GA GA - Shirley, 87, & Russell Dermond, 88, Putnam County, 2 May 2014 - #10

[grayhuze]

Thrill kill doesn't make sense. Sorry.

 

[Razz]

That's a good question. I think it could be for the same reason they took Russel's head. I have been following this case from day one in my private facebook group. Cool to see people are still chatting about it even though the case is cold...amazingly. The head may have been taken as proof of a hit or to cover up DNA exposure. Why take his head if the point was to hide the bodies in the lake to make it look like they just disappeared. This seems like a hired hit to me and the head was proof of death, but yes your question is a good one. Then why not just leave her body there since the head is all that was needed for the proof. Perhaps her body too had forensic exposure to the perp. Didn't her autopsy say blunt force trauma?

Well, my original theory was they were going to see if Mr. D's. beheading had the impact they were hoping for. And if not, there was always Mrs.D's disappearance to "negotiate with." And I'm not sure a boat was used. I somehow visualize a car. A boat would have been unwieldy and too out in the open.


Sent from my SM-G386T using Tapatalk

 

[colette]

I think the area were her body was found was boat access only. People fishing found her. There was a good dock at the home and it could have been done at dusk or even at night.

 

[Deleted member 162919]

Part 2.

Beheading an 88 year old person who would do this? was it planned?
Someone who beheads is angry about something. Typically this is a mafia or religious thing but it could also be rage. No connections to the mafia and at his age they aren't worried about him. Religion can be considered out since they were still attending church services on the regular.
Beheadings are not a spur of the moment thing this was very well planned and anybody who plans something like this is not after possessions they are out for revenge or money.

Nobody heard any noises? Apparently not since there are no witnesses who have come forward with any clues about noise or seeing cars or people. This tells me this was done during the daytime or very early evening. if this was a late night job during the dead of night someone would have heard something.
why was nothing taken or broken? my guess is either the valuables weren't taken because this was not about a random or even selective robbery . This had to be a paid hit and since I doubt the mafia was involved on their own . if this wasn't a paid hit there would have been stolen items . Why do I think this was done by a family member or close relative? If this was a mob hit they would have left money behind which leaves the family. The family didn't need to take anything since they would be getting all of it once the estate was settled.

Think about this. Who would have anything to gain by killing 2 elderly people? I think someone who needed the money. You guessed it the family. They seemed to be in good health and my bet is the restaurant business was suffering and they needed the money soon. They did sell the house kind of fast and i'm sure there was a large life insurance policy on both of them ... double cash out. They sold the house for over 700k I read. That's a lot of money plus any insurance money probably puts the family in the million dollar range maybe much more since I haven't heard about their savings and stock portfolio. Anyone who would behead someone was in rage, and hiding the head was just to hide any prints that may have been left on the head or face.

No DNA match yet so it can't be family right? Wrong. It could be that the dna was a close match so close that they don't know if it was the killers or the victims and you can't get a conviction on a 50/50 chance. So it goes on. I believe the PD knows who did this but just can't get a conviction if it goes to trial because of the dna. Time to focus on the family

 

[Deleted member 162919]

Also it's been well over 2 years and not a suspect and the family hasn't gone to the media for help, the police never give updates anymore, and since this is a very clever murder wouldn't a tv show want to do a show on this? I wonder if the police or family have been asked about a possible show on this murder. Odd since a show would reach more people and might provide some information ( like a friend was visiting that area on that weekend) .. personally I think the police know who did this but can't prove it without a doubt

 

[Razz]

Also it's been well over 2 years and not a suspect and the family hasn't gone to the media for help, the police never give updates anymore, and since this is a very clever murder wouldn't a tv show want to do a show on this? I wonder if the police or family have been asked about a possible show on this murder. Odd since a show would reach more people and might provide some information ( like a friend was visiting that area on that weekend) .. personally I think the police know who did this but can't prove it without a doubt

Well, I think they can. IF there were problems in the restaurant business or IF there were problems in the international real
estate business, I can't imagine it would be too hard to follow the money. We have different theories but I too think it goes back to the family somehow and if they can untangle those pesky money trails, I believe therein is an answer. But it will take more than SO Sills to do it and the addition of a really good forensic accountant.


Sent from my SM-G386T using Tapatalk

 

[Foxfire]

The family has nothing to do with the Dermond murders, imo, and if they did we are not allowed to sleuth or accuse them..'The writing is on the wall and the devil is in the details'... I've sleuthed many cases on websleuths over the years, but must admit that none with a publicly made idle threat and a motive more obvious than in the Dermond murders, imo. The Irene and Russel Dermond murders were to send a message; a message of revenge, retribution aimed at Sheriff Sills, the Putnam County Justice System, and the Putnam County Community.. jmo

 

[FindHG]

The family has nothing to do with the Dermond murders, imo, and if they did we are not allowed to sleuth or accuse them..'The writing is on the wall and the devil is in the details'... I've sleuthed many cases on websleuths over the years, but must admit that none with a motive more obvious as in the Dermond murders, imo. The Irene and Russel Dermond murders were to send a message; a message of revenge, retribution aimed at Sheriff Sills, the Putnam County Justice System, and the Putnam County Community.. jmo

Agreed. Implicitly.

 

[Treelights]

The family has nothing to do with the Dermond murders, imo, and if they did we are not allowed to sleuth or accuse them..'The writing is on the wall and the devil is in the details'... I've sleuthed many cases on websleuths over the years, but must admit that none with a motive more obvious as in the Dermond murders, imo. The Irene and Russel Dermond murders were to send a message; a message of revenge, retribution aimed at Sheriff Sills, the Putnam County Justice System, and the Putnam County Community.. jmo

Irene??
I am sure you meant Shirley!
Good Morning! It's been awhile since I have been on here. Hopefully the murders will be solved. Personally, I don't think it has anything to do with revenge on Sheriff Sills, though.

IMOO.

 

[Razz]

The family has nothing to do with the Dermond murders, imo, and if they did we are not allowed to sleuth or accuse them..'The writing is on the wall and the devil is in the details'... I've sleuthed many cases on websleuths over the years, but must admit that none with a publicly made idle threat and a motive more obvious than in the Dermond murders, imo. The Irene and Russel Dermond murders were to send a message; a message of revenge, retribution aimed at Sheriff Sills, the Putnam County Justice System, and the Putnam County Community.. jmo

At no time have I believed, thought or entertained the idea that the Dermonds' murders were planned or executed by their children. The money they would have received from the parent's demise would have been pocket change.

I do believe however, that there was a message behind the killings, and not to the reelected
Sheriff Sills, but to the family. It is the only thing IMO that makes any kind of logical sense.

I have a hunch that it somehow comes down to money and a trained forensic accountant or two (who the county may not be able to afford) would be necessary.

And again, this may be wishful thinking on my part. I hate to think there is a or are random killers out there waiting to do it again to unsuspecting people.
And if it was a cult, their message was not received by anyone to whom it may have mattered. In other words, it was and continues to be, a dismal and colossal failure.

Sent from my SM-G386T using Tapatalk

 

[watcher9]

OMG! Why torture an 83 yo woman, or anyone for that matter? Why? What purpose does this serve?
This is just plain evil hate done by evil animals who serve no purpose on this earth but to lie, cheat, steal, hate and more than likely kill for no reason. I am fuming mad right now I could spit nails.
What has happened to this generation that has turned so many into no good lazy animals who have no respect for their parents, elders, peers, LE and think they are entitled to anything and everything without working one day in their sorry pathetic lives?! JMO
Sorry for my o/t rant.

Prayers for Dorothy Dow and her family. I pray she can somehow get through this and heal. More than likely she has her faith on her side along with goodness, love and JUSTICE.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sad to find out that Mrs Dow passed away Saturday Aug 27 at Grady Hospital in Atlanta where she had been hospitalized since the home invasion on August 4.

http://www.ajc.com/news/news/crime-law/woman-beaten-burned-in-georgia-home-dies-at-83/nsM8b/

 

[dancinunderthemoon]

Found this article which is much of the same except there are lots of pictures of the property http://www.11alive.com/story/news/local/2015/10/23/georgia-mysteries-dermond-murder/74450000/. I find it hard to believe this was a robbery or extortion gone bad and here's why. 1 A robbery gone bad is impossible since the house was spotless . If they were looking for something I highly doubt they would be neat about it and I doubt while looking for whatever it was they might have been seeking that they stumbled upon something else expensive and didn't take it. 2 Extortion. Highly doubt this is the case either. If you're going to do this and lets say the dermonds refused their demands why would you kill them? They're in their late 80s and not worth killing. Did 1 of the dermonds put up a struggle? Doubt it since as the police reported the house was spotless so spotless you could eat off the floor. Autopsy report according to police indicated no bodily injury before death. Lets sy for the sake of arguing the killers picked them because they thought they had something valuable in the house since it was a nice house. They didn't just happen to pick that house out the 1st time going by there and decide on the spur of the moment to rob them or kidnap them for ransom money. Why would they behead an 88 year old man? It wasn't to hide the fact that they shot him or to hide the gun or weapon evidence. Lets say they shot Mr Dermond in the head. All they had to do after was destroy the gun by melting it down or do the same to any weapon they might have used. It's a lot easier than beheading someone and a lot faster plus i'm sure if they have done this before they wouldn't use a weapon that could be traced back to them. I think this was personal and they knew each other well.

Why take Mrs Dermond to the lake? The only reason I can think of is yes they wanted to have the police preoccupied with a missing person than looking for them and this would give them time to get back to their lives. Remember Mrs Dermond was weighed down with cinder blocks ? There was none missing from the house which tell me they were planning to do this all along. They didn't just decide this after they entered the house since it wouldn't be smart to send someone out to lets say home depot to get the blocks. They might be seen leaving or coming back. Some might think maybe they were prepared but honestly nobody prepares the way these 2 murders happened. Behead the guy in the house and then take his 87 year old wife a few miles away by boat and tie block to her and toss her in the river?

Bottom line this was torture and it was something personal. Someone needed money ( my bet either a family member or a church member) yes I said it I think the preacher needed the money. Religion is a business and beheading someone is a religious act. Also if it was someone who was close to the Dermonds they couldn't just disappear especially the preacher. People would notice a family member gone and especially a preacher .

Just things I think about maybe i'm way off but I don't think so.

They were the lesson learned or message for the......fa......SOMEONE............. involved in something or who would not conform...............this is the ONLY thing that makes sense due to the facts about the crime and home condition IMO

 

[dancinunderthemoon]

Yep southernmimi, 'Times they are a changin'... The above Colquit County mass murder was the worst in over a decade in GA, according to the GBI..

GBI: Victims all knew suspect in murder case
http://www.walb.com/story/32024407/gbi-victims-all-knew-suspect-in-murder-case

Dear Lord,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I've not seen this, have had some family personal health issues at home since Dec so have not been keeping up!!!!!! Glad they caught him

 

[dancinunderthemoon]

Bumping this to link another decapitation case that is in the Crimes in the News forum.
Probably not a connection, but a missing head in each case does create a sort of connection. What are they doing with the heads?

http://www.fugitive.com/2016/04/16/...ound-with-his-head-cut-off-in-north-carolina/

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...ee-found-decapitated-Merry-Hill-10-April-2016

As a side note, an arrest was made in the Jubal Alexander case in TX.

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...itated-Angleton-27-April-2016-*ARREST*/page13

Could this all be political if connected? We have a war on our soil in todays times! YKWIM

 

[dancinunderthemoon]

But that's just it. I don't see the anger. What good does it do to take his head and his wife if he's not alive to fully realize the loss?

Maybe this is wishful thinking on my part but I think both were
dead before they knew what was happening. What happened after was only made to shock those that were still living.

Sent from my SM-G386T using Tapatalk

the only ones to suffer, per se', is the family still alive to live thru this.............................why I think it's a message to someone that would really suffer from their loss or be taught a lesson to comply to soemthing in the future

 

[dancinunderthemoon]

The thing is... why take Shirley out on the boat? She could have been murdered there and her body left with Russell. Did the killer want people to believe Shirley was still alive or had something to do with Russell's murder? Did the killers want to show who died first, Russell so that would change any inheritance? It is strange that she was taken out by boat, probably never wanting that body to be found. If the killers want to shock the living with Russell's body what was the motive behind taking Shirley?

Hmm, interesting thoughts arise form this post Colette..............any perps would know that the D' children wuold gain from the loss of BOTH parents at one time.......only one deceased parent, holds up the whole inheritance issue.............could it be that removing Mrs D from the scene was meant to DELAY any inheritance to the children...........BUT if they had not found shirley, would the inheritance be tied up in court for years until she was discovered, if EVER.............the family wouldnt' hope for this if they had been invovled in the crime of course, BUT on the other hand, could this have been a ploy to make it APPEAR that someone else was involved and she was placed where she was KNOWING that she would be found soon enough?? .............

OR...could it be just a ploy to give the killers time to escape by confusing the investigation...........without killers thinking of the consequences as to inheritance to the family and extortion then would not have been the plan if their motive was payoff....................on the other hand, if they knew she would be found soon as well, the confusion would aide in a fast get away by the perps AND soon get there payoff?

But there is no way in EITHER case IMO that she would be found soon or even in tact as she was for easy ID.....................unless of course she was anchored to the very tree she was found snagged upon

ACH........just some new thoughts and angles I've never thought of, still pros and cons i've not relayed here, hard to get my thoughts on paper maybe yall will get my jist..............thanks for sparking them Colette

 

[Foxfire]

After Mr Russel Dermond was brutally murdered and beheaded, Mrs Shirley Dermond was likely taken as a hostage in case of routine boat inspection by DNR or a 911 call made by a neighbor, imo. When the possible suspect was witnessed in the Dermond's yard, it would be reasonable to conclude that he/she was aware that they had been witnessed. When they safely reached their destination five miles up the lake without law enforcement involvement. She would have been no further use to them and that's likely why she was disposed of in the lake near the boat launch. jmo

 

[2Hope4]

Someone mentioned something above that made me think......I don't think we have seen the estate or the will yet. Are those public after a year? Some people DO have separate wills from their spouse. I know my parents did, and they are no where near as rich as the Dermonds were. However, if either spouse had a kid before the current marriage, that could play a factor in wills. Likewise if a parent is mad at a child, they could write them out of the will, or give them less than the other siblings.

Wonder if anything like that happened here? Or was the estate left to the grandkids and not the kids? Any left to charities? Church? Maybe money truly is the way to solving this.

But how would we go further with that thought unless we can see the will, or trust or whatever it's called?

**Hoping this makes sense. My Dad died the last part of June. My thinking still isn't clear! Had he been murdered....dear Lord I don't know how I would breath. I know I would at some point be screaming for someone to be held accountable, but honestly, knowing he was dying, I still haven't been able to 'live' more than just existing....**

 

[2Hope4]

After watching Criminal Minds, which is on Netflix and is about FBI profiling killers.... I googled this... maybe it will help us see something to profile a suspect??

https://vault.fbi.gov/Criminal Profiling/Criminal Profiling Part 1 of 7/view

 

[2Hope4]

After Mr Russel Dermond was brutally murdered and beheaded, Mrs Shirley Dermond was likely taken as a hostage in case of routine boat inspection by DNR or a 911 call made by a neighbor, imo. When the possible suspect was witnessed in the Dermond's yard, it would be reasonable to conclude that he/she was aware that they had been witnessed. When they safely reached their destination five miles up the lake without law enforcement involvement. She would have been no further use to them and that's likely why she was disposed of in the lake near the boat launch. jmo

Interesting theory. So along that line, was Mrs D not killed until after the 5 mile ride in the boat? And if so, why not just drown her since she was weighted down? Why the 'blunt force trauma'? JMO, but I would think since she was weighted, drowning would have been easier for the perp, and less chance for Mrs D to scream or do anything to alert others that she was being killed.

I'm assuming not all victims scream or make any loud noises or think to do anything to escape. I've thankfully never been in a real situation to know how I would react. The closest I've come is walking up on a snake, and realizing I was in striking distance and I froze. I couldn't physically move, and I couldn't speak. It was terrifying.