Identified! Mystery couple murdered in South Carolina, 1976 - Pamela Buckley & James Freund #9

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I agree, there were no thrift stores back then, except church sales that would sell clothes of seniors who had died (I was there at the time!)

Not to make this a history lesson, but back then clothes weren't made in mass quantities in China, they were expensive, well made in America, and in comparison to now, hard to find. People didn't fake their identity, either. If your sweatshirt said Yale, it meant you went to Yale. And most people dressed nicely wherever they went, unless they were literally alcoholics living in the street, and those were very rare, or self-declared hippies, deliberately defying social norms with their messy, dirty clothing.

People might buy a van for a trip to where it was cooler, but I can't see anyone sleeping in a van in the southern US in August, even now. Fewer vehicles had air conditioning then, too.

In the other hand, motels and diners were cheap and plentiful.

IMO, not wearing underwear could just mean they had a bag of laundry that they were planning to run through a laundromat at their next stop...another thing I recall both me and my boyfriend doing a few years later.

I believe this was a carjacking, and that very likely they did pickup one or a pair of ruthless hitch-hikers, who stole their vehicle, their id and money, and all their other stuff.

The only problem was, they weren't in sufficiently close touch with anyone as they travelled, so there was no one to know that they hadn't arrived somewhere, and had been travelling through South Carolina to get there. Again, no internet back then. When they didn't get back in touch, each individual friend or family member would assume it was by choice, rather than assume they'd been murdered.

I lived in Toronto and there were thrift shops like St Vincent DePaul and the Salvation Army . Most people with money and means didn't shop there, though, they were much more likely to shop at Army/Navy surplus stores since vintage military apparel was very popular, like melton wool coats with brass buttons and khaki jackets, etc.
 
One thing that I think is interesting and that hasn’t been discussed much is the fact that Locklair Road would be an easy place to quickly kill and dispose of a body, even if someone wasn’t familiar with the area.

I agree with that. I'm a huge believer in generalities above specifics. In a low populated area like that a criminal type would know there had to be a remote road not far off the interstate. He can't eliminate all risk. But post midnight on a Sunday already takes care of most of the risk. Then keep driving until there are few if any lights. Once he runs into a dirt road it's jackpot. But since he's not completely sure he screeches away.
 
Thanks for the link showing where it was. If the couple had been coming from the north, I might expect it to be on the other side of the highway, presuming a car came off the interstate at highway 341.

I doesn't seem it was that remote a place, since someone found the bodies within hours, almost at first light.

I imagine carjackers would be looking for a dark location with no traffic, so they wouldn't choose a location right at an exit ramp, they'd drive some distance.

So while it might have been a chosen location, I wonder whether it was all that unique, wouldn't there be dozens of equally or even more obscure dirt roads for hiding bodies in that area in South Carolina.

Just speculating.

I all fairness to him, I believe that was his first press conference having been in the job for mere days prior. I'll grant him nervousness as acceptable given his newness and the huge reach of the announcement and what really was, major breaking news.
 
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It’s really not that far from the interstate at all. 5 minutes at most, probably less. I suspect the trucker was looking for a place to rest. Truck stops don’t have enough space to accommodate all the truckers so often they will go down small roads close to the interstate to sleep or rest a little.

From the story posted at the start of the thread:
The story begins around 6:20 a.m. on August 9, when a trucker driving along what was commonly known as Locklair Road, a frontage road just off the interstate, stopped to rest.

It would be really helpful if we knew more about the trucker's movements. Was he coming up from the southwest on Locklair or coming down Old St. John. As close as it may have been to the interstate, I just have a tough time trying to imagine anyone taking a rig down some little back roads with no real idea on how to get out. Given back in the day so much of the area was not cleared, turning around wouldn't have been easy.
 
I just can’t quit thinking of the guy with the gun or somebody in his orbit having something to do with this. It does seem odd that he would scratch the numbers, only to drive around knowing that he had such an item of interest in his possession tho. The gun is just such an important piece of this puzzle.
 
They were killed closest to Old St. John Church Road. They would’ve exited at Lynches River Rd., made an immediate right on Old St. John then the first road they would’ve come to would’ve been Locklair on the right. Their bodies were placed at the entrance, as if they’d turned in quickly and then left. Obviously I could be totally wrong but based on how close I-95 is I just can’t imagine it not being involved.

Thank you. I didn't see your post before I had a similar summary.
 
In the seventies (the olden days) photographs were not so simple to make. A camera, flash bulbs or flash cubes and film were required, and exposed film was taken to chemist or drug store for developing. Sometimes exposed film was mailed to a processor for developing. Developing would take at least week.

After vacations and holidays people would have rolls of film to develop.

And you had to pay for the crappy, blurry ones. There was no deleting a picture you didn't like. I had one of those instant cameras that printed a picture. You had to put some finishing liquid on it with a sponge and wave it around until it dried. It stank to high heaven. I still have some of the prints and they didn't fade like a lot of photos from the 70s that turned orange.
 
They were killed closest to Old St. John Church Road. They would’ve exited at Lynches River Rd., made an immediate right on Old St. John then the first road they would’ve come to would’ve been Locklair on the right. Their bodies were placed at the entrance, as if they’d turned in quickly and then left. Obviously I could be totally wrong but based on how close I-95 is I just can’t imagine it not being involved.

This suggests there's no way to know whether they were travelling North or South based on the location of the murders.

Where did the gun owner live?

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It’s an attempt to explain the matchbook. A totally unnecessary attempt, I think. If you’re traveling, have a matchbook in case you want to start a campfire.

And from what I’ve heard of the autopsies, neither one of them used drugs of any kind.

People used to collect matchbooks. As someone said they were everywhere. Every business had them. It was a cheap way to advertise.
 
From the story posted at the start of the thread:


It would be really helpful if we knew more about the trucker's movements. Was he coming up from the southwest on Locklair or coming down Old St. John. As close as it may have been to the interstate, I just have a tough time trying to imagine anyone taking a rig down some little back roads with no real idea on how to get out. Given back in the day so much of the area was not cleared, turning around wouldn't have been easy.

I'd love to see a map of the area at the time although I can't seem to find one anywhere.

Back in the 70s, many of the major highways didn't have on and off ramps as they do now, but simply had crossings on them in more rural areas. As they call it a frontage road, it seems to me that back then, there very well may have been easier access to the intestate at both ends of Lockyear Road via crossroads at County Road 43-62 and Lynches River Road on either end. Before the overpasses and on ramps were put in. Easy peasy and convenient to pull of then if you're a trucker for a nap.

Trying to link an example of one that that I am familiar with.

Huntsville - Google Maps
 
From the story posted at the start of the thread:

It would be really helpful if we knew more about the trucker's movements. Was he coming up from the southwest on Locklair or coming down Old St. John. As close as it may have been to the interstate, I just have a tough time trying to imagine anyone taking a rig down some little back roads with no real idea on how to get out. Given back in the day so much of the area was not cleared, turning around wouldn't have been easy.

So, just happened to find that the Wikipedia article links to a very early news report that identifies the trucker as being from Lynchburg, which looks to be just on the other side of the interstate. Other stories implied he was taking a rest on his route. It would be good to clarify what he was doing on that road, for sure, and what kind of alibi he had.

The Sumter Daily Item - Google News Archive Search
 
That is a long ways from the interstate down some narrow blacktops. In the very first thread, there was talk about the trucker who discovered the bodies being the one who did it. What in the hell was he doing out there with his rig down some narrow lane in rural SC?
I was going to ask the same thing.
Also, how did the killer know how to arrive to this place?
 
Google Joseph Carl Shaw, he seemed like a likely suspect. He was involved with the Columbia murders of 1977.
 
There was also ballistics evidence. He was in possession of the same gun used in the murders. He had tried to file the numbers off the gun. LE wasn't sure if he did it or if he knew the person who did and had first person knowledge of the murder.

Doesn’t trying to file the numbers point to guilty knowledge of a different sort—thinking that a gun is stolen? It won’t help you if your gun has been used to commit a murder.

Of course, there’s no rule that associates of criminals have to be logical, either....
 
This is hopefully a better post. Sunlending opened up for We Five who were a successful folk/ pop group in 1965. By the time, Sunlending opened up for them in the early seventies, they were playing the nostalgia circuit and were past their prime.

Excellent summary. I was not familiar with We Five so I did some research. They had a comparatively brief absolute prime in the 1965-1967 range. Then members including the lead singer began leaving the group, for whatever reason, perhaps the inability to quickly duplicate their one big hit.

By the time Sunlending was warming them up in the early '70s, We Five held the same name but not the same members or aura as mid '60s. A husband and wife team kept We Five together through 1977.

I was familiar with "Torn Between Two Lovers." That was a big hit when I was in high school. It is amazing to me that Sunlending was able to recruit someone soon capable of a song of that caliber.
 
Nice post. Very nice. I like it. I used to have to hold the lighter in all the time for my dad while he was driving. Lighters weren’t around like now. There were no Bics. All we had were the old metal butane Zippos or Ronson. The flame was blue. I used to practice flipping my Zippo open with one hand holding a ciggy in my mouth trying to look cool. Matches are what we had. All the gas stations would give them to us free when they came out to wash our windows and fill up our car with gas. That’s way before self service. I have a huge collection of old matchbooks. Well, actually they are my sons now. I got up in the attic and found a couple of old cigar boxes full of them. I started collecting them in high school. Back then if you were a girl, you could go to the bars and drink at age 18. Boys couldn’t go. They had to wait until they were 21. That’s why so many of my generation married older people. All the bars had an endless supply. I still have several from the old Red Dog Saloon, an infamous bar. I saw my first and only beat down. Scared the **** out of me! I digress...sry. Now what were we talking about?

Endless supply of matchbooks or endless supply of older people? :p
 
Occam tells me that Pam and Mary are not the same individual. The hair colour (though it can be dyed)is different. The eyes seem different coloured too.

I'll go beyond Occam. It's not Pam in that photo. The facial structure is different and eyes are not close.

It is an interesting photo of a later rendition of Sunlending. The tribute to Anthony Matthews indicated that the group changed members 6 or 7 times.
 
From the story posted at the start of the thread:


It would be really helpful if we knew more about the trucker's movements. Was he coming up from the southwest on Locklair or coming down Old St. John. As close as it may have been to the interstate, I just have a tough time trying to imagine anyone taking a rig down some little back roads with no real idea on how to get out. Given back in the day so much of the area was not cleared, turning around wouldn't have been easy.

An option for aerial photos of the area a few years after the murders. Just enter Old St. John's Church Rd, Sumter, SC in the search bar and it will bring up the aerial. There are photos from 1983 and 1966

Historic Aerials: Viewer
 
I think Jim/James may well have owned a vehicle that drew the attention of the killer. As an auto racing fan and a mechanic, he may have owned - and been driving - an attractive vehicle that may have motivated the killer. The motive(s) of the crime may have included stealing the vehicle.

I tend to agree with this theory. He may have been a racing fan who used his mechanics background to attend the races by being itinerant worker following them around. They probably had regular mechanics that moved with the circuit but may have hired extras on an ad hoc basis.

I think it's quite possible this was a crime of opportunity during an era when everyone seemed open and friendly and didn't think twice about picking up a hitcher.

What I don't understand is the level of violence and overkill. I can only presume that the person who killed them was either already a fugitive or had a record that would have put them in prison for a long time with another conviction under their belt. So what appeared to be a 'hit' was just extra insurance no one was going to identify them. IMO
 
So, just happened to find that the Wikipedia article links to a very early news report that identifies the trucker as being from Lynchburg, which looks to be just on the other side of the interstate. Other stories implied he was taking a rest on his route. It would be good to clarify what he was doing on that road, for sure, and what kind of alibi he had.

The Sumter Daily Item - Google News Archive Search

The trucker who found the bodies lived in Lynchburg? Why would a trucker from Lynchburg be on the other side of the I-95?

The man with the murder weapon, where did he live?

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