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

[Luna20]

Has there been any LE statements on searching for the suspect? The truck model, color…what they are looking for, etc? Public threat?

 

[Boodles]

Hmmm…so he just:

- happened to get a flat tire
- decided to change it himself
- a vehicle passes by which AM notices (it didn’t stop to help though)
- vehicle turns around
- person(s) in vehicle shoots AM
- AM gets a non-life-threatening injury despite multiple casings found at the scene

And all this happens several months after his wife and son are murdered and no suspects have been named publicly.

Do I have that right? So very strange.

 

[stattlich1]

I've seen this a few times now so I'm guessing AM's lawyer actually said it...

Murdaugh's attorney Jim Griffin told the Island Packet the widower had been on his way to Charleston hours before the shooting, but had 'car trouble', and stopped.

So hours before the shooting AM was on his way to Charleston? The shooting happened in Hampton County. Is Hampton County that big it takes hours to gets through on the way to Charleston?

Did he perhaps stop somewhere before he left Hampton County and that's where someone followed him from? Or do you think it was a totally random, spur of the moment attack?

My mind is still reeling from this event, so much to consider.

It's this kind of wording and/or reporting that muddles the entire scenario.

Was he on his way to Charleston and had car trouble, came home, then went out again and had a flat tire?

Was he on his way to Charleston, had car trouble, and sat on the side of the road for hours before the shooting?

Was he on his way to Charleston, had car trouble, turned back toward home, and pulled over, for hours, before the shooting?

Curious why his car is on a road that is NOT the most direct route to Charleston.

And what about that truck anyway? Was it red, or blue, or white?

<modsnip>

 

[worm]

It's this kind of wording and/or reporting that muddles the entire scenario.

Was he on his way to Charleston and had car trouble, came home, then went out again and had a flat tire?

Was he on his way to Charleston, had car trouble, and sat on the side of the road for hours before the shooting?

Was he on his way to Charleston, had car trouble, turned back toward home, and pulled over, for hours, before the shooting?

Curious why his car is on a road that is NOT the most direct route to Charleston.

And what about that truck anyway? Was it red, or blue, or white?

And, and, well, I can think of literally dozens of things that don't add up, just like the rest of this case.

I was born at night, but NOT last night

Didn’t those reports indicate that AM talked with this lawyer or another family member earlier in the day? I don’t recall thinking he had been gone for several hours.

 

[Ann99]

Does anyone know if AM has Vanity Plates?
Wondering if his vehicle is immediately recognizable as AM.

 

[Gardenista]

Here's the route from his hunting compound, to yesterday's shooting site to Charleston

Google Maps

 

[LetsSolvIt]

<modsnip>

I think no BOLO for truck is very curious, indeed. What’s that telling us? They know who it was? AM says he didnt get a good look/cant remember what it looked like?

One thing we haven't factored in is that a bullet to head could have caused him to black out if only briefly, or if he fell to ground and hit his head, a concussion?

I’ve been wondering how LE feels about the amount of information already out about shell casings, truck driving pattern, number of suspects, situation, etc. Certainly more than we know about the June murders.

 

[Cryptic]

That's a very good point! What hand gun holds at least 10 rounds? (I'm not familiar with guns so have no clue what type of gun holds that many rounds).

For better, or for worse, pistols with 10 rounds plus capacity are very common today in the era of high capacity "double stack" magazines being increasingly the norm.

Decades ago, however, ten rounds would have been pushing to standard limit and could indicate that the pistol was likely re-loaded, a second pistol etc. .

The kind that i mentioned are usually 22 or 25 caliber with clips that hold 5 maybe 6. They are short and common defense arms due to size.

In previous decades, yes. But.... that was before pistols designed to hold high capacity double stack magazines became the new norm.

As a result, there are plenty of 9mm and 40 calibre pistols holding ten rounds plus available (not to mention rarer calibres if one seeks them out).

For the common calibres such as 9mm or .40, these pistols would not need to be special ordered etc. Rather, any pawn shop in South Carolina selling weapons will have a few on hand at any given time.

 

[LetsSolvIt]

Hi everyone ! This is my first post here sharing my theories But I've been a long time lurker.

theory 1: the shots were not intended to kill AM but intended to warn him. Perhaps someone does not want him to speak about something. Maybe he is aware of who killed his wife and son & whoever that person is would like to shut him up or someone involved in the Mallory Beach case wants him to keep quiet on something. This could include law enforcement or extended family, etc

Theory 2: The person did intend to kill AM, also in regards to keeping him quiet for something but just like we saw in the Vallow/Daybell case they ended up being a really bad shot while driving. I think it makes sense they would drive by first so that they could wait for AM to exit the car and then once he did turn around to shoot him.

Theory 3: same as theory 3 but instead of motive being to keep AM quiet the motive is to continue to take out the family in response to their past wrong doings.

Other possibilities are random shot or perhaps that he planned it toward himself but those are incredibly low on my list.

thoughts ?

Welcome!!

 

[Ann99]

From a mathematical stand point, the hit / miss ratio was probably about average- especially if the intended victim suspected an imminent attack and was running himself.

Drive bys, whether in urban Chicago or rural South Carolina produces far more misses, grazes and lightly wounded occasions than fatalities. In the end, hitting a target while moving is difficult, even before human factors such as rage or nervousness. If the target is also moving, the math moves even more in the victim's favor.

Does the word "grazed" lean toward a ricochet?
Maybe he was not meant to be shot directly.

 

[DizzyB]

I read the manual regarding the tire change. It appears that the vehicle does have at least a donut spare, and run-flat tires. I think I would have called the 24/7 Mercedes Benz roadside assistance and at least inquired about how long it would be before they could get a person out to change the tire. I wonder if he hit that button in the car, or placed a call to them.

 

[sunshineray]

Coincidentally, he was a 10 minute drive from the property where his wife and son were killed.

Then why is his lawyer saying he was hours into a trip to Charleston? In The Island Packet linked on page 27 of this thread. Now I'm more confused.

 

[Ann99]

I read the manual regarding the tire change. It appears that the vehicle does have at least a donut spare, and run-flat tires. I think I would have called the 24/7 Mercedes Benz roadside assistance and at least inquired about how long it would be before they could get a person out to change the tire. I wonder if he hit that button in the car, or placed a call to them.

Thank You!
So the vehicle did have run flat tires.
Honestly he could have driven 50 miles at under 50 MPH on a run flat and it would have been safer than the donut. Especially on that rural road.
Also, he could have had the Vehicle System call 911.
The black box from the Mercedes should give quite a bit of info.
Any chance the vehicle had the dash cam opition?

 

[Oakie]

Here's the route from his hunting compound, to yesterday's shooting site to Charleston

Google Maps

Yeah, I don't buy the claim that he was on Salkehatchie Road "on the way to Charleston". That's too far out-0f-the-way. <modsnip>

If this thing is ever unraveled properly, I see a whole bunch of TV shows, movies, and books resulting.

 

[Pesto919]

Thank You!
So the vehicle did have run flat tires.
Honestly he could have driven 50 miles at under 50 MPH on a run flat and it would have been safer than the donut. Especially on that rural road.
Also, he could have had the Vehicle System call 911.
The black box from the Mercedes should give quite a bit of info.
Any chance the vehicle had the dash cam opition?

I'd think he'd pull into the church's parking lot to change the tire. Much safer than the side of narrow road.

 

[Ann99]

I'd think he'd pull into the church's parking lot to change the tire. Much safer than the side of narrow road.

Good point !
This entire scenario would be simple to understand if he had just claimed to run out of gas...

 

[dkryder]

According to the current story AM was aware the truck passed and turned around. That leads me to think he should be able to provide a description to LE. So maybe LE is trying to apprehend the peeps and do not want to tip them off with releasing the description to the public. If this is the case I would expect an arrest within 72 hours <modsnip> MOO.

 

[chaz]

I've seen this a few times now so I'm guessing AM's lawyer actually said it...

Murdaugh's attorney Jim Griffin told the Island Packet the widower had been on his way to Charleston hours before the shooting, but had 'car trouble', and stopped.

So hours before the shooting AM was on his way to Charleston? The shooting happened in Hampton County. Is Hampton County that big it takes hours to gets through on the way to Charleston?

Did he perhaps stop somewhere before he left Hampton County and that's where someone followed him from? Or do you think it was a totally random, spur of the moment attack?

My mind is still reeling from this event, so much to consider.

Now the "hours before the shooting" is edited out of the article. But I do remember reading it.

 

[Pesto919]

This entire scenario would be simple to understand if he had just claimed to run out of gas...

Running out of gas would be a easier to believe. I'm so glad I've never had to explain some of my random (but innocent) detours I've taken when driving alone!

 

[MajorHoople]

South Carolina Murder Mystery Deepens After More Violence l GMA

posted Sep 5, 2021 - Good Morning America