SC - Paul Murdaugh, 22 and mom Margaret, 52, found shot to death, Islandton, 7 June 2021 #12

DNA Solves
DNA Solves
DNA Solves
Status
Not open for further replies.
Looking at the timeline in that Fits article, it says that he left Okatie at around 6. That drive appears to take about an hour, give or take.

That puts him on scene at around 7, and Maggie is believed to have arrived between then and 7:30.

So I think it's possible Paul was maybe killed first.

In any event, I agree, it does appear charges are imminent. Someone on that grand jury has to be leaking (I previously thought this was angry investigators who wanted the DA to move things along).
From the way it's sounding now, I'm thinking MM got out of her car, maybe walking towards the kennels or on her phone doing something and was shot in the back. As she was lying facedown on the ground from that, her killer came and stood over her and shot her a second time in the back of her head. Maybe it's that second shot PM saw while running to see what the first shot was about? Maybe he was inside the kennel out sight?
 
This was EXCELLENT!
Lots of things to discuss. I do think Alex laid in wait for Maggie and shot her first from a distance, then perhaps administered a “kill shot” at close range.
Paul is a little more questionable. If his death was unplanned, I wonder if Alex and an accomplice were surprised by him and the accomplice did the shooting. It was very interesting what he said about the spatter and the long guns. Definitely something to consider.
Thoughts?
Two different shot cartridges used on PM. I think maybe PM came running with one cartridge, struggled with Alex and was shot with the birdshot. He was hurt but not dying, could have been making a lot of noise. Killer knew where to find more shells and picked buckshot. Went back and killed PM with s head shot, just like MM...same killer. AJMO
 
Looking at the timeline in that Fits article, it says that he left Okatie at around 6. That drive appears to take about an hour, give or take.

That puts him on scene at around 7, and Maggie is believed to have arrived between then and 7:30.

So I think it's possible Paul was maybe killed first.

In any event, I agree, it does appear charges are imminent. Someone on that grand jury has to be leaking (I previously thought this was angry investigators who wanted the DA to move things along).
I think the coroner put the time of death of both victims as 9 pm to 9:30 pm.
 
Two different shot cartridges used on PM. I think maybe PM came running with one cartridge, struggled with Alex and was shot with the birdshot. He was hurt but not dying, could have been making a lot of noise. Killer knew where to find more shells and picked buckshot. Went back and killed PM with s head shot, just like MM...same killer. AJMO
Makes sense. If this is what happened then the first gun was presumably a distance away by that time -- otherwise, you would think the killer would have used it for the final shot at PM, rather than searching for more ammunition for the shotgun. JMO.
 
Makes sense. If this is what happened then the first gun was presumably a distance away by that time -- otherwise, you would think the killer would have used it for the final shot at PM, rather than searching for more ammunition for the shotgun. JMO.
Could the shotgun have been loaded with two different filled shot? Are the all two barrels...or capable of holding two cartridges? Maybe that's how it was loaded, one of each cartridge?
 
This was EXCELLENT!
Lots of things to discuss. I do think Alex laid in wait for Maggie and shot her first from a distance, then perhaps administered a “kill shot” at close range.
Paul is a little more questionable. If his death was unplanned, I wonder if Alex and an accomplice were surprised by him and the accomplice did the shooting. It was very interesting what he said about the spatter and the long guns. Definitely something to consider.
Thoughts?
Agree, super interesting. Some observations:

Sounds like the blood spatter on AM would have to belong to Paul since MM was shot in the back and then in the back of the head while down. Blood spatter velocity would be carried to ground.

The FBI agent said it appeared to him to be 'tactical' shooting; shots to the body, shot to the head. He said he originally thought it was Alex alone, but now believes there were 2 shooters. <Cousin E?>

He wsn't surprised it has taken 10 months for evidence and testing to come forward and that as far as the public's right to know, he said that never factored in his own investigations. His job was to solve the crime, not to keep Media and public informed.

He agreed not securing the house was a mistake, felt like local LE were hesitant because of the Murdaugh associations.

MM looks to be the target, but I have no doubt that AM needed PM to go away and take all the upcoming Mallory Beach criminal and civil litigations $$$$ with him. I know that sounds cruel, but AM has shown us time and time again that he is stone cold. I put absolutely nothing past him.

Big Red isn't going to be living free again. Good.

MOO
 
Looking at the timeline in that Fits article, it says that he left Okatie at around 6. That drive appears to take about an hour, give or take.

That puts him on scene at around 7, and Maggie is believed to have arrived between then and 7:30.

So I think it's possible Paul was maybe killed first.

In any event, I agree, it does appear charges are imminent. Someone on that grand jury has to be leaking (I previously thought this was angry investigators who wanted the DA to move things along).




30 minutes for John

John, who lives further away in the community of Okatie, west of Hilton Head Island, said he got there about 30 minutes later. John and Randy stayed there for hours, comforting their brother, until they finally convinced him to leave.

Brothers of prominent South Carolina family speak out after 2 relatives found dead
 
53. Former FBI Agent Shares His Theory on the Murders | The Murdaugh Family Murders: Impact of Influence, 28 April 2022

This is def worth a listen. Former FBI agent has NO first hand/official knowledge — comments based *only* on his many yrs experience and hearing same leaks we have heard.

He thinks AM was not the shooter because is HVS on his clothing. To get that splatter the shirt needs to be 30-36” from victim. Using a long gun would require the gunman to be further from the victim.

He thought AM was one of shooters until he heard about the splatter.

He also thinks shooters were trained. In LE you are taught take two shots to torso and third to head. He doesn’t think shooters were professional assassins per se, but they would seem to be trained and practiced on human targets (paper).

Posts crossed! Also see, @girlhasnoname #449, above.
 
Last edited:
From the way it's sounding now, I'm thinking MM got out of her car, maybe walking towards the kennels or on her phone doing something and was shot in the back. As she was lying facedown on the ground from that, her killer came and stood over her and shot her a second time in the back of her head. Maybe it's that second shot PM saw while running to see what the first shot was about? Maybe he was inside the kennel out sight?

I think this is a fantastic theory.
 
https://www.fitsnews.com/2022/04/28...selle-on-the-night-of-her-murder-sources-say/
Maggie Murdaugh Was ‘Lured’ To Moselle On The Night Of Her Murder, Sources Say
She was hesitant to go, but ultimately decided it was the right thing to do …

<snip>

Multiple sources close to the investigation have also confirmed to FITSNews that, prior to June 7, and at the time of her death, Maggie Murdaugh was living apart from her husband and alone at her Edisto Beach home.

FITSNews has been unable to independently confirm reports that Maggie met with a divorce attorney prior to the murders. However, a meeting like this would not have been inconsistent with what multiple sources have described as the strained status of their relationship — in part, because of a rumored affair Alex was having with another attorney.

Additionally, on the evening of June 7, Maggie drove to Moselle — the family’s 1,700-acre hunting property in Islandton, S.C. (about an hour and fifteen minutes from their Edisto Beach house) — because Alex had asked her to meet him there.

In other words, Maggie was “lured” to what would be the site of her murder, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation.

These same sources say Maggie had expressed her hesitancy to meet with her estranged husband to at least three other people in her life, but ultimately decided it was the right thing to do.

It is unclear whether this information would have been contained on Maggie Murdaugh’s iPhone, which was found in the woods a short distance from Moselle on the day after the murders by investigators with the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office – and with help from Alex Murdaugh’s younger brother, John Marvin Murdaugh.

Paul Murdaugh’s phone was found with his body, sources say.

The reason Alex said he wanted his wife at Moselle: Randolph Murdaugh III was dying and Alex wanted Maggie to visit him and his mother, who has dementia, at their Varnville home, multiple sources have confirmed.

[more at link]
Edited by me: I haven't read here for quite some time and am trying to get caught up. I didn't know about the attorney Alex was having an affair with. o_O IMO so much of this is damning information.
 
I am a word nerd with spelling and grammar because it is the foundation to all communication. The report used the word "spatter" and others have used the word "splatter" and so I looked them up:

To spatter is to scatter or dash (a liquid) in small drops. The small drops are key. For example, a light rain might spatter the roof.

Splatter, which came later and was probably formed by blending splash and spatter, has a similar meaning, but it doesn’t necessarily involve small drops. A splatter of liquid might be large and messy. For example, paint from an upturned bucket might splatter on the floor. Think of spatter as a synonym of sprinkle or spit, and splatter as closer to splash.

Still, this conventional distinction notwithstanding, the words are often used interchangeably.
 
Edited by me: I haven't read here for quite some time and am trying to get caught up. I didn't know about the attorney Alex was having an affair with. o_O IMO so much of this is damning information.
Two points to make from this article.
The first is they have not made it clear what the spatter is ( blood and or brain matter) and also whose it is ( MM or PM or both)
The second is that his alibi for where he was and what he was doing during the time of the murders ( with his mother at her home watching TV) seems to have fallen apart. Did the caregivers give conflicting versions about the time?
 
As the former FBI person stated on that podcast, the spatter could theoretically be caused by aspiration but a good forensic examiner would be able to differentiate between the two. I've seen nothing to suggest either MM or PM were aspirating with AM trying to assist. Didn't look good for AM before and certainly doesn't look any better now.

What defense would he have left? What about that the bad people he owed money to or bad dealings with executed them in front of AM to send a message and threatened to kill him if he told the police the truth? The former FBI agent now believes that AM wasn't the shooter. So, why be present? He would have had to have been within 36" for the spatter. That's pretty damn close if you're not pulling the trigger. Did they have all 3 next to each other and execute both of them in front of him? (it's not an uncommon tactic among ruthless groups) Obviously, we're seeing reports that he lured here there. Was this to save his own life? So many possibilities but that alibi doesn't seem so "ironclad"
 
As the former FBI person stated on that podcast, the spatter could theoretically be caused by aspiration but a good forensic examiner would be able to differentiate between the two. I've seen nothing to suggest either MM or PM were aspirating with AM trying to assist. Didn't look good for AM before and certainly doesn't look any better now.

What defense would he have left? What about that the bad people he owed money to or bad dealings with executed them in front of AM to send a message and threatened to kill him if he told the police the truth? The former FBI agent now believes that AM wasn't the shooter. So, why be present? He would have had to have been within 36" for the spatter. That's pretty damn close if you're not pulling the trigger. Did they have all 3 next to each other and execute both of them in front of him? (it's not an uncommon tactic among ruthless groups) Obviously, we're seeing reports that he lured here there. Was this to save his own life? So many possibilities but that alibi doesn't seem so "ironclad"

If Paul’s death was unplanned, which the use of a shotgun loaded with birdshot and buckshot implies IMO, I think Alex had an accomplice and they were surprised or confronted by Paul. Based on what the FBI expert said about the spatter, perhaps the accomplice was the gunman. It sounds like the blood spatter would have to belong to Paul since Maggie was shot in the back and then in the back of the head while lying down in the grass. Blood spatter velocity would go down toward the ground.
 
If MM was the one and only intended target initially, then why would AM even have to have been there? He could have legitimately been at his mother's home and left the murder to the second gunman. But, yet he was there, and his clothes have spatter on them. It doesn't take two persons to shoot a woman in the back. Why was AM even there if he had made arrangements with another person to murder her?
 
If MM was the one and only intended target initially, then why would AM even have to have been there? He could have legitimately been at his mother's home and left the murder to the second gunman. But, yet he was there, and his clothes have spatter on them. It doesn't take two persons to shoot a woman in the back. Why was AM even there if he had made arrangements with another person to murder her?

I think he killed Maggie himself. I don’t think the accomplice was there to kill anybody. Just my guess.
 
I've listened to numerous Podcasts and read a lot of the FitNews articles, can anyone tell me if they tested <modsnip. hands for GSR? Or any other family members? I don't recall hearing that, but it sure would be interesting to know.

MOO
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Status
Not open for further replies.

Members online

Online statistics

Members online
70
Guests online
1,586
Total visitors
1,656

Forum statistics

Threads
602,926
Messages
18,148,923
Members
231,589
Latest member
Crimecat8
Back
Top