorize his daughter until his death. I’m sure Natasha finally feels like she can breathe again and I hope she is thriving.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Peernock
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-12-22-me-30630-story.html
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-05-15-me-2319-story.html
