SC - Paul Murdaugh, 22 and mom Margaret, 52, found shot to death, Islandton, 7 June 2021 #4

[Betty P]

That's kind of what I said at the end there. IMO though, it was very inappropriate for the Solicitor's personal to be involved with and walking around the property of an active crime scene with the brother of an automatic POI (the spouse of a victim) in a murder investigation. AJMO

IANAL, but in most jurisdictions that's inappropriate, to say the least. Only LE, crime scene specialists, etc. are supposed to be at a crime scene while it's being processed.

 

[LetsSolvIt]

Where does it say LE couldn't? It could also be the family helping LEO as they probably would have had to obtain a warrant to get that info.

This was part of what we saw in photos of brother holding a phone and walking with LE the day after murders, and then standing around with LE near the red-roof storage building. All seemed so unusual and inappropriate to have family member allowed at crime scene and in conversations with LE.

OMO.

 

[MerryB]

That’s what I’m thinking. And possibly repeatedly checked the location of her phone to know when they were gone. This scenario could likely account for the narrow timeline as well.
MOO

Brilliant.

 

[worm]

I’ve heard several times as i binge true crime tv, yea, not much of a life here, how investigations must be right and not fast. I so hope that’s what we are experiencing here. I just smell a huge scandal cooking around this case for some reason.

 

[sunshineray]

Maybe I missed something but where was it stated he had MM but not AM?

Are you saying that the phone JMM used to track MM's phone was his brother AM's phone?

 

[pizzaman12]

Are you saying that the phone JMM used to track MM's phone was his brother AM's phone?

No. Someone stated that it seems odd that the brother would have sister in law on their phone app (which in my opinion isn't strange at all. I have mine on my apps)

I think they replied as to why not AM and another stated that was a red flag. I'm reading that as why didn't AM use his phone to find MM's phone? Essentially, why didn't AM have the ability to and/or do so himself.

There could be plenty of reasons

I can think of a few off the top of my head
His wife and child were murdered. Emotionally incapable to think clearly and what can be done to uncover clues. (I know I'd hop in and do whatever digging I could to help a family/friend)
AM phone could have be confiscated and was without his device
AM was not tech savvy
AM may not have had access to MM's phone location

I'm sure there are plenty more but having a family member help find the phone strikes me as something I personally would do. I'd assume LEO would need to obtain a warrant to get that same information which takes time

 

[sunshineray]

No. Someone stated that it seems odd that the brother would have sister in law on their phone app (which in my opinion isn't strange at all. I have mine on my apps)

I think they replied as to why not AM. I'm reading that as why didn't AM use his phone to find MM's phone? Essentially, why didn't AM have the ability to and/or do so himself.

There could be plenty of reasons

I can think of a few off the top of my head
His wife and child were murdered. Emotionally incapable to think clearly and what can be done to uncover clues. (I know I'd hop in and do whatever digging I could to help a family/friend)
AM phone could have be confiscated and was without his device
AM was not tech savvy
AM may not have had access to MM's phone location

I'm sure there are plenty more but having a family member help find the phone strikes me as something I personally would do. I'd assume LEO would need to obtain a warrant to get that same information which takes time

I would hope if AM had the same capability on his phone he'd have cooperated with LE with his permission for them to use his phone's capability to track MM's and have not made it a needing warrant situation. That's why I wondered if in fact JMM was using AM's phone. I don't know how it all came about but I thought I remembered it being said in MM that a family member used "their phone" to track MM's.

I still think JMM being allowed in the crime scene was unorthodox and very disturbing, IMO.

 

[Sunny Day]

Ps: In the Morphew case they knew not only where and when the husband drove, but that he opened the Trunk/boot of the car 5 times And when it was opened.

Even knowing that it took them Months to arrest him.

No one could get anything from my 23 year old Subaru except that I’m too lazy to change the clock at daily savings time, and wipe up dog hair!

They also would have had trouble getting anything from my 15 year old flip phone!

 

[pizzaman12]

I would hope if AM had the same capability on his phone he'd have cooperated with LE with his permission for them to use his phone's capability to track MM's and have made it a needing warrant situation. That's why I wondered if in fact JMM was using AM's phone. I don't know how it all came about but I thought I remembered it being said in MM that a family member used "their phone" to track MM's.

I still think JMM being allowed in the crime scene was unorthodox and very disturbing, IMO.

I would hope AM would allow permission as well. However, not knowing whether he was asked or if he even had the ability is unknown. What we do know is that JMM did have that ability and was able to locate in a fairly short time.

 

[worm]

I don’t get why they needed either family members phone to track hers with the tech LE has or how this even relates to who killed these people. LE letting the family have free run of this crime scene just seems odd to say the least but there is a lot of odd with this case.

 

[pizzaman12]

I don’t get why they needed either family members phone to track hers with the tech LE has or how this even relates to who killed these people. LE letting the family have free run of this crime scene just seems odd to say the least but there is a lot of odd with this case.

BBM- There is a process to obtain that information. I'd take a wild guess and say the family members were able to assist in finding that phone far quicker than LE could have secured the authority and then actually obtained that information from providers leading to the retrieval.

You can't just call Apple, Google, AT&T, etc...and say we've had a murder and we need information this second.

I could be wrong but if I put myself in that scenario, I would have been tracking that phone myself and giving LE any info I could find. Regardless if it's in addition to the efforts of LE

 

[Razz]

BBM- There is a process to obtain that information. I'd take a wild guess and say the family members were able to assist in finding that phone far quicker than LE could have secured the authority and then actually obtained that information from providers leading to the retrieval.

You can't just call Apple, Google, AT&T, etc...and say we've had a murder and we need information this second.

I could be wrong but if I put myself in that scenario, I would have been tracking that phone myself and giving LE any info I could find. Regardless if it's in addition to the efforts of LE

I wonder if LE ever checked the main house for the phone and for any other kind of evidence. It sounded like their search was in and around the murder scene only. If they didn't, I think that's strange.

 

[worm]

I wonder if LE ever checked the main house for the phone and for any other kind of evidence. It sounded like their search was in and around the murder scene only. If they didn't, I think that's strange.

I hope they searched the entire area since there was a killer on the loose. I just don’t get it. I’m suspicious of this whole show now.

 

[LetsSolvIt]

FYI. Enrichment reading while we wait for the next development.

Meet the Candidates: Solicitor | Duffie Stone

 

[Harikari]

I’m in this camp as well. The civil trial, but also PM’s looming criminal trial, as well as the potential OOJ charges being reviewed by the GJ.
I tend to think that outright revenge isn’t a strong enough motive to do something like this. I keep coming back to the motive being self preservation of one or more people who needed PM to go away. With PM gone, his criminal charges in the BUI case are dropped. To your point, he would also be unable to testify in what looked like a civil suit that was headed for trial.
And if the OOJ charges came to fruition, the problem of having to control his statement/ testimony to align with a particular narrative is no longer as issue.

Thats why I’m hesitantly thinking it would be Great for the grandfather’s legacy if Paul disappeared. And he would have known who to ask for help. ‍ Maybe AM knew, maybe not…

 

[nhmemorymaker]

Thats why I’m hesitantly thinking it would be Great for the grandfather’s legacy if Paul disappeared. And he would have known who to ask for help. ‍ Maybe AM knew, maybe not…

These are my exact thoughts, from early in this thread...even including whether or whether not AM knew.

I can really see one of those movie drama scenes with AM at his father's bedside.... the day of the murders, and two days before the Patriarch died....

 

[Oakie]

This is purely speculation, of course, but I keep wondering if, perhaps, it was someone in the law enforcement community who found PM too inconvenient, worried about what might come to light during the "discovery" phase of the trials. My thoughts keep returning to the shotgun and AR-type rifle used in the murders. These are common enough anywhere, but nowadays, nearly every police cruiser comes equipped with both, as standard equipment.

In my county of residence here, back in the 1970s and 80s, the county sheriff ran the local cocaine trafficking network. Lots of people knew about it, but no information about it ever came out in court. He retired prosperously. What sort of conspiracy might lurk beneath the surface in the Low Country?

 

[Ann99]

This is purely speculation, of course, but I keep wondering if, perhaps, it was someone in the law enforcement community who found PM too inconvenient, worried about what might come to light during the "discovery" phase of the trials. My thoughts keep returning to the shotgun and AR-type rifle used in the murders. These are common enough anywhere, but nowadays, nearly every police cruiser comes equipped with both, as standard equipment.

In my county of residence here, back in the 1970s and 80s, the county sheriff ran the local cocaine trafficking network. Lots of people knew about it, but no information about it ever came out in court. He retired prosperously. What sort of conspiracy might lurk beneath the surface in the Low Country?

Could one or both of those weapons have come from the M residence or an M property?
Maybe indicating a robbery gone bad?

 

[Oakie]

Could one or both of those weapons have come from the M residence or an M property?
Maybe indicating a robbery gone bad?

I doubt it. I get the sense that these murders were deliberate acts, not random events stemming from an interrupted robbery. Most folks keep their guns in gun safes nowadays anyway.

 

[Ann99]

I doubt it. I get the sense that these murders were deliberate acts, not random events stemming from an interrupted robbery. Most folks keep their guns in gun safes nowadays anyway.

I agree on the deliberate acts, not random.
MO
The M's were not like most folks (in my opinion, observations, reading) in general terms of what we have learned.
The family as a whole seems to be rather unusual.
Or have unusual reactions to situations they became involved in.
I'm NOT meaning this in a bad way, NOT victim criticizing, but they did lead a different kind of life, just acknowledging high society and local importance of high profile position aspects.
MO Maybe someone was careless with securing a firearm.
Just putting this out for opinions and thoughts.