GA GA - Shirley, 87, & Russell Dermond, 88, Putnam County, 2 May 2014 - # 7

[southernmimi]

I found this interesting. I had heard nothing of this tidbit til now:

Sills told Channel 2’s Mark Winne that someone logged on to the Dermond’s computer at their home during the afternoon of Friday, May 2. He presumes it was one of the Dermonds, Sills said.

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/sheriff-killer-likely-knew-reynolds-plantation-cou/ngK8c/

Wondering if someone...younger... volunteered to help the Dermonds with a computer problem...as part of a different plan. That could include a casual acquaintance from church, neighborhood, walking path, stores...almost anyone.

 

[lakeoconee]

OR could some of the women cleaned the Dermond's home, washed their windows, etc?

Their housekeeper and yard crew Mexican and have been polygraphed and cleared. As I recall and I have heard locally,

 

[oceanblueeyes]

Now I am beginning to think the murderer is much younger than I first thought. Maybe late teens to late 20s.

One who watches a lot of tv shows especially crime shows.

One who wanted the scene to mimic a mob or drug cartel hit.

The one thing he did not think of though is there has to be something in the history of the victims where someone would want to take out a hit on them. The Dermonds had no such past and were always law abiding citizens. That is where he made a mistake. That is why I now think he is younger and immature in his thinking.

I see him as someone with a drug habit bad enough that he has to steal in order to have money to feed his drug habit. I don't think he has a criminal history though. His family may have recently cut his money off.

JMO

 

[oceanblueeyes]

Their housekeeper and yard crew Mexican and have been polygraphed and cleared. As I recall and I have heard locally,

I don't think many of them would have access to a boat either.

IMO

 

[lakeoconee]

Up until this latest article, I thought Sills did not think it was a robbery. It seems a little more information is being given out, and, the perp wanting something the Dermonds had, would be robbery or theft. Hmmm . .

This leads me to think if it was money, it somehow tied into the fact that the Dermonds did not have a debit card. Any money transfer would be too easy to trace. A debit card has a daily limit on it. So, on second thought getting money from the debit card probably would not yield much money. Oh chucks, another path down a dead end!

Sills knows exactly where that person that signed onto the D's computer went - another hint to the perp??

Debit card use would be caught quickly. Any transfer of funds would leave a trail.

 

[lakeoconee]

Wow.
Here I am thinking Mrs. D. was looking up words on the computer to finish her crossword puzzle and you guys are thinking they logged on to their bank records.
How innocent of a thinker am I?

No self-respecting crossworder looks up answers. I know, I'm one and I always work in ink. Makes me think harder.

Sorry to be so vocal this morning, I've been sick and catching up.

Not a propos to this quote, but here's a little insight on Lake Oconee Community church. It's a very laid back, non-denomination group. They have services at an outdoor pavilion all summer and in the movie theater in the winter. Pretty much a virtual church, not bricks and mortar at all. It's not like the church I grew up in where everybody would notice that the Smiths weren't here this week.

 

[osu]

Now I am beginning to think the murderer is much younger than I first thought. Maybe late teens to late 20s.

One who watches a lot of tv shows especially crime shows.

One who wanted the scene to mimic a mob or drug cartel hit.

The one thing he did not think of though is there has to be something in the history of the victims where someone would want to take out a hit on them. The Dermonds had no such past and were always law abiding citizens. That is where he made a mistake. That is why I now think he is younger and immature in his thinking.

I see him as someone with a drug habit bad enough that he has to steal in order to have money to feed his drug habit. I don't think he has a criminal history though. His family may have recently cut his money off.

JMO

Good morning, ocean! :wave:

I agree with you that the killer is a younger male. Maybe even a copy-cat of Austin Sigg?

 

[Foxfire]

Wondering if someone...younger... volunteered to help the Dermonds with a computer problem...as part of a different plan. That could include a casual acquaintance from church, neighborhood, walking path, stores...almost anyone.

Imo, SD was completing the crossword puzzle while RD was on the PC reading emails, surfing the web, etc. Likely their normal routine, imo. Their normal routine was abruptly interrupted by an unexpected ring of their doorbell.. jmo.

 

[lakeoconee]

I would have thought that it would have been more than that by now, considering 30 thousand of it was given awhile ago...
IMOO.

I guess I am grumpy, but I think the Dermond "kids" should contribute. Thougt Tex McIver's point about property values offensive.

 

[lakeoconee]

Did he literally mean the hard copy of the check? I didn't know banks even provided those anymore. So, I am sure if there was anything there, they would have found it. jmo

I bet Dermond used checks. But bill pay and electronic checks live forever.

 

[lakeoconee]

Wondering if someone...younger... volunteered to help the Dermonds with a computer problem...as part of a different plan. That could include a casual acquaintance from church, neighborhood, walking path, stores...almost anyone.

Dermond's work career was information systems. I bet he knew lots about his computer.

 

[southernmimi]

I look at their home, of course only seen outside views, and I think about all the things we looked at when buying ours around 5 yrs ago. I wanted main floor living. Basement for the kids. Main floor laundry. Few steps coming into home was OK, but I didnt' want a split foyer type home where you had many steps just to get in the house! And I'm 42!!! At 70, for one, I can't imagine moving into a large home, would be looking to downsize if I have to move at that age, and no way would I want those steps!! NO WAY!!

Yes I have health issues, and know they'll get worse, so that was in the planning of what we wanted in a new home. But people also realize they age. At 70, I would think your most mobile days are behind. Not that they were walker or wheelchair bound, and appeared to be in great shape. But logic says that isn't going to continue for the rest of their lives, so I can't imagine choosing that type home to build that late in life.

Don't think it matters about their killings, but still....just mind blowing to me.

I read somewhere that they had an elevator in their home.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

I guess I am grumpy, but I think the Dermond "kids" should contribute. Thougt Tex McIver's point about property values offensive.

I am sure they have their reasons for not doing so. Its nice to know that Sills is in daily contact with them.

But imo, no amount of reward is going to work in this case even if it was to go sky high.

Sills said he hasn't gotten one tip from anyone wanting the reward money since it has been established.

I didn't read what all McIver said about the property values. What did he say? tia

Although it is a fairly known that property values can decline if there has been a murder in the neighborhood. Before moving into an area many buyers do check out to see what crimes have happened in the interested neighborhood.

In fact when the Dermond children try to sell their parents home they will have to reduce it to get it sold. Usually houses where murders have happened the seller will lose about 3% at least of its fair market value when selling it.

 

[Foxfire]

I guess I am grumpy, but I think the Dermond "kids" should contribute. Thought Tex McIver's point about property values offensive.

Lakeoconee, why should the kids contribute? It is not the victim's responsibility to solve this case. The family may have been advised by SS, not to set up a reward fund early on in the investigation. This is when most folks will generously contribute to a reward fund..

Why did you think that Tex McIver's point about property values was offensive. A horrific crime such as this has a tremendous affect on the marketability of RP/GW homes and property values. Especially when it remains unsolved.

 

[lakeoconee]

I am sure they have their reasons for not doing so. Its nice to know that Sills is in daily contact with them.

But imo, no amount of reward is going to work in this case even if it was to go sky high.

Sills said he hasn't gotten one tip from anyone wanting the reward money since it has been established.

I didn't read what all McIver said about the property values. What did he say? tia

Although it is a fairly known that property values can decline if there has been a murder in the neighborhood. Before moving into an area many buyers do check out to see what crimes have happened in the interested neighborhood.

In fact when the Dermond children try to sell their parents home they will have to reduce it to get it sold. Usually houses where murders have happened the seller will lose about 3% at least of its fair market value when selling it.

“We encourage all residents of Georgia’s lake region to contribute to the reward fund so that enough money will be available to encourage someone to come forward, giving Sheriff Sills the information he needs to solve this crime, thereby returning our great area to a safe place for our families and protect our economic prosperity, including your property values,” McIver’s letter says.

 

[Sportyk]

What keeps gnawing at me more than anything is how absent the Dermond's family appears to be on all of this. I understand that all families are not the same and they may be reluctant to receive media attention, but we've barely heard anything at all. Please correct me if I've missed something somewhere. I'm. It judging them at all, it just makes me wonder if there's more to this story when it concerns the family.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Vedder]

Did he literally mean the hard copy of the check? I didn't know banks even provided those anymore. So, I am sure if there was anything there, they would have found it. jmo

My mother-in-law kept checks and bill statements from the 70's until Hurricane Sandy flooded the basement where they were kept. Perhaps the Dermonds kept hard copies for a long time too.

 

[Foxfire]

I am sure they have their reasons for not doing so. Its nice to know that Sills is in daily contact with them.

But imo, no amount of reward is going to work in this case even if it was to go sky high.

Sills said he hasn't gotten one tip from anyone wanting the reward money since it has been established.

I didn't read what all McIver said about the property values. What did he say? tia

Although it is a fairly known that property values can decline if there has been a murder in the neighborhood. Before moving into an area many buyers do check out to see what crimes have happened in the interested neighborhood.

In fact when the Dermond children try to sell their parents home they will have to reduce it to get it sold. Usually houses where murders have happened the seller will lose about 3% at least of its fair market value when selling it.

Agree Oceanblueeyes...and it is not only the Dermond children that will take a hit on already depressed home prices in RP/GW, but the entire Lake Oconee/Putnam County community. These resort communities(property taxes, etc) provide a very large percentage of the tax base and commerce for these rural counties. Security and amenities is the primary consideration for many/most folks when relocating to an area. The longer this case goes cold, the longer it will take for this stigma of formerly Linger Longer Hunting Club; RP/GW, and the Lake Oconee area to diminish.. JMO

I did a google search of Reynolds Plantation GA. This was only one of the results:

https://www.google.com/search?q=rey...l5.13544j0j4&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=0&ie=UTF-8

An elderly man was murdered at Georgia's Reynolds ...
www.golf.com/.../elderly-man-was-murdered-georgias-re...
Golf Magazine
May 8, 2014 - In grisly murder at famed luxury golf community Reynolds Plantation, an ... according to officials in rural central Georgia, but the sheriff declined ...

 

[lakeoconee]

Have y'all read the comments on WSBTV Facebook page?

 

[fred&edna]

While the RP property values will certainly suffer due to this crime, the most worrisome aspect (imo) is that in light of the sheriff's most recent information, (which seems to point to the fact the Dermonds were targeted primarily (if not simply) for financial gain and heinously murdered when the money wasn't available) current residents should definitely be frightened. I don't think the killers would strike another home anytime soon, but these perps were angry and vicious, and if I lived in a rather secluded area on the lake... I'd be locked down tight.

ETA: Just reading the FB comments (thanks lakeoconee!) and it appears no one is really buying the botched robbery theory! Surely, the sheriff wouldn't be saying this to put fear in the hearts of residents to bump up the reward amount, would he? Is he trying to make the "real" killers think he believes it was a robbery when it wasn't?