November 3, 2025 | By: Sophia Prudencio

This story is part of a collaborative project between Project: Cold Case and the University of North Florida’s Applied Journalism class.

Thomas Elliott, known as “Peter Blue,” was a well-known professional pool player in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “In the city of Milwaukee, everyone knew Peter Blue,” said his daughter, Dr. LaTanya.

Peter Blue was murdered and taken from his family on December 7, 2015. He was shot in the driveway of his long-time girlfriend after spending a quiet night playing cards with friends. His murder has never been solved.

Elliott was born in Walnut, Mississippi, on April 3, 1953. He later moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with his mother and siblings. In his teen years during the late 1960s and early 1970s, Elliott met Margaret Jenkins, the mother of his children. They would have a son, Reginald Jenkins, and a daughter, Dr. LaTanya Jones.

Family members remember him as a laid-back and kindhearted father, but he was also known to have a fun side. Elliott particularly enjoyed crossword puzzles. While planning his funeral, the funeral owner, Michelle Pitts, received hundreds of calls from people around the country who wanted to share their memories of him, such as learning to play pool or the times he had helped them. He made a successful career out of playing pool professionally and was well-known in bars throughout Milwaukee. Elliott’s middle name was Reginald, but everyone in his family started to call him Pete at a young age. As he started being welcomed into the pool playing community, older gentlemen started to call him “Peter Blue.”

Elliott was an avid shopper who enjoyed wearing suits and looking his best. He spent one of his last days shopping for new attire at Nikavonni’s, one of his favorite stores. Dr. LaTanya noted that her father wore suits everywhere he went. “He looked like he was going to work at a law firm when he would pick me up from school,” she said. Elliott was very particular about how he and others dressed. “If something started at seven, I would have to tell him it started earlier because he took that long to get ready,” Dr. LaTanya recalled.

Dr. LaTanya describes her father as a very caring man with whom she could discuss anything. One of her favorite memories is of the two of them sitting by a lake in Milwaukee after her high school graduation, talking about her plans for the future. Elliott was a supportive and caring father throughout his life for his children and grandchildren. Dr. LaTanya remembers their last conversation being the day before he passed away. They spoke over the phone, discussing when they would see each other next. Dr. LaTanya was out of state when she received a call from her cousin, informing her that her father had been killed.

Elliott was murdered in December and wouldn’t be with his family for Christmas, so his family decided to incorporate Christmas colors at his funeral. Deb, the owner of Nikavonni’s and a close friend of Elliott’s, gave Dr. LaTanya a variety of red, white, and black hats to be placed beside Elliott’s casket. Elliott was dressed in a red and white suit for the service. Dr. LaTanya keeps his memory alive by going on trips every year on his birthday and/or the anniversary of his death. She picks destinations based on where she wanted to visit with her father.  “I like to visit places I wanted to take him,” Dr. LaTanya said.  The most recent trip Dr. LaTanya took was to Puerto Rico. On one of her trips, she went on a cruise where everyone wore blue one night in honor of Peter Blue. They also commemorate him on Father’s Day by going out to dinner and releasing balloons.

Elliott traveled the world playing pool and turned it into a career where he was highly successful, according to his family. However, he encountered legal issues and was arrested in 2006 on drug-related charges and released in 2012.

On the night of December 7, 2015, at 11:00 P.M., Elliott finished playing cards with friends when he walked outside of his long-time girlfriend’s house at the 4100 block of West Fairmount Avenue in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. At that moment, two suspects approached Elliott and shot him. He died of multiple gunshot wounds at the scene. Elliott was 62 years old. One of the suspects ran to the rear passenger seat of a white four-door Cadillac with tinted windows and drove away. The suspects were waiting there and knew Elliott would be coming out of the house. Police believe he was targeted because of others’ knowledge of his financial status. Sadly, this type of senseless violence was not uncommon; according to the Milwaukee Police Department, there were 147 recorded homicides in 2015, a 69% increase from the previous year, which saw 86 recorded homicides.

The 10-year anniversary of Thomas Elliott’s murder will be in December 2025. Thomas Elliott’s family includes three sisters, four brothers, an aunt, an uncle, four granddaughters, two grandsons, four great-granddaughters, and one great-grandson. In 2022, Dr. Jones participated in an interview with Crime Stoppers and continues to distribute flyers around Milwaukee whenever she can. Dr. LaTanya contacts the Milwaukee Cold Case Unit, Detective Lopez, and Detective Schima, on a regular basis. Peter Blue’s case remains unsolved. Dr. LaTanya continues to actively seek justice in her father’s case.

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Anyone with information concerning Thomas Elliot’s unsolved homicide is asked to call the Milwaukee Police Department Cold Case/ Homicide Unit at (414) 935-7360. To remain anonymous and possibly be eligible for a reward, call Milwaukee Crime Stoppers at (414) 224-8477.

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