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

[tomkat]

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???

surely they are checking for cash withdrawals too

 

[ClaireNC]

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.

I hate to even type this, but it could be that Mrs. Dermond was the target and Mr. Dermond got in the way. Mr. Dermond was decapitated out of anger and Mrs. Dermond was placed in the water to wash away DNA and other evidence. They took his head as a way to "control" her.

Those poor sweet old people. I hope this is not the case, but it is a possibility.

 

[epiphany]

Wonder whether or not Sills will throw out a morsel about what phone calls came in and went out from the landline and to and from any Dermond cell phone?

What were the usual patterns of "touching base" between the elderly couple and others via landline and/or cell phone?

I believe each of the Dermonds were last seen on Thursday, May 1...

 

[tomkat]

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.

or atleast WENT by boat

one came in by gate, left by gate, other came and went by boat? after dark, big flatbottom jon boats don't tip and are inconspicuous if fishing

but if all the houses are on a hill, it doesnt' matter what kind of boat, you can look down the hill to the water and see whats inside the boat, except at dark IF there are no docklights all around, they'd have had to cover her, there is room in the floorboard between the built in bench seats, just cover the body

but I STILL think it'd be less conspicuous to come in by car, go out by car with body and head in a bag, no blood in your car and then go to a quiet boat ramp and no one was probably there later in the evening before or after midnight, I mean people DO go night fishing and are out all night but it's not like it's grand central station at the boat ramps

but until we know IF anything was missing and even if we DO know of something missing, it's all too weird the separation of head and body and bodies

 

[Bootsctr]

I am very impressed with Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills openness/transparency and professionalism in the Dermond murder investigation. This strategy is not the norm in most of the high profile cases that we have followed in the past imo, especially when the FBI is involved in the investigation. Sheriff Sills is obviously taking the Dermond case very personally. Says that it is the most mysterious case that he has seen in his 40 years in law enforcement.

Of all the accomplishments that he has made in the past four decades. Ironically, the outcome of the Dermond investigation will likely be his legacy.

* The first 48 hours is very critical in homicide investigations - The perp/s calculated that there would be a delay before the crime scene was discovered. Ironically is was approximately 48 hours.

* Perp/s Likely slight acquaintance of Dermonds..

* Both land and water transport utilized by perp/s.

* Probable multiple perps involved via FBI BAU2 profile..

* Decapitation likely to hide evidence.. (Imo, to hide forensics/dna of perp/s and for shock effect of persons making the discovery, as well as 1st responders/ investigators/ GW community)..

* Criminal background checks being ran on all residents of Great Waters.

* Not a drug crazed gang;
(Imo, mental health & drug history of residents should be the focus, although the perp/s will likely have multiple misdemeanors and possible violent felonies; most drug related; meth/molly.

Imo, the explanation for some aspects of this horrific crime being professional, while others pointing to it being an amateur is not by accident..
The sadist psychopathic perp/s responsible for the Dermonds abduction/murder/decapitation are investigative and forensically aware; calculating, deflective, creative, and manipulative.. The primary motive for this unspeakable crime, although elderly victims are very rare, is fantasy driven and sexual, imo...

Thank you for commenting on Sheriff Sills' openness about the Dermonds' case. I was hoping you would so I wouldn't think I was just fooling myself. I know you and I are both following Lyric Morrissey and Elizabeth Collins case and LE there has been such the opposite of what we are seeing in Sheriff Sills. I was going to defer to your knowledge of tight-lipped investigations because this is only the third case I have followed here at Websleuths. I appreciate your very informative links and past experiences as well. :loveyou: :tyou:

 

[ClaireNC]

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.

The Sheriff said that they became certain a boat was used because of where they found Mrs. Dermond. It is a place only accessible by boat. He also said that the perp. might have also used a car or some other form of land transportation.

Just a note on wedding rings. Older people often stop wearing their wedding rings do to arthritis and swollen joints.

 

[tomkat]

I hate to even type this, but it could be that Mrs. Dermond was the target and Mr. Dermond got in the way. Mr. Dermond was decapitated out of anger and Mrs. Dermond was placed in the water to wash away DNA and other evidence. They took his head as a way to "control" her.

Those poor sweet old people. I hope this is not the case, but it is a possibility.

that wouldn't control me, I'd be a crazy biash then, haha, lose my own sanity and be a wild person

but yes that makes sense to me that she "got in the way" or was a witness, even if she didnt' see anything, she'd talk about what she DID know

 

[Bootsctr]

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

:seeya: They might have owned a golf cart, but the HOA regulations don't allow them to be driven around the community. According the the spring or fall newsletter, there is a real problem with people speeding through the community. I would be scared I would be run over driving a golf cart on the roadway. I have a link to the HOA regulations and the newsletters, but I only have 30 minutes for lunch. Will provide links if you would like in a bit. Have been trying to catch up with everyone's great posts and questions. :loveyou:

 

[epiphany]

I hate to even type this, but it could be that Mrs. Dermond was the target and Mr. Dermond got in the way. Mr. Dermond was decapitated out of anger and Mrs. Dermond was placed in the water to wash away DNA and other evidence. They took his head as a way to "control" her.

Those poor sweet old people. I hope this is not the case, but it is a possibility.

I'm not sure if you mean could Mrs. Dermond have been sexually assaulted...but just jumping off your post to comment on that aspect. I lean strongly towards, No sexual assault.

Has this been addressed at all by Sills? IF she had been, I believe we would be reading and/or hearing about LE and FBI poring through RSO lists, warnings being given to surrounding communities, etc.

In this case, no sexual motivation, IMO.

 

[trigger]

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

Found the article about son talking about the cult.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...rgia-murder-mystery-horror.html#ixzz31ozpedsz

 

[oceanblueeyes]

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

It wasn't as organized as he thought. If that were true Shirley's body would have never risen. He made a mistake and it may cost him in the end. Hopefully.

While any theory is possible I do not find the 'hit' probable. JMO

Here is why I think the way I do. Hit men don't go to all of the trouble of loading a victim up on a boat to travel 5 miles in the middle of the night and then weigh the body down to prevent it rising...hoping it is never found.

When a hit is done the killer has no attachment or familiarity with the victims so there is never a need to hide the remains from being detected.

And what hit man takes a head with him or even a drug cartel? They leave both the head and the torso laying there for shock value or they simply come in the home and shoot them execution style and walk out.

And what hit men are known to bludgeon someone to death? I have never read about a hit being carried out by using a bludgeoning weapon. Hit men use guns with silencers..........or they will burn the house down with the occupants inside and they leave as quickly as they came.

They don't go around hiding bodies so they cant be found. Why would they go to all that trouble since they don't even have a familiar linkage to either victim?

The only ones I know that goes to all of this trouble of hiding evidence are murderers who are trying hard to distance themselves from the victims because they know the victims personally...even if it is a casual association.

IMO

 

[Suthrnqt]

:seeya: They might have owned a golf cart, but the HOA regulations don't allow them to be driven around the community. According the the spring or fall newsletter, there is a real problem with people speeding through the community. I would be scared I would be run over driving a golf cart on the roadway. I have a link to the HOA regulations and the newsletters, but I only have 30 minutes for lunch. Will provide links if you would like in a bit. Have been trying to catch up with everyone's great posts and questions. :loveyou:

Just jumping off your post...:seeya:

Checking in to see if there are any new developments. This case is so sad. The depravity/evil that has been exhibited is just mind blowing. IMO, this is not a robbery gone bad. This was personal. I wonder who held a grudge against the Dermonds?
Just some thoughts.

 

[ClaireNC]

I'm not sure if you mean could Mrs. Dermond have been sexually assaulted...but just jumping off your post to comment on that aspect. I lean strongly towards, No sexual assault.

Has this been addressed at all by Sills? IF she had been, I believe we would be reading and/or hearing about LE and FBI going through RSO lists, warnings be given to surrounding communities, etc.

In this case, no sexual motivation, IMO.

Yes that is what I was alluding to. I haven't seen it addressed by Sills. They might not have been able to tell due to how long her body had been in the water. Besides, there are reasons why they are keeping certain facts from the public. We don't know if they are going through RSO lists. I think the citizens of the community are being more careful since this happened, so LE might not feel the need to issue warnings.

 

[Bootsctr]

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.

Yes, the freezer. I'm sure they did, but I keep picturing Mr. D's head in a freezer somewhere or floating around in the like like a cork. Sorry for the horrible visual. This is such a tragedy not only for the family, but the community itself. BBL!

 

[mck16]

:seeya: They might have owned a golf cart, but the HOA regulations don't allow them to be driven around the community. According the the spring or fall newsletter, there is a real problem with people speeding through the community. I would be scared I would be run over driving a golf cart on the roadway. I have a link to the HOA regulations and the newsletters, but I only have 30 minutes for lunch. Will provide links if you would like in a bit. Have been trying to catch up with everyone's great posts and questions. :loveyou:

Yes, please, I would love to see the regs. That seems ridiculous to me. jmo

 

[Carolinapeach]

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

The reading to a neighbor may have come from me? WSB reported that on a weekend morning newscast but I have not heard anything about that again.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

...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.

I can see it. He had most of the night to complete the trip. Once he returned to his own dock (IMO) he cut the motor and idled in or used his trolling motor.

That way he is never seen coming through the front gate or out on the highway. He would just come back while it was dark and go back into his home.

What worries me is he has had weeks now to clean up the crime scene. Hopefully though if they arrest him he will have left evidence behind he thought was cleaned up but wasn't.

IMO

 

[epiphany]

Yes that is what I was alluding to. I haven't seen it addressed by Sills. They might not have been able to tell due to how long her body had been in the water. Besides, there are reasons why they are keeping certain facts from the public. We don't know if they are going through RSO lists. I think the citizens of the community are being more careful since this happened, so LE might not feel the need to issue warnings.

IF so, would this have occurred on the Dermond property? And would the murderer/s bother to redress the victim?

As ugly and disturbing as this would be (as if what we already know isn't wicked enough), I'll be screaming bloody murder if that were being withheld from this community by LE! Having nothing to do with her age (meaning such crimes are committed on elderly women), I don't believe this is part of the motivation for these particular murders.

 

[CHERIE.T]

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/

:seeya:

Imo this is very important.
The security system to the neighborhood was not working, broken, cut..something.

Then we learn the D's are religious about locked doors and their security system.

Were the lines to their security system cut?
Was it cut off from the inside?

Did the killer know the Ds and maybe haphazardly allowed inside the home with no concern?

 

[Solitaryone]

I really like this sheriff! I believe that Sheriff Sills has a good idea who did this after listening to the new interviews. Every day I hope I see that the killer(s) have been arrested. I think they are close to making an arrest. I think that the murders were committed outside the Dermond home, and I've always thought that something about the murder weapon necessitated the decapitation of Mr. Dermond. I think that the killer had a lot of rage toward Mr. Dermond, but had no qualms about killing Mrs. Dermond. What I would like to know is if the killer decapitated Mr. Dermond because the murder weapon would link the killer to the murders, would the killer have kept the murder weapon? I doubt it, but one never knows, so just curious what others think. Also, does anyone else here feel that Sheriff Sills has a pretty good idea who did this? Anyone else think there will be an arrest soon?

Thank's to all for the informative and interesting posts and links. I can't get this case out of my mind. I am so sorry the Dermond's were murdered, especially in such a heinous manner. I pray the killer(s) are arrested very soon.