GUILTY SC - Rev. Phillip McCreary, 51, shot to death, Barnwell County, 6 July 2007

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See the article at link below about the preacher who was murdered.

http://www.thepeoplesentinel.com/

This little part on the web doesn't tell all that's in the paper. In the paper it says when the hubby didn't return home the wife went looking for him at the landing where he was going fishing. She couldn't find him, but his vehicle was there so she went and got friends to come back and help her look. They shined a flood light into the water and saw his body.

This is in my backyard (not literally) and in fact my husband went to high school with the victim, so I've been thinking on this today.

Article goes on to say he's a preacher with no known enemies and that he often fishes at this landing.

So, my question to you fellow sleuthers is this,,,,given what we know thus far, who would be your number one suspect?
 
The wife, but I hope I'm wrong.
 
The paper reports the wife called to report he had drowned. Is it possible he commited suicide instead of being murdered?
 
He was shot (I think in the head) which wasn't apparent until he was pulled from the river. Now I was thinking maybe 1) he wandered up on someone doing drugs and they got rid of him, but then IMHO anyone who's gonna choose a public fishing landing to do drugs isn't the kind who'd kill over being discovered, they'd just drive away 2) robbery could be the motive, but this area is heavily wooded, so what robber is going to drive around fishing landings (they are far apart here) in hopes to find someone to rob? Guess it could have been an unplanned robbery but most fishermen don't carry much money with them so he'd be a bad choice. I've never heard of fishing landings or fishermen being targets for anything anywhere around here.

But I do wonder seriously about this being connected to either 1)insurance money or 2) an affair (possibly his or hers) We don't know for a fact the wife went there alone when she said she did and when she couldn't find him why didn't she call LE right away? Why go back and get friends? Because as we know, the suspect never wants to be the one to find the body, makes them look guilty in their opinion.

My guess is that the wife is suspect number one, followed by a boyfriend/girlfriend situation.
 
Just talked with my cousin in law school, he's working for the defender's office and told him about the case, he said, "the wife".
 
If it were the wife, why would she admit she was ever there at all? Why wouldn't she have shot him...gone home...waited then just called the friends to go check on him at his fav fishing hole and not be tied to the scene at all? I think the wife is too obvious.
 
SeriouslySearching said:
If it were the wife, why would she admit she was ever there at all? Why wouldn't she have shot him...gone home...waited then just called the friends to go check on him at his fav fishing hole and not be tied to the scene at all? I think the wife is too obvious.
Click to expand...

Why did Mary leave the house go all the way to Ala. And then tell the police.The wife IMHO is the first one I would check out here.
 
I kinda doubt the wife shot him but maybe had someone do it, like a lover. By going to the scene she looks like a caring, dutiful wife. If she hadn't gone looking for him that night then she would look even more suspicious and I bet she has someone to vouch for where she was before she ever went looking for him. By summoning friends to help her, she has witnesses to describe her reaction when the body was found (floating)with the flashlight and by her making a second trip to find him, she really looks like the loving wife. Knowing these rivers around here personally, with all the moccasins, rattlers, and alligators, no way I'd go poking around one of those landings in the pitch black (yes, I know they had a spotlight, but that's not much when you're deep in the woods). The landings are overgrown, have lots of trees with low hanging limbs and snakes galore. If I had gone there the first time, called out and he didn't answer, I'd have summoned LE and rescue right away.

So why do I think she's probably a prime POI considering all her dutiful actions? Well, my dad spent half his life (if not more) in these rivers and the worst thing that ever happened was that a buddies cooking supplies (gas cooker, pots, pans, etc...) were stolen ONCE from the back of his truck. For 50 years, my dad and his buddies used to go out fishing, leave all the cooking gear at the landing in the truck, come back and cook on the river bank. I know this area pretty well and the few murders we do have every year are either domestic violence or drug related and they usually happen at the home, in a club or a drug infested neighborhood. They aren't random murders at a boat landing.
 
I don't see any mention of cell phones. The wife went to look for him when he didn't return home, went to get friends, yet no mention of a cell phone. You'd think that an associate preacher would carry one just in case of an illness or death in the church and be needed by the preacher.
 
Well, of course...you start with the spouse and work your way out from there. Are they dragging the lake for a weapon?
 
There have been divers in the water looking for the weapon and other evidence. I wonder what their marriage was like? Maybe we will hear a little more as time goes by. If they live in a small town and one of them was fooling around someone knows about it because in small towns nothing is kept a secret. I hate to say the wife without knowing more about them as a couple and what their marriage was like. Of course most people thought that Matthew and Mary had a good marriage! It still makes me furious that she got away with cold blooded murder. I hope we don't see that happen again.
 
Bobbisangel said:
There have been divers in the water looking for the weapon and other evidence. I wonder what their marriage was like? Maybe we will hear a little more as time goes by. If they live in a small town and one of them was fooling around someone knows about it because in small towns nothing is kept a secret. I hate to say the wife without knowing more about them as a couple and what their marriage was like. Of course most people thought that Matthew and Mary had a good marriage! It still makes me furious that she got away with cold blooded murder. I hope we don't see that happen again.
Click to expand...

We have nothing but small towns here. The truth of it will leak out soon.
 
http://www.thestate.com/157/story/117382.html

Article from The State paper at link. Now I'm feeling badly for suspecting the wife. I know several of the people the paper quoted in the article and they are good people. I'm familiar with the church he ministered at and from how they descibe his sermons, he didn't hold back. The link has several pictures, including the river.
 
SeriouslySearching said:
If it were the wife, why would she admit she was ever there at all? Why wouldn't she have shot him...gone home...waited then just called the friends to go check on him at his fav fishing hole and not be tied to the scene at all? I think the wife is too obvious.
Click to expand...

I don't know if the wife was involved. But if she was then going looking for him was the perfect cover to explain why she was in the area if she was seen. What I find suspicious is- let's say she went there because he was overdue at home and she thought she would find him there. She gets there and sees his vehicle, his equipment but no sign of him. Wouldn't you call police instead of friends?
Does this couple have older teen or young adult kids?
 
I don't know that I'd suspect the wife yet because the husband regularly went to this place to fish and I can see her going to look for him when he didn't come home at his regular time. I can also see getting friends to help her look if it was dark and saw no sign of the preacher. I'd like to know how far she drove to get the friends and why they didn't have cell phones with them. Right now a lunatic out in the area looking to rob someone would be what I'd suspect not knowing all the facts.
 
He looked like a sweet man. Sure sounds like one, too. This is going to be a tough one. Unless he had everyone fooled, I don't see it being an affair type scenario...at least on his part. I did notice there wasn't much mentioned about his wife in the article tho...mainly his mother which I find a bit strange.
 
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