SC - Paul Murdaugh, 22 and mom Margaret, 52, found shot to death, Islandton, 7 June 2021 #3

[LetsSolvIt]

If they found the guns in the river, LE might feel comfortable saying they retrieved the weapons "at the scene" since the river abuts or runs through the property?

If this was a planned hit, like a number of us are surmising, part of the advance planning would be the weapons to use and how to avoid tracing evidence back to shooters. The hit man/men may have showed up with pistols to control their target(s) and for self defense, but had knowledge of the M's guns, and had planned all along to use long guns from the collection (with gloves) to avoid leaving evidence. If so they could drop them at the scene or in the river and be done with it. I think this might be a viable plan, yahoo or professional. JMO

Under idea that AM might have been aware hit was coming: Not sure if it's a redaction but AM hesitates in his reply, "Not really," when asked by 911 if anything was out of place. He could have been thinking guns would be missing from the prospective/alleged "gun room," but obviously wouldn't want to say that. My ponderings and OMO!

 

[worm]

Do we know as fact that the guns used were from the families own collection? I’ve seen that notion a few times and find it quite a turn.

 

[Hair of the Dog]

JMO/hunch but I think they found the guns in the river search done soon after the murders, after allegedly receiving a tip.

I'm wondering if they followed tire tracks or shoeprints from the crime scene to the area they were searching.

 

[Hair of the Dog]

The way I want to hear this is that there weren't any guns lying around outside or near the victims. They retrieved shell casings, which allowed then to assess caliber/gage and along with results of autopsies, perhaps brought up other ballistics questions. They go back out to Moselle to compare their findings and questions with the collection of firearms — they then retrieved the guns they found interesting.

BTW — a lot of shootings occur with sawed-off shot guns. With short barrel, easier to manage and hide.

JMO.

IMO they probably collected all of the weapons for ballistics testing and comparison.

It was a wet night and the killer may have left footprints/tire tracks that show their movements and the victims' movements. Conversely, rain may have also washed away such evidence.

JMO

 

[LetsSolvIt]

Do we know as fact that the guns used were from the families own collection? I’ve seen that notion a few times and find it quite a turn.

I'm wondering if they followed tire tracks or shoeprints from the crime scene to the area they were searching.

I get very confused! I feel like initially what we were told was no weapons retrieved and then later stories and our posts mentioned retrieving guns or something that made me think LE came back and took possession of some family guns. A few posts back someone wrote the guns were found in the river after a tip. Maybe we aren't being careful enough about citing facts? Or more likely, reporters have written and rewritten this story so many times that they word things a little differently to make the story sound new? JMO.

Following tire tracks and shoeprints would likely be part of processing the scene and I would think more effectively performed in day light. If the gun facts changed, it might be that by artificial light the night of June 7, they didn't spot them, and then found them a day or two later in the daylight (or in the river, as alleged). JMO.

As impatient as I am, I do want LE / SLED to do their investigations (PM, AM, MB, SS, GS) very carefully and get this right All the victims deserve justice and the community needs to know what has really been going on.

 

[Elley Mae]

Do we know as fact that the guns used were from the families own collection? I’ve seen that notion a few times and find it quite a turn.

Hubby & daughter used to go to 3 gun shooting matches, Pistol shotgun semi auto.Carrying a shotgun with a semi auto slung over your shoulder is not difficult.

Jmo

Although weapons were supposedly found doesn’t mean those were the weapons used. Could have found a pistol in MM vehicle and long gun in PM vehicle.

 

[Hair of the Dog]

Do we know as fact that the guns used were from the families own collection? I’ve seen that notion a few times and find it quite a turn.

As in what kind of a self respecting hit man shows up without a weapon? It seems odd to me that someone would rely on weapons being available at a "jobsite" unless someone specifically arranged for that or they were familiar with the "jobsite". JMO

 

[Diddian]

I'm wondering if they followed tire tracks or shoeprints from the crime scene to the area they were searching.

I'm wondering if analysis done on location and timing of movement of MM's cellphone led LE to identifying another cellphone which traveled from Moselle to where MM's cellphone was ditched and then continued toward that bridge where it stopped long enough for its holder to ditch something (weapons or the perpetrator(s) phone itself).

The remoteness of that area probably means there were not a lot of cellphones present and pinging off cell towers in the area at that time of the evening on a Monday night, so LE would be able to narrow down specific phones from cell tower dumps much more easily than a heavily populated area. Location and timing data would have to be very specific to capture movement from Moselle to location where MM's phone was found and then to the bridge and I don't know if analysis of phone locations can be THAT specific (IIRC it depends upon how many towers the two phones would have pinged off of - 3 offers greater precision than 2 which offers greater precision than 1).

If a phone was destroyed and thrown off the bridge, it would cease pinging, so would disappear from cell towers after reaching that location which might have been a clue the perpetrator(s) phone was tossed there.

IF LE was able to gain that data, one would think they'd also be able to identify whose cellphone it was. But, no suspects or POI's have been named (other than some early unconfirmed reports that AM was a POI and other early unconfirmed reports that he may have been cleared based on alibi). Perhaps the perpetrator(s) used a burner phone.

 

[Hair of the Dog]

I get very confused! I feel like initially what we were told was no weapons retrieved and then later stories and our posts mentioned retrieving guns or something that made me think LE came back and took possession of some family guns. A few posts back someone wrote the guns were found in the river after a tip. Maybe we aren't being careful enough about citing facts? Or more likely, reporters have written and rewritten this story so many times that they word things a little differently to make the story sound new? JMO.

Following tire tracks and shoeprints would likely be part of processing the scene and I would think more effectively performed in day light. If the gun facts changed, it might be that by artificial light the night of June 7, they didn't spot them, and then found them a day or two later in the daylight (or in the river, as alleged). JMO.

As impatient as I am, I do want LE / SLED to do their investigations (PM, AM, MB, SS, GS) very carefully and get this right All the victims deserve justice and the community needs to know what has really been going on.

You are so right about confusing and conflicting information. IMO the only way to sort it out is by posting the link to the source of the information being referenced with our posts.

 

[Elley Mae]

I'm wondering if they followed tire tracks or shoeprints from the crime scene to the area they were searching.

There are roads all through the woods behind the home. I can’t see where one goes down to 63. There is a rd on the back side of the property 25-13 and there lots of farm/tractor rd to access fields with the wooded track on the back side of M’s property. That would be the shortest distance out of the woods.

 

[Razz]

Just some observations:

Any way to show the river and the bridge in relation to the kennels and or where the field was where Maggie's phone was found?

Why did family come in by the kennels? It seems a more direct way to come in by the 2nd entrance.

Why would AM have gone anywhere else on the property during the phone call? To get out of the rain, all he needed to was get back in his SUV (and to stay safe).

The lag time before AM was interviewed
(4 days?) is a concern. I would have had a million questions for him and....wouldn't he want to tell police immediately what he knew and or saw?

Did he know for instance if MM was known to help PM feed the dogs? Why was she down there?!

Having PM and MM outside in the rain was a perfect place to execute them. No house to bloody up and few traces to be found in the rain.

 

[Elley Mae]

• Shortly after 10:30 p.m., a CCSO deputy was instructed to divert to headquarters and get a large tent to cover evidence potentially exposed to the elements.

• Interior and exterior crime scene perimeters were taped off, and a crime scene log was kept of everyone who entered the crime scene.

SLED June 21 Update: New documents released in Murdaugh homicides

 

[Sustained]

Do we know as fact that the guns used were from the families own collection? I’ve seen that notion a few times and find it quite a turn.

No

 

[Warwick7]

Also from the above article is this:

All of the kids on the boat and their family members have voluntarily come forward to provide DNA samples and speak to investigative officers,” Will Folks, founding editor of local news outlet Fitsnews.com, told the Daily Mail.

Tommy Crosby, a spokesman for the State Law Enforcement Division, confirmed to the Mail that investigators also have obtained digital and cellphone records to track people’s movements on and around the day of the murders.


In addition, investigators pulled similar records from Paul’s father, Alex Murdaugh, a prosecutor for the 14th Judicial Circuit, who found his son and wife shot dead near their home, according to the outlet.

Volunteering to come to give their DNA is huge.

 

[LetsSolvIt]

You are so right about confusing and conflicting information. IMO the only way to sort it out is by posting the link to the source of the information being referenced with our posts.

. . . and then knowing how the heck to find the post again when you wish to reference it. Is there a trick to that? I'm very new and haven't gotten efficient at researching threads. We are up to almost 900 posts -- how would you find any specifics to which you wanted to refer?

 

[Warwick7]

JMO/hunch but I think they found the guns in the river search done soon after the murders, after allegedly receiving a tip.

Good point.
Is that river in the direction of MM's phone? I don't have a map so I was wondering.

 

[Warwick7]

I've went to media maps timeline, but I'm having trouble locating the depositions for Mallory Beach death.
Can someone help?

 

[Diddian]

The only source for the location of MM's phone is a "source close to the investigation" that disclosed that information to the press. Neither SLED nor any other LE agency has disclosed that information publicly.

Live updates: Maggie Murdaugh's phone found on nearby road; Smith death investigation reopened

The reports of SLED divers working the area near a bridge also came from unidentified eyewitnesses who reported it to the press, but SLED has not confirmed or commented on that matter.

SLED agents working along river near Murdaugh homicide location

 

[sds71]

I've went to media maps timeline, but I'm having trouble locating the depositions for Mallory Beach death.
Can someone help?

Are these the right ones?

https://publicindex.sccourts.org/Ha...907685101106761141136569112971189898878811277

https://publicindex.sccourts.org/Ha...486751741034784574311752117122105101888411569

 

[worm]

The only source for the location of MM's phone is a "source close to the investigation" that disclosed that information to the press. Neither SLED nor any other LE agency has disclosed that information publicly.

Live updates: Maggie Murdaugh's phone found on nearby road; Smith death investigation reopened

The reports of SLED divers working the area near a bridge also came from unidentified eyewitnesses who reported it to the press, but SLED has not confirmed or commented on that matter.

SLED agents working along river near Murdaugh homicide location

I’ll just mark these as “maybe”. If they took guns from the home, it was probably a matter of routine to eliminate them as the murder weapons.