Massacre in Georgia:7 people murdered in tiny town,6 in same house,police probe possible drug link,no arrests or suspects yet
Joe1orbit
Hello,
Over in a tiny town in Georgia, police have found SEVEN dead people, all of
whom have been murdered over the past 48 hours. In a private house in the town
of WALTHOURVILLE, police yesterday found SIX people, 4 men and 2 women, dead.
Some of the six people were shot, others were stabbed. Some were BOTH shot and
stabbed, but all six were definately murdered.
Earlier today, police found the dead body of a seventh person, inside of a
burning car, also in this same tiny town. Drugs and drug paraphenalia were
found at the scene of the massacre, which leads police to strongly suspect that
these seven murders are somehow drug related. All seven dead folks are in their
20's and 30's, age-wise. Police have no suspects, and they cannot say at this
point in time whether these seven murders were committed by a lone killer, or
by 2 or more perpetrators.
This massacre is being called one of the worst in Georia history, but my
particular level of excitement is muted at present, due to uncertainty over how
many perpetrators were involved. If indeed this is the work of a LONE killer,
my level of interest will obviously be greatly increased.
These killings were NOT done in typical "execution" style, as might be
expected with rival drug gangs. The victims were slowely killed, some of them
by multiple stab wounds, rather than quickly dispatched with a shot or two to
the head. This increases the odds, slightly, that a lone gunman may be
responsible, and may have committed this impressive massacre for reasons of
personal rage & hate & a True Reality desire to shed blood and end lives.
At the home, police found crack cooking on the kitchen stove, as well as a
bag of cocaine on the floor. The killer(s) did NOT take the cocaine with them
as they fled, which once again increases the likelihood that this was not a
ROBBERY or rival drug gang type of massacre. It it were, the perpetrators would
likely have taken at least the bag of cocaine.
Police continue their investigaton, but do not appear to have any hot leads
or suspects. They do NOT believe, at least judging from this wire report, that
this incident involved a murder-suicide. In other words, it looks as though all
SEVEN of these dead folks are homicide victims, and the killer(s) fled. The
killer is not among the seven dead, having killed the other 6 before killing
himself.
So somewhere in the great land known as America, there just might be a lone
killer of SEVEN people, on the loose and celebrating his (or her) prolific
accomplishments over the past 48 hours. I will try to monitor this story for
new info, as it develops.
Take care, JOE
The following appears courtesy of today's Associated Press news wire:
Seven bodies found in duplex in small Georgia town
January 31, 1998
WALTHOURVILLE, Ga. (AP) — Six people were found dead in a house in this small
Georgia town and another body was discovered in a burning car in what appears
to be a drug-related killing.
The bodies of four men and two women were found Friday night in a single-level
duplex in Walthourville, a town of only 800 people, Georgia Bureau of
Investigation spokesman John Bankhead said.
A seventh body found about 30 miles away in a burning car appeared to be linked
to killings in what is being described as one of the worst slayings in Georgia
history.
"Some of the individuals were shot, some were stabbed and some were shot and
stabbed,'' Bankhead said Saturday of the scene 30 miles southwest of Savannah.
GBI Director Milton Nix said there was a strong possibility the killings are
connected to the drug trade.
"It appears that whoever came to that house, came to that house to kill,'' Nix
said. "But the method of killing would make it appear that it was more than
just taking care of business.''
Police found what appeared to be crack cocaine cooking on the kitchen stove, 9
mm shell casings on the floor and a bag of what appeared to be cocaine in the
living room.
Two of the men were from the Walthourville area but their identities were
withheld while relatives were notified, Bankhead said. Authorities were trying
to determine the identities of the others.
All of the victims were in their 20s and 30s. It was not known if they were
related. There were no suspects.
Joe1orbit
Hello,
Sunday is traditionally the slowest day on the news wires, and so it is that I
have not found much additional info on the mass slaughter of seven people in a
tiny Georgia town on Friday night and Saturday. Six people, 4 men and 2 women,
were found slaughtered inside of a home. They had all been either shot or
stabbed to death. Some had been shot AND stabbed. Also found inside the home
was a substantial quantity of crack and cocaine. This was Friday night. Early
Saturday, a car was spotted on fire, about 30 miles from the massacre site, and
a dead body was found inside the car.
Police believe that all seven deaths are linked, and that there likely is
some connection to illegal drugs that played a role in these seven people being
targeted for murder. A police spokesperson says that the inside of the house
showed that a FIERCE struggle had taken place, prior to and during the
slaughter of these 6 victims. Furniture was smashed, and there were numerous
shots fired throughout the house, besides the ones that actually made contact
with the 6 victims.
This leads police to declare that they believe MORE than one perpetrator was
involved in this massacre. As you know, I am partial to lone gunman rampages of
death. And so my interest is somewhat dimished upon learning that police are
convinced multiple attackers invaded this home and slaughtered the six
occupants.
Two of the dead people at the house are apparently residents of Miami,
Florida. Once again, this increases the likelihood that some type of major drug
smuggling operation was underway here, since Miami is known as a gateway city
for the importation, smuggling, and distribution of drugs.
Police still have no suspects at all, and their investigation continues.
Take care, JOE
The following appears courtesy of the 2/1/98 online edition of The Savannah
mOrning News newspaper:
Drug trade linked to murders
By Noelle Phillips / Savannah Morning News
WALTHOURVILLE -- Police found drugs and drug paraphernalia inside a Liberty
County apartment where six people, including two Miami residents, were shot and
stabbed to death in one of the worst mass killings in Georgia in the past 25
years.
The four men and two women, whose identities have not been released, were
discovered by a woman resident of the city of about 2,400 south of Hinesville
about 10 p.m. Friday.
''Some of the individuals were shot, some were stabbed and some were shot and
stabbed,'' said John Bankhead, spokesman for the Georgia Bureau of
Investigation.
Two hours later, Fort Stewart's military police discovered another body inside
a burning car near the fort's western boundary. A passer-by reported seeing the
flames shortly after midnight. The car was on the shoulder of Mount Zion Road,
off Ga. 144 near Glennville, at least 30 miles from the Walthourville crime
scene.
''There's nothing that brings them together just yet but we're not going to
close that possibility,'' said Keith Moran, chief detective for the Liberty
County Sheriff's Department.
But GBI Director Milton ''Buddy'' Nix said ''there is a connection there''
through associations or friendships. Investigators are working on the car's
registration to find its owner, he said.
Nix also said there was a strong possibility the killings are connected to the
drug trade. He described the scene as ''vicious.''
''It appears that whoever came to that house, came to that house to kill. But
the method of killing would make it appear that it was more than just taking
care of business,'' Nix said.
Walthourville has a contract with the Liberty County Sheriff's Department for
two deputies to patrol the area, said Sheriff Don Martin. Martin referred
questions about the slayings to the GBI.
Sheriff's deputies who went to investigate the scene Friday night found what
appeared to be crack cocaine cooking on the kitchen stove, 9mm shell casings
littering the floor and a bag of what appeared to be cocaine in the living
room.
Liberty County District Attorney Dupont Cheney said it was obvious a fight had
occurred in the living room of the home because there was a lot of damaged
furniture and a number of shots had been fired. Bodies were found throughout
the house.
Nix agreed that ''there were indications of a severe struggle inside the
house.'' He said that it would have taken a number of people to ''control that
many victims.''
The Walthourville victims were in their 20s and 30s, Moran said. Their names
will not be released until all family members have been notified. Two of the
victims were from Walthourville and two were from Miami. The homes of two more
have not been determined.
It was not known whether the victims were related.
No arrests have been made late Saturday. As the day ended, more GBI detectives
descended on the county to follow dozens of leads in the case. The detectives
investigating since late Friday were sent home for rest.
Detectives working the slaying described the scene as one of the worst they had
seen.
''It's a mass crime scene,'' Moran said. ''I've never seen an investigation of
this magnitude in this area.''
Detectives spent Saturday questioning neighbors and people who may have clues
to the crime. Bodies were taken to the GBI crime lab in Decatur.
James Scott, who lives in the same apartment complex, was watching a movie with
his 8-year-old daughter when he saw police lights flashing in his window. Scott
never heard shots fired and guessed the volume of the action movie's explosions
masked any noise from neighbors.
''We didn't know anything happened,'' Scott said. ''We saw the blue lights and
that's when we knew something was going on.''
Scott didn't know the people who lived in the unit where the slayings occurred.
''They had a lot of traffic going back there,'' Scott said. ''They were single
guys so you expect a lot of people to come through there for weekend
gatherings.''
When Scott first moved to the complex 18 months ago, most units were occupied
by military families. The people living in the crime scene apartment arrived in
June and the atmosphere around two of the buildings changed, Scott said.
The military people around the complex keep to themselves but the new tenants
barbecued together frequently and freely went in and out of each other's
apartments, he said.
Now, Scott said he's anxious for his time at Fort Stewart to end so he can
move.
''I'm still trying to accept that this happened,'' he said. ''Who knows? It
could happen again but this time they could come in my apartment.''
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Joe1orbit
Hello,
Here is an update on the massacre that took place in the tiny town of
Walthourville in Georgia, last week. Six people, 4 men and two women, all in
their 20's and 30's, were found shot and stabbed to death inside of a house.
Hours later, the body of a seventh person was found in a burning car.
As I reported yesterday, there has been an arrest made in this case. A 24
year old fellow named Dexter Palmer is charged with having actively
participated in the murders of the six people inside the house. Thus far, he is
the only person who has been arrested and charged, although police say they are
fairly certain that he did not act alone, and they expect to make at least one
additional arrest.
In this update, we learn a few more facts about Dexter. He does have a
criminal record and history, quite an extensive one, including rape and assault
counts. But there is no indication that he murdered anyone, prior to Friday
night, when he allegedly made up for lost time and slaughtered SIX humans.
Police are now confirming that the seventh death, that of the man found in
the burning car, is indeed linked to these six murders. That man had been shot
to death, prior to the car being set on fire. Police will not yet say whether
Dexter will be charged with this seventh death, but most likely he is being
seen and investigated by police as being a prime suspect.
Several weapons, including two guns and at least 2 knives, have been
recovered, and cops believe these weapons were used in the commission of this
massacre. Dexter is not being coperative with investigators, in terms of
talking to them. That is wise, as I always say: "Loose lips sink ships."
Police do not have any other suspects, although they are also not backing
away from their belief that more than one perpetrator was involved in this
incident. A relative of Dexter's tells us that Dexter admitted to him that he
KNEW ALL six people who were killed inside the house, but did not say anything
regarding any involvement in the murders.
Dexter's Daddy weighs in with a few positive comments about his accused mass
murdering son. Says Dad: "When he comes here, he's a respectful and honorable
son. He never uses any profanity." Cool. A POLITE mass murderer, with a clean
mouth. :) Daddy also says that he doesn't believe his son used drugs, and he
invokes the god myth as well.
Dexter is a high school dropout, who was kicked out of school in his senior
year, only 6 weeks before graduation, after getting into a fight, according to
the principal. Two of the masacred people inside the house also attended this
same high school and were known to Dexter from his high school days.
All in all, Dexter certainly does have a rather lengthy criminal history,
although he hasn't spent very much time in jail. Looks like his luck may have
run out, if indeed he is found guilty of having actively participated in these
six murders. He should keep his mouth shut, and FORCE the state to prove their
case against him. One good thing in his favor is that he did NOT leave ANY
witnesses alive. There were six people in that house, and all of them were
successfully murdered. That will help Dexter at trial, but he MUST be smart and
keep his mouth SHUT. Say NOTHING to ANYONE. Force the State to prove their
case. That is his best chance for getting an acquittal.
Take care, JOE
The following appears courtesy of the 2/3/98 online edition of The Savannah
Morning News newspaper:
Man charged with six murders
By Lori Henson And Ann Stifter / Savannah Morning News
HINESVILLE -- The Liberty County Sheriff's Department knew Dexter Palmer as a
small-time criminal and local troublemaker. They now call him a killer,
responsible for the state's worst mass slaying in 25 years.
Palmer, 24, of Hinesville is charged with six counts of murder in the Friday
night slayings of six people in an apartment on Cato Lane in Walthourville
where crack cocaine was found cooking on a stove.
Claude Leo Moore, 22, and Wilbert Mathis, 23, both of Hinesville; and Robert
Russell, 40, Anthony White, 21, Shanetria Strickland, 22, and Dellareese Curry,
25, all of Miami, were shot and stabbed to death in the cinderblock duplex.
Bullet holes and overturned furniture suggested a drug turf war.
Also Monday, federal officials confirmed an unidentified body found inside a
burning car on Fort Stewart is connected to the Walthourville slayings. The man
had been shot, said Federal Bureau of Investigation Supervisor Special Agent
William Kirkconnell.
Kirkconnell would not say whether Palmer is a suspect in that death. An
identity and autopsy results on the man should be announced within the next two
days, he said.
Investigators and divers with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation also
recovered weapons Monday, including a .380-caliber semi-automatic pistol, a
.38-caliber pistol and several knives, one of which was a hunting knife, said
GBI Special Agent-in-Charge Charles Sikes.
Palmer will make his first appearance in Liberty County Superior Court this
morning. He will be read the charges against him and may be appointed an
attorney.
Palmer has told investigators only that he wants an attorney, although one had
not been appointed as of Monday night, Sheriff Don Martin said.
Autopsy results for the six people found shot and stabbed to death in a house
on Cato Lane in Walthourville were with police, who did not release them
Monday.
Palmer was arrested riding in a car with another man in Claxton about 8:30 p.m.
Saturday. Investigators said they have no other arrest warrants out. They said
they have no other suspects in the killings, believed to be the result of a
battle between small-time drug dealers.
One of the last people to see Palmer was his aunt, Linda Herring, who said she
saw him late Friday when he came to her Claxton apartment. He asked to take a
shower and then went two doors down, to Herring's son's apartment.
Linnon Slater, who was questioned about the murders and about Palmer, said his
cousin borrowed a couple of videotapes about 2 a.m. Saturday and then left. He
returned to Slater's apartment at 4 a.m. Saturday, waking him up by knocking on
the window.
Palmer slept there that night, but was gone when Slater awoke later Saturday
morning.
''It didn't seem like anything was wrong to me,'' Slater said. ''He told me
about the six people who got killed. He knew all the guys.''
Slater said he met Moore through Palmer and knew the two were involved with
drugs.
''I already knew he (Palmer) was in that situation. I told him he needed to get
out of it.''
Slater said he wasn't surprised when police came to his door Saturday evening
looking for Palmer. He said he has no opinion about whether his cousin
committed the killings.
Half an hour before the announcement of Palmer's arrest, his father, Carnell
Palmer, stood in his Hinesville trailer and defended his son as a good person.
He last saw his son a month ago.
''When he comes here, he's a respectful and honorable son. He never uses any
profanity,'' Carnell Palmer said.Carnell Palmer didn't know which attorney
would defend his son. Hinesville attorney Linnie Darden, who represented Dexter
Palmer in a 1996 court hearing, could not be reached for comment.
Carnell Palmer said his son did not use drugs. ''The fear of God would take
care of that,'' he said.
But Dexter Palmer had a temper, court records show.
In April 1997, a Liberty County Superior Court judge told him to take anger
management counseling after Dexter Palmer admitted that he had threatened to
murder a Hinesville police officer two months earlier. Dexter Palmer also
pleaded guilty to kicking that officer in the groin, court records show.
He was placed on three years probation on the condition that he avoid alcohol
and drugs, avoid people and places of disreputable or harmful character and not
break any laws.
Also in April 1997, Dexter Palmer pleaded guilty to a charge of swinging at an
officer and damaging a courtroom door while officers tried to remove him from
Liberty County Superior Court.
That incident took place while he was in court on a rape and burglary charge.
Dexter Palmer, who sometimes used the alias ''Dexter Middleton,'' reportedly
shouted ''you're lying'' to the victim while in court and, while handcuffed and
wearing leg irons, fought with two deputy sheriffs who tried to haul him away.
The officers sprayed him in the face with Mace, records show.
Information on the rape and burglary charges was unavailable.
Other charges against Dexter Palmer have proven unfounded.
In February 1995, a Liberty County jury found him not guilty of selling
marijuana a year earlier. He also had been found not guilty in January 1994 on
a charge of simple battery for allegedly hitting a man in the face.
A charge that he had possessed cocaine and intended to sell it in September
1992 was thrown out because a witness fled the area, court records show.
Dexter Palmer withdrew from Bradwell Institute in November 1992, during the
start of his senior year, said principal Richard Gardner. Carnell Palmer said
his son was kicked out of school six weeks before graduation because of a fight
he was wrongly blamed for.
Two of the slaying victims also attended Bradwell. Claude Leo Moore, a
defensive end with the high school football team, graduated in June 1994.
Moore had worked for his uncle's concrete company for several months, said his
aunt, Jacquelyn Brown.
''I hate that this has happened to him,'' Brown said. ''We didn't know anything
about the stuff people are talking about.''
He had pleaded not guilty in December to a charge of unlawfully selling cocaine
in August 1996. Moore was found in contempt of court for not paying child
support to his two children and was ordered by a judge to pay $2,052 as of last
June. A Texas woman was trying to prove that Moore was the father of her
2-year-old son.
Wilbert Mathis, one of the six victims, completed his junior year at Bradwell
Institute and then asked that his records be sent to a high school in Hilliard,
Fla. No other information on Mathis was available Monday.
Noelle Phillips of the Savannah Morning News contributed to this report.