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

[worm]

So very professional. Find Paul. (Motive love or money? I’m going to say he doesn’t have his own money yet, so it is related to some form of love….revenge.)Hit Tbox (head) and heart. Leave no clues. Kill the witness. In and out. The person who hired hitman has perfectly great and honest alibi. Everybody doesn’t talk, no one gets caught, especially if the shooter isn’t from around there.

I’m thinking it’s multiple perps and better odds that somebody cracks.

 

[Elley Mae]

So very professional. Find him. Hit Tbox (head) and heart. Leave no clues. Kill the witness. In and out. The person who hired hitman has perfectly great and honest alibi. Everybody doesn’t talk, no one gets caught, especially if the shooter isn’t from around there.

Exactly! If that’s what happened.

With all the different cases AM has handled & the accusations against the different members of the family over a couple years it’s like looking for a needle in a hay stack.

I mean at time who isn’t a suspect? I would not want to live or have to walk around that town for fear if I didn’t act right I would be suspect.

 

[Bridger]

It tells me they knew it was a hit, intentional.
What ever was found or isn’t there to be found they have nothing to go on.

I just don’t see hitmen bringing a rifle and a shotgun to the job. This sounds more like a couple of local yahoos/hunters who were interrupted during a robbery of some sort or were confronted when trespassing. Second best guess is a couple of “business acquaintances” of PM who were unhappy with the outcome of their negotiation.

 

[Razz]

Found it by accident after searching yesterday.

Alex Murdaugh was interviewed by investigators on June 10 and sources close to him said he has a “cast-iron alibi” in his family’s deaths and is merely cooperating to clear himself, the Daily Mail reported.

Survivors of boat crash involving murdered SC man give DNA samples

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.

 

[genuineusa77]

I just don’t see hitmen bringing a rifle and a shotgun to the job. This sounds more like a couple of local yahoos/hunters who were interrupted during a robbery of some sort or were confronted when trespassing. Second best guess is a couple of “business acquaintances” of PM who were unhappy with the outcome of their negotiation.

BBM: That is my guess. I don't think it was revenge!

 

[Elley Mae]

If not targeted, could it have been someone that didn’t know the property was now a residence and not a lodge/part time property. With the two/three vehicles that were not there if the suspects arrived first.

Possible once they realized who lived there they were then recognized.

Jmo
Idk
Anything is possible here.

 

[girlhasnoname]

I usually always have a pretty good idea in my mind of what happened in most of the cases I've followed here on WS. This is one that I'm having a hard time getting behind one scenario or another. There really isn't enough information released at this point to even make a definitive guess IMO.

Revenge, Love, Money... those are the usual suspects in a murder. We have a mother and son shot at close range late on a week day night. The father/husband arrives on scene mere minutes later.

Infidelity/Possible Divorce? <why kill PM?>
Retaliation for MB's death in the boat crash? <why kill MM?>
Random home invasion/robbery gone wrong? <why kill both in such dramatic fashion?>
Disgruntled client of Law Practice? <why kill PM & MM and spare AM?>

I don't think it's unusual for LE/SLED to keep everything locked down tight, and I'm not surprised we haven't had any real updates so far since ALL eyes are on them now. I do think it's coming though.

MOO

 

[LetsSolvIt]

I didn't know if these photos I marked up would be helpful -- they are only my guess as what was where. MOO. I am having a hard time with the measurements. Throughout the numerous articles and quotes we have, the description of how far the bodies were from the kennels, the main house, and from each other vary. Since it appears in these screen shots from aerial TV coverage that LE is still on the premises, I would like to think there might be some indication of where the bodies came to rest.

Let me know what you think!

 

[Elley Mae]

I didn't know if these photos I marked up would be helpful -- they are only my guess as what was where. MOO. I am having a hard time with the measurements. Throughout the numerous articles and quotes we have, the description of how far the bodies were from the kennels, the main house, and from each other vary. Since it appears in these screen shots from aerial TV coverage that LE is still on the premises, I would like to think there might be some indication of where the bodies came to rest.

Let me know what you think!
View attachment 306221

Distance from house to kennel is less then 4 football fields

I think the “tents” are boats.

 

[Razz]

I didn't know if these photos I marked up would be helpful -- they are only my guess as what was where. MOO. I am having a hard time with the measurements. Throughout the numerous articles and quotes we have, the description of how far the bodies were from the kennels, the main house, and from each other vary. Since it appears in these screen shots from aerial TV coverage that LE is still on the premises, I would like to think there might be some indication of where the bodies came to rest.

Let me know what you think!
View attachment 306221

I notice by the farm equipment barn there appears to be a silver truck. I'm wondering if that was the other truck listed as belonging to the law firm but was not towed. I feel that that must have been PM's vehicle. Was that where it was located or was it somewhere else? Why would they tow the black Suburban and not the silver truck? I'm going to take a guess that it was AM's vehicle?

Also, 300 yards is a long way to run from the kennels to the house and possibly another 300 back to the kennels. How does an older heavier man run that distance? He should have been absolutely breathless. Jmo

 

[LetsSolvIt]

I notice by the farm equipment barn there appears to be a silver truck. I'm wondering if that was the other truck listed as belonging to the law firm but was not towed. I feel that that must have been PM's vehicle. Was that where it was located or was it somewhere else? Why would they tow the black Suburban and not the silver truck? I'm going to take a guess that it was AM's vehicle?

Also, 300 yards is a long way to run from the kennels to the house and possibly another 300 back to the kennels. How does an older heavier man run that distance? He should have been absolutely breathless. Jmo

Interesting idea about "tents" actually being boats. You are probably correct as the tents were probably larger. I was trying to study the ground for blood stains, which must have been significant, but maybe they were far enough along in processing the scene that they (or a brother?) washed that away thinking of AM.

Yes, the 300-plus yards between the house and kennel area is a long way. There has been discussion of PM possibly being lured out to the kennels and MM running down when she heard gun shots, AM hauling himself back and forth between the kennels and the house as @Razz mentions, and various scenarios where people were assumed to be moving between the two areas. It's not exactly running distance, especially in the dark when one would need to watch their footing.

Does the mapping and distance change anyone's thinking?

 

[LetsSolvIt]

I notice by the farm equipment barn there appears to be a silver truck. I'm wondering if that was the other truck listed as belonging to the law firm but was not towed. I feel that that must have been PM's vehicle. Was that where it was located or was it somewhere else? Why would they tow the black Suburban and not the silver truck? I'm going to take a guess that it was AM's vehicle?

Also, 300 yards is a long way to run from the kennels to the house and possibly another 300 back to the kennels. How does an older heavier man run that distance? He should have been absolutely breathless. Jmo

I assume you mean the silver truck by the silver-roofed building. And you are thinking the dark SUV near the red building is the one they towed? This photo might give us an idea of where PM left his car before he was shot, unless someone moved it. And perhaps we can assume the location of AM's car is where he was when LE arrived.

Neither location works well with feeding the dogs. I have never thought that PM was in that area to feed the dogs, but if he were I'm sure he would have parked closer to the kennels. JMO.

Since we aren't getting anything from SLED I've gone back to studying all the photos and looking for more.

Does anyone know how long they were processing the scene? Should we be able to see the murder spots in these aerials? Do you think it's more likely the car they towed was AM's or PM's? (or MM's?)

 

[MajorHoople]

I didn't know if these photos I marked up would be helpful -- they are only my guess as what was where. MOO. I am having a hard time with the measurements. Throughout the numerous articles and quotes we have, the description of how far the bodies were from the kennels, the main house, and from each other vary. Since it appears in these screen shots from aerial TV coverage that LE is still on the premises, I would like to think there might be some indication of where the bodies came to rest.

Let me know what you think!
View attachment 306221

Good job. I like those photos. As a thread continues to advance and build it becomes difficult to locate original source material that's mixed in somewhere in regular threads. So, it might be helpful to also include these photos in the SC - Paul Murdaugh,22 & Mom Margaret,52, 7 June 2021 *Media, Maps, Timeline-NO DISCUSSION* thread, but with a notation that classifies some of these labels as being "possible, likely or tentative" if we are not sure of what they are.

 

[RAISINISBACK]

Paul Murdaugh’s BAC was 3 times higher than legal limit in crash, toxicologist says (msn.com)[URL='https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/paul-murdaugh-e2-80-99s-bac-was-3-times-higher-than-legal-limit-in-crash-toxicologist-says/ar-AAMCYB9?ocid=uxbndlbing']Paul Murdaugh’s BAC was 3 times higher than legal limit in crash, toxicologist says (msn.com)[/URL]

 

[LetsSolvIt]

Good job. I like those photos. As a thread continues to advance and build it becomes difficult to locate original source material that's mixed in somewhere in regular threads. So, it might be helpful to also include these photos in the SC - Paul Murdaugh,22 & Mom Margaret,52, 7 June 2021 *Media, Maps, Timeline-NO DISCUSSION* thread, but with a notation that classifies some of these labels as being "possible, likely or tentative" if we are not sure of what they are.

Will update them (like boats prob not tents) before getting them added to that other thread.

 

[LetsSolvIt]

I was going back and re-reading some of the stories in MSM about this case. I just read it again but remembered having read days ago one description of where the bodies were found was near one of the two houses located on the compound. I found that confusing because most articles use the dog kennels as a reference point and since I assumed they were referring to the family home, being near “the house” and the dog kennels was impossible with the 300-plus yards between them.

IDK, if that home on the street, which appears to be on M property, is the “second house,” the caretaker house, maybe the articles that said they were found outside one of the two houses on the property meant the caretaker’s house. That works with also being near the kennels.

That might also fit with potential for a break-in, that is redacted on the CAD report. If there was a break-in, perhaps it was the caretaker’s home. If he had been fired presumably no one was living in the house. Maybe all the dozens of guns I’ve guessed they owned were kept in the caretaker’s house. That wold be safer than in an unoccupied outbuilding, at least when they had a caretaker.

So the bad guys get the guns from the unoccupied caretaker house and lie in wait for their target(s).

If we replace the main home with the caretaker house in our scenarios, it’s easier in imagine AM rushing between a house and the crime scene. That maybe where he ran to call 911 since it was closer.

Just my poor old mind trying to have the crime description fit with the landscape. OMO. Your thoughts?

 

[clearskies1]

I don't think this was a burglary gone wrong. They made sure that PM and MM were dead. That seemed to be they're mission and focus. JMO.

 

[worm]

I don't think this was a burglary gone wrong. They made sure that PM and MM were dead. That seemed to be they're mission and focus. JMO.

Agreed, I think this was intentional.

 

[Oakie]

I just don’t see hitmen bringing a rifle and a shotgun to the job. This sounds more like a couple of local yahoos/hunters who were interrupted during a robbery of some sort or were confronted when trespassing. Second best guess is a couple of “business acquaintances” of PM who were unhappy with the outcome of their negotiation.

Traditional weapon of choice for professional (non-governmental/non-military) hit men is a silenced .22 revolver (doesn't make much noise, and doesn't leave shell casings). I think this was a "hit", but not professionally done. It seems most likely to me, that this wasn't the consequence of an interrupted burglary, but a score-settling.

 

[sunshineray]

IIRC there's a secondary residence on that Moselle property. I believe from the scene images posted, it's close to the kennels. I wonder if PM was staying there just by himself?

It would have afforded him some privacy to come and go as he chose plus have others come see him without his parents even knowing. There looked to be no gates across the driveways when the murders occured.

Maybe PM did upset someone and it involved someone else's money or drugs? MM could have just come down from the main house to tend or check the dogs and get a looksie at PM's place?

There are so many different ways these murders could have occured. The lust is crazy long when to have a....personality...like PM.