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

[Bridger]

It seems like the arrests in Colleton County have picked up since the shooting. Mostly people with previous drug offenses. I wonder if it is related.

Rounding up the usual suspects? Trying to get one to squeal is my guess.

 

[MoeInVA]

Rounding up the usual suspects? Trying to get one to squeal is my guess.

Agreed. I have been watching new arrests added to the inmate search, new charges added to sc courts website, then charges erased. I wondered if it was bringing in folks on the highest legal charges to question them and then dropping the cases. The Culleton County cases are disappearing as soon as they are entered. JMO.

 

[Marysmith]

Agreed. I have been watching new arrests added to the inmate search, new charges added to sc courts website, then charges erased. I wondered if it was bringing in folks on the highest legal charges to question them and then dropping the cases. The Culleton County cases are disappearing as soon as they are entered. JMO.

Wow!

 

[worm]

Agreed. I have been watching new arrests added to the inmate search, new charges added to sc courts website, then charges erased. I wondered if it was bringing in folks on the highest legal charges to question them and then dropping the cases. The Culleton County cases are disappearing as soon as they are entered. JMO.

LE is probably fishing for the word on the street. Trying to find out what’s being said from those in illegal activities.

 

[MrsWatson]

Family Says Recently Murdered Scion of South Carolina Legal Dynasty Received Online Threats Over His Role in 2019 Death of College Girl

Nothing really new, but a good summary, including lots of links to articles with information about the family and the boat accident.

 

[stmarysmead]

Depositions shed new light on the death of Lowcountry teen | WSAV-TV

There could be a drug connection to these murders.
‘

‘Doughty admitted she had seen Paul Murdaugh do cocaine and weed, but no one said they knew if he had done any drugs that night.’

 

[taylorss]

Wow!

My thoughts exactly … this sounds nuts

Well at least they’re doing something

 

[Sheila Terranova]

I’m a little slow but I’m going to stick with Occam’s razor.
Rich kids who play with coke and pot are rarely targeted for murder so that seems highly improbable. I experimented with drugs as a kid, and the dealers could not have cared less about me. Dealers kill each other, or huge debts, but that’s a real reach in this case since Paul doesn’t look strung out in his photos. My fsther was the head of NYPD Narcotics a long time ago. I never heard of a kid like this being targeted by dealers. Why lose a paying customer? And obviously if he had mega debts he would have been bailed out by the folks.

 

[stmarysmead]

I’m a little slow but I’m going to stick with Occam’s razor.
Rich kids who play with coke and pot are rarely targeted for murder so that seems highly improbable. I experimented with drugs as a kid, and the dealers could not have cared less about me. Dealers kill each other, or huge debts, but that’s a real reach in this case since Paul doesn’t look strung out in his photos. My fsther was the head of NYPD Narcotics a long time ago. I never heard of a kid like this being targeted by dealers. Why lose a paying customer? And obviously if he had mega debts he would have been bailed out by the folks.

‘You make some excellent points. We had friends though who were advised to show some ‘tough love’ and reused to bail their much-loved Son out 0nce again…actually had become doubtful of his ‘stories’ of threats. ’ He died under strange circumstances. I guess the threats brought this to mind for me.

After the boat crash, did PM have the same group of friends?

On another note, I will say that with the patriarch dying and this trial looming over them, this family was certainly under a great deal of stress.

 

[modesty blaise]

The father/husband is not a suspect??

 

[MrsWatson]

What was Paul doing with his time? Had he graduated college yet? Was he a rising senior? Did he work?

 

[stmarysmead]

What was Paul doing with his time? Had he graduated college yet? Was he a rising senior? Did he work?

From his obituary…

https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/t...n=paul-terry-murdaugh&pid=198983852&fhid=8980

‘Paul grew up with a love for the outdoors, and particularly enjoyed hunting at their lodge in Moselle with his father, Alex, and brother, Buster. He was a Junior at the University of South Carolina, where he was often found cheering on the Gamecocks with his friends and family. Paul never met a stranger, and had an abundance of friends. He was always eager to lend a helping hand to anyone in need. No one was more loving and genuine than Paul, and because of this, his personality was one-of-a-kind.’

 

[samsmom]

Hey all. Long time reader here. I am interested in this case and I watched Tricia’s YouTube show on this.

I started reading this thread and I am again amazed at the theories and ideas and just plain good detective work you all put in.

I am going to once again sit back and read in awe.

I have not read the entire thread but IMO there had to be at 2 people because of the type of guns and it more than likely was a for hire of some type. Again IMO

 

[taylorss]

The father/husband is not a suspect??

At first it looked like yes JMO - not just cuz he always is, but also LE seemed to have it all under control. That seems to have changed now tho ? Moo

 

[MoeInVA]

But, as rumors swirl around the deaths, DailyMail.com has learned that the four youngsters on board that night – Paul's ex girlfriend Morgan Doughty, Beach's boyfriend Anthony Cook, his cousin Connor Cook and Connor's girlfriend, Beach's best friend, Miley Altman – and members of Beach's family have all given DNA samples to homicide investigators.


SLED spokesman Tommy Crosby confirmed that investigators have also pulled digital and cell-phone records – including those belonging to Alex Murdaugh – to pin down individuals' movements on and around the day of the murders. He described this as 'a usual investigative process.'

Murdaugh was interviewed by investigating officers on Thursday 10 June. Sources close to him state that he has a 'cast iron alibi' for the night of the killings and that he is merely co-operating with the investigation to clear himself.



Survivors in boating mishap allegedly caused by murdered Paul Murdaugh voluntarily gave DNA samples | Daily Mail Online

1) What kind of DNA do you all think they got on the suspect(s)?

I’m thinking maybe on shotgun shells or something? Would there be ejected shells or bullet cartridges for both the shot gun and the automatic rifle?

I imagine those might be hard for a suspect to recover outside?

2) I wonder if the ground was moist the night of the 7th. I imagine a truck or ATV would have left some kind of tracks to at least suggest if a vehicle had been there.

ETA the Daily mail article linked above has some pages of depositions from the boat accident that I had not read yet. Those have all been quite a read. FYI.

 

[clearskies1]

1) What kind of DNA do you all think they got on the suspect(s)?

I’m thinking maybe on shotgun shells or something? Would there be ejected shells or bullet cartridges for both the shot gun and the automatic rifle?

I imagine those might be hard for a suspect to recover outside?

2) I wonder if the ground was moist the night of the 7th. I imagine a truck or ATV would have left some kind of tracks to at least suggest if a vehicle had been there.

ETA the Daily mail article linked above has some pages of depositions from the boat accident that I had not read yet. Those have all been quite a read. FYI.

They may not know if they have DNA yet -- may have taken DNA samples from people just in case. Wondering how far from the nearest road the bodies were found. Possible the person(s) responsible did not drive on to the property but walked in on foot? JMO.

 

[razzledazzle]

I wonder how PM spent the day of his murder. I wonder if toxicology will reveal alcohol or drugs? I ask because I wonder if he p&ssed someone off and they followed him home. Just thinking out loud. It could also be more planned than that and someone was laying in wait. I just don't know. JMO

Also, if I were going out around dark to care for the dogs, I, myself would take a gun of some kind - you know for critters or whatever. I stick my pistol in the back of my pants when I have to roll my garbage can to the road after dark - and I live in a lovely little neighborhood. JMO

 

[taylorss]

1) What kind of DNA do you all think they got on the suspect(s)?

I’m thinking maybe on shotgun shells or something? Would there be ejected shells or bullet cartridges for both the shot gun and the automatic rifle?

I imagine those might be hard for a suspect to recover outside?

2) I wonder if the ground was moist the night of the 7th. I imagine a truck or ATV would have left some kind of tracks to at least suggest if a vehicle had been there.

ETA the Daily mail article linked above has some pages of depositions from the boat accident that I had not read yet. Those have all been quite a read. FYI.

Just happened to have heard this yesterday in a totally diff context - an LAPD homicide detective (testifying in the Robert Durst trial for murder of Susan Berman) said that never once in his career had he found fingerprints on spent casings … fwiw

 

[Barry]

It's possible the DNA requests were to see who would cooperate and who wouldn't. MOO.

 

[Knox]

Investigators from the State Law Enforcement Division searched a Columbia apartment near the University of South Carolina where the slain Paul Murdaugh was living during the university’s spring semester.

The search was carried out this week after SLED obtained a search warrant from a state judge.

A top SLED official declined comment Friday on what investigators were looking for or may have found.

“They carried off at least one computer and likely took fingerprints and DNA samples,” said one person familiar with the search.

Murdaugh, 22, shared the apartment, located in an apartment complex at 612 Whaley St., with another student, sources said. The complex is located in the Olympia section of Columbia, a popular apartment area for USC students.

Read more here: https://www.thestate.com/news/politics-government/article252203618.html#storylink=cpy