GA GA - Shirley, 87, & Russell Dermond, 88, Putnam County, 2 May 2014 - #10

[Deleted member 162919]

He has to have a reason for thinking they came by car. Maybe the witness saw a car? I hope we have more info by the anniversary date. Why hasn't one of the crime shows picked this up yet?

I'm still looking for a link about the neighbor hearing men's voices, but found this old one. What grabbed my eye again was Sills' statement. Maybe he thought they had kidnapped her for a ATM password but ended up dumping her in the lake going in by boat from another launch site? Why a hammer? Why not a knife or gun? I'm beginning to think the weapon of choice is what was available at the location because the original intent was burglary and not murder? Did the Dermonds have a set of knives in the garage?

“I still think they came by car, but there is no question whatsoever that Mrs. Dermond’s body was, in my opinion, disposed of by boat,” Sills said. “They could have come by boat.”

Read more here: http://www.macon.com/news/local/crime/article30230859.html#storylink=cpy

 

[DAMIFINO]

He has to have a reason for thinking they came by car. Maybe the witness saw a car? I hope we have more info by the anniversary date. Why hasn't one of the crime shows picked this up yet?

There was murder years ago where I live and one of the crime shows wanted to feature it but got no cooperation from law enforcement or the family. Without that, you don't have a show. Don't know if that is the case here.

 

[Foxfire]

Originally Posted by hockeyguy33 View Post
He has to have a reason for thinking they came by car. Maybe the witness saw a car? I hope we have more info by the anniversary date. Why hasn't one of the crime shows picked this up yet?

There was murder years ago where I live and one of the crime shows wanted to feature it but got no cooperation from law enforcement or the family. Without that, you don't have a show. Don't know if that is the case here.

Imo, Dateline or one of the other crime shows would gladly feature the Dermond murders in a show. Imo, the family, as well as Sheriff Sills, would gladly cooperate to increase the awareness and hopefully provide a tip that would bring some answers. Imo, the powers that be, PC chamber of commerce, and developer of RP/GW may simply want the lingering memory of this horrific crime to go away..
___________

MAY 2, 2015 - “Anything that is halfway sane is a very plausible theory at this point,” says Detective Dave Henry.

Unsolved murders and disappearances, by nature, generate their share of speculation.

But when the worst happens in the seemingly best of places, folks cannot help but wonder why or how. Especially when someone was decapitated, the whereabouts of his head unknown. And when the crime scene, in all likelihood, was a $769,000 lake house.

Among locals who didn’t even know the slain couple, an uneasiness set in. The notion of such an atrocity in an exclusive, golf course-ringed neighborhood struck at people’s deepest fears: If it happened there, is anywhere safe?

The FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit has provided Sills with a broad description of the culprit.
Practically anyone could be the killer.

When asked how residents were coping in the year since the killings, a 77-year-old woman who lives a few doors down from the Dermond house told a reporter that she didn’t want to discuss the matter.

Another neighborhood woman described the circumstances of the case as “horrible.”

“We’re sad,” said the woman, 74. “We’re very, very sad. They were lovely people from all I know. ... I can’t imagine this happening.”

The Rev. David W. Key Sr. of Lake Oconee Community Church, where the Dermonds were members, says shock and despair linger.

“It may have shattered any kind of false security that we’ve had,” Key, 52, said last week. “Now part of the challenge is that we live with unanswered questions.”

Read more here: http://www.macon.com/news/local/crime/article30230859.html#storylink=cpy

<Snipped>

 

[Deleted member 162919]

Here's a link or 2 I found recently about the case and Sills. Seems to give a few more clues than I've seen before. Sorry if you've seen this before i'm sure most of you have but it was an interesting read. http://www.atlantamagazine.com/grea...-county-sheriff-howard-sills-chases-a-killer/

http://www.macon.com/news/local/crime/article30230859.html

 

[Bootsctr]

Imo, Dateline or one of the other crime shows would gladly feature the Dermond murders in a show. Imo, the family, as well as Sheriff Sills, would gladly cooperate to increase the awareness and hopefully provide a tip that would bring some answers. Imo, the powers that be, PC chamber of commerce, and developer of RP/GW may simply want the lingering memory of this horrific crime to go away..
___________

MAY 2, 2015 - &#8220;Anything that is halfway sane is a very plausible theory at this point,&#8221; says Detective Dave Henry.

Unsolved murders and disappearances, by nature, generate their share of speculation.

But when the worst happens in the seemingly best of places, folks cannot help but wonder why or how. Especially when someone was decapitated, the whereabouts of his head unknown. And when the crime scene, in all likelihood, was a $769,000 lake house.

Among locals who didn&#8217;t even know the slain couple, an uneasiness set in. The notion of such an atrocity in an exclusive, golf course-ringed neighborhood struck at people&#8217;s deepest fears: If it happened there, is anywhere safe?

The FBI&#8217;s Behavioral Analysis Unit has provided Sills with a broad description of the culprit.
Practically anyone could be the killer.

When asked how residents were coping in the year since the killings, a 77-year-old woman who lives a few doors down from the Dermond house told a reporter that she didn&#8217;t want to discuss the matter.

Another neighborhood woman described the circumstances of the case as &#8220;horrible.&#8221;

&#8220;We&#8217;re sad,&#8221; said the woman, 74. &#8220;We&#8217;re very, very sad. They were lovely people from all I know. ... I can&#8217;t imagine this happening.&#8221;

The Rev. David W. Key Sr. of Lake Oconee Community Church, where the Dermonds were members, says shock and despair linger.

&#8220;It may have shattered any kind of false security that we&#8217;ve had,&#8221; Key, 52, said last week. &#8220;Now part of the challenge is that we live with unanswered questions.&#8221;

Read more here: http://www.macon.com/news/local/crime/article30230859.html#storylink=cpy

<Snipped>

He has an interesting last name - key. Maybe the killers had a key to the home? Who besides family would have a key to the home?

 

[Bootsctr]

Here's a link or 2 I found recently about the case and Sills. Seems to give a few more clues than I've seen before. Sorry if you've seen this before i'm sure most of you have but it was an interesting read. http://www.atlantamagazine.com/grea...-county-sheriff-howard-sills-chases-a-killer/

http://www.macon.com/news/local/crime/article30230859.html

I love the Atlanta magazine article. Thank you for reposting. It is one of my favorites. I could see Matthew McConaughey playing Sills in a movie role.

 

[wildebeest]

He has an interesting last name - key. Maybe the killers had a key to the home? Who besides family would have a key to the home?

Hi, Boots!!!

Very interesting comment about a key. Didn't hockeyguy mention a possible suspect? :gasp:

IMHO

 

[watcher9]

Here's a link or 2 I found recently about the case and Sills. Seems to give a few more clues than I've seen before. Sorry if you've seen this before i'm sure most of you have but it was an interesting read. http://www.atlantamagazine.com/grea...-county-sheriff-howard-sills-chases-a-killer/

http://www.macon.com/news/local/crime/article30230859.html

Welcome to WS and this thread!
Thanks for reposting the links.
When I reread the Atlanta article, this part stood out to me for some reason.

I remember seeing some pictures of the different areas, but did we ever have a rough map/diagram which shows the home, Wallace Dam, the Ritz lodge, and an estimate of where MrsD was recovered?


Down where the Oconee opens up, in a bend above the Wallace Dam, the lake swings north toward the Ritz lodge four miles away. It was there, five miles from the Dermond home, that two fishermen found Shirley Dermond&#8217;s body.

- See more at: http://www.atlantamagazine.com/grea...d-sills-chases-a-killer/#sthash.t2c5DHzS.dpuf

 

[wildebeest]

Just read the article about Sheriff Sills in the Atlanta magazine. He has an impressive resume and I like his demeanor. I think the Dermond case is in good hands. I don't think SS is a quitter, he is working very hard to solve this case.

IMHO

 

[Peppery]

What about a house keeper or groundsman? Did the Dermond's have a lot of hired help? I keep remembering the neighbor that allegedly heard men's voices the morning of the crimes.

It's been said by one of the sons that they didn't have any help, that they maintained the home and grounds themselves. We discussed at length how that could be possible at their ages. I can't find any confirmation of no help from LE though.


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[Peppery]

This is the part that gets me. Why a knife? Why not a gun (with a silencer)?
Would this knife be used in fishing as well as hunting?

As a side note, could the sighting by the witness have spooked the perpetrators into grabbing MrsD and leaving the scene before they had a chance to rob the home?

Except it's been determined Mr. D was decapitated some time after his death. The actual MOD can't be confirmed without his head.

I don't know anything about silencers. Is it safe to say if a gun was used, it would be a revolver or that a shell casing was removed by the perp? How likely is it that a bullet would remain in his head without exiting? We've discussed before that could be a motive for the decapitation.


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[southernmimi]

I think if the murderer hit Mrs. Dermond in the head to kill her, they most likely used the same method to kill him. Decapitation after death would be a message to someone. Hope I live long enough to see this most horrible crime solved.

 

[Deleted member 162919]

I thought Sills sais he interviewed the landscaper. Usually these places have a company come in and do the ground maintenance. Not to say its not possible but I doubt an 88 year old man or an 87 year old woman is going to maintain what looks like about an acre plus of land that's a lot of work and in Georgia that's almost year round work. Upkeep of the inside of the house like cleaning I can see them still being able to do on their own.

 

[Deleted member 162919]

Yes I did mention him as a suspect . I still think he's suspect # 3. Beheading is a religious act and his church is a business just like any other business except for he pays 0 taxes. Who outside of the family would be able to gain access to the home so easily? Lets say it was the pastor. many people might have seen him there and just figured he's a pastor he wouldn't kill them. His response to the murders isn't exactly what you'd expect to hear from a preacher. Preachers usually use a crime like this like the news stations to drum up awareness about their church

 

[dancinunderthemoon]

I didn't know that either but it makes sense! A handy kit with all of the tools in one case. Bet it even comes with instructions that would work well for deer or others.

Regarding the cinder blocks, if they were checking home improvement stores the blocks were probably new. Used blocks often have cement on them which would be even better for weighting down a body.

and sometimes the cinder blocks have just been lying in wait, turning brown and worn on the edges with no mortar.........so now wondering, if no mortar, but unused but old and dingy, how would they distinguish new from used/old unused if they were under the water for a week, what color would a brand new cinder block turn if under wter for a week ? could you tell is was new or old and unused?

 

[dancinunderthemoon]

'A backwards walk in time'.. One thing that has always stuck in my crawl is the way Sheriff Sills described the precise nature of the cut performed when decapitating Mr Dermond.. It was almost described as if it was caped..

<BBM for Focus>
<snipped from link> Kristen D Swilley, WMAZ 11:36 a.m. EDT May 9, 2015
http://www.13wmaz.com/story/news/crime/2015/04/29/dermond-murders-update/26503553/

One popular theory the sheriff doesn't believe? That organized crime was involved.

"They usually just come in and kill you," he said. "These people went through a great deal of trouble to sever a man's head from his body then carry an 87-year-old woman to a boat at some juncture, tie cement blocks to her, and throw her in a lake."

Sills says while he's not afraid of whoever killed the Dermonds, he has what he calls a far greater concern.

"My fear here is I'm not going to be able to find out who did it," he said.

Because for all his work, Sills has nothing to show for it.

WMAZ
Billboards go up across state in Dermond case

"When you are looking for one fish in a big pond, and you don't have a stump to cast from then you start casting a mighty broad net," he said.

Sills says he frequently communicates with the Dermond family and that they have cooperated completely with the investigation.

Im sure it's been investigated but has it been discussed here? ; a ransom situation? Would the family not confess to such if they didnt comply or call the police if threatened their parents? The perps wuold have to kill the D's to keep the family quiet if they didnt comply? Maybe bluffed? IDK reaching again

 

[dancinunderthemoon]

I had forgotten about the neighbor hearing men's voices. Has it been determined to be the morning (weekend of the murders)? If the neighbor lived a few doors away, wouldn't it have been impossible to hear someone talking at the Dermonds, unless they were yelling?
Maybe these men who were talking were checking each residence on the street to find an entry point?
I assume by now that non-residents who own a house in that area have checked their homes thoroughly for damage or items missing.

you can hear talking of neighbors a few h ouses away tho I think the lots in RP are bigger so housing farther than some on the lake but I imagine proably some yelling was going on or very loud discussion so had to be inside the OPEN garage though or in the yard to hear anything

also good point about the possibility that the perps were spooked after being witnessed and so grabbed Mrs D on the way out, can't leave her behind to ID anyone

EH on the other hand, why not kill her quickly and leave IDK

 

[dancinunderthemoon]

He has to have a reason for thinking they came by car. Maybe the witness saw a car? I hope we have more info by the anniversary date. Why hasn't one of the crime shows picked this up yet?

Who is in control of a tv station airing these crimes? Starting to wonder if it's the sheriffs, in this case no other detectives are allowed in either.......

 

[Canaille]

When I saw a portion of this headline, I had hoped it was an arrest in the Dermond case.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/grandson-charged-decapitation-murders-oklahoma-daycare-n516076

 

[Zuri]

After reading about the prison guards that were arrested in North Georgia, I am now wondering if the Dermond murders could have been orchestrated from prison. Or am I way off base here? I hope the cell phone recovery or some evidence is in that contraband that could tie someone to theses heinous murders.

Wishful thinking I know. It just bothers me that the family has no answers and justice doesn't seem to be close.