Mystery couple murdered in South Carolina, 1976 - #3

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Looked good at the start but it seems as though Jacques Patrice LAURENT at least got divorced in the 80s, which (if that's correct) means he's not our guy - unfortunately the posting linked to no longer seems to be on the site and is in the Google cache only.

I have sent a message to the original poster, very gently, asking them to look at the thread if the believe that the people they are looking for could have vanished under these circumstances.
 
My French reading/writing is pretty good (not excellent though) but good enough that I'm sure anyone who read it could understand it if I can help with anything.

ETA: I've looked at French Canadian missing persons/reunion websites in the past and haven't come up with much but I will keep trying. The website below is my favorite because the search terms are really good (place and country of birth, place they were last known to be, date they went missing, etc.). I've always wanted to help some of them, especially the ones who are looking for their American parent (usually a soldier) but I did send a message to one once and they never wrote back. Anyhow, if you click on "Rechercher" on the left, it will take you to the search boxes.

http://www.personnedisparue.com/index.php

I also don't know if this will help but you can search French Canadian missing persons websites if you go to google.ca, make sure the bubble under the search box is marked "pages from Canada" (otherwise you will get pages from France as well). The word for "missing person" in French is "personne disparue" so I usually just type in that. If you need help on a particular word, www.wordreference.com is usually the best, much better than any translation site on the internet, and is what I use. Their missing persons websites are not very hard to navigate and work just like English ones do. Even if you can't read the language, you can still see the pictures and dates.

Just to clarify, I'm not French and/or Canadian and not an expert on the language. However, I did graduate a few months ago with a minor in the language and I always enjoy usuing my language skills (good at reading/writing, not so good at speaking/listening). There are words I don't know but usually wordreference can help, if not they have a really good forum where you can ask questions answered by French/English speakers.
 
Although anything is possible, they did have a suspect at the time. They did find the weapon that killed the couple.

I couldn't find the link, but this information is in the first thread, page 13, post 302, posted by phenol-red.

I read, LE stopped a drunk driver 4 months after the murders, and discovered he had a stolen pistol that turned out to be the murder weapon.

What year was the pistol reported stolen? from what city and state?

Why would LE talk about it being a "stolen" gun when this POI had owned it 4 or 5 years.

Yes it was a stolen gun before his brother gave it to him as a Christmas gift, 4 or 5 years before this happened.

The way LE worded it, makes a person think it was stolen in the last few months..and wasn't in this guys possession...which is wrong! Why did LE try to 'cover 'for this creep?

Where did LE stop his car? in South Carolina or North Carolina, on what road?
Was his car or home ever checked for evidence?

Did he have a bad drinking/drug problem, any DUI's or other convictions?

I suspect he did it, His wife was in a N.C. hospital and he needed money, is my guess....

What are the ODDS he just happened to have the murder weapon in his vehicle, 4 months (Dec.) after 2 brutal murders...in August.

he either did the crime or knew who did...why was he carrying a .357/38 pistol in his car, & drinking? was the tire marks from the scene of the murders ever matched to his families vehicles?

The POI said the pistol was a gift to him from his brother 4 or 5 years ago, so why did he see need to file the serial number off the gun, when this would only hurt the value.
This alone would throw a red flag up to me.

Having a concealed murder weapon in ones possession is NO coincidence...

It would take a idiot to believe this mans story...
Investigators apparently does very little or NO follow up on his 'story', why, all this slackness with this guy?

LE definitely dropped the ball on this case at that time..causing this to become a cold case. WHY? somebody should have been fired.

A guy driving drunk with a murder weapon, should have been investigated throughly, everywhere he had been before the murders. minute by minute, Aug. 7th, 8th and 9th...
and thrown in jail on a felony, Yet it was forgotten or dropped by LE?

don't tell me it was just because someone 'said' he was at the hospital visiting his wife...I doubt he stayed ALL night in the hospital, the couple was killed between midnight and 1 am...in those days visiting hours was up at 7:00 pm.....

It is only a 2 hour drive from the hospital to Sumter or about 89 miles...

He could have left the hospital at 10:30 pm and been in Sumter at 12:30 midnight and back at the hospital by 2:30 or 3:00 am,
No one will ever convince me the nurses were checking Mr. Henry every hour, all night long....or if he was there all night..

and why not investigate this guys brother and son?....and just maybe one of the three would not have gotten away with murder.....:behind-bar
 
shadetree...I posted this back on post #72...phenol-red had posted the article on an earlier Mystery Couple thread sometime last year and I happened to find it when someone asked about Lonnie Henry:

Sole suspect
About four months after the murders, police in the Darlington County town of Latter arrested Lonnie George Henry for drunk driving. Under the seat of his car they found a .38-caliber Smith & Wesson with the serial number filed off.

Police sent the gun to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division's forensic lab for tests and later concluded that Henry's revolver had killed the mystery couple. Bullets taken from the bodies matched with the weapon.

When officers asked Henry point blank if he was the killer, his polygraph said he was telling the truth. No, he hadn't pulled the trigger.

But several other lie detector tests implied he was lying about something, at least, maybe covering up for somebody. Investigators wondered if someone had stolen his gun and whether a relative or friend of Henry's had killed the couple in Sumter.


But case files say Henry did lie about how he'd obtained the gun, first telling officers that he'd bought it from a truck driver.

Days after the purchase, Henry told investigators, he discovered the serial number had been filed off. By then, it was too late to return the item for a refund.


SLED recovered the serial number and investigators tracked the gun from its manufacturer to Henry's brother,

who said he gave it to Henry as a Christmas present four or five years earlier.


When confronted with the new information, Henry confessed to filing the serial numbers off himself.

It remains unclear why Henry lied if he was innocent.
And it also remains unclear if he really was.
Case files say Henry was a recovering alcoholic and had also gotten in trouble with the law for a slew of minor offenses.


At the time, his son had recently drowned in the Pee Dee River. He'd also accidentally killed one of his co-workers, by backing a dump truck over him.
Investigative psychologists even wondered if he'd killed the Sumter couple and simply couldn't remember doing it.....

Very interesting...
Correct me if I'm wrong, I've read Physociopaths lie a lot and very good and can pass Lie Detector test?
 
There are a lot of theories about Mr. Henry.

From what I've gleaned from speaking to Mrs Moore in Sumter (and also what I've read), investigators determined that Mr. Henry could not have driven to and from the crime scene. This was based on interviews with hospital personnel who stated he was with his wife. Apparently there was only a small window of opportunity, and it was too small for him to have driven to the area, killed the couple and driven back. The prosecutor felt there was just not enough evidence to place him at the crime scene.

It is possible that people close to Mr Henry had access to the gun and he may not have been sure where it was at the time of the crime. If someone close to him was a possible culprit, that would be motivation for him to be less than truthful. What bothers me is that there is a murderer likely walking around free and possibly people who know this person and know what happened, and are maybe too afraid to come forward.

I think it's also very important not to be too critical of LE and the authorities in Sumter. This was 1976 and the technology for investigating crimes was much different then than it is now.

About the isotope analysis: Mrs Moore has been very interested in pursuing that for some time, but cannot do it until the bone samples that were collected in June of 2007 are processed for DNA. She has asked the lab to send back the samples when they complete the testing so that can be explored. However, this may be problematic since Mrs Moore lost the last election in Sumter and a new coroner is taking her place in January. Solving this case has been a mission for Mrs Moore and I worry that when she is gone, it will be returned to the archives and will start collecting dust again.
 
LetsThink, we've talked about why the investigation was so slack. I personally feel like it's the Good-Ole-Boys system. I live in Charleston, which is a larger city than Sumpter so we don't always see as much of it here, but when you get to the smaller more rural areas, like around Sumpter, it's definitely all about who you know and what you've done for them in the past.

Seeing as this guy was an alcoholic, I'll bet he drank often with off-duty cops in bars. Regulars always make friends, and your bar friends are of a different variety. You know them different and truer because their inhibitions are low. That could definitely make for a 'you don't tell anyone about this and I'll take care of you.' situation.
 
LetsThink, we've talked about why the investigation was so slack. I personally feel like it's the Good-Ole-Boys system. I live in Charleston, which is a larger city than Sumpter so we don't always see as much of it here, but when you get to the smaller more rural areas, like around Sumpter, it's definitely all about who you know and what you've done for them in the past.

Seeing as this guy was an alcoholic, I'll bet he drank often with off-duty cops in bars. Regulars always make friends, and your bar friends are of a different variety. You know them different and truer because their inhibitions are low. That could definitely make for a 'you don't tell anyone about this and I'll take care of you.' situation.....

Youshouldveknown, I agree...I haven't read why all the slack, but it's as plain as the nose on my face... these Good-Ole-Boys ignored all the lies and leads, that was dropped in their laps.
This case should have be solved airtight in 5 months, in my opinion.

I only ran across this interesting case this week 10-27-08, please excuse me if I ask questions that have been discussed in past months.
 
The distance from Monroe to Sumter is only 87 miles or a 2 hour drive, at most.

Here are the visiting hours at the Monroe Hospital: Please notice visiting hours are OVER for ALL family members at 8:30 pm....
QUOTE:
Critical Care Unit: Two members of the immediate family may visit between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. and between 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

Progressive Care/Medical/Surgical Units (3rd and 4th Floors): Open visitation from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Children under 12 may visit with a nurse's permission. Three guests per visit, please.
 
I only ran across this interesting case this week 10-27-08, please excuse me if I ask questions that have been discussed in past months.

No excuse necessary, honey, and I didn't mean any offense. I just wanted to let you know that it's been a topic of discussion before and that was the best reason we came up with :)

Ask all the questions you'd like and we'll try to answer them the best we can. I know it can be a drain going back through all of the old post of numerous old threads - I've definitely done it before.
 
No excuse necessary, honey, and I didn't mean any offense. I just wanted to let you know that it's been a topic of discussion before and that was the best reason we came up with :)

Ask all the questions you'd like and we'll try to answer them the best we can. I know it can be a drain going back through all of the old post of numerous old threads - I've definitely done it before.

Well, since you're in such a beneficient mood, LOL, I have a question which may sound stupid. Has anyone come up with a MOTIVE for killing these 2 young people?
 
Not a definitive one.

Some say they were running drugs, which we have no proof for. Some say it was a robbery. I'm pretty sure there was no money found on the couple, but their jewelry was left behind. Now, to me, if I were going to kill someone for their money, I wouldn't take their jewelry to pawn it. That could be one more possible link to me. But that's just the way I see it.

The couple had bought ice cream with fruit (or possibly just fruit - per the contents in their stomach) beforehand, so we know they had come cash. It could be possible that they were seen at the ice cream stand with a billfold of cash. Perhaps even offered a ride by the killer with intentions of getting that money.

But we also know that JD was trying to sell his ring for travel money, so they very well could have been low. Now, low could be described as $20 to $100+ depending on how you think about it.

Regardless, these are the two theories that have been floating about. I tend to believe robbery over drugs just because there's no evidence of drugs.

No question is stupid ;)

P.S. Anyone is free to correct me. It's been a long case.
 
LetsThink, we've talked about why the investigation was so slack. I personally feel like it's the Good-Ole-Boys system. I live in Charleston, which is a larger city than Sumpter so we don't always see as much of it here, but when you get to the smaller more rural areas, like around Sumpter, it's definitely all about who you know and what you've done for them in the past.

Seeing as this guy was an alcoholic, I'll bet he drank often with off-duty cops in bars. Regulars always make friends, and your bar friends are of a different variety. You know them different and truer because their inhibitions are low. That could definitely make for a 'you don't tell anyone about this and I'll take care of you.' situation.

The misspelling of Sumter I could have overlooked. But saying that Lonnie Henry probably drank often with off duty cops in bars - is highly inflammatory.

Guess you didn't know that some of those "good old boys" you are talking about are still alive and TRYING TO HELP solve this murder STILL. :mad:
 
So are you suggesting that officers who are off duty for the night don't go to bars and make friends? I know that to be false first hand, as many go to a neighborhood members-only bar I go to on occasion.

Lonnie was the alcoholic. The DUI's prove that. I never once suggested any police officer was an alcoholic. Nor did I ever say I was an excellent speller and typist.

Is that a claim you'd like to make?
 
I think that for you to suggest that the "good ole boys" in Sumter "took care" of LH because he sat in a bar and drank with them is ridiculous.

I also think that this offhand trashing of the law enforcement of Sumter is also irresponsible and uncalled for.

It is easy for us to sit here 32 years after the fact and say what the LE should have done. Unless you are privy to the LE's files on this case, how do we know what other circumstances there were - besides what was published.

The LE in Sumter that I know of, in regards to this case, have been helpful, informative, and grateful for our help.

What would be nice to see over here are some fresh ideas and some actual research, instead of throwing around accusations and blame.
 
Shadetree,
sometime the truth hurts!

It's obvious to me the investigators on this case did not follow/check out all leads 32 years ago...Why?.

You say "LE wasn't drinking buddies or friends" with Henry:

so what else is there: incompetence; "a bungled job"due to lazyiness,... by LE or the DA, ... not having or showing the skill needed to handle a murder case. ???

Finding the murder weapon made this case solvable.

The brother gave the gun to Mr. Henry 4-5 years ago for christmas, 1971-72, with the gun serial numbers still on the gun.

Henry STILL had the gun in Dec...1976, so WHO had his car/van the night of the murders?

He had to know IF he loaned the gun to someone, as he had gotten it back when he was arrested for drunk driving, 4 months after the murders, Dec. 1976..

and WHY did he see need to file the serial #'s off this gun? Wasn't this alone a Felony???

Why wasn't the son checked throughly?

The Smoking Gun points to Mr. Henry knowing WHO murdered these 2 beautiful people that night with HIS gun.....32 years later this case still isn't solved....Hmmmm! .:mad:
 
Shadetree,
sometime the truth hurts!

It's obvious to me the investigators on this case did not follow/check out all leads 32 years ago...Why?.

You say "LE wasn't drinking buddies or friends" with Henry:

so what else is there: incompetence; "a bungled job"due to lazyiness,... by LE or the DA, ... not having or showing the skill needed to handle a murder case. ???

Finding the murder weapon made this case solvable.

The brother gave the gun to Mr. Henry 4-5 years ago for christmas, 1971-72, with the gun serial numbers still on the gun.

Henry STILL had the gun in Dec...1976, so WHO had his car/van the night of the murders?

He had to know IF he loaned the gun to someone, as he had gotten it back when he was arrested for drunk driving, 4 months after the murders, Dec. 1976..

and WHY did he see need to file the serial #'s off this gun? Wasn't this alone a Felony???

Why wasn't the son checked throughly?

The Smoking Gun points to Mr. Henry knowing WHO murdered these 2 beautiful people that night with HIS gun.....32 years later this case still isn't solved....Hmmmm! .:mad:

Good post, makes a lot of sense. However, maybe you can give me a MOTIVE?
 
I think that for you to suggest that the "good ole boys" in Sumter "took care" of LH because he sat in a bar and drank with them is ridiculous.

I also think that this offhand trashing of the law enforcement of Sumter is also irresponsible and uncalled for.


I didn't say they took care of LH because they drank together. I said he most likely made friends with officers at a local bar. This is NOT uncommon. It's also not insulting or inflammatory.

I also did not suggest that they were incompetent or lazy. Perhaps they didn't meet in a bar. Let's say they played high school football together. Will that make any difference whatsoever? I think LH had a friend on the force - like many of us do. Do we expect favors from said friend if we get into trouble? Of course not. Does that mean favors aren't performed? No.

I know LE too, in many different fields. We've had conversations about this before. They've made parking tickets, speeding tickets disappear for loved ones. That isn't a far stretch from making a possible murder conviction go away.

Hindsight IS 20/20, but I do believe the investigation was botched in one way or another. When you've got a dude with the murder weapon, admitting he filed off the serial number, a polygraph isn't enough to dismiss that. Or it shouldn't be.

I'd like to hear your theory, however.
 
Good post, makes a lot of sense. However, maybe you can give me a MOTIVE?

Blackwatch, for me, I just don't know enough about LH to make a firm connection between the two. I believe it's been said that his son was into drugs - one way or another - but I can't remember where I've read that or if it was just speculation. I'll have to check again.

It definitely is a possibility that LH was covering for his son. But like I've said previously, I just don't see a lot of evidence for drug running, other than they travelled, and that's not really indicative.

What are your theories?
 
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