Pensacola has always had its ghosts.
Some walk quietly through the old streets downtown, some linger near the waterfront, and some still seem to stand watch beside the badge.
On Monday evening, May 18, 2026, the story of one of Pensacola’s fallen officers will be told once again inside the walls of the modern Pensacola Police Department headquarters.
At 6:00 PM, the Pensacola Police Historic Society will host a special presentation on the 1899 murder of Pensacola Police Officer John Yelverton — a lawman whose name has nearly disappeared into the shadows of the city’s long history.
More than 125 years ago, Pensacola was a very different place.
The streets were darker, the waterfront was rougher and police officers often worked alone, armed with little more than a revolver, a nightstick, and determination.
Officer Yelverton stepped into that world every night…Then, one night, after a shootout on the street, he didn’t come home.
This case is more than an old police story. It is a glimpse into the dangerous realities of law enforcement at the turn of the century — long before radios, backup officers, forensic labs, or modern emergency medicine. It is also a story of sacrifice, duty, and a city still struggling to define itself along the Gulf Coast frontier.
During the presentation, retired Pensacola Police Sergeant, former homicide detective, and Southern Crime Historian Mike Simmons will explore…
– the events surrounding Officer Yelverton’s murder,
– the culture of Pensacola policing in the 1890s,
– the investigation that followed,
– and the forgotten world of old Gulf Coast law enforcement.
The event is free of charge and open to the public.
For those who enjoy Southern history, true crime, police history, and the darker echoes of old Pensacola, it promises to be a fascinating evening. But this is only the beginning of a summer filled with stories from the shadows.
More Sweet Tea Murders LIVE Events – Coming up
- May 28, 2026: Sweet Tea Murders LIVE at the Pensacola Museum of Art. You will hear two haunting stories from Pensacola’s past:
- The Stabbing at the Half Way House Saloon — the 1882 waterfront killing of Captain Martin Villar
- The Chipley Alley Axe Murder — the shocking 1926 Preston Pickern murder case
- Told inside Pensacola’s former police headquarters and city jail.
- June 25, 2026: Sweet Tea Murders LIVE: “Judi Buenoano, Serial Murderess” at the Voices of Pensacola.
- The chilling story of Florida’s infamous “Black Widow,” whose trail of poison, deception, and death stretched from Brewton, Alabama to death row.
- July 23, 2026: Sweet Tea Murders LIVE: “Blood at the Old Courthouse” at The Voices of Pensacola.
- The dramatic McGowan-Brown killing — a violent chapter of Pensacola history that unfolded in the shadow of the old courthouse itself.
Pensacola’s history is filled with beautiful architecture, Gulf breezes, and Southern charm. But beneath the Spanish moss and brick streets are stories that still whisper after all these years…stories of murder, stories of justice, and stories of the lawmen and citizens who stood in the middle of both. This summer, those stories will be told once again.
