VA VA - Michael Margaret, 21, & Donna Hall, 18, Richmond, 17 Aug 1984

[Betty P]

Here's another very good article with photos and some excellent analysis

http://www.thequesterfiles.com/too_close_for_comfort--donna_h.html

If the couple had already had their meeting with a drug contact, why did they park here, remove the blanket from the back of the Jeep, sit on it and smoke a few Marlboros (it is not mentioned that either smoked) and drink a bottle of beer. If they weren’t waiting for someone, they came here for a reason. It just doesn’t sound like a normal drug pass-off meeting. Why would the killer take her shoes but not her purse?

He also goes over the blood splatter evidence, stating he didn't see streaks from the perp's hands on the back of the seat. I can see some smudges, though.

The staging is indeed strange. The detectives said the bodies were posed near each other, but the overall staging is what is ponderous. How did the attacker’s blood get inside the Jeep unless he attacked them there? Why was the blanket then used? Did he go pull the blanket out of the back and this is what scattered some of his blood in the back? Why would he get a blanket out just to kill someone on it? The blanket wasn’t found flat. It was crumpled up when the police found it and when the detective picked it up the pack of Marlboros fell out. It seems someone had been sitting on it there at one point and casually smoking. The blanket was about 20 feet behind the jeep. But there’s the other clues. Without shoes on, Donna must have remained in the Jeep. Who had been smoking on that blanket? Why did Mike get out and pin up the back if they weren’t going to stay a while?

Perhaps the last stop MM & DH made that night was where they somehow ingested Demerol. Maybe in a spiked drink. I've seen speculation online that Donna may have laid down to sleep while at that location and removed her shoes. Perhaps at some point MM realized their drinks were spiked. He would have stopped drinking (why he had less of the drug in his system), picked up Donna, (inadvertently leaving her shoes behind) and helped her out to the Jeep. He would have known he was too drugged to drive out of town to a camp site, so chose to find a place close by he could drive to while groggy. He went to the hidden party spot by Donna's family's apartment complex. Donna was probably passed out, he may have thought they could just sleep a while in the Jeep until the drug wore off. However, it was probably hot inside the Jeep, being a warm August night. He rolled up the rear window of the back door for air and went to lay down on the blanket where it was cooler while DH slept. Someone from the last stop followed them there and killed them. If they had drugs or money with them was it stolen then? There were no drugs or money at the scene.

Read the article at the link above and see what you think? The article also includes some screen shots from the LE crime scene video. Some graphic, but blurred.

 

[Vabrownid1]

Bumping!!:desert:

 

[mosva]

Never found any knife or her shoes.

 

[ssnva1]

Bumping for Mike and Donna

 

[ssnva1]

Bump

 

[ssnva1]

This needs to be solved. Interesting comments recently on their FB page.

Justice for Donna Hall & Mike Margaret Public Group | Facebook

 

[Vabrownid1]

I saw that! Wonder who Thyroid Freckles is??

 

[Betty P]

This needs to be solved. Interesting comments recently on their FB page.

Justice for Donna Hall & Mike Margaret Public Group | Facebook

Can you give an idea of the news? I can only see a little of what is mentioned. I don't usually like to use FB much. TIA.

ETA: I also hope they plan to get the killer's blood (found in the jeep, IIRC) analyzed for familial DNA.

 

[dotr]

This thread was mentioned on this thread, so checking it out!
VA - VA - Trooper Johnny Bowman, 31, Manassas, 19 Aug 1984

 

[Betty P]

This thread was mentioned on this thread, so checking it out!
VA - VA - Trooper Johnny Bowman, 31, Manassas, 19 Aug 1984

Yes, check it out. A sad, strange murder of two young people that many believe was connected to drug trafficking. Many of their friends and some local LE are still trying to solve it.

Their high school friends have had a suspect in mind for quite some time.

 

[jaejae]

This case may be related to drugs but it may be a random crime with youngsters who were basically good kids coming across the wrong person. Bill Thomas whose sister was a victim in the series of crimes known as the Colonial Murders once stated something along the lines of apparently that you could commit a murder in the Commonwealth of Virginia and get away with it:

This is just an avenue to look at because my feeling is if you some one of the unsolved crimes in Virginia you may solve a few. I posted on another thread that in the Trooper Bowman case he may have come across someone up to good or prowling the Parkways for want of a better way of putting it. Here is another article about this case:

Couple's 1984 Murder Remains Town's Biggest Cold Case

 

[Betty P]

This case may be related to drugs but it may be a random crime with youngsters who were basically good kids coming across the wrong person. Bill Thomas whose sister was a victim in the series of crimes known as the Colonial Murders once stated something along the lines of apparently that you could commit a murder in the Commonwealth of Virginia and get away with it:

This is just an avenue to look at because my feeling is if you some one of the unsolved crimes in Virginia you may solve a few. I posted on another thread that in the Trooper Bowman case he may have come across someone up to good or prowling the Parkways for want of a better way of putting it. Here is another article about this case:

Couple's 1984 Murder Remains Town's Biggest Cold Case

Yes, some have speculated about a link between the Colonial Parkway murders and those of Mike and Donna. JMO, I'm not too strong on that link because it's about 60 miles away and the place where Mike and Donna were killed was "out of the way". It was more of a little hide-out area below an apartment complex where young people went to get high. It was located on private property, invisible from the closest road. I don't think there was even a regular road or street to access it, just a dirt trail along the edge of farm field.



The MO of the killer seems different, too. The Colonial Parkway killer seemed to find his victims just by cruising around on the Parkway and stopping where a couple was parked, making out, etc. For Donna and Mike, he would have had to known them or followed them way back in the woods at the back of that big field.

The photo below isn't very good, I'll try to find another one to show the location of the crime scene.

 

[Betty P]

The screenshot below is a photo of the field back at the time of the murders. Mike & Donna were with his Jeep, which was parked back in the woods on the far side of the field.

 

[edrebber]

Seems like they got a hold of some Demerol and knew they would be severely impaired so they went to the woods to take it so nobody would see them. Perhaps Mike saw how wasted Donna was and made the decision to sleep it off in the woods. They probably ran their mouths and told the people they got the Demerol from where they were going and one or more of those people showed up later to steal the Demerol from them. Donna must have been an addict so she had to take more Demerol for it to have an effect on her. It was August so it wouldn't be unusual for someone to go barefoot.

 

[Betty P]

 

[ssnva1]

Thanks Betty!

 

[Betty P]

Again, here's the link to their Facebook page, run by a group of their loyal friends working to find the killer(s)

Justice for Donna Hall & Mike Margaret

 

[billthom56]

On today’s episode of “Mind Over Murder,” we delve into the 1984 double homicide of Donna Hall and Mike Margaret from Henrico County, Virginia with expert and advocate Blue Hall.
Do you like the work we’re doing? Please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on your preferred podcast platform.

Episode 32: Donna Hall/Mike Margaret Murder with Blue Hall by Mind Over Murder • A podcast on Anchor

 

[William Walker]

On today’s episode of “Mind Over Murder,” we delve into the 1984 double homicide of Donna Hall and Mike Margaret from Henrico County, Virginia with expert and advocate Blue Hall.
Do you like the work we’re doing? Please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on your preferred podcast platform.

Episode 32: Donna Hall/Mike Margaret Murder with Blue Hall by Mind Over Murder • A podcast on Anchor

Can't find any articles about Cornelius Florman on websleuths, who was mentioned in this podcast.

 

[Betty P]

On today’s episode of “Mind Over Murder,” we delve into the 1984 double homicide of Donna Hall and Mike Margaret from Henrico County, Virginia with expert and advocate Blue Hall.
Do you like the work we’re doing? Please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on your preferred podcast platform.

Episode 32: Donna Hall/Mike Margaret Murder with Blue Hall by Mind Over Murder • A podcast on Anchor

Thanks so much for this, Bill. I'm going to listen today while I strip wallpaper.

WRT Cornelius Florman, I read up on him a couple of years ago after Mike and Donna's friends mentioned him on their FB page. I hinted at some things, but we should ask mods about discussing him since LE hasn't named him as a suspect and, as of a couple years ago, he didn't have much of a criminal record.

I posted a comment here a couple years ago about the possibility of Demerol in hospital strength being procured from someone who worked with and owned large animals, like horses. Maybe someone who bred race horses, etc. They might have supplies of Demerol at hand. If you recall, it was only available for IV administration. Who has that? A large animal veterinarian or horse breeder. JMO

ETA: I was just thinking of Mike and Donna the other day. Their case is one of those that always stick in your memory, at least for me. Young people, innocent victims of some brutal depraved killer. Like the Colonial Parkway victims, Henry Bedard, etc. Their families and friends are in my thoughts and prayers.

Swampscott Police Renew Push To Solve 45-Year-Old Murder

More on Florman, looks like he was convicted of sexual assault finally in 2019

Sex assault suspect sentenced to 8 years in prison after DNA leads to conviction