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. But I take great offense to it. Last year, the judge gave full custody to Hiral Gopaldas and Punam's family hasn't seen the boy since. You know why? Odd that after that long a period of time that someone would come and obviously felt this tremendous remorse, or whatever their feelings were, would have to come back to the gravesite and put this under their headstone. Pat Moug: They can say whatever they want to me. If Tom killed his sister, then according to Pat, Jennifers own father and her other brother may have helped cover up the murder by dousing her body in gasoline and setting it on fire. The people I care about know I didnt do it, and thats good enough for me.. Snowden: We knew the distance would be a strain on the relationship. Sheriff Boone: Now, and, you know, now, in our mind, you know, Im thinking, you know, Jenny, are you trying to send us a message? Before long Investigator Boone had heard about Chris Woodson, too. For Pat it was crucial. So if thats the way that evidence, potential evidence was treated, Im sure theres not much. That part is true; it came right from Chris Woodsons statement to police. Unsolved Morgan murder still haunts Florence County sheriff 20 years later. How had Pat come to the conclusion that Tom could be a sociopath? Crime in Florence, South Carolina (SC): murders, rapes, robberies, assaults, burglaries, thefts, auto thefts, arson, law enforcement employees, police officers, crime map All Cities South Carolina, South Carolina smaller cities, South Carolina small towns Florence main page US Crime Crime rate in Florence, South Carolina (SC) But making movies, someone might have told the man, can be hazardous. And that, strange though it may sound, was the birth of the movie; it came out of anger and frustration. About 26% of Grand Strand and Pee Dee 2021 homicides remain unsolved 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. Gopaldas murder unsolved. The Monster murdered fourteen victims, usually young couples secluded in search of intimacy, in wooded areas during new moons.. Law enforcement conducted several investigations into the cases over . His name was Chris Woodson, a science major Jennifer met at her college campus. Snowden: It was awfully odd for her to leave campus in the middle of the day like that during her classes to come home. No. 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. And I just sat there and I just said dad what are you talking about? If, and this was a condition, if he, the banker, could direct it. About your 15 minutes? At least they had that watchthe old boyfriends giftfound in Jennifers hand. And he said yes, and he described Chris. And, you know, its not over. Unless there was a break or something.Morrison: Its not something she wouldve normally done?Snowden: Its not something she normally wouldve done. And soon they had their answer: Tau Kappa Epsilon, a new and small fraternity then at Francis Marion. Southern sun. Tom Morgan: Finally when I did talk to him his response was, its not illegal to put a ring under a headstone. National Detectives Just Used DNA To Solve A 1956 Double Homicide. But she was, I would say, what she was talking about was not normal in a loving, caring relationship.. Bold as a Lion had raised some very serious questions but were they legitimate? Or a DVD. Over the months they worked together, Pat says he discovered other worrisome discrepancies. What set it off was that phrase. We have worked so hard (emotional) to try and keep this in the forefront of peoples minds. Pat Moug, the Livonia, Mich., acting cop, looked like a cross between Mr. It wasnt at all surprising, said Boone, that Tom seemed to know things about the crime that perhaps only the killer would have known. I mean youre just cruisin through life, living life, everythings fine. Back then, Snowden was Jennifers special boyfriend. And he regularly reviews the evidence and case file, hoping to find some new angle or develop a new lead. I was thinking about it in the car, on the way over here.and what probably happened. Several synthetic fibers in the sofa ulpostery are highly flammable. Morrison: He didnt do those things?Tom Morgan: I dont think hes never spoke to my family. Six children; they were going to have a basketball team (laughs)Morrison: They were in love?Berg: yeah, they were in love. Tom Morgan: That tells you what kind of investigator he is to come to that conclusion without having the preponderance of the evidence, not all the evidence. All rights reserved. And to try and keep this investigation going for her sake. All victims have been submitted by law enforcement or the victims' families. I would want justice.. Login; . Hooked me all up.Morrison: That day?Tom Morgan: Right then.Morrison: What does that feel like?Tom Morgan: I felt ok, good check me off the list. Of course, things dont always work out the way wed like them to. 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. Part art, part desperate effort to prod the police to reviving the investigation. 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. They met through his sister Dina, who was Jennifers best friend. Kerry Morgan, mother: I had started calling her the line was busy-busy-busy. A fictional tale to point an accusing finger toward truth. So the project languished for a couple of years until, again, a happy accident. After all, Pat had put together material that implied without much subtlety that Tom had killed his sister and that Toms father and brother helped cover up the crime by burning her body. Morrison: Hes fictionally writing about him being there with ice cream.Pat Moug: And you think its a coincidence that he shows up in his script that he places himself at the murder scene minutes before his sisters murder and hes bringing a substance that after fire could be melted down and be a milky white substance. Tom Morgan, brother: I had complete confidence in our law enforcement. Pat Moug: I felt that being a police officer, someone that was a detective in sex crimes, that I thought Id be able to bring something to Jennifers story that other filmmakers might not be able to do. But, as we took a stroll through Jennifers woodsy trailer park, the sheriff gave us some graphic reasoning for his view that the murderer was none of the suspects youve heard about, but someone else altogether. He had gone in there - a brother looking for justice for his sister. Ah, hopefully were start a campaign to finally get justice for a girl you are about to meet. Fraternity brothers help him cover up the crime by setting fire to the sceneagain, the circumstances of the firesomething Tom imagined. Especially when someone else makes the sequel. Morrison: In your circumstances, this new wrinkle has entered the scene. FLORENCE Delmae Elementary School students held signs and cheered principal Roy Anne Jolley Monday as she was paraded around the schools bu, FLORENCE, S.C. -- One person was taken to a Florence area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries Sunday afternoon following a two-car cra, FLORENCE, S.C. Students from Wilson High School placed first among schools from North and South America in an engineering contest, winning t, Vera Nicole Godwin has been caring for patients at McLeod Regional Medical Center for five years. Tom Morgan: It kept me awake at night, just thinking about it and thinking about it. I mean, theres still a possibility. Then I faxed him a request from my detective bureau this was solely 100 per cent as a police officer, a fellow police officer and he never responded.Morrison: He doesnt think theres anything suspicious. First Pat implies Tom may have launched some sort of sexual attack on his sister. Then, because a couple of accomplices to the crime in Toms fictional movie script seemed to resemble Toms father and brother, Pat suggests that the real father and brother may have helped burn Jennifers body. One year after the murders, all charges in the case were dropped. Morgans murder has never been solved, and even two decades later, now the top law man in Florence County, Boone still thinks about the case. And yes, the woman who was having her baby the day Jennifer was killed. Yes, and somehow larger than life. Investigators told the family this attack was personal. She worked as nurse at McLeod Hospital and was raising her toddler son, Jai, at home in the Country Club of South Carolina. Pat Moug: How does he know by coincidence he writes this script where hes bringing ice cream to the murder scene. But, what about that watch? It was the last night Scott saw Jennifer, at her trailer, when Chris showed up. He wrote imagined conversations, pent up thoughts and feelings, about his own belief that Chris, the fraternity boy, killed Jennifer. Unannounced. Dina remembers Jennifer complaining that Chris would come over and stay for hours even when she begged him to leave. The 'Monster Of Florence' Case And Why It May Be Reopened - All That's And Charlotte was just a 2 and a half hour drive from the scene of the crime. Then a few minutes later, the most damning or outrageous part of Pats theory. Tom Morgan: He said at that time I was gonna be sorry. The air seems different. 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. The Morgan family also knew about Chris Woodson. Unsolved slaying haunts retired Marion police captain - SCNow For one thing, that odd story of the way Toms dad told him about Jennifers death. I am truly sorry.. A cop zeroes in Ethan Im gonna catch the person who did this. And I dont think they can give me one. Pat Moug, the actor-cop from Livonia, Michigan is out there with his own cinematic point of view that Tom may have killed his sweet sister, helped out by his own father and brother. And this sidelight what he really was passion was for acting and for making film.Morrison: SWAT team by day, thespian by night, huh?Tom Morgan: Yeah. The melted television and a few pieces of jewelry left behind, fused by the heat, seemed to rule out robbery. "I mean, how do the police keep you informed of anything newYeah, um we dont often get updates. Summoned to the scene was a young detective named Kenny Boone. She was like what? Pat Moug: For two years youve been telling me things that put you at your sisters accidentTom Morgan: Pat, this is what Im telling you. Tom Morgan: And for my closure, as strange as this may sound, I didnt want him to be a bad guy. Sheriff Boone: You know somebody can sit in Michiganand armchair quarterback this thing. Listen, Tom. Here Tom has no idea that a microphone and two cameras are placed in the room. Tom suggested those were left by his suspect, Chris Woodson. Im demanding justice for Jennifer Morgan. Six years later, triple murder in Florence still unsolved | WPDE It's obviously someone they know and knows the area very well.. 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. Tom Morgan: Its surreal. A whole list of suspicions for one thing, his obsessive phone calls, almost like a stalker, they felt. Pat Moug: If I step on somebodys toes, so be it.Morrison: If you ruin their reputation, so be it?Pat Moug: Well, theres a lot of people in prison whose reputations I ruined, and I dont care.Morrison: Yeah, but if theyre innocentPat Moug: Well, youre saying if. I dont.Morrison: Why would it be white? At that point it just seemed like Id be chasing another one of his lies anyway. But then Ethan loses his temper and accidentally kills her, and that part is Toms speculation. And of course, we have our legendary tale of the "swamp man.". Pat says his colleagues agreed he was right to be suspicious. Tom Morgan: No, I wasnt.Pat Moug: Tom, listen. Pat recalled that the Florence county investigator, Kenny Boone told him that an unidentified substance may have been found in Jennifers body. Is anybody saying anything? . Nothing that wasnt true but i brought up several times that this files been lost. The case remained unsolved for decades, until the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office took another crack at the Walker family murders case. Tom Morgan: No, listen to me. This, it seemed to Pat, justified his suspicions. On August 6, 2000, Wanda Evans was found dead in her home. I think she was looking forward to just having it settled. To Pat Moug, they were evidence that Tom Morgan had staged those items to direct attention away from his own guilt. But Pat offers no evidence that this actually happenedno receipts, or eyewitnesses along the way that can place Tom anywhere on this route. Ghosts and paranormal activities are pretty normal in a . But not yet, in spite of all thats happened, not yet. If it takes everybody in this country being mad at me to get justice for this girl, so be it. They were murdered in their car as Locci's six-year-old daughter was sleeping in the back seat, according to The Atlantic. Ketih Morrison reports. Pat Moug is a 4th generation policeman. I think partly because its based on a true story and partly because its a pretty good film. Did the wanna-be boyfriend, Chris, plant the watch in her hand just to make boyfriend Scott look guilty? The Murdaugh Murder Mystery Deepens in South Carolina - New York Times 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. And then she winds up face down on her bed. 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 . The Florence Murders 20 years later - KPAX So what about that substance? Pat speculates that Tom lingered at his parents house in Myrtle Beach for several days after a family reunion ended, and then - on his drive home to Charlotte, stopped off to kill his sister. Its a family just as close as it says its always been. To Tom, they were evidence that his suspect, Chris, had left them there out of his continuing remorse. I could smell it then.. Tom had no idea the whole thing was a ruse. Once again,. There were approximately 17,721 homicides in South Carolina between 1980 and 2019, according to the Project: Cold Case website for unsolved homicide statistics. 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. And so did that arson investigator in charge of the case. Working on it. With his tapes. And then a decision that would come back to haunt him: Tom wrote himself into his screenplay. Tom Morgan: Knowing that this is what it was like that day eight years ago. At first, said Pat, he wanted to back out of the project. Deputies found both women stabbed to death with Jai by his mother's body. In his fictional movie script, Tom had put himself at his sisters home just before the murder bringing ice cream. And said, How are you possibly working on this case when you dont even have any of the information? Tom Morgan: They took all of the sweaters out of the car, put them all underneath her bed, and doused those with gasolinein addition to dousing her body. Yeah. Tom Morgan: And they said weve got a cold case unit and we wanna reopen your sisters case.Morrison: Cold case unit?Tom Morgan: I was really excited. Tom Morgan was inconsolable, but found some comfort in believing that his sisters killer would be found. Pat Moug: Were you already back in Michigan? He just began to scribble. FLORENCE, SC (WBTW) - Thursday marks 20 years since Wanda Evans and Paul Coats were both found dead, and the case remains unsolved. Boone and other arson investigators didnt immediately suspect foul play. Murder Info. She wouldntve let it just go by the wayside.. You know that was a red flag and we just werent sure. You might believe that Morrison: In fact youve got nothingPat Moug: I dont agree with that. Victims of these crimes and their families should be afforded justice, that's why this crime should be thoroughly investigated.. Keith Morrison, Dateline correspondent: Still suspicious but not enough to take him in?Sheriff Boone: Right. There was no police presence, said Tom. Tom Morgan: Takes a second mortgage out on his house to pay for a film and resigns from the bank and says Im going for it and its like, God, I got the right guy. There's new DNA technology [investigators] are saying they are very excited with it, and they'll be applying those techniques, Bhav Patel told WMBF News. I made her pure because she was a good person. If you're looking at the places in South Carolina with the most murders, and where residents have the highest chances of being killed themselves, this is an accurate list. Professors proved he was three hours away at his college the morning of the Jennifers death. Boone says Chris Woodson claimed that the morning of the murder, hed been paying college fees and played racquetball, too, before going to engineering class. The two victims were brutally stabbed to death in 2011. Still, the screening of the film was a moment of triumph. Unsolved Mysteries Wiki. Morrison: Youre pretty angry about this.Kerry Morgan: Angry that my son will be hurt, yeah. Punam Gopaldas, 31, had made a life for herself in Florence.
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