GA GA - Shirley, 87, & Russell Dermond, 88, Putnam Co, 2 May 2014 - #13

[dotr]

‎Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan: The Terrible Deaths of Russell and Shirley Dermond on Apple Podcasts

‎Show Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan, Ep The Terrible Deaths of Russell and Shirley Dermond - Apr 18, 2022

podcasts.apple.com

 

[Jbetty567]

RSBM

Interesting info about the lamp being moved to car trunk. I hadn't heard it either. I wonder if the killers didn't want to turn on the overhead light in the garage and instead utilized the lamp during the decapitation (assuming, of course, there was an outlet near to the car trunk) and removal of the shade provided more illumination?

My thoughts exactly - or the garage light bulb was burned out. Was there an outlet in the garage to plug the lamp in? Did he take off the shade to provide more light so he could see what he was doing to Russell? If he was worried about the light being seen from outside surely he would have wanted the shade ON?
If any of this is correct it really goes to the killer(s) taking his time and not being rushed to get out of there at all.

 

[Valiant]

Perhaps the only lights in the garage were on the garage door openers which will time out after a period of time. So the choice is to get another light or to open the garage door for the light to come back on.
My opinion is that they just wanted a source of light, not that they were worried about anyone seeing the light on. The garage doors were solid, but there was a side window if I recall.

 

[fred&edna]

My thoughts exactly - or the garage light bulb was burned out. Was there an outlet in the garage to plug the lamp in? Did he take off the shade to provide more light so he could see what he was doing to Russell? If he was worried about the light being seen from outside surely he would have wanted the shade ON?
If any of this is correct it really goes to the killer(s) taking his time and not being rushed to get out of there at all.

Perhaps the only lights in the garage were on the garage door openers which will time out after a period of time. So the choice is to get another light or to open the garage door for the light to come back on.
My opinion is that they just wanted a source of light, not that they were worried about anyone seeing the light on. The garage doors were solid, but there was a side window if I recall.

Good points!! I agree with you both. There was no rush and the killers just wanted additional/more direct source of light. And, I'll add it's simply easier to move a lamp without a shade.

I wonder if Mrs D was still in the home at this time? Did 1-2 killers take her to the boat while another (or more) remained to do the evil "decap"? Was it just about weight of both bodies? Meaning they couldn't get both bodies to the boat so they removed his head and dumped that in the lake with her body? Whatever it was... it was all brutally horrific.

 

[Seattle1]

I wonder if Mrs D was still in the home at this time? Did 1-2 killers take her to the boat while another (or more) remained to do the evil "decap"? Was it just about weight of both bodies? Meaning they couldn't get both bodies to the boat so they removed his head and dumped that in the lake with her body? Whatever it was... it was all brutally horrific.

^^rsbm

I don't think decapitating RD was about the weight of the bodies. I agree with authorities here that the killer did not want the weapon/ammunition forensics revealed. Authorities also provided earlier that the method to anchor SD in the water was amateur at best. JMO

 

[fred&edna]

^^rsbm

I don't think decapitating RD was about the weight of the bodies. I agree with authorities here that the killer did not want the weapon/ammunition forensics revealed. Authorities also provided earlier that the method to anchor SD in the water was amateur at best. JMO

So why dispose of her body in the water at all... I mean, we know she wasn't shot. Why not just leave her body in the house with his headless corpse?

 

[Seattle1]

So why dispose of her body in the water at all... I mean, we know she wasn't shot. Why not just leave her body in the house with his headless corpse?

I recall investigators mentioned they first believed Shirley was kidnapped when she wasn't located at or near the house. It wasn't until her body was found 10 days later by a fisherman that they knew she wasn't being held captive elsewhere. Also, I don't think it's been ruled that she was killed at home.

Perhaps the plan was to take both victims away, and shooting RD in the head (and decapitating him) was not the initial plan. Maybe the assailants split up --one taking SD away and the other staying in the garage to get rid of the evidence (RD's head). MOO

 

[fred&edna]

I recall investigators mentioned they first believed Shirley was kidnapped when she wasn't located at or near the house. It wasn't until her body was found 10 days later by a fisherman that they knew she wasn't being held captive elsewhere. Also, I don't think it's been ruled that she was killed at home.

Perhaps the plan was to take both victims away, and shooting RD in the head (and decapitating him) was not the initial plan. Maybe the assailants split up --one taking SD away and the other staying in the garage to get rid of the evidence (RD's head). MOO

Ahh... so a change in plan because one of them (had to/accidentally) shot RD? Possibly. It seems more convoluted to remove his head than to just dispose of both bodies, no matter how poorly weighted. But, who knows what lurks in the mind/s of murderers... decapitation might have been the simpler choice for them. I also wonder where the shooting took place.

 

[Seattle1]

Ahh... so a change in plan because one of them (had to/accidentally) shot RD? Possibly. It seems more convoluted to remove his head than to just dispose of both bodies, no matter how poorly weighted. But, who knows what lurks in the mind/s of murderers... decapitation might have been the simpler choice for them. I also wonder where the shooting took place.

Me too.

 

[Razz]

So why dispose of her body in the water at all... I mean, we know she wasn't shot. Why not just leave her body in the house with his headless corpse?

My thought on this originally was she was taken so family, police whoever would think she was still alive making it a bargaining tool for the murder(s). Ie: if you don't do this, you'll never see SD again. Little did anyone know, she was already deceased. I'm not sure if I still think this as LE (surly by now) would have uncovered this scheme early on.

 

[trujac]

^^rsbm

I don't think decapitating RD was about the weight of the bodies. I agree with authorities here that the killer did not want the weapon/ammunition forensics revealed. Authorities also provided earlier that the method to anchor SD in the water was amateur at best. JMO

My thinking on why RD was beheaded fits more in with the motive for the killing--not so much around having to take the head after putting a bullet in it. The killers could have saved themselves a lot of time and effort by not beheading RD...they didn't shoot or behead his wife. They chose to simply hit her on the head a few times. I agree with the poster here who suggested SD was thrown in the lake as a diversion and to possibly get extra time while the authorities searched for her. I like this phase regarding a reason for beheading someone:
"Psychodynamically, beheading may be the ultimate release of pent-up aggressive fantasies and wishes in a psychological warfare." It came out of this article-- Beheadings and Brains

 

[trujac]

I think when the killer(s) treat a married couple differently in a double murder, as in the Dermond murders--one victim was beheaded and left at the crime scene, while the other one was found weighted down in a lake with multiple blunt force injuries on the head speaks to the killer's mindset--how she/he viewed the victims prior to killing them. As an example, in the case of Barry and Honey Sherman, they apparently were both killed the same way and left sitting together by their inside pool area. The stark contrast between the Dermond and Sherman murders suggests to me, the Dermond murders were a psychotic revenge murder, while the Sherman murders were murdered for expediency of an end result.

Dismembered victims likely to know killers: former detective

Killers who try to cover their tracks by dismembering their victims and scattering the body parts often end up helping investigators narrow their search for suspects, according to a former Toronto homicide detective.

toronto.ctvnews.ca

Experts reveal psychology of killers who dismember victims

FOLLOWING THE murder of a Spanish businessman whose dismembered remains were found in the Chao Phraya River earlier this month, Thai psychologist Wanlop Piyamanotham has tried to explain the motive behind such a gruesome killing.

www.nationthailand.com

 

[CocoChanel]

ADMIN NOTE:

EXCITING NEWS!! Tricia and Websleuths have entered into a partnership with the new Mike Morford project CITIZEN DETECTIVE True Crime Podcast which starts TODAY!

The first episode features the Russell & Shirley Dermond murder case.
CITIZEN DETECTIVE aims to involve the skills of citizen sleuths to help further the resolution of this haunting case.

Russell and Shirley Dermond
Please take time to listen to this new take on true crime, and give a big welcome to the CITIZEN DETECTIVE listeners who will partner with us here to dive even deeper into this case.

Then, please take a moment to welcome Morf and his co-hosts and listeners here:
Citizen Detective True Crime Podcast

And finally, continue the Dermond discussion right here!

 

[morf13]

ADMIN NOTE:

EXCITING NEWS!! Tricia and Websleuths has entered into a partnership with the new Mike Morford project CITIZEN DETECTIVE True Crime Podcast which starts TODAY!

The first episode features the Russell & Shirley Dermond murder case.
CITIZEN DETECTIVE aims to involve the skills of citizen sleuths to help further the resolution of this haunting case.

Russell and Shirley Dermond
Please take time to listen to this new take on true crime, and give a big welcome to the CITIZEN DETECTIVE listeners who will partner with us here to dive even deeper into this case.

Then, please take a moment to welcome Morf and his co-hosts and listeners here:
Citizen Detective True Crime Podcast

And finally, continue the Dermond discussion right here!

Thanks. If anyone wants to listen to the ep, they can do so here or listen on any podcast app

 

[Jbetty567]

Very exciting! I'll be tuning in! This case must be solved!

 

[morf13]

Very exciting! I'll be tuning in! This case must be solved!

I think it can be

 

[Deleted member 39678]

FBI analyzing data using new technology in Lake Oconee double murder case

PUTNAM COUNTY, Ga. (WGXA) -- Eight years after a gruesome double murder in a rural midstate county, investigators may be finally getting closers to some answers. In May 2014,88-year-old Russell Dermond and his wife, 87-year-old Shirley Dermond, were living in a gated community on Lake Oconee...

wgxa.tv

Sheriff Sills says he now has access to certain data because of new technology that wasn't available in 2014. That raw data has been turned over to the FBI, which has a software program that can reduce the data into a format that can be analyzed.

I'm curious about the data that is now accessible to LE because of new technology. What is this new technology and what kind of data does it reveal?

 

[acehard]

FBI analyzing data using new technology in Lake Oconee double murder case

PUTNAM COUNTY, Ga. (WGXA) -- Eight years after a gruesome double murder in a rural midstate county, investigators may be finally getting closers to some answers. In May 2014,88-year-old Russell Dermond and his wife, 87-year-old Shirley Dermond, were living in a gated community on Lake Oconee...

wgxa.tv

I'm curious about the data that is now accessible to LE because of new technology. What is this new technology and what kind of data does it reveal?

Someone suggested it could be cell tower analysis but I don't. There was no update for a long time.

 

[Deleted member 39678]

Someone suggested it could be cell tower analysis but I don't. There was no update for a long time.

I agree. I would be surprised that LE couldn't analyze cell tower data in 2014. The article suggests that some kind of recent tech is being utilized. JMO

 

[fred&edna]

Thanks. If anyone wants to listen to the ep, they can do so here or listen on any podcast app

I'm listening now, I'm 24 minutes in and I've already noted some interesting points (either new to me or things I didn't remember)! Thank you for covering this case!