florence, sc unsolved murders

The reason Tom was hauled in for questioning was because somebody had offered new evidence that suggested the real suspect all along should have been Tom Morgan. The old policemans trick of using a lie to get at the truth. Mahendrabhai Omar Patel Age. And angry, said Toms dad, that police would consider his son a suspect based on what Jim Morgan claimed were Pats lies. It was a shoestring budget. Ethan: I thought you had plans to see your family tomorrow. Tom suggested those were left by his suspect, Chris Woodson. So Tom packed his years worth of notes into his car and drove over to state police headquarters in Columbia, and there, for two and a half hours with investigators, he reviewed every detail, everything he knew about the case. But even as Tom says he tried to dampen the anger that was eating him up, he kept finding what looked like evidence. Jim Morgan: We found a bracelet at Jennies grave.Kerry Morgan: String bracelet, made with beads laying on her.Morrison: Right on the stone?Kerry Morgan: Yes. In the almost 13 years since Jennifer Morgan was murdered, her family has grown. FILE - Sandy Smith holds a photo of her late son, 19-year-old Stephen Smith, on June 24, 2021, in Hampton, S.C. A second autopsy was completed on the exhumed body of . Before long Investigator Boone had heard about Chris Woodson, too. To make it contradict itself. Boone sent the body to the forensic pathologist. And of course, we have our legendary tale of the "swamp man.". The whole family was all but paralyzed by grief. As the story progresses, the fraternity boy has an argument with Jennifer. Name. The Florence salon and the Dolly Madison Bakery murders remain unsolved. To Pat Moug, they were evidence that Tom Morgan had staged those items to direct attention away from his own guilt. And then she winds up face down on her bed. I wish I had that chance again.Morrison: You never get those chances again do you?Tom Morgan: Nope you dont. Map Browse By State. And thats just how I am. Scott Snowden: I gave it to her as a gift for Christmas, maybe her birthday. Id like to get everybodysMorrison: Tell us everything you know.Tom Morgan: Yeah. Clutched in Jennifers hand - not on her wrist, but in her grip was a watch. Plus, Moug had a great idea. . And when I do, the district attorney is gonaa seek the death penalty and probably get it.. And now the state police also stopped returning Pats calls. There was no identification on them, but it was surmised they were traveling or 'backpacking'. Sheriff Kenny Boone: And it was signed, Barney. Everything in this documentary is Tom saying it and Im just putting it together. And then those others, those would-be Sherlocks, chasing the riddle down their strange, opposing paths. They can say that Im doing this because I didnt direct Toms film. As far as she knew, her whole lifetime was spread out ahead of her. Their baby, the last of their four children, was dead. Whats interesting about his interview is that wed all had conversation, and Pat as a police officer says, Well what do you think about this? Youve got it all wrong. And finally, here it was: 11 years after her death, Jennifers story, flickered to life on the screen. For Pat it was crucial. In the summer of 2005, Tom Morgans movie about the killing of his sister, showed up here and there in independent film festivals. A mother has been trying to phone her daughter, her daughter Jennifer, at the mobile home park which was her off-campus residence. The people I care about know I didnt do it, and thats good enough for me.. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). Now, family members are finally opening up about the gruesome crime with hope the case will finally be solved. I think they wanted to base a movie on my case file, Boone said. But early on it didnt look like that precaution would be needed. (It was a Fossil watch.). Id love to be able to solve it.. Tom Morgan: Then were sitting and waiting for funding. In the small town of Florence, Montana, a nail and hair salon stood alone off the side of Highway 93. . They met through his sister Dina, who was Jennifers best friend. And when he brought the young man in for questioning, his suspicions only intensified. There was, however, one very curious discovery. Keith Morrison, Dateline correspondent: Still suspicious but not enough to take him in?Sheriff Boone: Right. But the fact is, Tom Morgan and Pat Moug may both have missed the real story. A fictional tale to point an accusing finger toward truth. Her mom, Kerry, and her father, Jim, struggled to come to grips with the worst news parents could ever hear. Morrison: And you think Tom did it.Pat Moug: I think theres a distinct possibility that Tom did it, absolutely. Well, as it turns out, they were both wrong. Dateline found another of Jennifers college buddies. Fri 25 Mar 2022 12.21 EDT Last modified on Fri 25 Mar 2022 12.43 EDT Families of victims of a serial killer who terrorised Florence in the 1970s and 80s are demanding a new investigation into one. HARTSVILLE, S.C. -- Author Beverly Spears discussed her new book, "Unsolved: A Murder in the Solid South," at the May meeting of the Old Darlington District Chapter of the South It simply states where murders occurred most frequently on an absolute and rate basis. I figured that there would absolutely be no resolve.Morrison: So that the investigation was what?Jim Morgan: It was botched. Tom Morgan: I said some not so flattering things in the past in the media about the case. Get Alerts Map; Browse By State; Submit a Crime Tip Square with arrow pointing upper right. Inside the burned mobile home in Country Squire Mobile Home Park lay the body of Jennifer Morgan, a 23-year-old FMU student from Horry County who shared the mobile home with a roommate. How do I not feel like this? And I just sat there and I just said dad what are you talking about? And the person who he told me in real life that he based the script on, this fraternity brotherhe goes to the trailer and when he gets there theres a man already there and he listens from underneath the window and the man leaves. Hed reverted from filmmaker to cop. "I mean, how do the police keep you informed of anything newYeah, um we dont often get updates. If Tom lied about where he lived on the day of the crime, was he lying about his actions that day, too? Jim Morgan: Before we ever met him, he would call 25-30 times on a Saturday when she came home from college.Kerry Morgan: Clingy, protective, stalky like he just stalked her.Morrison: How long did this go on?Jim Morgan: Six months, yeah probably six months. Same weapon, same circumstances and according to detectives in both counties, same shooter. We watched Bold as a Lion together, with frequent stops when Tom objected to Pats allegations. As for Kenny Boone, he says hes determined still that someone will be charged with the murder of Jennifer Morgan. But far from being botched, as both the Morgans and Pat Moug seemed to think, The sheriff says his investigation was quite thorough and that he looked pretty carefully at the suspect Tom Morgan made into a character in his fictional movie, the real-life frat boy, Chris Woodson, who seemed to be obsessed with Jennifer. I mean, theres still a possibility. For it to happen so early in the morning it shows that it mustve been somebody she knew. Snowden: It was awfully odd for her to leave campus in the middle of the day like that during her classes to come home. He waited for the polygrapher, and an awful feeling washed over him. Boone was a young investigator with the sheriffs office at the time and soon learned there was much more to this call than fire. Through further examination of the crime scene, it became evident to investigators that someone used gasoline to set the blaze in an apparent attempt to destroy evidence. Tom Morgan: Now thats strange to me that that watch would be in her hand. For a start-up independent, the film did pretty well; it broke even. She started as a nurse extern while completing her nursing degree at Florence-Darling. After all, the murder and the fire to cover it up all happened in broad daylight right in the middle of a mobile home park next to a busy four-lane highway. Morrison: Its your suspicion that Tom is stagingPat Moug: My suspicion is that its connected. Jim Morgan: It just takes time for it to really sink in and say yea you know it really is true and you know youre never gonna see her again. And lo and behold the detective has this milky white substance in the vagina.Morrison: But arent you taking two and two and coming up with five?Pat Moug: No, I dont think so. The murders of teen sweethearts Lloyd Duane Bogle and Patricia Kalitzke had gone unsolved for more than 60 years. Ill just say that.Morrison: Was there a guard around the place?Jim Morgan: No, I was told they would be guarding and watching the property, but there was no one around. It seemed to Tom that the watch must be important evidence. Jennifer: Im Jennifer. I dont agree with that. He can sketch a diagram of Morgans mobile home. Tom Morgan: I just had an interesting conversation with my father the other night. It was he, said David, who left the bracelet and the ring at the grave, as tributes to a good friend. Embarrassed, Tom told Pat, about running away from some financial and romantic mistakes hed made up in Michigan. You know why? I made her pure because she was a good person. But what about a motive? South Carolina is loaded with history and ghostly tales of suspense. And what did Pat Moug do? All these years, Pat suggested, Jennifers whole family may have been involved in a massive cover up. Difficult, because [Punam] was finally trying to end her arranged marriage to Hiral Gopaldas - a man she claimed abused her. Youre boyfriend is he your family? And, out of the blue, unsolicited offered a bizarre theory as to how Jennifer may have been killed before the fire got to her. Last year, the judge gave full custody to Hiral Gopaldas and Punam's family hasn't seen the boy since. I thought he meant cinematically. Is it gonna be tomorrow? And it wasnt just flowers the family found but couldnt explain. Callers need not reveal their identities. Sheriff Boone: But, one of the suspects that we had was right here.Morrison: In that one right there? I think she was looking forward to just having it settled. A whole list of suspicions for one thing, his obsessive phone calls, almost like a stalker, they felt. Because, says Pat, of something he saw in Toms fictional movie script. And so surely, that investigator down in Florence county, South Carolina, Kenny Boone, would jump all over what Pat had learned. Kenny Boone put his suspect, Chris Woodson, into a car, and drove him the 90 miles from Florence, S. C. , to Columbia, where a polygrapher was waiting at the headquarters of the state police, or sled as they are called. That included any fibers, hairs or fingerprints that might lead to a suspect. She started seeing other guys, I started seeing other girls. And, in rebuilding our lives. Morrison: So, what do you think happened?Pat Moug: He had an unhealthy relationship with his sister. Thats what I meant by I was gonna be sorry. We would do anything to bring her back.Morrison: The key argument that Pat Moug makes isyou put yourself in this moviemaybe because youre a narcissistic sociopath who needs to get to taunt peopleto get as close as you can to the crime. But she was, I would say, what she was talking about was not normal in a loving, caring relationship.. Sheriff Boone: But at the time the polygraph examination came back inconclusive which coulda went either way. One year after the murders, all charges in the case were dropped. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Finally, theyll get to see the work thats consumed three years of his life. She was not a small girl. We have worked so hard (emotional) to try and keep this in the forefront of peoples minds. Does a diploma or something, at the end of it?Pat Moug: Ah, a certificate. Tom Morgan: I just want the story to be told, told over and over again until maybe somebody says hey I know something about that. RightrightSheriff Boone: At the time I think the fire was set, right before it was called in at 12:28.Morrison: So, if that was a deliberately set fire, you can put him right hereSheriff Boone: I can put him in this street. And yet, there is not much doubt: these are friends, and theyre hugely supportive. Toms screenplay was shot in a fast and furious 24 days. But Pat offers no evidence that this actually happenedno receipts, or eyewitnesses along the way that can place Tom anywhere on this route. Now, the family wants the criminal case back in the spotlight. Finally I had gotten someones attention. Pat Moug: Tom, I know you were at your sisters accidentJens accident.Tom Morgan: No, I wasnt.Pat Moug: Tom, I know you were. It was just after 12:30 p.m. By the time the fire department arrived, the intensity of the blaze had roasted one end of the mobile home. But Pat would not be directing. The City-Data.com crime index weighs serious crimes and violent crimes more heavily. You have permission to edit this article. What evidence there is, or most of it, anyway, is still in the sheriffs issue cardboard box. I can see it is. I just didnt want to feel like that anymore. But Jennifer, like the center of any Movieland mystery as you will see hides her secret well. Tom Morgan: That last weekend that I saw her, the phone rang at least 10 times. Tom Morgan: He said at that time I was gonna be sorry. So what about that milky white substance he says the sheriff told him was found in Jennifers body, which was at the heart of Pats suggestion that Jennifers death could have been caused by some inappropriate sexual event involving Tom? But she told us simply this: As far as she remembers, there never was any milky white substance. He was crying and he was, his emotions and stuff thy way he was acting, you know, it kinda led me to believe that you this could be our man. Tom Morgan: Thats not evidence, apparently. Ghosts and paranormal activities are pretty normal in a . That this staged event at the murder scene isand the ring is possibly staged.Morrison: Did you ever ask Tom about that?Pat Moug: No. Later that same week, the Morgans saw Chris again at the funeral. This boy, Chris, and one of his fraternity brothers came over to the Morgan house. Somebody had left a bracelet, and a fraternity ring at the headstone. Jennifers autopsy revealed no sign of sexual assault. But, it turned out, there was an alibi, said Boone, and a pretty solid one. Why would a woman likely fighting for her life hold on to a thing like that? We cut the carpet and picked it up. Six children; they were going to have a basketball team (laughs)Morrison: They were in love?Berg: yeah, they were in love. They also consulted psychics, but so far, nothings panned out, Boone said. Morrison: He didnt do those things?Tom Morgan: I dont think hes never spoke to my family. This is something that happened that wasnt premeditated because in my mind thats the only way I can forgive him.Morrison: Why wouldnt you want to hate and seek out and see justice done to this person?Tom Morgan: Because I gotta live with myself every day. Well the man thats there is Tom Morgan. Toms theory? What is she doing? A cop zeroes in Ethan Im gonna catch the person who did this. What is it your mom said? Im not goingIm not going to go away. Mind you, Jennifers father had been feeling that way since two days after the fire when he came here to the trailer park to pick up her car. What of the evidence investigators did have? MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - The Myrtle Beach Police Department had only one unsolved murder during 2009, and even with few details in the case, investigators are hoping someone will come. This whole thing tears me up. And so did that arson investigator in charge of the case. Episode 1; . I think she sat down on the couch had opened a book, set a drink down on top of a coaster on a coffee table.Morrison: Cause theyre there.Sheriff Boone: We found those things. 423-8616 or the state Crime Stoppers hotline at (888) CRIME SC (274-6372). Whoever set that fire was trying to hide a murder. Pat says his colleagues agreed he was right to be suspicious. Three of them, actually. We think the person thats responsible for this had to be in the home to use the telephone or break in or some other motive.. Since he was writing fiction, he says, he wanted to make a change. Tom Morgan: This is someone I protect in my life. Pat Moug: I wanna thank everybody for coming out. I am truly sorry.. Where is she? (from the movie) Ethan: Im Ethan by the way.Jennifer: Im Tiger Woods.Ethan: You are definitely NOT Tiger Woods. Name. Ketih Morrison reports. This whole thing is surreal. Tom Morgan: One of the first questions to them was whyd you pick this whyd you pick this case now? Well, there was no arrest. As the interview continued, Pat heard other suspicious statements. Keith Morrison, Dateline correspondent:This is really hard and it comes through in your eyes. Pat, remember, had been replaced as the movie director when a new man was brought aboard. And so, as this strange tale unspooled, Tom would put his suspicions in his own movie. But Scott had questions of his own. We felt we couldn't talk about certain subjects and if we had, then we would lose our rights and it would have a detrimental effect on custody of the child, Patel told WMBF News. Pat Moug: I knew the road I was about to go down. Unless there was a break or something.Morrison: Its not something she wouldve normally done?Snowden: Its not something she normally wouldve done. He indicated to me that he did not remember telling Tom Morgan any of these facts. Tom Morgan: No.Morrison: --your sister? My aunt fell down quite easily, [Vinaben] was stabbed 4 times and died quickly we were told, but Punam put up a fight, she suffered.. I just remember how excited she was that weekend, and I just remember my little sister, and I miss her. Also, there was the way Tom talked about the weather on the day of the murder. I would want justice.. What Tom did not know is that Pat was only pretending to make a documentary. They've been in contact with SLED and say witnesses are being re-interviewed. But then Ethan loses his temper and accidentally kills her, and that part is Toms speculation. Or how could this have happened? Or whatever.Morrison: He was speculating, too.Tom Morgan: Everybody was. The audience saw that character hide in the bushes, growing jealous as Jennifer characters meets a male visitor. Deputies found both women stabbed to death with Jai by his mother's body. And Sheriff Boone thinks theyre both wrongthat quite possibly the neighbor did it. It was the morning of November 6, 2001, when a. Pats movie audience is eating out of his hand. Weve tried to give the family closure, and were trying to find the suspect, and you have these two people saying different things.. Florence County, SC Area Cold Cases Crime Map Trends Analytics Cold Cases Missing Persons Daily Archive Name Janice Wessinger Age 47 Cause of Death Homicide Info Homicide Agency South Carolina Crime Stoppers View Source Name Christopher Jordan Age 23 Cause of Death Murder Info Murdered Agency South Carolina Crime Stoppers View Source Name For Pat, this was the way to justice a film crammed with insinuation, accusation and an angry challenge to the sheriff of Florence county. But there it was. Tom Morgan: I went to the church. Tom Morgan: How dare Ihow dare I insinuate theyre not working on this case. FLORENCE, SC (WBTW) - Thursday marks 20 years since Wanda Evans and Paul Coats were both found dead, and the case remains unsolved. And they were gonna bring this thing to some closure for us. Pat did get Tom to admit, however, that he had lied when he told Pat he lived in Michigan at the time Jennifer was killed. This person who was so in love with her would come and instead of shedding one tear or even saying Im so sorry. Unsolved Murder Files; Unsolved Mystery Files; Legend Files; Suggested Cases; The Investigators . Ryan had just returned . Tom Morgan: Just couldnt wait to get out of school. Yes, and somehow larger than life. Nothing to do with it, responds Pat. We found those things. Kinda, indeed. But if Pat wasnt a exactly trained psychologist, he wasand isan experienced policeman. All along, something Tom told Pat had made him very suspicious. Keith Morrison, Dateline correspondent: How long were you at this Reed Institute.Pat Moug: Well, its a weeklongI think its a weeklong training for the first class. Both knew who gave her that watch. What the family needs now are more witnesses. Now he sees hes got something to lose and now hell leave us alone. I made her pure for my family. He sat there with a fraternity brother and described what probably happened that day. Well, said both Boone and the state police, it was all the available evidence that made them decide that the polygraph result was simply an error. By now, Tom had spent well over a decade trying to get police to investigate his sisters 1994 killing. And then he came down and said he really wanted to direct this film. But, I cant put him in that trailer yet.Morrison: What do you mean, yet?Sheriff Boone: You never know. Partly because the odd things didnt stop, even after Jennifer was buried and the months began to turn into years. I dont know. In 2007, NBCs Dateline profiled the case, but the broadcast didnt generate any new leads. Professors proved he was three hours away at his college the morning of the Jennifers death. He would and did not. The detective asked one simple question: Tom Morgan: You know, Any problem taking a polygraph? No, no problem. I think Jenny had gotten something to drink. In fact, in that hidden camera interview, Tom tells Pat he was at work in North Carolina, 170 miles away, on the day of the fire. 48 Cause of Death. Tom Morgan: And he said your sister died today in a fire and I dont want you to come home until tomorrow and he hung up the phone. It was August 9, 1976, on a deserted road in Sumter County, SC, when a trucker happened upon the scene of the murders. Tom Morgan: No, I wasnt.Pat Moug: Tom, listen. Is anybody saying anything? That became part of Pats evidencethat Tom may have sexually assaulted and killed his sister. Jump to a detailed profile, search site with google or try advanced search. He didnt work night and day on this case like we did. These days Chris, the one-time fraternity boy, owns a radio station here in union, South Carolina. Fraternity brothers help him cover up the crime by setting fire to the sceneagain, the circumstances of the firesomething Tom imagined. On November 18, 1978, an off-duty employee of the Burger Chef, a local fast food joint in Speedway, Indiana, found the restaurant's back door wide open. Pat Moug: In the one telephone conversation I had with the Florence County Detective, he informed me that, after Jennifer Morgan was murdered, there was an unknown milky white substance in her vagina. He places himself at the crime scene.Morrison: And emotionally what does that do to ya?Pat Moug: Its not a good feeling in your gut because youre thinking what happened to the girl? Does anybody suspect me? And now he decided he really would make a documentary. It was the fall of 2004. But only an idiot would miss the obvious message. Audience member: Were you able to verify any of his so-called alibis?Pat Moug: Well, the lastwell, the last alibiI did not. Question: Why do you think theyre so reluctant?Pat Moug: I dont know if its because Im an outsider perceived outsider as opposed to perceived fellow police officer. Kenny Boone and his investigators swooped hopefully into the newspaper office and discovered the ad had been placed by a local DJ hoping to save his own romance with a different Jennifer altogether. That Chris, in a jealous rage about Jennifers old boyfriend, lost his temper, killed her without meaning to then got his frat brothers to help him hide the crime with the fire. Punam Gopaldas, 31, had made a life for herself in Florence. And one of its founders on Marion Campusnumber 26 here on the roster of memberswas Chris Woodson. I take offense to it. There is no way anyone will come down and ruin my sons reputation, without an awful lot of hardcore facts. I could smell it then.. South Carolina Crime Stoppers View Source Square with arrow pointing upper right. On his way, said Tom, he stopped at the trailer park where his sister had died. And he said, we can arrange tointerview some people that knew my sister too.Morrison: So he was keen on being interviewed.Pat Moug: Yes. If it takes everybody in this country being mad at me to get justice for this girl, so be it. Kerry Morgan: I am totally a mother hen, I will fight tooth and nail, I will go to the wall for this. His sister Jennifer, 23, tall, attractive, funny, college marketing major, is our star, and the subject of our mystery. So the project languished for a couple of years until, again, a happy accident. A man and a woman (who have come to be known by Jacques and Jane) were shot three times each. Florence County double murder victims' family speaks out, Coroner: NC college student hit, killed by car in Myrtle Beach, PHOTOS: Damage reported after Sunday storms move through Grand Strand, Police: 1 dead, another hurt after shooting reported at Horry County bar, Coastal Carolinas Jerrod Clark, Lance Boykin sign with NFL teams, wmbf-publicfile@gray.tv - (843) 839-9623. Tom rattled off the script and threw it into a drawer. He had no idea, of course, where that would lead. Remember, as a complete ruse, Pat had shot some interviews with Tom. At that point it just seemed like Id be chasing another one of his lies anyway. Where did you get the information youre using there?Tom Morgan: We were all speculating at the time. With his tapes. Back when they were making that investors video. Jim Morgan: I could tell at the time that in my mind that there was not an accidental death. Pat Moug: See thats what shocking to him is what his dad said, dont come home tonight. It seemed like he was just glossing over what shoulda been the shocking moment to him is that he called me and said my sisters dead.. Heres a quote from the transcript of the interrogation: I said Jennifer promise me one thing. Ah, hopefully were start a campaign to finally get justice for a girl you are about to meet. Tom thought the killer might have put it there as a message of some sort. Right then and there, the complexion of Toms world changed. And then, two days after her death, Kenny Boone called, and they tried to absorb more news: Jennifers death was not an accident after all. Mahendrabhai Omar Patel Age. You know, question his authority? Ethan: Wondering if you wanted to see a movie or something with me tomorrow: Jennifer: Ethan, thats really sweat but, like I said I just wanna ..Ethan: Please stop, before you use the f word again Jennifer: great. Did you fly into Charlotte? Do you think thats a coincidence? How do you like your 15 minutes of fame.Morrison: So far. Sheriff Boone: I felt like this could be it because the motive could be there because of his jealousy or anger. It wasnt even political. The guys perfect. Is he? Please subscribe to keep reading. In his fictional movie script, Tom had put himself at his sisters home just before the murder bringing ice cream. As ahis ideas for the film or whatever. And yes, the woman who was having her baby the day Jennifer was killed. Tom Morgan: I remember that day. Why Woodson? And able to laugh again, though the gaping hole left by Jennifers death is, they tell us, just as painful as ever, along with the newer wound that comes from being accused. So, he could see outside right over to her trailer?Sheriff Boone: Right.Morrison: And see that she was home alone.Sheriff Boone: We can put him leaving this mobile home, walking in front of this mobile home right here, and walking down four mobile homes on the right to use the telephone to call his girlfriend.Morrison: What? There would be two movies, remember twin parades of hope and folly. We were the lucky lottery winner that theyd pulled up our case.

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