GA GA - Shirley, 87, & Russell Dermond, 88, Putnam County, 2 May 2014 - # 4

[epiphany]

Well we know they attended church. We know Shirley played bridge and I think it was twice a week. It was reported that the neighbor who found Mr. D. was a person Mr. D. read to and he didn't come that morning so he went to check on him. Other than these things I don't know of anything else concrete that has been reported. jmo

The Dermonds were visited, IMO.

“They had a security system. And they always kept their doors locked,” Keith Dermond said. “They were religious about that.”

http://www.ajc.com/news/news/body-found-at-lake-oconee/nfyLR/

 

[epiphany]

In one interview one of the Dermond children suggested this was a Cult killing.

Then I read that Sills said yesterday that it definitely was not a Cult.

So who first made the suggestion of Cult involvement?

I also read that Sills has ruled NO ONE out.

Except for some yard workers whom Sills ruled out, and he all but eliminated that the murders were the work of a ritualistic cult:

No one’s been ruled out as a suspect, save for some yard workers who have been interviewed and, in some cases, polygraphed, he said.

http://beta.mirror.augusta.com/news...victims-knew-killer-sheriff-says?v=1400656154

 

[atthelake]

Good Morning Everyone!:seeya:

As everyone knows I have tossed all sorts of things around in my head since this case began just like everyone else and my opinion is constantly changing about some things.

I no longer think it was done out of revenge now nor do I believe it was pre-planned. I am leaning more that this could have been a spontaneous combustion that may have resulted in a very heated argument to the point of a murderous rage.

The problem we have in this case is we do not know the exact timeline when this happened nor do we know what the Dermonds did once Russ returned home after he was seen on May 1st when he was last seen at the pharmacy. We do know the Friday's crossword puzzle was worked to some extent.

Which leaves me to wonder did they visit someone in the evening on Friday who lives alone close by their own home. The area in which they live in has no traffic unless someone is specifically going to those homes that sit on the cul-de-sac and even then each home seems to have its own seclusion nestled back into the trees and not viewable by the homeowners that sit on the other lots adjoining the Dermond property.

ETA: TO CORRECT MY ERROR in the timeline. The crossword puzzle for Friday was worked by Shirley so that shows me they were alive on Friday at least during the day and possibly during the evening.

I still believe the killer knows the Dermonds well, then the murderer would know they probably wouldn't be missed until at least the Derby Party on Saturday evening. But just in case they were.... he had to have the bodies placed where he was going to place them before the sun rose on Saturday morning.

That would give him plenty of time to devise a plan of how he was going to get rid of the bodies and cover up the evidence. So I am no longer convinced the murder of Russ was pre-planned. The murder of Shirley had to be done because he knew she was an eye witness to what had happened. imo

If this was done out of blind rage at the time then the perpetrator most likely picked up something in his home to bludgeon not only Russ but Shirley as well.

After it was all over is when he realized the wound patterns may show what the actual weapon was and knew he had to remove that evidence from being known because if they could determine the pattern... he knew it could be linked back to him.

I think he had hours to think about what he was going to do with the bodies after he had murdered them. That may be why there was very little blood found in the garage where he placed Russ' torso.

I think he then left in the middle of the night when he knew everyone was sleeping and got on his boat and discarded them then and took Russ' torso to the garage before leaving. So lets say this happened around 8-9 pm ish, Friday night, and I believe someone did say they heard a boat on the water around 2am. That would have given him 5-6 hours to think about how he was going to get rid of each one.

Its just not feasible, to me anyway, that it happened in R&Ss own home or out on the grounds of RP or at any boat ramp. The tracking dogs would have immediately located the original crime scene if that was the case, imo. So it had to happen inside someone's home there where everything was sight unseen to others. IMO

That is my opinion as of now and is subject to change at any moment. LOL!

...and the murder weapon is at the bottom of the lake perhaps in that 5 mile distance to Shirley. BTW...5 miles on a lake in a boat is a long way.... The perp was headed somewhere "thataway" perhaps on his way out of the lake or to dock his boat. I cannot see going all that way down and then traveling back upstream.

 

[mck16]

This may have been addressed already. Did they have a golf cart that they drove around? Not sure if they are allowed there. If they did was it missing? moved? anyone know?:twocents:

I would be very surprised if they did not have golf cart. It is a golf community and very large. Many people who don't even play golf but have a golf cart especially in retirement communities. I am looking for one myself. jmo

 

[ClaireNC]

The Dermonds were visited, IMO.

“They had a security system. And they always kept their doors locked,” Keith Dermond said. “They were religious about that.”

http://www.ajc.com/news/news/body-found-at-lake-oconee/nfyLR/

The statement about always keeping their doors locked is open to interpretation. It could mean they religiously locked their doors at night and/or when they were away. It does not necessarily mean that they kept their doors locked all the time, like when they are home during the day.

Maybe they always kept the front door locked and generally entered and exited through the garage, using a remote control or key pad to open the garage door. So when they are out in the yard the garage door is left open.

For some reason, I keep thinking the murder happened early evening on Friday. Maybe on Friday nights they eat their meals outside on the patio or near the lake. So the door facing the lake was unlocked.

Older people usually have pretty strict routines. My parents always go out to dinner on Friday evening. Just a little something special they do together. (They are in their late 80's and have been married 64 years.)

What was their Friday night ritual?

 

[atthelake]

Wonder what the couple's habits were?

Would the Dermonds visit a neighbor together and leave their home unlocked, as well as at least one of them not take a cell phone with them?

Media stated that her phone was at the house. Where was his?

 

[Nana46]

I am still going with a 'hit'....who and why I have no idea but it is the only thing that makes sense to me.....nothing else makes sense of the murders of Mr. and Mrs. D.
I always type Mr. and Mrs. for them out of respect and since I don't know either of them.
May justice come swiftly in this horrific crime.

 

[tomkat]

The statement about always keeping their doors locked is open to interpretation. It could mean they religiously locked their doors at night and/or when they were away. It does not necessarily mean that they kept their doors locked all the time, like when they are home during the day.

Maybe they always kept the front door locked and generally entered and exited through the garage, using a remote control or key pad to open the garage door. So when they are out in the yard the garage door is left open.

For some reason, I keep thinking the murder happened early evening on Friday. Maybe on Friday nights they eat their meals outside on the patio or near the lake. So the door facing the lake was unlocked.

Older people usually have pretty strict routines. My parents always go out to dinner on Friday evening. Just a little something special they do together. (They are in their late 80's and have been married 64 years.)

What was their Friday night ritual?

I remember reading that

Hmmm, Did RD have something for sale? In the garage? Someone drop by, preplanned of course by the killer(s), maybe a silly notion, but he answers the front door then they proceed to the garage, esp if he knows them, someone in the area, but I think if I didnt' know them that well, I would have opened the garage to let them view whatever it was

Just a thought, but the garage door was closed I think as I'd read the neighbor went int he front door to check on them on tues

I didnt' get that it was the neighbor he read to, was he blind? Crippled? WHy'd he need to be read to? I wouldnt' see him going over to check on him if wasn't able, anyway, whatever it matters IDK lol

I do remember reading that he read to someone

 

[epiphany]

Media stated that her phone was at the house. Where was his?

If he had his own cell, probably at the home (or on him) since nothing has been reported missing.

 

[tomkat]

In one interview one of the Dermond children suggested this was a Cult killing.

Then I read that Sills said yesterday that it definitely was not a Cult.

So who first made the suggestion of Cult involvement?

I also read that Sills has ruled NO ONE out.

There was mention of the Eatonton Cult in the very first thread
but the son brought up the cult as to who might be the killer in one of the earlier articles

 

[Nana46]

I remember reading that

Hmmm, Did RD have something for sale? In the garage? Someone drop by, preplanned of course by the killer(s), maybe a silly notion, but he answers the front door then they proceed to the garage, esp if he knows them, someone in the area, but I think if I didnt' know them that well, I would have opened the garage to let them view whatever it was

Just a thought, but the garage door was closed I think as I'd read the neighbor went int he front door to check on them on tues

I didnt' get that it was the neighbor he read to, was he blind? Crippled? WHy'd he need to be read to? I wouldnt' see him going over to check on him if wasn't able, anyway, whatever it matters IDK lol

I do remember reading that he read to someone

I thought it was something about a friend having physical therapy but I could be totally off base on that. I usually am,lol.

I also thought I read that the Sheriff said he had looked at every check Mr. Dermond wrote in the last ten years....it was odd to me that he did not mention her.....wondering if she never wrote any checks???

 

[oceanblueeyes]

This part confuses me as well. Perhaps the killer only had immediate access to a small boat. He hid the bodies, thinks for several hours, decides he will boat in, and hide the bodies one at a time because of the boat size. He takes SD first but finds that he cannot find a suitable place for many miles and it ends up taking much longer than expected. He eventually arrives back at the house, retrieves RD's body and then notices another boat out fishing. He is forced to change his plan.
While Sills said SD's placement was thought out, I don't believe RD's was. Maybe the decapitation was a last minute decision performed under extenuating circumstances.

Imo

This is really not uncommon. In so many cases here we all have questions why the murderer did what they did and the way they did it. It never really makes much sense for any sane person looking in from the outside.

Those answers can only ever come from the murderer themselves. What may seem so unreasonable and weird to us may have made perfect sense to them at the time.

There is a methodology to their madness known only to the individual that does things their way.

I have said before sometimes murderers do things out of necessity. There was something preventing him from loading up Russ's complete body on the boat along with Shirley's. It could certainly be like you have suggested. Maybe he felt his boat was too small. Maybe he felt he didn't have the strength to heave both bodies over the side especially with one weighing at least 200 pounds. He may have even thought it could capsize his boat if he put that much weight on the upper edge of the boat in order to push him overboard.

I think if he had thought he could get rid of both bodies in the lake he would have. Something was telling him it wasn't doable, imo.

I do think he wanted everyone to know that Russ had been murdered but what he did not want anyone to know was it was done by him. The murder itself wouldn't instantly tie him to the crime but what would is if the manner of how they were murdered by the weapon that was used became known. IMO

That was his sole goal after the murders, imo. He removed any evidence that would link him personally.

He may not have had the same rage toward Shirley and decapitating her was something he didn't want to do.

He absolutely thought if he weighed her down in deep water though she would never be found, imo. But killers can make mistakes and this was his. Lets hope his results in his downfall.

IMO

 

[epiphany]

There was mention of the Eatonton Cult in the very first thread
but the son brought up the cult as to who might be the killer in one of the earlier articles

Not sure, but believe the cult or organized crime theories were posed in response/reaction to the Sheriff stating early on that it was believed that the Dermonds were "targeted."

Since a son (and others) could not imagine why or who would "target" the Dermonds and nothing was stolen from the home, a cult murder or killers hit-the-wrong home scenario was raised .

 

[ClaireNC]

There was mention of the Eatonton Cult in the very first thread
but the son brought up the cult as to who might be the killer in one of the earlier articles

Wasn't the interview with the son printed in the DailyMail? They do tend to sensationalize the news. I read it as the son was grasping at straws, like nothing made sense, for all we know it could have been a cult. He could have also said aliens from outer space to get the same point across.

 

[Plumeria5]

I thought it was something about a friend having physical therapy but I could be totally off base on that. I usually am,lol.

I also thought I read that the Sheriff said he had looked at every check Mr. Dermond wrote in the last ten years....it was odd to me that he did not mention her.....wondering if she never wrote any checks???

I believe the neighbor had had a stroke and needed help with the instructions on what he was to do so yes, it was probably exercises that Russell was helping him with. That shows Russell was a caring guy and we already know Shirley was a sweet lady.

 

[tomkat]

I am still going with a 'hit'....who and why I have no idea but it is the only thing that makes sense to me.....nothing else makes sense of the murders of Mr. and Mrs. D.
I always type Mr. and Mrs. for them out of respect and since I don't know either of them.
May justice come swiftly in this horrific crime.

I'm not expert in murders but it seems too organized and too many factors to not be in my view

If they robbed and killed jsut shoot'em, take what you want and leave them where they drop

That IMO would be a robbery or hudlum or soemthing

But more sophisticated crimes are done IN THE HOME

is what I keep hearing,

So IMO if it was going to be easy and small time criminals, theyd have done it on the streets, in the yard, left them and took off

 

[Vedder]

Older people usually have pretty strict routines. My parents always go out to dinner on Friday evening. Just a little something special they do together. (They are in their late 80's and have been married 64 years.)

What was their Friday night ritual?

(Snipped for space) That's really sweet, ClaireNC. :blowkiss:

 

[steelman]

I can't figure out why the bodies were separated.
If the house is not the crime scene, why bring his body back to the garage?
It seems risky.
Why not place them both in the lake?
Or , for that matter, both in the garage.

I was wondering that myself this morning.

The killer WANTED Mr. Dermonds body to be found.

The Killer DIDN'T WANT Mrs. Dermonds body to be found.

Why ??

If that question was answered they would know who they are looking for.

 

[tomkat]

Wasn't the interview with the son printed in the DailyMail? They do tend to sensationalize the news. I read it as the son was grasping at straws, like nothing made sense, for all we know it could have been a cult. He could have also said aliens from outer space to get the same point across.

I dont' know who had it printed but yes, i think it was speculation on the sons part and that was the article I think that was titled as What happened to the Dermonds was "something crazy", or such like that

 

[trigger]

I hate typing this but I hope they looked in the freezer. Even for a weapon.

I think LE saw either blood by the dock or something suspicios that they knew right away the killer came by a boat.

The Sheriff cannot tell us every detail but I wonder if they both were wearing their wedding rings.