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

[Tiff23fr]

This makes zero sense to me every time I read it. He was the only plaintiff named & indicted by the grand jury, correct? Maybe not? Anyone have access to the formal charges? How does this make sense?

I am not sure. Attached is the police report where at the time it appears there were questions on who was actually driving. I would venture that has been sorted out since…

Page 5: https://www.scribd.com/document/402648271/Police-Report-from-Mallory-Beach-investigation

 

[helpfulcharlie]

Is it possible they shot each other during an altercation? I know that is probably rare but since it’s not a murder/suicide (via LE) and nobody has been arrested and nobody seems alarmed at that fact, maybe? Sigh.

Seems less likely given (yesterday's?) news that both had been shot multiple times.

 

[Tiff23fr]

Seems less likely given (yesterday's?) news that both had been shot multiple times.

This statement also makes that seem unlikely:

Monday, 7:44 a.m.: In a Good Morning America segment, reporter Eva Pilgrim says: "The Murdaugh family releasing a statement saying they are devastated by the deaths but appreciative of law enforcement's ongoing efforts to find whoever is responsible for these heinous crimes."

Live updates Tuesday: Murdaugh family releases statement; SC police say still no arrest

 

[Eoj163]

“Legal hunting time for deer is the time between one hour before official sunrise until one hour after official sunset (50-11-710).”

Deer Rules & Regulations | eRegulations

• “On registered properties, feral hogs, coyotes, or armadillos may be hunted at night with artificial lights and nightvision devices using any legal firearm, bow, or crossbow.”

SCDNR - Night Hunting

Deer season doesnt start until August in SC. Over in December.

 

[Eoj163]

Aside from the store who sold to the underaged who is the other involved in the Civil suit?

BM and AM

 

[Marklhc1988]

I am not sure. Attached is the police report where at the time it appears there were questions on who was actually driving. I would venture that has been sorted out since…

Page 5: https://www.scribd.com/document/402648271/Police-Report-from-Mallory-Beach-investigation

This is where IMO the legaleze could divert from reality. The boat was the Murdaughs. The boat was the responsibility of Paul that night. IMO I don't care who was physically driving the boat - he was responsible and from all accounts he was acting completely irresponsible that night.

 

[Tbone144]

Scant few details but still three things in particular jump out to me

• Shooting happened between 9-9:30pm while Alex was out

So the perpetrator(s) either chose to assault the lodge right at nightfall and Alex happened to be out at that time or they infiltrated in the daylight and waited for Alex to leave. The 9-9:30pm time frame inclines me to believe 9pm is the time Alex has stated he last spoke to the victims or when he left the lodge and 9:30 is when he has stated he discovered the crime scene.

• Paul was shot at least twice with a shotgun, Maggie with what appears to have been an assault rifle

This lone fact paints all kinds of awful possibilities in my mind. I think it's safe to say that the violence was not something that was over in seconds. I also am somewhat inclined to think this indicates that no assault rifle was recovered from the scene but perhaps a shotgun was - or it might just be that characteristic shotgun stippling was obvious enough to first responders before the detectives closed the scene that rumor made its way out. Both of these weapons might also be found in a hunting lodge or even on an atv or whatever vehicle they used on the grounds

• A statement was immediately issued that there was no threat to the community

This one is almost baffling. I understand not wanting a community to panic but the authorities typically want to be 98% sure before they make a statement like this and it almost always means that they believe the perpetrators are either in custody or dead. I'm unsure if they would say this if it was a confirmed targeted attack though, like perhaps if the reason Alex found the scene so quickly is if he received a phone call - which might also indicate something else that I'm not allowed to speculate yet.

Also the loss of the Grandfather. For Alex to have lost his wife, one of his sons and his father in just a few days is so awful I cannot imagine it happening in a just world. No one could possibly deserve that kind of pain, I think?

Edited to add I just now closely read the article on Randolph's death and noticed that Randolph's father, Alex's grandfather was elected the county solicitor (aka district attorney in most states) in 1920, was killed in 1940 in a train crash, was replaced by Randolph who spent his entire career in the position before Alex was appointed to it in the 80s until 2006 when Alex left the position to open a private practice ending the longest family line to have held an office in US history according to the practice's website. It seems awfully strange to me for someone to abandon such a legacy to open a private law firm. Alex must have had a powerful motivation for doing so.

Amatur speculation only:
Reading that Paul was shot at least twice with shotgun, makes me wonder if he was the intended target and mom just is collateral damage.
Possible scenario:2 people hiding near kennel, one armed with shotgun and other with rifle. Paul comes out to dog kennel to take care of dogs, confronted by person with shotgun and shot once. Mom is in house, comes running out to see what the noise was, Paul shot again or maybe it took the second shot to have mom come out. First one could be a “what was that?”. Secondary gunman shoots mom so there are no witnesses. I find it hard to believe this would be a single individual walking through a wooded area with two long guns of differing ammunition. Extra rounds are easier to carry than an extra gun unless it’s a pistol which these don’t seem to be.
All IMOO

ETA: the dogs barking could have been what brought Paul out in the first place.

 

[branmuffin]

Yes. Article says this about weapons: "[Paul] was shot in the head and upper body with a shotgun, while Margaret was shot with an assault rifle, they said. " Possible there was one killer who used two weapons. Did the person use all the shotgun ammo on Paul and then use the assault rifle?
Son from powerful family 'was target of shooting at family's hunting lodge that also killed his mom' | Daily Mail Online

I would be interested in where the mother was shot. They mention discrete locations of the wounds on the son, upper body and head, which suggests that the shooter was fairly close to the victim. They haven't catalogued the location of the wounds to the mother. That gets me asking: was she shot in the back trying to flee or was she the first one shot to get her out of the way to focus on the son.

 

[bestill]

Amatur speculation only:
Reading that Paul was shot at least twice with shotgun, makes me wonder if he was the intended target and mom just is collateral damage.
Possible scenario:2 people hiding near kennel, one armed with shotgun and other with rifle. Paul comes out to dog kennel to take care of dogs, confronted by person with shotgun and shot once. Mom is in house, comes running out to see what the noise was, Paul shot again or maybe it took the second shot to have mom come out. First one could be a “what was that?”. Secondary gunman shoots mom so there are no witnesses. I find it hard to believe this would be a single individual walking through a wooded area with two long guns of differing ammunition. Extra rounds are easier to carry than an extra gun unless it’s a pistol which these don’t seem to be.
All IMOO

ETA: the dogs barking could have been what brought Paul out in the first place.

Interesting. If this happened they may have come in on foot? Now I wonder where the likely entry and exit point would be for someone not taking the main entrance in. Is there more than one way to enter the property or maybe the suspects used ATV's? I need to look at the aerials closer.

 

[branmuffin]

Thanks, that is so helpful!!
Would it be accurate to surmise then that a “rifle,” the weapon used on the mom MM, was a “cooler” gun - more the type that a gun enthusiast would reach for if given the option? It seems clearly more accurate & powerful, so I presume harder to get & thus has more cache among EG rappers, young male war LARPers etc ?

while the “shotgun” with which son PM was killed is a more ‘grab out the woodshed when you see a raccoon’ type? as in what many people in rural environments simply have lying around & not something with a “cool factor” like the rifle?

I don't think we should underestimate the catastrophic damage a shotgun could do at close range. Granted, a high powered rifle can cause catastrophic damage even from a distance of half a kilometre but a shotgun can decimate a person's head and tear out huge portions of the upper body at close range. It ain't pretty.

 

[Tbone144]

Interesting. If this happened they may have come in on foot? Now I wonder where the likely entry and exit point would be for someone not taking the main entrance in. Is there more than one way to enter the property or maybe the suspects used ATV's? I need to look at the aerials closer.

I was just looking at the overheads vs the crime scene still photos from the news. Appears the crime took place at their storage barn area north and east of the house. Google gives it a distance of ~1250 feet from house to barn but only ~500 feet off the road to barn. Doesn’t appear to be a clean line of sight through the trees from the road. No street view on google, I’ll try the app. So they both go down to check out a motion sensor, alarm, dogs barking, or something and are confronted by I still suspect 2 armed suspects? If no alarm to draw them out, I wonder if Paul routinely took care of the dogs at that time and his mom decided to join him on this particular trip.
All IMOO

 

[Yemelyan]

This makes zero sense to me every time I read it. He was the only plaintiff named & indicted by the grand jury, correct? Maybe not? Anyone have access to the formal charges? How does this make sense?

Could they bring charges against people who provided alcohol to minors or who enabled minors to buy alcohol? Not sure what the statue of limitations would be on crimes like that if they haven't been already charged, but those elements would also be part of the criminal investigation into the crash/death of Mallory Beach, I would assume?

 

[lstiff]

I was just looking at the overheads vs the crime scene still photos from the news. Appears the crime took place at their storage barn area north and east of the house. Google gives it a distance of ~1250 feet from house to barn but only ~500 feet off the road to barn. Doesn’t appear to be a clean line of sight through the trees from the road. No street view on google, I’ll try the app. So they both go down to check out a motion sensor, alarm, dogs barking, or something and are confronted by I still suspect 2 armed suspects? If no alarm to draw them out, I wonder if Paul routinely took care of the dogs at that time and his mom decided to join him on this particular trip. All IMOO

I did notice when I was re reading that it says bodies were found a few (several-?) fest apart.

 

[Eoj163]

Could they bring charges against people who provided alcohol to minors or who enabled minors to buy alcohol? Not sure what the statue of limitations would be on crimes like that if they haven't been already charged, but those elements would also be part of the criminal investigation into the crash/death of Mallory Beach, I would assume?

Yes. That is why his brother was brought into the civil suit because he gave PM his id.

 

[swedeheart]

Son and mom of prominent South Carolina legal family were shot 'multiple times' in double murder | Daily Mail Online

 

[Tbone144]

Son and mom of prominent South Carolina legal family were shot 'multiple times' in double murder | Daily Mail Online

So this says Dad was out shooting at the time of the incident and the bodies were found several feet apart and they wouldn’t comment if it was different rounds or not.

.
Richard Alex Murdaugh - Paul's father and Margaret's husband and a part-time prosecutor for the 14th Circuit solicitor's office - is said to have discovered their bodies at 10pm. Sources said he told cops he had been out shooting and returned to the grim scene.

Their bodies were found several yards apart from one another and shell casings were discovered at the scene, they said.

Shell casings would give good indication of number and type of rounds fired. Our rifle ejects the cartridge after firing. Our shotgun ejects spent cartridge when you rack a new one.

Harvey refused to answer any further questions about the case or confirm reports that two separate firearms were used in the slayings.

A law enforcement source last week told The Island Packet Paul was shot in the head and upper body with a shotgun, while Margaret was shot with an assault rifle.
.

Anything not quoted is IMOO.

 

[clearskies1]

Just issued -- SLED press release. Go to this link, scroll down and open the relevant press release: South Carolina Law Enforcement Division

 

[bestill]

I take this as the only update coming for awhile...jmo

 

[Tiff23fr]

A few Q&A’s in this article:

1. IS THE MURDER INVESTIGATION DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE 2019 FATAL BOAT CRASH INVESTIGATION THAT LED TO CHARGES AGAINST PAUL MURDAUGH?
Investigators with SLED have not said anything to this effect. They have released no information on any suspects or motives in the killings.

2. WAS THE DEATH OF RANDOLPH MURDAUGH III TIED TO THE MURDERS OF HIS GRANDSON AND DAUGHTER-IN-LAW?
Randolph Murdaugh, 81, the family patriarch and longtime former state solicitor, was seriously ill for some time before the murders, according to sources close to the family. He had not been expected to live long.

4. WERE DOGS ON THE MURDAUGHS’ PROPERTY KILLED THE NIGHT PAUL AND MAGGIE MURDAUGH WERE SLAIN?
Although people were asking about the dogs just after the killings, there do not appear to have been any dogs killed on the Murdaughs’ property the night Paul and Maggie Murdaugh died, according to sources familiar with the investigation.

6. HOW MANY WEAPONS WERE USED IN THE CRIME?
SLED has made no public statement on weapons. However, multiple sources familiar with the investigation have said that Paul Murdaugh was shot several times with a shotgun, and Maggie Murdaugh was shot several times with an AR-15 assault rifle.


Read more here: https://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/state/south-carolina/article252124318.html#storylink=cpy

 

[stmarysmead]

I’m really conflicted about the secrecy around this case. On one hand, I understand the reasoning, but on the other hand, I question whether the 911 call would be released by now…if the case did not involve such powerful people.


I’m thinking of the funeral procession for the senior Murdaugh…with cars from every type of Law Enforcement and judicial entity in the 12th circuit involved in the procession.

Murdaughs laid to rest in Hampton, quiet town shocked by recent deaths

From the Myrtle Beach article above…

3. DOES THE FAMILY’S LINK WITH THE 14TH CIRCUIT SOLICITOR’S OFFICE — ALEX MURDAUGH WORKS THERE PART TIME — INFLUENCE THE MURDER INVESTIGATION?
There is no evidence of that currently.

However, the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office has not answered calls, texts or an email asking for clarification on the role of Alex Murdaugh — Paul Murdaugh’s father — at the agency.

Neither Solicitor Duffie Stone nor the agency’s spokesperson responded to questions.

The bio on the website of Alex Murdaugh’s law firm says he “serves as a part-time Prosecutor for the 14th Judicial Circuit.”

A photo taken by the Post and Courier newspaper shows investigators with the Solicitor’s Office speaking with a member of the Murdaugh family last week, but it is not unusual for Solicitor’s Office investigators to be involved early on in a law enforcement investigation.

They help police in obtaining evidence necessary for future prosecution.

But there is precedent for Solicitor Stone possibly stepping away from the current murder case.

A day after the February 2019 boat crash involving Paul Murdaugh, Solicitor Stone recused himself from that case, citing employees’ ties to the Murdaugh family.

At this time, there is no public information of a suspect in the 2021 murder investigation — no one that the Solicitor’s Office would have to prosecute.

4. WERE DOGS ON THE MURDAUGHS’ PROPERTY KILLED THE NIGHT PAUL AND MAGGIE MURDAUGH WERE SLAIN?

Read more here: https://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/state/south-carolina/article252124318.html#storylink=cpy