On March 24 that year, he met 35-year-old Stephanie Marie Kirk at the Uptown Bar in New Albany, where he arranged to take her on a motorcycle ride. After spending some time at local bars, the pair found themselves at an apartment complex in New Albany. Jamie McMahan and Chris Kaufmann needed cash to fuel their meth habit so they came up with a horrifying plan that included betraying a friend. Paul's best friend, Rogan Gibson, took the stand and testified that he was "100 percent sure" that the voices belonged to Paul, Maggie and Alex Murdaugh on the night of the killings. family legacy is now coming crashing down, one of the first to begin investigating the incident, would leave onlookers with the most questions, Joshua Boucher/The State/Tribune News Service via Getty Images, Netflix has just released the three-part docuseries "Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal.". He said he was even spoiled but acknowledged that his father was an alcoholic who would become combative when drunk. On June 11, 1997, police were contacted by a farmer and landlord, Joe Hollop, in the town of What Cheer, Iowa. In a Delaware Department of Corrections report, Gibsons probation officer wrote that Philadelphia police had contacted him to tell him Gibson was in their custody and being eyed as a suspect in his mothers death. Michelle Gibson, 41, a nursing school student, allegedly offered $1,000 each to two of her sons friends on Feb. 28, telling them they needed to kill [her husband] before he killed her or [his son], according to court documents filed by prosecutors. Jamie Mcmahan and Chris Kauffman. Gibson, 39, has been back in custody since June 8, when he was captured wearing body armor and weapons after an alleged armed robbery in Wilmington, police said. Alex Murdaugh is accused of killing his wife and son. [16], Since his incarceration, Gibson has repeatedly appealed his death sentences, with his defense lawyer claiming that his confession to the Kirk murder was a mitigating circumstance. Alex Murdaugh faces about 100 other charges for allegations ranging from money laundering to staging his own death so his surviving son could cash in on his $10 million life insurance policy. Below is a timeline of key events surrounding Gibson, dating back to his manslaughter conviction. NBC10's Danny Freeman has the details. McAbee pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and agreed to testify against Michelle. After his release from the hospital, he was sent to serve the rest of his sentence at the Floyd County Jail, where he remained until his discharge on March 12, 2002.[4]. This time, Robert Gibson's father . Backpack Serial Murder Victims (top left to right) Deborah Everist, Anja Habschied, Simone Schmidl, (bottom left to right) Joanne Walters, Gabor Neugebauer, Caroline Clarke, James Gibson | via Reuters According to the Pulaski Sheriffs Department, after investigating the scene, it seemed that Linda and Cody had been murdered elsewhere, and their bodies were then dumped in the field, which was only two miles from the road on which they were last seen. "I battled that addiction for so many years, I was spending so much money on pills," he said. Im no detective, but for 20 years I have gone around door to door, asking questions and trying to help solve this case, Clayton told Dateline. Michelle Dawn . Six people were on board the boat at the time of the crash, including 19-year-old Paul T. Murdaugh. [2] Due to this, he was found competent to stand trial and accepted an Alford plea, for which he was sentenced to seven years imprisonment at the Luther Luckett Correctional Complex in La Grange. Police are investigating whether he is responsible for at least six killings in both states, including that of his mother. On June 5, a masked man carrying a revolver forced Christine Lugo, also a mother, into a Dunkin store in Philadelphias Fairhill neighborhood. "If I was under the pressure that they're talking about here, I can promise you I would hurt myself before I would hurt one of them. In the following month, Eric McAbee, Michelle Gibson, Steven Gibson Jr., Alysa Gibson, and Karen Molina-Pompa were all arrested and charged with murder. The officer requested that Gibsons probation be revoked and that he be given a maximum sentence. 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. Police have not yet offered a possible motive. Michelle, along with her two teenage children, Steven Jr, 16, and Alysa, 17, decided to kill the family patriarch, Steven, but she didnt want them doing the dirty work. It was a crime that "almost slipped through our fingers," Los Angeles police said--an 84-year-old . If you have any information in this case, please contact the Pulaski County Sheriff's Department at 606-678-5145. It is unclear if there was any evidence left behind, but Clayton told Dateline that he believes there would have been DNA left behind, because Linda was the type of person who would have tried to fight off her attacker. Alex Murdaugh was arrested in October 2021 and remains in jail, where he is being held without bond Credit: SLED. The elder Steven Gibson had been arrested in Nov. 2012 for allegedly assaulting an officer during a DUI stop, but none of the family members had any other significant criminal history. Authorities allege that Steven Gibson, 39, the owner of a machine shop, was the target of a family murder plot hatched by his wife and their son Steven Jr., 15, who took part in stabbing him.. Defense attorney Jim Griffin, right, questions Alex Murdaugh, left, as he gives testimony during his murder trial at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, S.C., Feb. 23, 2023. [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. They are awaiting his extradition out of Delaware. Steven Gibson, 39, was allegedly the target of a family murder plot hatched by his wife Michelle and their son Steven Jr., 15, who took part in stabbing him. For several days, McMahan and Kauffman spent the cash "like crazy," said Quinn but by the time the foursome got to Disney World in Orlando, the girls wondered how they'd actually come by so much money. 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. A neighbor had seen a green pickup truck parked outside the home around 9:30 a.m. In their cross-examination, prosecutors grilled the former attorney on his actions around the time investigators believe the murders occurred. 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. They argued over some prescription medication that Gibson had supposedly stolen. Here are seven of the key pieces of information we've learned from the trial so far. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! His attorney, Jim Griffin, asked right away if he shot his wife and son in the head. A probation violation report obtained by NBC10 shows that the Delaware Department of Corrections in early February told a judge that Keith Gibson, 39, was violent, had violated his probation by traveling to Philadelphia and that police there had indicated he was the prime suspect in his mothers murder. However, SLED took the shirt to a former police officer who runs a "forensics consulting company" from his home, where he conducted what the defense equated to "science fair experiments" before issuing two reports. Later that evening, one of the two boys, Erik McBee, 16, who worked at Popeyes Chicken, allegedly beat a sleeping Steven Gibson in the head with a baseball bat, according to the prosecutors complaint. Miller said Gibson violated probation by fighting with other offenders and was sentenced to six more months in prison, followed by 18 months of probation. Christine Gibson . "Having two murders and a bank robbery all within a circle of eight miles? Murdaugh is also being charged with insurance fraud and assisted suicide in relation to what has become known as the "roadside incident," in which Murdaugh initially claimed to have been shot in the head by an unknown assailant after pulling over with a flat tire, but which he subsequently told police was an elaborate plot in order to have a former client shoot him to death so that his remaining son, Buster, could collect a $10 million life insurance policy. "And you want this jury to believe a story manufactured to fit the evidence that you brought forth just yesterday after hearing this trial's worth of testimony? When police went to her home shortly after 9:30 a.m., they found the door unlocked and Garber . Alex Murdaugh, 54, who called 911 to report the discovery, was charged with their murders 13 months later. At one point, Steven Jr returned to the house and stabbed his father three times in the chest. This week Cold Hearted examines the 1975 murder of Sherry Gibson, a case where the truth took nearly three decades to be revealed. Police found $29,000 in cash less than half of what they'd stolen 19 days before and a .22 caliber handgun. Fox's "America's Most Wanted" did a segment on the boys in late June 1997 it aired twice, according to the Tampa Bay Times which resulted in a tip on June 30 from a woman in Pensacola who recognized the truck. Owen's cross-examination also revealed multiple inaccuracies in his prior testimony to the state's grand jury, which some onlookers may interpret as a sign that Murdaugh never should have been indicted for the murders in the first place all of which was absent from the Netflix documentary. Asked whether he felt bad, Kauffman told police, "No, not really. Then, on June 13, two local families contact police: Their 16-year-old daughters had been missing for several days, and the parents were sure they were with Kauffman and McMahan. [2] Hospital staff claimed that Gibson seemed disinterested in the treatments, and two psychiatrists later diagnosed him with a bipolar disorder, for which he was prescribed Seroquel, but again, no indications of a mental illness or a psychiatric disorder were noted. [4], After being released from jail, Gibson continued hanging around bars, but on February 21, 2006, he stole the purse and $300 from a female acquaintance. The mystery at the heart of one particular episode, however, looks set to remain frustratingly out of . After two jurors tested positive for COVID-19, both sides were worried an outbreak could sicken more jurors and force a mistrial. He told Dateline that in 1994, Linda lived with her 4-year-old daughter, Stephanie, not too far from the family. The Dupont De Ligoness Family Murders Coverup Theory Explained. He did, he said. It didnt take this long. They call it Iowa nice.. Family and friends told police Gibson had been released from jail and raised concerns about his behavior, Vanore said. In addition to learning about the brothers' drug use, police learned that McMahan had borrowed a friend's gray station wagon in May and returned it on June 11. Linda Gibson was a fun-loving and easygoing 21-year-old woman, according to her younger brother, Clayton Gibson. This is a complex case and theres still a lot of evidence to review.. On April 27, at the sentencing hearing, Gibson's public defender presented new evidence that the 39-year-old had community supports lined up as well as job prospects. It's hard to tell whether the show expects viewers to care about the murders because two people lost their lives, or feel that some type of karmic justice has been served. The Netflix documentary reports that Murdaugh was arrested for the murders, but does not interrogate what led to that point. He was released on April 5, 1999, after which he was added to the Indiana Sex and Violent Offender Registry. Wilson then left the meeting. Michelle Gibson was sentenced to life in prison, and her son, Steven Gibson Jr, was sentenced to 22 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder and hindering prosecution. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. The prosecution has argued that the murders were an attempt to distract from the investigation into his finances, a seemingly outlandish suggestion but a crucial one as it allowed evidence of the financial crimes he's charged with to be entered in the murder trial to demonstrate motive. Police tracked him down by using a GPS tracker that was in some of the money handed over to him. Michelle then dialed 911 and told the operator they had returned home from shopping to find Steven had been murdered. Sentencing was delayed by two weeks to provide the defense time. 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. Murdaugh's story that he tried to stage his own murder in a suicide plot in order for his son Buster to collect his life insurance has been treated with skepticism, especially after the man involved in the incident, Curtis Eddie Smith, said he was set up. The three-part documentary looks into the different cases surrounding the family, most prominently the death of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh, the son and wife of Alex Murdaugh, who is currently on. During hours of questioning on Thursday, Alex Murdaugh's attorney asked if he believed his "financial house of cards was about to crumble" on June 7, 2021, to which Alex Murdaugh replied, "Absolutely not.". Upon his return, he saw Steven Sr. awake and holding his head, so he hit him again. Medinillas office did not respond to a request for comment from NBC10. Their bodies were found in a remote area outside of Somerset, hidden by tall weeds. But by weighting it so heavily within the series, the murders that many assumed would be central to the docuseries are largely lost in the story. Found the resolution to each, I know who really killed Chanin, her husband did not, I have so many questions about this story. Mahaska County seems like a peaceful, quiet place. 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. 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. However, Bailey left him in 2000 due to Gibson's worsening drug habits. The interview sees Murdaugh make various statements that will later be used against him, including that he tried to turn Paul's body over despite having no visible blood on him, and that he last saw his wife and son hours before the murders, which a video filmed by Paul would later disprove. 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. Ultimately, McMahan released the hitchhiker, then left Kauffman leave, and finally gave himself up. Gibson was extradited from Philadelphia to Delaware toward the end of the month, according to Miller. Soon after the murder, he had a tattoo inscribed on his lower right arm indicating the date of the murder, accompanied by an image of a knife. In later interviews, he claimed that he had never experienced any abuse or neglect from either of his parents. Three of the killings would have happened after the Delaware judge allowed his release. The way we lost her was terrible. "I never manufactured any alibi in any way shape or form, because I did not and would not hurt my wife and my child.". Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. [6] On August 15, 2014, Gibson was sentenced to death again, with sentencing Justice Orth deeming that it was "the only appropriate sentence" in regards to the brutal killing. Keith Gibson Indicted On 41 Felony Charges For Multiple Murders, Assaults, And Robberies - State of Delaware News State Agencies Social Media Mobile Apps Topics NEWS FEED Nominations Open for State of Delaware's Compassionate Champion Awards Date Posted: February 20, 2023 And that little four-year-old baby, didnt do anything to nobody. But it was the cross-examination of lead investigator David Owen by defense lawyer Jim Griffin that would leave onlookers with the most questions in the investigation. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison. ", Alex Murdaugh disputed that, replying, "That's not correct.". He was also charged for allegedly misappropriating settlement funds in the death of his housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, who reportedly died after a falling accident in the Murdaugh family home in February 2018. The reputable South Carolina family first made headlines in 2019, when the then-teenage son Paul Murdaugh was involved in a boating accident that killed 19-year-old Mallory.. Last summer, Paul and his mother Maggie Murdaugh were both shot and murdered - and discovered by the family . "I have never believed in coincidences and having one homicide in a small rural area in a five-year period is unusual," said Berrier. When police went to her home shortly after 9:30 a.m., they found the door unlocked and Garber, sitting in a chair with her breakfast in reach, shot twice in the head and twice in the chest. Attempts to reach their attorneys were unsuccessful. Young Women in Salt Lake City Fearful of Serial Killer, Barbara Jean Rockys Sisters Speak Out on Reopening Her Case. Rose Harsent was stabbed to death on 1 June 1902, in Peasenhall, Suffolk, England by an unknown assailant. Investigators found .22 caliber shell casings nearby and noted her green Ford pickup truck was missing. 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