SC - Paul Murdaugh, 22 and mom Margaret, 52, found shot to death, Islandton, 7 June 2021 #6

[CocoChanel]

I just asked if Matt Harris' podcast "The Murdaugh Family Murders" is okay and haven't received any feedback -- going to risk saying something about what Matt reported last night.

Episode #13: Who shot Alex? + Follow the Money | The Murdaugh Family Murders: Impact of Influence
Apparently AM and Buster have not been staying at Moselle -- they have been staying with one of the brothers, which is part of the reason for using that back road.

This podcast has now been approved for discussion on this thread.

 

[escape2sc]

I live in SC Lowcountry.. visitors were allowed in the area hospitals in June.

 

[shefner]

If I came across someone who had been shot on a back road and that person was capable of being moved you can bet that I would take him away from the scene. I would not stay waiting for the shooter to come back. If he was able to call 911 in my car I would let him as he knows what happened. I think the good Samaritans were just that.

And yet, AM wasn't worried about being ambushed when he came upon the dead bodies of his wife and son at the Moselle property. Didn't he ever think that perhaps the shooters were still out there and waiting for him? Logic would dictate such a thought.

If AM had the wherewithal to reach in and grab his phone from his car before driving away with two strangers, on a road where he had just been shot by two strangers, then I find it interesting that he didn't enter his car at once and drive off with the run-flat tire. Even if the tire was completely flat, AM couldn't have ridden on the rim towards the nearest home or public place, while calling 911.

And this also begs the question: Why did AM even stop on a rural road to change a tire when his vehicle had run-flat tires that are standard in luxury vehicles these days?

 

[escape2sc]

I am curious why AM was not taken to the Hampton Regional Medical Center...only a 12 minute drive from 15000 Salkehatchie Road. The Medical Center has an Emergency Dept. and it has a helipad.


Heliport Ownership and Management from official FAA records
Ownership: Publicly-owned
Owner: HAMPTON REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER
PO BOX 338
VARNVILLE, SC 29944
Phone 803-943-2771

AirNav: SC62 - Hampton Regional Medical Center Heliport

 

[JaimeInLA]

Does anyone know where Buster and Paul went to college?

 

[MerryB]

Does anyone know where Buster and Paul went to college?

Buster went to Wofford for undergrad and USC for law school, like his granddaddy.
Paul was a junior at USC despite being 22.

 

[clearskies1]

If AM's alibi is the hospital then his mother's house, you would think there would be some surveillance videos along the route that would indicate AM's whereabouts and the timing of his car's movements. JMO.

 

[pearl]

Possible oxy habit, detox, then rehab. I have no personal experience with these, but I do have a niece that has been in and out of detox and rehab since she was 13 years old. She is in her mid 40s now. Her daddy pays time and again for these expensive stays. A drug test, either blood or urine, is given at intake for the staff to know exactly what they are treating. They do not rely on what the patient tells them. I would think most detox and rehab places do this. A lot of rehab facilities will not do detox anymore because it is expensive. They accept the patient after detox is over. I wonder if AM was tested onsite of either the hospital or rehab facility.

 

[katydid23]

I agree. It's also possible to opt for a rehab stay to keep one's mouth shut and LE at bay. This case gets more unbelievable every day.

Yup. LE cannot barge in and ask for an interview. They cannot ask for a polygraph or for a timeline.
Meanwhile, the subject can relax, recover, meet in privacy with friends, family, attorneys, accountants, conspirators....

 

[worm]

If AM's alibi is the hospital then his mother's house, you would think there would be some surveillance videos along the route that would indicate AM's whereabouts and the timing of his car's movements. JMO.

When my dad was in the hospital here local with a terminal illness, we had to register and get badges from security to be there after 8 or 9 at night. I’m not sure of the rules there.

 

[katydid23]

I'm a little skeptical about the oxycontin abuse story. It fit's so neatly into the goings on.

If, and this is only IF, AM was to be arrested for the murders of MM and PM, then this would help set up a diminished capacity defense because he was under the influence of medication / drugs, etc. Hard to prove one way or another.

Just layin' that out here.

But if the perp was using drugs illegally --- which I think he would be, because he doesn't seem to have any maladies that would require a prescription like Oxy---then you cannot use the diminished capacity defense as effectively.

If he was on a legal prescription of a medication that affected his judgment and abilities then it would be a good legal strategy. But if he is illegally buying opiates and using them to get high---then not so much. JMO

 

[Grammar]

A drug test, either blood or urine, is given at intake for the staff to know exactly what they are treating. They do not rely on what the patient tells them. I would think most detox and rehab places do this. A lot of rehab facilities will not do detox anymore because it is expensive. They accept the patient after detox is over. I wonder if AM was tested onsite of either the hospital or rehab facility.

Snipped. A friend of mine had to go to rehab due to a drinking problem. He chose to detox before he went in. They did both blood and urine tests at intake. Detoxing can be very dangerous which is why many rehabs want patients to detox in a hospital first. People can die while detoxing.

 

[Kudzu]

Yes. While he may have spent quite a bit of money on drugs, that doesn’t come close to explaining where the vast majority of it went.

There’s gotta be way more to it.

Or perhaps some to pay for a professional hit. MOO

 

[katydid23]

I just think this was staged badly.

There were two major stressors at the time, and that’s ignoring potentially unclear thinking caused by opioid abuse:

Stone recusing himself; a clear signal that SLED was closing in on the perpetrator(s).

The discovery of the embezzlement, and Alex subsequently being forced out the previous day.

That just seems like a perfect recipe for mental unraveling.

Is it possible that he suddenly decided to off himself, pulled over, aimed air his head then at last minute moved gun---and so it grazed him only.

Then he had to jump into a frenzied action to make it look like someone else shot at him?

 

[katydid23]

If millions are indeed missing there had to be conflicting reports going on that should have triggered red flags like tax returns showing reported income vs actual money filtering through accounts. He couldn't have used all cash. So something is amiss, imo.

he could have laundered his cash with some sordid acquaintances.

 

[geevee]

Is it possible that he suddenly decided to off himself, pulled over, aimed air his head then at last minute moved gun---and so it grazed him only.

Then he had to jump into a frenzied action to make it look like someone else shot at him?

That's been my theory of it, Katy. I think that's why he was on that particular road, trying to get to help for the graze without anyone recognizing him, but at some point (maybe after a talk with his brother?) decided to make it look like a roadside shooting/ambush and voila - good samaritans show up to save the day.

 

[sunshineray]

I'm curious how LE ruled out road debris as a possible cause of the cut in the tire.

Maybe partly because they found a knife at the scene and AM's tire looked knife slashed. They may have tested the knife? Maybe rubber residue from Mercedes tires and possibly even the owners DNA?

 

[sunshineray]

I live in SC Lowcountry.. visitors were allowed in the area hospitals in June.

I live in the Northeast and the same happened here, then Delta blew up

 

[shefner]

Yup. LE cannot barge in and ask for an interview. They cannot ask for a polygraph or for a timeline.
Meanwhile, the subject can relax, recover, meet in privacy with friends, family, attorneys, accountants, conspirators....

If LE gets a warrant on AM for the charge of theft, they can arrest him, even if he's in rehab. They just need to know where to find him.

 

[skyedaze]

The hospitals here in SC and I’m sure over in GA have put restrictions in place and quit doing elective procedures due to virus concerns.

Yes, elective procedures were halted again on Thursday.