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

[otto]

The article also mentions Pine trees that they were under. The Pines on the left look much younger than 40 plus years but this could suggest cutting and replanting. The trees on the right look to be hardwoods.

I thought they were fir trees ono the right, but the photo is not clear. Misplaced the link, but the info is at the top of the images.

 

[otto]

Found the article, that you mentioned, yesterday! I do think, by reading it, that several locals heard it.
Sumter Does - Newspapers.com

Thank you!

This article is from Aug 11, 1976. I appreciate seeing facts. They were killed around 1 AM and found at found at 6:20 AM by a man on his way to work.

The entire story about a trucker pulling over for a rest is complete fabrication.

Sumter Does - Newspapers.com

 

[otto]

Couple of thoughts about the "Canada" lead that was reported one year after the murders. The gun was discovered 4 months after the murders. The lie detector indicated he was lying about where he got the gun.

Was the KOA story about playing pool with Jock from Canada, a teacher and son of a doctor, who was heading to Florida and wanted to sell a ring, a story fed to authorities in a coordinated effort to misdirect police? Detailed records about KOA guests were available but they burned in a house fire.

It seems awfully convenient to point at Canada to explain why the bodies were not claimed. It also takes some pressure off authorities to work hard to solve the case if they're considered to be foreigners.

 

[worm]

Couple of thoughts about the "Canada" lead that was reported one year after the murders. The gun was discovered 4 months after the murders. The lie detector indicated he was lying about where he got the gun.

Was the KOA story about playing pool with Jock from Canada, a teacher and son of a doctor, who was heading to Florida and wanted to sell a ring, a story fed to authorities in a coordinated effort to misdirect police? Detailed records about KOA guests were available but they burned in a house fire.

It seems awfully convenient to point at Canada to explain why the bodies were not claimed. It also takes some pressure off authorities to work hard to solve the case if they're considered to be foreigners.

I don’t know of a connection between the guy with gun and campground man. It’s possible I suppose. It doesn’t sound like the local LE cut any corners on trying to solve this so the Canada tip didn’t work if that’s the case. I guess those records burned within the year of the murders? Did LE ask for those when they spoke with the witness there?

 

[otto]

I liked the question of whether he looked Canadian. funny comment. Canada is the second largest country in the world and is established by immigrants from every corner of the globe. Unlike China, India and Italy, there's no generic Canadian physical description.

I think the KOA was not followed up by investigators at the time, the dental work was given a school and eventually destroyed, records burned. Not surprising after 46 years.

From this 2008 article.

4 Apr 2008, 3 - National Post at Newspapers.com

 

[otto]

I don’t know of a connection between the guy with gun and campground man. It’s possible I suppose. It doesn’t sound like the local LE cut any corners on trying to solve this so the Canada tip didn’t work if that’s the case. I guess those records burned within the year of the murders? Did LE ask for those when they spoke with the witness there?

I'm curious. The man with the gun lived in Latta, North of the murders.

I missed name of the KOA campground. Do we know where that was?

 

[worm]

I'm curious. The man with the gun lived in Latta, North of the murders.

I missed name of the KOA campground. Do we know where that was?

It was in Santee, much closer to the coast.

 

[Oginalii]

My god, that is a horrible thing to put in a newspaper. Thank goodness we've come a long way from calling children born out of wedlock, children.

It got me to wondering though. He was in the army, away from home. I don't know if he ended up going to Vietnam but if he did go, he could have been in the Dear John club where the wife/girlfriend/fiance ended up going out with someone else and having a child where the paternity was questioned.

Whatever kitchen sink drama that went on between Pamela and James regarding their exes, I doubt it had anything to do with their murders.

I also don't think they were hitchhiking; Pamela was definitely not dressed for hitchhiking. I'd like to know why LE thinks they were hitchhiking. It would be a convenient way to exonerate any locals in their murders.

I don’t like children being called bastards either. I think it’s horrible but I have 2 aunts who like my grandma they have no filter and who knows what will come out of their mouth next. My cousin and her husband had 4 children before they married and when my aunt seen the baby she said she’s a beautiful baby but when are you going to stop having these children? It was all I could do not to snap-btw that’s not the worst thing that either aunt said-it was actually one of the better ones anyway my cousin took it much better than I could and just said they would be getting married soon.
As horrible as it sounds we all know how those aunts are and it takes some real effort not to take it personal and realize that’s just how she is and she isn’t going to change.

 

[Oginalii]

I think this is a key to the whole case. Finding the murder weapon but nobody explains how it killed 2 people is a disturbing fact to me.

I wonder if they'll ever tell us where they were going or where they had been? Some of my random thoughts.

I don't think they were hitchhiking.. Their clothes and shoes were all wrong? Where's their stuff? Did they have a car, clothes..where were those things?

The racing theories are probably ********. I have all kinds of tee shirts from all over the place..in my case it means nothing.

The sighting at the KOA means nothing in my opinion. This guy either made it up, inserted himself for whatever stupid reason, or more on a sinister side, misled them on purpose.

The unshaven legs.. Always meant nothing. I'm a child of the 70s .. I was in The Peace Corps for two years and NEVER shaved my legs..sometimes I still don't. Same with the no underwear..maybe it was a 70s thing.

The fact that nobody ever mentioned an accent always bothered me. In the south in the 70s it would have stood out like a sore thumb..yet I've never heard it mentioned? I'm a born and bred southerner and my husband's from NYC and it's still a thing...so yes even a Pennsylvania/Minnesota accent would have stood out I believe?

Im also not buying they met while hitchhiking...huh? I don't think so? How did they meet?

These are just my thoughts on a few things that stood out to me. This case was my passion and I'm so glad they were finally identified. Other than Jack The Ripper (the holy grail of cases) I would love to see someone pay for what they did to this couple, they deserved so much better.

I’ve wondered how they met and even if they really met. I do think they were hitchhiking-just about everyone was either across town or across the country. It’s possible they were in same general area & whoever picked one up picked the other up somewhere down the line which could explain how they ended up obtener.
Many would stay at places like ymca where you could stay for almost nothing & sometimes for nothing as well as just ppl they met at a peace rally or such. I think they did that many times which would explain why they were described as well groomed and clean clothes. They most likely panhandled or asked around for odd jobs like mowing a yard? Weeding a flower bed or whatever-they wouldn’t need much money really. I do agree on the accent. I grew up going back and forth from Oklahoma, Texas,Mississippi & Alabama so I can recognize a “yankee” right off & I’ve met a lot of ppl from pa since my company was based there and some I could see someone thinking maybe they were possibly Canadian.
I also agree on the man at the campground -I’m not convinced he ever seen or spoke with them

 

[worm]

I guess we should expect some unusual things to be said from a 45 year old case in the south. As a deadhead, I wasn’t thrilled with the comment by the sherif that “these people were clean, not the hippie type” but I get it. I was raised here by old time southerners so no big deal. My grandfather didn’t allow shaggy hair at the dinner table.

The absence is obvious too that our usual discussions involve cell phones, social media, cameras on every corner, all the modern gadgets that are not factors in this case. I guess we get a feel for old time sleuthing and realize just how strapped these investigators were at the time with limited tech.

 

[Oginalii]

RSBM

"As someone mentioned above, the sheriff made a vague reference to having an idea of where the couple were heading, based on something they learned from family or friends."

If the family members reported them missing around Christmas 1975 how would they know what their plans were?

I found the sheriff very ill prepared for the PC. He seemed nervous, he didn't appear well versed in the details of the case.

You hit on something I have been wondering about-the vague reference about where they were headed & that almost had to come from family or possibly someone close to them-unless they told someone they had gotten a ride from maybe?
I’ve wondered what they told their families when they left or if they told them anything. Did they just up and leave or did they say mom I’m going to see America & I will get a ride don’t worry I’ll be fine like so many in that day did or did they say I’m going such and such place with some friends?

 

[otto]

It was in Santee, much closer to the coast.

Sorry for the story - trying to sort this out ...

They died at 1 AM on Monday August 9, 1976. They were reported deceased at 6:20 AM Monday morning.

That means Sunday afternoon or evening, they had fruit, possibly with ice cream. Does anyone remember upthread the estimate of 6 hours between eating fruit and in the stomach after death? If that's true, that they were killed within 6 hours of eating fruit, where were they at 7 PM August 8?

Hurricane Belle evacuation and picking up a hitchhiker is a possibility - perhaps a hitchhiker who needed the vehicle to get closer to home, someone who used a gun and passed it off to a friend to hide. The friend kept the gun, perhaps as future leverage, but it was accidentally found?

The article describes them as clean shaven, showered, healthy, good teeth and not hitchhiking - too clean to be begging for rides. An article posted upthread quotes "stepping out of the back of a van." That can only come from evidence like wheel base, tire size/type and foot prints out of the back of the van.

Perhaps they were in a van, back door was opened - back door means delivery van, they stepped out, were lined up in the shallow ditch, shot, with one final shot under the chin when they were on the ground. It could have been an open casket funeral (link).

Could they have met at a hippie work holiday, like tobacco or fruit picking? Is there a July picking season nearby? I know nothing about SC. Curious about how they met.

In 2019, BC, Chyna Deese (NC) and Lucas Fowler (Australia) bought a van from someone at the ranch where Lucas did a work holiday. They met in Europe? The van was not legally registered, but suitable for their purposes. They were killed on the side of a highway two days later by an 18 and 19 year old thrill killer.

In 1976, thrill kill was not an idea, serial murder was a new idea with Ted Bundy, Son of Sam, Zodiac, attention grabbing media nicknames. I'm leaning towards not serial killer, not thrill killer, possibly a thief, but not complete strangers. Maybe they met over fruit and ice cream. It could be theft, although that doesn't explain the valuable jewellery left behind.

I wonder whether there's something about one of the victims that led to their murders. Did either have debt? It could be something as simple as appearing to have money.

 

[Oginalii]

I guess we should expect some unusual things to be said from a 45 year old case in the south. As a deadhead, I wasn’t thrilled with the comment by the sherif that “these people were clean, not the hippie type” but I get it. I was raised here by old time southerners so no big deal. My grandfather didn’t allow shaggy hair at the dinner table.

The absence is obvious too that our usual discussions involve cell phones, social media, cameras on every corner, all the modern gadgets that are not factors in this case. I guess we get a feel for old time sleuthing and realize just how strapped these investigators were at the time with limited tech.

I knew some hippies-some are still hippies today just old hippies and many were not clean-they actually stunk/mostly of BO and no showering plus the smell of pot & incense mixed in. It wasn’t pleasant
Of course that doesn’t mean that all did but based of what I’ve experienced I can def understand the comment

 

[otto]

I don’t like children being called bastards either. I think it’s horrible but I have 2 aunts who like my grandma they have no filter and who knows what will come out of their mouth next. My cousin and her husband had 4 children before they married and when my aunt seen the baby she said she’s a beautiful baby but when are you going to stop having these children? It was all I could do not to snap-btw that’s not the worst thing that either aunt said-it was actually one of the better ones anyway my cousin took it much better than I could and just said they would be getting married soon.
As horrible as it sounds we all know how those aunts are and it takes some real effort not to take it personal and realize that’s just how she is and she isn’t going to change.

I saw the article. It looks like James P Freund paid child support debt in October 1974. What was his job when he paid the debt? What did he do after paying the debt?

We can't judge the terminology that was used at the time, but women today should be thankful that women in 1976 did so much to make their lives better.

JPFreund - Newspapers.com

 

[otto]

I knew some hippies-some are still hippies today just old hippies and many were not clean-they actually stunk/mostly of BO and no showering plus the smell of pot & incense mixed in. It wasn’t pleasant
Of course that doesn’t mean that all did but based of what I’ve experienced I can def understand the comment

The victims were clean, shaved, showered, healthy and not skunky. I haven't seen any facts that suggest this was anything other than a couple, aged 25 and 30, travelling, and then they were shot.

Are there any July picking seasons in Georgia, SC and NC? When is pecan picking season?

 

[worm]

Good theories @otto , but I go back to the gun. The mans brother said that he gave the gun to him as a Christmas gift. Was this Dec of 75? The guy had the gun after the murders. There just has to be something to that. The guy apparently didn’t tell LE that it had been loaned or stolen so if he wasn’t the killer, how did this weapon leave his possession, kill this couple, and return to him and he knows nothing of it? I’d love to see his interview.

 

[worm]

I knew some hippies-some are still hippies today just old hippies and many were not clean-they actually stunk/mostly of BO and no showering plus the smell of pot & incense mixed in. It wasn’t pleasant
Of course that doesn’t mean that all did but based of what I’ve experienced I can def understand the comment

They call those wooks in my circles.

 

[Oginalii]

It was 1976. Sunscreen was not a big thing unless you burned super easy. My mom was a very pale freckled redhead who burned terribly, but I remember her going more for head to toe clothing, a mummu and a big hat, vs suncreen.

I've been quietly following along. I think this is one of the first cases I ever read about on the internet. Always such a mystery and wonderful they now have names. I am very curious about the backstrory; how they got together, how they ended up in SC, how they ended up dying so horribly.

I was a kid in the 70s and I don’t remember ever hearing of sun screen-maybe if we lived by a coast or something and maybe because I was a kid. My mom gets sun poisoning from just being out on a sunny day and she just covered up as much as possible

 

[killarney rose]

The victims were clean, shaved, showered, healthy and not skunky. I haven't seen any facts that suggest this was anything other than a couple, aged 25 and 30, travelling, and then they were shot.

Are there any July picking seasons in Georgia, SC and NC? When is pecan picking season?

pecans are gathered in the fall after they drop from the trees. I saw that peaches are in season, and there are vegetables as well.

 

[otto]

Good theories @otto , but I go back to the gun. The mans brother said that he gave the gun to him as a Christmas gift. Was this Dec of 75? The guy had the gun after the murders. There just has to be something to that. The guy apparently didn’t tell LE that it had been loaned or stolen so if he wasn’t the killer, how did this weapon leave his possession, kill this couple, and return to him and he knows nothing of it? I’d love to see his interview.

The Gun. Is that where Lonny Henry comes into the picture? What I remember is that the gun owner is from Latta. Four months after the murder he was drunk driving, arrested, the gun was found under his seat - serial number partially filed. I wonder whether more can be found out about the serial number today, or was that lost too?

Polygraph showed he told the truth about not commiting the murders, but lied about where he got the gun.

4 Apr 2008, 3 - National Post at Newspapers.com

Murder is Locklear Road. Gun was in Latta. KOA is in Santee. Hurricane was blowing in

Hurricane Belle - August 7-11, 1976

"A tropical wave moved off the African coast on July 28th. The disturbed area moved across the central tropical Atlantic and moved to the north of the Lesser Antilles, approaching the Bahamas by August 5th. Early on the 6th, the thunderstorm cluster became organized into a tropical depression. Steadily developing over the next few days, Belle became a major hurricane early on the 9th while moving northward towards the coast of Long Island. It struck western Long Island before moving northeast and losing tropical character over New England."​

Hurricane Belle - August 7-11, 1976

Gun owner's brother was also detained. No charges. Is the brother still alive? Perhaps there are children?