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

[stmarysmead]

Murdered South Carolina scion had a 'drunk alter ego Timmy' and stripped before fatal boat crash | Daily Mail Online

Reading just part of the cousin’s deposition, has me backing away from the assumption that the boat crash figures in these murders….at least from the point of view of vengeance.

I think Paul would have had a hard time walking away from these charges with such testimony from a cousin and friend…and there is more than just this witness testimony. I think seeing him taken off to a jail cell and the family bereft and shamed would have sufficed for most people. Why do anything before the trial? Why not watch them all squirm in court? See what happens…

Power or not, many eyes would be on this trial.

I think this story will turn out to surprise us.

 

[bestill]

Reading just part of the cousin’s deposition, has me backing away from the assumption that the boat crash figures in these murders….at least from the point of view of vengeance.

I think Paul would have had a hard time walking away from these charges with such testimony from a cousin and friend…and there is more than just this witness testimony. I think seeing him taken off to a jail cell and the family bereft and shamed would have sufficed for most people. Why do anything before the trial? Why not watch them all squirm in court? See what happens…

Power or not, many eyes would be on this trial.

I think this story will turn out to surprise us.

Yes! I have thought this from the beginning. Her family wanted the truth to be known and wanted answers, they were waiting on their day in court. I believe this completely. The community was also waiting in my opinion too. They were watching to see how fair the judicial system was going to be to one of its own that held a lot of power. Candidly Paul would not have done well in the prison system. This same outcome may have happened another way for him.

You are so right many eyes were watching, not only from this accident by from past events too.

All jmo

 

[girlhasnoname]

I have seen pictures of some of these SC ‘hunting lodges’ in the area (some are for rent) ….and they can be quit palatial. They are more like lovely vacation homes with ponds and acres of hunting grounds….everything an hunting enthusiast could want. My guess is that this would have been that sort of place…rustic but done with a big budget.

There is do little information and my sense is that most of the media is guessing too. But my guess is that this ‘hunting lodge’ was a summer home. In the articles about the boat accident, frequent mention is made of an ‘island’ that is also family owned where a clam bake was held at the beginning of that tragic evening. Not sure if there’s a home there too?

Yes, the Murdaugh 'Lodge' is approx 1,700 acres IIRC

 

[Knox]

I wondered if him being party to the civil suit would have held the proceedings up because of the felony BUI trial that hasn't moved forward. I am trying to remember of other cases where both were filed and how they played out. Just throwing that out like you! I guess it's a moot point now, but I am curious about their strategy.

In one of the civil case depositions that have been published (see link below)- an attorney states Paul's brother gave him his ID to use the night of the accident. Maybe that's why brother is named in the suit?
https://publicindex.sccourts.org/Ha...486751741034784574311752117122105101888411569

 

[Bridger]

From the Daily Mail article referenced a few posts up:

“Their bodies were found several yards apart from one another, shell casings were discovered at the scene and two firearms were recovered.”

This is the first I’ve read that firearms and shell casings were recovered. If true, that’s another really strange detail. Did outsiders really leave their weapons at the scene? Or could it be that everyone was armed and mom and Paul were not as quick on the trigger as the bad guys? (I.e., the firearms recovered at the scene belonged to the Murdaughs and were not the murder weapons.) Alternatively, I suppose that detail makes it conceivable that they shot each other. But surely if that’s the case the investigation would be over. A week should be enough time to make that determination.

And, of course, this is the Daily Mail so we can’t be sure the story is even accurate.

 

[girlhasnoname]

In one of the civil case depositions that have been published (see link below)- an attorney states Paul's brother gave him his ID to use the night of the accident. Maybe that's why brother is named in the suit?
https://publicindex.sccourts.org/Ha...486751741034784574311752117122105101888411569

Yes, PM bought the alcohol using his older brothers ID it says in the civil suit.

 

[girlhasnoname]

It's been more than 2 years since the boat crash. Is it normal for criminal charges like this to go untried in Beaufort County, SC for that long? I guess covid could have impacted things, but it's a long time.

Yes, things move at a snails pace through the courts.

 

[clearskies1]

In one of the civil case depositions that have been published (see link below)- an attorney states Paul's brother gave him his ID to use the night of the accident. Maybe that's why brother is named in the suit?
https://publicindex.sccourts.org/Ha...486751741034784574311752117122105101888411569

The civil complaint alleges this:

"15. That Defendant Richard Alexander Murdaugh, Jr. is over twenty-one (21) years of age and knowingly and willfully allowed his younger brother, who is under the age of twenty-one (21), to use his driver’s license to purchase and consume alcohol illegally. Further, it was foreseeable that his minor brother would use the license to purchase alcohol for consumption by other minors and this defendant had actual knowledge that the license was so used. "
https://publicindex.sccourts.org/Ha...750971081218874487411389101100110101118837985

 

[zencompass]

Yes! I have thought this from the beginning. Her family wanted the truth to be known and wanted answers, they were waiting on their day in court. I believe this completely. The community was also waiting in my opinion too. They were watching to see how fair the judicial system was going to be to one of its own that held a lot of power. Candidly Paul would not have done well in the prison system. This same outcome may have happened another way for him.

You are so right many eyes were watching, not only from this accident by from past events too.

All jmo

@bestill, I agree with what you've said here, especially about the Beach family waiting for their day in court for justice for their daughter.

This double murder is deeply saddening.

It is strange how a handgun was used to kill one person and a shotgun to kill the other.

Have the toxicology reports been released yet? Have they traced the guns to owners?

 

[cujenn81]

My grand uncle (a South Carolina farmer) was shot and killed during an attempted robbery while out feeding his dogs. His dogs were also kept in a kennel some distance from the house. The guy that killed him worked on his farm — and was someone familiar with his routine.

I don’t think the Murdaughs were murdered during a robbery gone wrong (although, it’s possible). I just think the person(s) responsible likely knew Paul’s routine. Perhaps he always fed the dogs after eating his own dinner, and his mom just happened to be with him that evening.

 

[Bridger]

It is strange how a handgun was used to kill one person and a shotgun to kill the other.

Not a handgun. A shotgun and a rifle.

 

[clearskies1]

From the Daily Mail article referenced a few posts up:

“Their bodies were found several yards apart from one another, shell casings were discovered at the scene and two firearms were recovered.”

This is the first I’ve read that firearms and shell casings were recovered. If true, that’s another really strange detail. Did outsiders really leave their weapons at the scene? Or could it be that everyone was armed and mom and Paul were not as quick on the trigger as the bad guys? (I.e., the firearms recovered at the scene belonged to the Murdaughs and were not the murder weapons.) Alternatively, I suppose that detail makes it conceivable that they shot each other. But surely if that’s the case the investigation would be over. A week should be enough time to make that determination.

And, of course, this is the Daily Mail so we can’t be sure the story is even accurate.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I've only seen it reported elsewhere that casings were found at the scene -- nothing about firearms being found. https://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/crime/article252038948.html
So am taking the Daily Mail report with a grain of salt. JMO.

 

[girlhasnoname]

<snipped> BBM

Paul Murdaugh, 22, and his mother, Maggie, 52, were found shot to death shortly after 10 p.m. at the family’s property at 4147 Moselle Road. Attorney Alex Murdaugh reportedly discovered the bodies of his wife and son, according to sources familiar with the investigation.

Two different firearms were used in the crime: a shotgun and a military-style rifle, those sources said. Maggie was reportedly found several yards away from her son, they said.

The Colleton County Sheriff’s Office and State Law Enforcement Division are leading the investigation into the killings but have released scant information to date. They have said there is no immediate threat to the public, yet no suspects have been named or arrests made.

Sheriff’s spokeswoman Shalane Lowes has denied a request for 911 audio recordings connected to the murder, citing the ongoing investigation. The Sheriff’s Office released a one-line incident report that provides no additional details on the crime.
Rumors swirl about double homicide involving SC law family. Some details begin to emerge.

 

[Midwestmom2019]

<modsnip>
What if she was the target? How much time would it take to secure the guns, and then report what he found? There are several possible scenarios being tossed around. But the State LE is in charge now, so the public should learn something. I’d be worried about them saying public has no need to fear? But they’re not told anyone was arrested?!? Do we know why LE thinks PM was the target? It’s so convoluted.

 

[InvisibleMe]

The alibi that Alex, Paul’s father, was out shooting, it would provide him with an excuse for having GPR on his hands. Hmmmm.

 

[Warwick7]

No vigil, no memorials: An unsettled SC town reacts quietly to Murdaugh shootings

Snip snip snip to 10%..the local news

“..as word spread of the deaths of 22-year-old Paul Murdaugh and his mother, Maggie, reaction was muted.
The prevailing emotion was hesitancy, not surprise or outrage.”

“A previous death, and the circumstances around it, has caused residents to re-evaluate their faith in the law.”

“It raised tough questions about power, fairness and accountability.”

“Staff at the flower shops in town said they hadn’t yet received any calls for sympathy arrangements for the family.”

“One person did offer that they hoped an outside law enforcement agency would be involved in the investigation.”

“A third seemed to capture the town’s pain best.
Would catching the person who killed the Murdaughs mean justice for them?”

“What about justice for Beach?”

This link explains ALOT!

 

[Warwick7]

I'm hesitant to take DailyMail's reporting as accurate.

Was Paul shot twice or did one bullet inflict injuries in two places, his chest and head?

My first hunch in this case is murder-suicide, but that doesn't work if Paul was shot twice. (I would imagine the mother as a victim in murder-suicide, not the perp.)

Is there definitive info about the number of shots fired/injuries?

jmo

I agree on the reporting, but they always seem to find a way to get pictures.
Those are worth a thousand words.

 

[MoeInVA]

Bringing this old quote from SLED back up:
“The agency said there is no danger to the public and, at last report, no active search for suspects.”
Paul Murdaugh, mother found shot to death in Colleton County | WSAV-TV

 

[Gibbo214]

Bringing this old quote from SLED back up:
“The agency said there is no danger to the public and, at last report, no active search for suspects.”
Paul Murdaugh, mother found shot to death in Colleton County | WSAV-TV

That usually means murder/suicide or just suicide, doesn't it?

 

[Dawookie]

Interesting! ……. but …. so what are these types of weapons used for if not murders?

I’ll guess - please correct if wrong! - a shotgun is primarily used for hunting & defense - against EG a bear who might be scared off by the sound even if not hit and/or a person who will spot it easily since big & be scared off by the sight even if not hit

whereas a rifle is primarily used for …. what exactly? War ? Riot control, where the display of huge firepower can move crowds ?

What are the usual circumstances in which a person finds himself struck by a round from a rifle?
Or are they rarely fired beyond practice & mostly just displayed to send the message of firepower? as in they’re mostly encountered not as weapons causing injury, but in the hands of SWAT teams & rappers/school shooters?

all SPECULATION by me here, looking for corrections on what I have wrong …. it hardly needs saying that i know nothing of guns haha, does it.

Shotguns have been used by police for decades for riot and crowd control. Now they've become more versatile because of less lethal munitions, rubber pellets, bean bags, tear gas, etc.