A former Haines City police officer has written a book about the 1998 murder of fellow officer Christopher Horner. Horner was shot and killed in the Oakland Cemetery before dawn on March 3.

  • Former Haines City officer writes book on murder of fellow officer
  • Christopher Horner was shot, killed in 1998 while on duty
  • Darren Freeman wrote a book on the 'darkest hour' of Horner's death

Horner's body, with his service revolver underneath, was discovered after he had called dispatch to say he was checking on a suspicious vehicle.

“But he drove this way coming in," said former officer Darren Freeman as he drove through the cemetery. "The direction I’m traveling right now and saw the vehicle and pulled in behind it."

Horner and Freeman had previously worked the same shift and had patrolled through the cemetery before. It had been a hot spot for crime. Just a week before Horner was murdered, Freeman had take a new position in the department.

"In my mind that could have or should have been me here," he said.

Shortly after the murder there was speculation that Horner had taken his own life.

“And from what they said, I just did not believe it at all,” he said. 

Six years later, a man name Christopher Gamble confessed to being at the scene of the murder. He was already in jail on other charges and rejected a lighter sentence for his testimony.

“And also, Christopher Gamble, he was a bad guy from the start," said Freeman. "I knew him as a teenager right on up. And for him to come forward, that was a big thing."

Four men, including Gamble, were eventually convicted in connection with Horner's murder.

Freeman said he decided to write a book about the murder to make sure everyone knew what really happened. It's called "Darkest Hour: Not All That Is Buried Stays Buried Forever."

"If it was me and my children, I would want them to know their father was a hero who died doing what he loved. Doing his job protecting the community. Not just conjectures and hey we found this out this way here. It’s in print word for word," he said.