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

[branmuffin]

-SLED recovered the serial number and investigators tracked the gun from its manufacturer to Henry's brother, who said he gave it to Henry as a Christmas present four or five years earlier.-

So, the theft of the gun was in 1971,or '72??
Surely, the gun wasn't the only thing that got stolen and, imo, the gun passed through many hands, before the murders took place..

Is there anything known about the theft and possible arrest?
Was it stolen from a gun shop, or so?

I'm trying to track the gun. LE traced the gun from the manufacturer to Henry's brother, so does that mean he was the original owner? And that someone stole the gun off him? Did he get the gun back when the thief resold it? And it was after it ended up back in his possession that he gave the weapon to his brother? So Is there a possibility that while the gun was in the possession of the thief or the 'new' owner, it was involved in the commission of a crime.

Henry's brother gave the gun to him for Christmas in the early 70's so Lonnie, by the time of the murders, has had the gun for about 5 years.

We don't know when he attempted to file the serial numbers down. It could have been after the murders but it could also have been any time prior to that. In those five years could the weapon have been involved in other crimes? Maybe by him and/or his son, the one who drowned in 1973?

Lonnie had several skirmishes with the law prior to his being charged with the DUI; he was a known alcoholic and had killed a man he worked backing over him with a dump truck. It's possible that he was careless with the weapon, leaving it laying around so that his son or other people could have taken the weapon without his ever knowing it was gone. Maybe he did know it was taken by his son and used in a crime and he filed off the serial numbers to protect him. Which might suggest Lonnie knew the weapon had been fired. Or maybe he knew who murdered the Sumter Does and filed off the serial numbers because he was somehow implicated if he spoke up.

We've read that there were cases of political corruption in the area during that time and a murder that occurred. I can't remember if it was a politician or a cop who was murdered or did the deed. Can anyone remember?

 

[worm]

The grinding of the numbers makes no sense regardless. If he was the legal owner it makes no sense and if he knew it was involved in a crime or stolen, it would have been smart to get rid of it rather than getting caught with it.

 

[wmm85]

Pam and James' things were never found. Especially no identity cards.
Maybe someone has created a new identity with it?
I don't know if that was possible then.

Identity theft was a big thing in the 1970s, but they typically took the identity of someone who was already deceased, and usually it was the identity of a young child (less likely to have had a social security number, passport, etc).

 

[branmuffin]

I believe I read in a much earlier WS post that this Jimmy Henry that you refer to is not the brother of Lonnie, the truck driver in question in this case. There was some confusion about it as the names were similar. Can others confirm that? As for James Freund, I hadn't heard that he was in the service.

This is the brother of Lonnie, they share the same parents according to Find a Grave website. What truck do you think Lonnie drove? Other than him driving over a person in a dump truck, there is no mention of Lonnie Henry driving a truck relating to this murder.

 

[worm]

This is the brother of Lonnie, they share the same parents according to Find a Grave website. What truck do you think Lonnie drove? Other than him driving over a person in a dump truck, there is no mention of Lonnie Henry driving a truck relating to this murder.

I’ve ran across posts that confuse Henry with the “truck driver” that was supposed to have found them. We later see that this was someone on their way to work. It’s there with the hermit tale.

 

[Vern]

Was this info that came directly from the county sheriff?

What the tire tracks?

There's newspaper articles with photos linked in here showing Pam and James at the crime scene and officers making the casts of the tire tracks.

 

[branmuffin]

I’ve ran across posts that confuse Henry with the “truck driver” that was supposed to have found them. We later see that this was someone on their way to work. It’s there with the hermit tale.

Correct, the only truck mentioned in the telling of the murder and discovery is the local man who found the bodies.

 

[Andreee]

This is the brother of Lonnie, they share the same parents according to Find a Grave website. What truck do you think Lonnie drove? Other than him driving over a person in a dump truck, there is no mention of Lonnie Henry driving a truck relating to this murder.

yes, i've been losing too much sleep lately and I misspoke.

 

[shellbee]

No, you're definitely not the only one. Even before Pam and James were identified, I was always skeptical of the KOA story because of how long the witness took to come forward. I think it's possible that the witness really did meet a Canadian traveler named Jacques and incorectly but sincerely assumed it was James and Pam. Try remembering someone you met only once, months ago. It's not as easy as it sounds unless you have freakishly good memory.

Of course, it's hypothetically possible that it really was James at the KOA and that he invented a cover story about his identity. But I'm doubtful.

I agree. I'm sure the guy had good intentions, but imo it's an all or nothing thing. Kind of like testimony in court, if any element is untrue it should be considered untrue in its entirety.

 

[shellbee]

What the tire tracks?

There's newspaper articles with photos linked in here showing Pam and James at the crime scene and officers making the casts of the tire tracks.

No. What I asked is why people think the vehicle they were in was a van and was this info that came in an official release from the sheriff. It appears to me that it's more rumor than anything. I'd just like to see a verifiable source.

 

[Awsi Dooger]

Not sure if this has been mentioned recently. I forgot to link or quote it while sampling thread #3 last week. Posted in 2008 by shadetreePI:

Mystery couple murdered in South Carolina, 1976 - #3

"This might help...
Spoke to Verna twice yesterday (lucky me!!). One of the questions I asked her was if the investigators had determined the Does were killed where they were found. She said the investigators think they were shot in the vehicle, then dumped on the side of the road, then shot again where they lay. They were found face-up (that was another question of mine). Hope this helps!"

 

[Betty P]

No, you're not the only one. I don't buy it either. I mean, dude comes forward months after their murder, claims he became friends with James but doesn't exactly remember his name and believes it's "Jock" but isn't sure about it (really? you make a friend and don't even remember his name?), tries to sell that "disowned son of a Canadian doctor" story, but isn't sure about it either, doesn't mention Pamela at all (and I think we can all agree that he would definitely remember her if they ever met) and he's the only "witness" who told that story. I believe more people would have come forward if it really was JPF and PB at that KOA campground. Perhaps he did make a friend whose name was Jacques, but in my opinion it was somebody else, not James.

Not sure if this has been mentioned recently. I forgot to link or quote it while sampling thread #3 last week. Posted in 2008 by shadetreePI:

Mystery couple murdered in South Carolina, 1976 - #3

"This might help...
Spoke to Verna twice yesterday (lucky me!!). One of the questions I asked her was if the investigators had determined the Does were killed where they were found. She said the investigators think they were shot in the vehicle, then dumped on the side of the road, then shot again where they lay. They were found face-up (that was another question of mine). Hope this helps!"

No offense to the person who posted that, but were they ever considered a verified insider to the case? Seems that should be the case for any information not found in the news media, but is sourced from a public official linked to the investigation.

Do they still post here? Maybe we could ask them to go through the verified insider process.

ETA if verified accurate, this is interesting information.

 

[Betty P]

No. What I asked is why people think the vehicle they were in was a van and was this info that came in an official release from the sheriff. It appears to me that it's more rumor than anything. I'd just like to see a verifiable source.

Its verified in the news media. When I get some time today Ill repost these links elsewhere in this thread so while don't have to keep reposting the same links for every new person who comes into the discussion.

 

[Awsi Dooger]

Now I'm really confused. This from shadetreePI in thread #4:

Mystery couple murdered in South Carolina, 1976 - #4

"On another matter, I thought you guys might like to see this:

Type in these two addresses in Google Maps (one at a time, of course) then click on "street view". It'll give you a view of Locklair Road, both ends of it and you can virtually travel around that area to see what I saw when I visited. You can't access Locklair Road on this view, but you can see how desolate this area is. Judging by the way things look (since I've been there at different times of the year) and by the other photos of my own home address, these photos are about 2 years old and taken in the winter. However, not much has changed in this area. Note the spelling of Locklair Road. I promise - and I'll get a good photo next time I go, the way I'm spelling it is the way it is written on the sign. Weird that it is listed differently though...

2964 Old St John Church Road Lynchburg SC

10640 Douglas Swamp Road Lynchburg SC

Hope this gives you guys a better feel for this area.
Oh, FYI, the Does were found at the Douglas Swamp end of Locklair Rd."

***

That bolded segment makes no sense to me. That is the opposite side, not close to the I-95 ramps. It would basically be here:

imgur.com

The end of Locklair on that side is already less than 400 meters from I-95, and then the gap quickly lessens as the roads run parallel. From the 1966 and 1983 aerials there was less tree cover alongside Locklair on that side than there is now, not more tree cover. Type in Locklear Road, Sumter SC to search:

Historic Aerials: Viewer

Besides, many early articles reference Lynches River Road (341). That is the opposite side, the Old St. John Church Road side. I don't remember one article referencing Douglas Swamp Road, the major road connecting to Locklair and crossing over I-95 on the south side.

This is hardly a new discussion. Much of that thread #4 is devoted to confusion regarding the location, and how a truck driver could have turned onto Locklair from Douglas Swamp Road. Many posters proposed he came off I-95 and turned onto Douglas Swamp Road, until someone pointed out there are no ramps on that side:

Mystery couple murdered in South Carolina, 1976 - #4

Mystery couple murdered in South Carolina, 1976 - #4

Mystery couple murdered in South Carolina, 1976 - #4

 

[Betty P]

Here's a link to a page in the sub thread here where members discussed the newspaper articles in the Sumter Daily Item from the year of and after the murders. Its a good place to catch up on the case.

Original newspaper items/articles

Here's a link to the Google archives of that paper beginning the day after the murders

The Sumter Daily Item - Google News Archive Search

These references are for those who ask for source information about the crime scene, tire tracks, etc.

 

[worm]

Thank you @Betty P , this is a big help.

 

[Betty P]

Thank you @Betty P , this is a big help.

You're welcome! Yes, it's really handy to have the archive there, free and open to everyone. I also have a subscription to Newspapers.com if anyone needs a look up.

I also messaged the Mods to get some guidance on how to deal with older posts with "insider" information, but without verified sources. It all sounds interesting, but needs to be validated somehow. I defer to the members who have been regulars in these threads for a long time. I always dropped in to see if there was anything new, but wasn't a regular.

 

[shellbee]

No offense to the person who posted that, but were they ever considered a verified insider to the case? Seems that should be the case for any information not found in the news media, but is sourced from a public official linked to the investigation.

Do they still post here? Maybe we could ask them to go through the verified insider process.

ETA if verified accurate, this is interesting information.

I lurk more than anything, but I was around back then and if memory serves, the user, superunknown took it upon herself to call Verna. Verna was receptive to the interest and agreed to take questions via fax. This happened around 2006 or 2007. I don't think verification was a thing back then and I don't think superunknown could be considered anything more than a user who acted on initiative.

I believe the first thread has Verna's Q&A. It's quite informative. Verna really cared about James and Pam, God bless her. I wish she had lived to see them identified.

 

[worm]

Agree @shellbee , Verna Moore had the pressure of this case for a lot of her life and her entire career. I can imagine this tortured her thoughts.

 

[Betty P]

I lurk more than anything, but I was around back then and if memory serves, the user, superunknown took it upon herself to call Verna. Verna was receptive to the interest and agreed to take questions via fax. This happened around 2006 or 2007. I don't think verification was a thing back then and I don't think superunknown could be considered anything more than a user who acted on initiative.

I believe the first thread has Verna's Q&A. It's quite informative. Verna really cared about James and Pam, God bless her. I wish she had lived to see them identified.

She sounds like a great person. Does everyone take for gospel what superunknown reported about her comments? Most seems to be information that was later confirmed in the news media, but I was concerned about sourcing for the comment that LE thought the couple had been shot in the van, then removed at the Locklair Rd location and shot again.

Has that ever been confirmed by LE? TIA