gibson family murders

[14] A substantial issue arose when Gibson had a tattoo done on the back of his shaved head, which said "Death Row X3". [4] During that time, he found a job at C&C Hardwood Flooring in Borden, where he was described as a diligent worker, and was regarded positively by friends and neighbors for attending the local non-denominational "Power of the Cross" church, making papier-mch figures and for helping his sick mother - on the other hand, patrons of the bars he frequented considered him strange, and on at least a few occasions, he had asked out women to visit his home, to varying success.[4]. [8] Later that day, Gibson was arrested for drunk driving in Whitis' car, and was charged with her murder five days later. Thanks to bodycam footage of interviews, cell phone records, and law enforcement testimony, much of what Murdaugh did from that moment on is documented and plays a large part in the case against him, though the documentary barely touches on it. As the police were just beginning to investigate Garber's murder, they heard over the radio that the Gibson Bank, just eight miles away, had been robbed of $65,000 by two white men in ski masks and coveralls shortly after 10:00 a.m. A 10-year-old girl saw the car that the bank robbers drove up to the bank: a blue sedan. Harsent was six months pregnant at the time of her death. Authorities are investigating whether he was responsible for six . Donna Thorngren shot her husband, Curtis Curt Thorngren, Dr. Mark Wangler killed his wife, Kathy Wangler. Four of the murders Gibson is linked to happened in May and June. Rogan Gibson, who said he was a close friend of Paul's and the Murdaughs were like a second family to him, told investigators shortly after the killings he was 99% sure he heard Alex Murdaugh's. In a frantic 911 call on March 1, Michelle Gibson tearfully told police about a grisly discovery she made at 2 a.m. in the familys Peoria, Ariz., home. She was real shy. ", "These two stepbrothers were starting to develop a closer relationship," said Scharnberg-Hampton. Parole officials did not object to a recommendation by the public defender to sentence Gibson to time served plus 18 months probation. Two weeks after this incident, he joined the Army and was stationed in West Germany as a mechanic. When Michelle and Alysa returned home, they aided the other three in destroying evidence. It was tragic, the way we lost them., He told Dateline that, Cody was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.. Gibson eventually stopped attending church altogether in late August 2011, when his mother was admitted into a nursing home. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! "I didnt shoot my wife or my son any time, ever.". Asked whether he felt bad, Kauffman told police, "No, not really. That was confirmed by a subsequent tip from a local hotel employee who'd seen the boys with two girls at the hotel around the time of the murders. All rights reserved. Once inside, the responders found the brutalized bodies of four teenage girls-Amy Ayers, Jennifer Harbison, Sarah Harbison and Eliza Thomas. Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood. ", Alex Murdaugh disputed that, replying, "That's not correct.". Whenever he went to school, Gibson was bullied up until the sixth grade, when he became large enough to defend himself - however, he started bullying other children. The Pulaski County Sheriffs Department and the Somerset Police Department are conducting the investigation. Of the parade of SLED agents and affiliated professionals who testified over the course of the prosecution's month-long case, the defense attorneys poked holes in each testimony, in particular highlighting errors in securing the crime scene early on and collecting evidence. Wilson had worked with Murdaugh on various cases in which Murdaugh has been accused of misappropriating funds. Later that night, as police officers were putting tape around the crime scene, McAbee and Molina-Pompa returned to the house and approached the investigators. "No, I did not," Alex Murdaugh said. Around 2:24 a.m. on June 6, 42-year-old Ronald Wright as shot and killed in a street robbery in Wilmington, Delaware. It didnt take this long. Updated: Dec. 10, 2020 at 7:42 PM PST. However, during the prosecution's case over the past month, there has been minimal evidence to suggest Murdaugh would benefit from the deaths, financially or otherwise. On October 10, 2002, Gibson was out drinking at a bar in Jeffersonville when he met 44-year-old Karen Sue Hodella, a beautician from Port Orange, Florida, who was visiting a boyfriend of hers at the time. Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. Im with my kids and I just got home and my husbands out in the garage dead!. Angered by the accusations, Gibson punched Hodella in the face, then took out a pocket knife and stabbed her multiple times in the throat before driving around and dumping her body in Clarksville. Smith testified that she was at Murdaugh's parents' house when he visited the night of the murders, before he said he discovered Maggie and Paul's bodies. Gibson was extradited from Philadelphia to Delaware toward the end of the month, according to Miller. In later interviews, he claimed that he had never experienced any abuse or neglect from either of his parents. Murdaugh also denied the murders, emphatically responding "no" to Griffin's explosive opening questions delivered while waving guns in the courtroom that outright asked him whether he shot his wife and son to death. Authorities announced on June 12, after matching the shell casings in Garber's and Schultz's murders, that the boys were suspects. We were terrors., Both Lofreddo and formerDes Moines Register reporterKirsten Scharnberg-Hamptontold "Killer Siblings" McMahan was the outgoing, charismatic (and attractive) older brother, while Kauffman was a quiet, non-athletic kid in their circle that Loffredo described as a "dweeb. Linda Gibson was a fun-loving and easygoing 21-year-old woman, according to her younger brother, Clayton Gibson. On May 23, Gibson was officially charged with her murder as well, with prosecutors announcing that they would seek the death penalty for all three killings. She said that some days later, Murdaugh had a conversation with her that she found upsetting, in which he told her that the visit had lasted 30 to 40 minutes, but that to her recollection, it had lasted 20 minutes. The officer who found it recognized it as belonging to Gibson resident Island Schultz, 18. On the following day, one of Gibson's sisters went to their mother's house to settle the division of the family estate, and after checking the garage and finding Whitis' body, she immediately notified the police. Waters asked Alex Murdaugh if phone calls he made during that time, including to his wife, was to "manufacture an alibi. [2] This continued outside of school, with a childhood friend, Melodie Schultz, claiming that Gibson had shot another child in the eye with a pellet gun. Smith was found dead just before 4:00 a.m. EDT on July 8, 2015. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. The boys left in the morning but picked them up around noon in a green pickup truck and with a bunch of cash. Firstly, Murdaugh's former close friend Chris Wilson testified that on September 3, he had been told by Murdaugh's law firm partners that Murdaugh had been stealing money. His employee-tenant, Barb Garber, 52, had unusually for her not shown up for work that morning. The narrative jumps from speculation about the stress the family was under following the boat crash, to a ghoulish reconstruction of Murdaugh walking around the bodies of his wife and son, overlaid with the audio from his 911 call. [2] Eight months later, Gibson was charged with robbery and sexual battery relating to an incident involving a 21-year-old woman whom he sexually assaulted in a phone booth near the Louisville Galleria in Louisville, Kentucky. "Mahaska County, it is one of the safest counties in the state of Iowa," he told producers. In interviews with police, the teenage girls said that they had "partied" with McMahan and Kauffman at the hotel on the night of June 10. The next morning, they used a ruse about needing Garber's phone and once inside, McMahan told Kauffman he had to kill Garber in order to prove himself. Murder charges have been approved for his alleged killing of a North Philadelphia Dunkin' store manager. This week Cold Hearted examines the 1975 murder of Sherry Gibson, a case where the truth took nearly three decades to be revealed. State investigators went to the boys' home the following day, shocking their parents, who said they didn't know much about McMahan's friends, but knew he had been hanging out with Kauffman often. Investigators found .22 caliber shell casings nearby and noted her green Ford pickup truck was missing. Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner approved murder charges Wednesday against Keith Gibson in connection to the February fatal shooting of his mother, Christine Gibson. I think it is fair to say that there arguably has been a systemic failure when someone with a record this terrible, who has completed a lengthy sentence for homicide, is under very serious consideration for killing his mother and he remained on the street, Philadelphia DA Krasner said. [1], From an early age, Gibson displayed odd behavior, having trouble speaking to others, struggling at school, and preferring to stay home with his mother. Young Women in Salt Lake City Fearful of Serial Killer, Barbara Jean Rockys Sisters Speak Out on Reopening Her Case. Clayton told Dateline that Linda would just sit there and cry. Molina-Pompa held a gun on Steven as McAbee bashed the 39-year-old several times in the head with a baseball bat. Alex Murdaugh faces 30 years to life in prison without parole if convicted of the killings, for which he has pleaded not guilty and adamantly denied. Prosecutors have focused on footage taken from Paul Murdaugh's cellphone the night of the murders, including a video taken at the kennels several minutes before the victims were believed to be killed that investigators said has Alex Murdaugh talking in the background. In an ensuing high-speed chase, he eventually crashed into another vehicle, from which the other driver had eight ribs broken, and Gibson suffered injuries that required numerous stitches on his head. Vanore said there still remain questions to be answered in the slayings, but its certainly on our list of cases that were looking at with regard to Gibsons possible involvement. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison. Dylan Eason and Isaiah Churchwell were convicted of murdering Cynthia William "Patrick" Alexander remains in prison for murder. [13] In regards to his upcoming murder trials, he changed his plea and waived his right to a speedy trial, choosing to plead guilty to Hodella's murder instead. His employee-tenant, Barb Garber, 52, had unusually for her not shown up for work that morning. During Turrubiate-Simpson's testimony, she said she had a conversation with Murdaugh around two months after the murders in which he told her he was wearing a shirt by the brand Vineyard Vines on the day, although she remembered a different polo shirt from that day. The bodies of Margaret Murdaugh, 52, and Paul Murdaugh, 22, were found dead from multiple gunshot wounds near the dog kennels at the family's home near Islandton, South Carolina, in June 2021, authorities said. Responsible for six my son any time, ever. `` on various cases in which Murdaugh has accused., 2020 at 7:42 PM PST gun on Steven as McAbee bashed the 39-year-old several times the. The other three in destroying evidence he felt bad, Kauffman told,. 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