Identified! Mystery couple murdered in South Carolina, 1976 - Pamela Buckley & James Freund #10

[Springrain]

Which Henry? I think he may have been covering for somebody close.

Do you think LH may have been covering up for his brother?

 

[worm]

I’m

Do you think LH may have been covering up for his brother?

I’ve been thinking brother or possibly another close relative. LE seemed to think he was hiding something, and he had the weapon.

 

[Betty P]

Lonnie Henry was arrested with the murder weapon in his possession. He admitted to trying to remove the serial number.

Based on that evidence alone, he should have been arrested, jailed and tried for the murders. That's pretty strong evidence. They could have applied some pressure to get the answers they needed about accomplices, etc. How do you let someone go when you've caught them with the murder weapon?

Maybe they were more focused on finding the identities of the victims than on convicting the killer(s).

 

[Betty P]

Just to clarify, if that was their approach, I disagree with it. They need to solve these murders and hold some folks accountable.

 

[fred&edna]

Lonnie Henry was arrested with the murder weapon in his possession. He admitted to trying to remove the serial number.

Based on that evidence alone, he should have been arrested, jailed and tried for the murders. That's pretty strong evidence. They could have applied some pressure to get the answers they needed about accomplices, etc. How do you let someone go when you've caught them with the murder weapon?

Maybe they were more focused on finding the identities of the victims than on convicting the killer(s).

Good post with a mighty good question! (BBM)

I agree. It seems that charging Lonnie Henry would have been the next (correct & obvious) step. I suppose it's possible LE kept waiting for identification to help tie Lonnie to the victims??

And, while I don't know how this aspect would prevent charges against LH but something about the fact the murder weapon was part of a prior theft nags at me. I wish we had more information.

 

[Betty P]

Good post with a mighty good question! (BBM)

I agree. It seems that charging Lonnie Henry would have been the next (correct & obvious) step. I suppose it's possible LE kept waiting for identification to help tie Lonnie to the victims??

And, while I don't know how this aspect would prevent charges against LH but something about the fact the murder weapon was part of a prior theft nags at me. I wish we had more information.

I do, too. The news reporting about the history of the .357 Smith & Wesson Henry had indicates there's more information that LE uncovered at the time. Its in the files somewhere.

 

[worm]

Good post with a mighty good question! (BBM)

I agree. It seems that charging Lonnie Henry would have been the next (correct & obvious) step. I suppose it's possible LE kept waiting for identification to help tie Lonnie to the victims??

And, while I don't know how this aspect would prevent charges against LH but something about the fact the murder weapon was part of a prior theft nags at me. I wish we had more information.

I’ve tried and tried to figure LH out. Thing is, tho this case wasn’t a big national thing as it should have been, it went off like a bomb in the region. I just think, with Sumter being basically in the shadow of SLED and Columbia, there must have been a lot of legal minds involved.

 

[SolVic]

Which Henry? I think he may have been covering for somebody close.

Lonnie. I should’ve been more specific.

 

[T rex]

Lonnie Henry was arrested with the murder weapon in his possession. He admitted to trying to remove the serial number.

Based on that evidence alone, he should have been arrested, jailed and tried for the murders. That's pretty strong evidence. They could have applied some pressure to get the answers they needed about accomplices, etc. How do you let someone go when you've caught them with the murder weapon?

Maybe they were more focused on finding the identities of the victims than on convicting the killer(s).

I guess this just goes to show how strong Henry's alibi must have been. Detectives went to the hospital he was at that night, timed the drive back to the crime scene and determined that it was physically impossible for him to have been there at that time. So now you're left trying to prove that he was somehow an accessory and we just haven't seen the evidence for that.
And then there's this, after all the time and effort some of us have spent researching George Henry there's always the looming possibility that him or his gun had absolutely nothing to do with this.
I'm still baffled at the coroner during the press conference when he said he wasn't going to discuss the calibre of the gun because it's an ongoing investigation. Well don't we already know the calibre??? And from what I was able to hear no one even asked anything about the gun, he just said this straight up out of the blue. I find that strange.

 

[Betty P]

Ballistics testing showed Henry's gun was the murder weapon, so its impossible for LE to conclude he wasn't involved in either the murder or the cover up. They or the prosecutors shouldn't be allowed to claim otherwise.

 

[SolVic]

Although I personally believe that Lonnie is guilty, I’m hesitant to label him as a posthumously identified killer until the investigation is wrapped up.

 

[Betty P]

So many cold cases are being solved through DNA testing and genetic genealogy these days. While that may not be possible in this case, it's striking how many of these killers who walked free in communities for decades did continue to assault and murder innocent people.

Henry and cohorts may no longer be alive, but all of their victims (including others they may have harmed or killed) deserve justice.

I still have my doubts about LH, though. While he may have been present that night, it seems less likely he was the shooter unless he was sober. The precision of the six shots into the bodies of the victims (2 each in the upper torsos, 1 each in the head) on a dark road at night doesn't appear to be the work of a drunken shooter.

LH had already killed a man by drunkenly backing over him with a large truck at work. How many other victims did he and his friends leave behind when they died? Being in possession of a stolen handgun indicates he was probably involved in some type of criminal activity. In a small town, LE should have been able to determine who LH was running around with and what kind of crimes they were involved in.

 

[T rex]

Ballistics testing showed Henry's gun was the murder weapon, so its impossible for LE to conclude he wasn't involved in either the murder or the cover up. They or the prosecutors shouldn't be allowed to claim otherwise.

LE can conclude and claim whatever they want. They're the ones with the case file.

 

[fred&edna]

There is certainly more to this case but what are the odds LE will release additional information any time soon, if ever?!

 

[SolVic]

This case frustrates me. Not as much as some others, but still.

 

[superunknown]

Ballistics testing showed Henry's gun was the murder weapon, so its impossible for LE to conclude he wasn't involved in either the murder or the cover up. They or the prosecutors shouldn't be allowed to claim otherwise.

Hopefully LE has/will send that gun to be tested again using modern techniques.

There have been more than a few cases in recent years where old ballistics tests used to convict people were found to have been flawed and resulted in their convictions being overturned. It would be interesting to see if modern technology also matches that firearm to the murders.

 

[TedMac]

Hopefully LE has/will send that gun to be tested again using modern techniques.

There have been more than a few cases in recent years where old ballistics tests used to convict people were found to have been flawed and resulted in their convictions being overturned. It would be interesting to see if modern technology also matches that firearm to the murders.

Wasn't the gun lost by LE?

 

[T rex]

Wasn't the gun lost by LE?

Sorry about that. I'm the one that posted that information and now I can't find the source of it. " Unfortunately we no longer have it...." and then they went on to say something about it being misplaced. I can remember some of the exact words but I cannot remember who said it or where I saw it and I blasted them pretty hard for it at the time. I wish I had posted a link right then. I suppose it should just be disregarded unless I'm able to do so. I hate it when that happens but lesson learned. All things considered it would be best if I was wrong about that and they did still have it.

While were on the subject I was wondering about this just recently. Sometimes a gun gets thrown somewhere (like under the seat of a car) and does not get handled for a while. So I was wondering if LE could have found other fingerprints on it and that's how they came about having one or more of their potential suspects. Just a thought but something I'd never considered before.

 

[worm]

This case frustrates me. Not as much as some others, but still.

This case bothers me more than any I have followed here on WS and in the news. I find myself thinking about this often.

I’m also in line with what @T rex mentions above about the lengths that LE went to with LH. I just keep thinking that his reactions to LE even made them think he was hiding something. Just my opine is that he knew who did it and took it to his grave. He was loyal to somebody.

 

[T rex]

This case bothers me more than any I have followed here on WS and in the news. I find myself thinking about this often.

I’m also in line with what @T rex mentions above about the lengths that LE went to with LH. I just keep thinking that his reactions to LE even made them think he was hiding something. Just my opine is that he knew who did it and took it to his grave. He was loyal to somebody.

I have no doubt LE knows more than their letting on. Without knowing the line of questioning or the full results of the polygraphs we dont know what Henry may have known. He was being truthful when he told them he didnt commit this crime but what about the next question, "do you know who did?", or "did you know or had you ever met these victims?". You can be almost certain that they asked these questions. Who wouldn't? I assume Henry would have answered "no" to both these questions, however we cant be for sure what he said or if he was being truthful when he said it but LE knows. IMO.