It was an apparent success. Where we can interview you. Pat Moug is a 4th generation policeman. "I mean, how do the police keep you informed of anything newYeah, um we dont often get updates. I figured that there would absolutely be no resolve.Morrison: So that the investigation was what?Jim Morgan: It was botched. But if Pat wasnt a exactly trained psychologist, he wasand isan experienced policeman. Same weapon, same circumstances and according to detectives in both counties, same shooter. All that mattered was Jai, for Punam and my sister, that's all they cared about, said Ramesh Patel, brother of Vinaben Patel and uncle of Punam Gopaldas. Kerry Morgan: Almost as if she was down there tossing it to us. It was on a Wednesday. On his way, said Tom, he stopped at the trailer park where his sister had died. He said, You know, no matter what happens even if you solve it Tom, even if you find somebody who can solve this case doesnt bring her back.Morrison: Then why dont you just drop it?Tom Morgan: And thats when I looked at him and I said, But somethin just wont let me let go of it. Later, at his movie premiere, Pat admits he never did check out the alibi. So, had the state police decided to teach him a lesson? Kenny Boone: I mean I really thought that we was gonna go straight to you know maybe a boyfriend or an acquaintance. It was Pat Moug, the filmmaker and policeman Tom had first chosen to direct his film. (both laughing) Send money. Two men. The melted television and a few pieces of jewelry left behind, fused by the heat, seemed to rule out robbery. A whole list of suspicions for one thing, his obsessive phone calls, almost like a stalker, they felt. What could the substance have been? I think she was looking forward to just having it settled. 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. Kerry Morgan: I am totally a mother hen, I will fight tooth and nail, I will go to the wall for this. True Crime. I would go to the gym and I would lift weights and I would run and I would do all of these things to just try and exhaust myself in hopes that night I would be able to sleep and not think about God what happened that day?. And they were gonna bring this thing to some closure for us. Jim Morgan: We were asked by the police department to make sure, in case something did come up in the future, that they could exhume her body, and do DNA testing. There must be other people out there, who may be afraid of coming up previously, who would like to furnish more information which will help in this case, Bhav Patel said. I hadI, I loved my sister. It was August 9, 1976, on a deserted road in Sumter County, SC, when a trucker happened upon the scene of the murders. Everything in this documentary is Tom saying it and Im just putting it together. I put myself in her familys shoes, and if something like this, something so tragic, happened to my daughter, I would want someone to be concerned. >> Anyone with information about the Jennifer Morgan case is asked to call the Florence County Sheriffs Office at (843) 665-2121 or Crime Stoppers of the Pee Dee at (843) 667-TIPS (8477) or (866) 369-TIPS (8477). And I might know who did it. Morrison: To clear it up.Tom Morgan: Let me just clear this up. Chris Woodsons real-life identity was never revealed in the movie. His name was Chris Woodson, a science major Jennifer met at her college campus. It adjusts for the number of visitors and daily workers commuting into cities. But Pat would not be directing. Tom Morgan: Well, actually I was in Charlotte, believe it or not. MISSOULA It's a notorious cold case that still haunts the town of Florence and the family and friends of the three women murdered that day. Why? Now, family members are finally opening up about the gruesome crime with hope the case will finally be solved. But to lay out his case, piece by piece, that Tom Morgan should be a prime suspect in the murder of his sister Jennifer. Days after the murder, a tantalizing lead in the classified section of a local newspaper. Gradually what emerged was a screenplay about one young mans terrible, deadly, mistake. Sheriff Boone: But at the time the polygraph examination came back inconclusive which coulda went either way. And so surely, that investigator down in Florence county, South Carolina, Kenny Boone, would jump all over what Pat had learned. Here, Pat seems to have caught Tom, as he tries not to reveal that hes been lying about his moving date from Michigan. Is he? The people I care about know I didnt do it, and thats good enough for me.. Though there is no particular rush to find the man. Last year, the judge gave full custody to Hiral Gopaldas and Punam's family hasn't seen the boy since. I went to this seminar on forgiveness and on all these things and how do I not stay angry? Tom Morgan: I told everybody I moved down here after my sister died. 310 S. Dargan Street Florence, SC 29506 . . And he regularly reviews the evidence and case file, hoping to find some new angle or develop a new lead. Before long Investigator Boone had heard about Chris Woodson, too. 'It's been a tough road': Family has hope for justice in - WBTW It was still all roped off with caution tape and I just stood outside there for probably 15 or 20 minutes just still in disbelief and just cried. It just didnt make sense. Mahendrabhai Omar Patel Age. If it wasnt in the report - and it isnt - it didnt exist.(from Bold as a Lion)Pat Moug: Tom I know you were at your sisters accident, Jens accident.Tom Morgan: No I wasnt.Pat Moug: Tom I know you were at your sisters accident, Jens accidentTom Morgan: No I wasnt. Florence County, SC Area Cold Cases | SpotCrime Many, though theyd never met Tom Morgan were now deeply suspicious. All victims have been submitted by law enforcement or the victims' families. He waited for the polygrapher, and an awful feeling washed over him. 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. Spears discusses book on 1952 Darlington County murder - SCNow Ill forget about it you could have done that why didnt you?Pat Moug: I firmly believed that Tom was a suspect. She was not a small girl. Keith Morrison, Dateline correspondent: How would you describe the way theyre treating you?Tom Morgan: From where I grew up you would call it being slapped around.Morrison: Bullied.Tom Morgan: yeahMorrison: What motivation would they have to bully you except to find the truth?Tom Morgan: Maybe this is where the rubber meets the road and they think you know what? I am truly sorry.. And said, How are you possibly working on this case when you dont even have any of the information? 48 Cause of Death. 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. 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. It wasnt at all surprising, said Boone, that Tom seemed to know things about the crime that perhaps only the killer would have known. And when he brought the young man in for questioning, his suspicions only intensified. And who might that mysterious suspicious somebody have been? Tom Morgan: Thats not evidence, apparently. Nothing that wasnt true but i brought up several times that this files been lost. It was two nights before she died. Pat Moug: The assistant director of SLED, he told me straight up front he said, Were only assisting jurisdiction andbut well see what we can do.. Hes just a friend.Morrison: Yeah? One year after the murders, all charges in the case were dropped. Why would a woman likely fighting for her life hold on to a thing like that? Sheriff Boone: We were trying to base it on timeline, if he had the opportunity to be able to do something like this. You can cancel at any time. Jennifer: get out Ethan: (flashbackscannot hear what he says). Tom Morgan: I just kept thinking how long is it gonna take before they arrest this person, how long is this gonna take? We have worked so hard (emotional) to try and keep this in the forefront of peoples minds. And I dont think they can give me one. 10 Worst Unsolved Mass Murders In US History - Listverse I was not at my sisters. He can sketch a diagram of Morgans mobile home. 7 of South Carolina's most notorious killers | The State It wasnt even that hard, even though he was a real estate broker, not a writer, the words just fell to page. Is part of the reason its hard for you because you actually did it? Darlington County, SC Area Cold Cases | SpotCrime These days Chris, the one-time fraternity boy, owns a radio station here in union, South Carolina. All rights reserved. Six years later, triple murder in Florence still unsolved | WPDE Now, nearly a year after Jennifers death, Tom felt frantic about evidence that might have been missed and opportunities lost. He sat there with a fraternity brother and described what probably happened that day. Whoever set that fire was trying to hide a murder. Women Brutally Killed At A Salon - Medium He called it Bold as a Lion. But it certainly wasnt to raise money, as his fake undercover alibi had suggested. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. 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. Back when they were making that investors video. Brother: something you wouldnt know much about right? Nine years after Jennifers death, her father, Jim, was tending her grave, clearing away weeds. But not before they searched the Internet to identify the fraternity that issued such a distinctive ring. 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.. Why Woodson? Tom Morgan: Around her birthday or the date of her death we would come out and find flowers that were laid here. Crime . I got nothing to hide. 1:00. The fact Moug was a detective was a bonus, Tom figured. Later that same week, the Morgans saw Chris again at the funeral. The 'Monster Of Florence' Case And Why It May Be Reopened - All That's What happened to Jennifer Morgan has become enmeshed in suspicion and professional jealousy. 'Scenes from a Murder' - NBC News Pat, remember, had been replaced as the movie director when a new man was brought aboard. Its one of my only unsolved homicides. Of course, Tom wasnt really here at the trailer park any more than he knew for certain that Chris was really here. In this case, people even made their own movies dueling versions of history. Jennifer: what? Discuss Florence, South Carolina (SC) on our hugely popular South Carolina forum. So he took his frustration to the next level of law enforcement, the state police. Whether it was perceived or acted on, I dont know.Morrison: What do you mean unhealthy?Pat Moug: Well, thats as far as Im gonna go. Remember, as a complete ruse, Pat had shot some interviews with Tom. I told a lot of peopleI moved to Michigan after my sister passed away. There were approximately 17,721 homicides in South Carolina between 1980 and 2019, according to the Project: Cold Case website for unsolved homicide statistics. What do you do? He would and did not. Yeah. 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. But then, with his investigators instinct engaged, he came up with his plan to follow his suspicions. Tom thought the killer might have put it there as a message of some sort. Professors proved he was three hours away at his college the morning of the Jennifers death. The wait, he said, was driving him crazy. It seems unlikely, however, that Sheriff Boone would want to arrest him. What they uncovered led back to an infamous family murder in Kansas and one very famous true crime book. Just never came. Morrison: And you think Tom did it.Pat Moug: I think theres a distinct possibility that Tom did it, absolutely. One of the weirdest things happened the day after the incident in the trailer park. Pat Moug: And all of a sudden in the middle of the script I get to the murder scene. Toms theory? Sheriff Kenny Boone: I can remember it just like it was yesterday. It took a moment, then he told Tom what that meant. Pat Moug: I wanna thank everybody for coming out. And then the director took over, and made some more changes. A charming college campus in Florence, South Carolina, November 9, 1994. The Patel family traveled from England, Missouri and Illinois to speak with WMBF News about the case. With his tapes. Well the man thats there is Tom Morgan. Because, says Boone, both Tom Morgan and his nemesis Pat Moug have likely been looking in all the wrong places from the very beginning. But not yet, in spite of all thats happened, not yet. 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? Most of his victims in the 1970s were buried in shallow graves in southern Florence County. And why? The thing that made the story suspicious, said the Morgans, was that when Chris told it, just one day after Jennifers death - no one knew she was dead before the fire. Murder Info. The case remained unsolved for decades, until the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office took another crack at the Walker family murders case. Toms screenplay was shot in a fast and furious 24 days. On August 6, 2000, Wanda Evans was found dead in her home. When I read his script. Scott had met him too, in fact. And then, said Tom, he virtually collapsed, went numb, cried. Use at your own risk. But who would have wanted to kill Jennifer? For it to happen so early in the morning it shows that it mustve been somebody she knew. Keith Morrison, Dateline correspondent:This is really hard and it comes through in your eyes. And so, back to the mobile home park. Tom Morgan: That last weekend that I saw her, the phone rang at least 10 times. Plus, Moug had a great idea. Embarrassed, Tom told Pat, about running away from some financial and romantic mistakes hed made up in Michigan. Sheriff Boone: But, one of the suspects that we had was right here.Morrison: In that one right there? Morrison: So, what do you think happened?Pat Moug: He had an unhealthy relationship with his sister. 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. At least now in this unconventional way, Tom had put all of his suspicions and the evidence he thought had been overlooked out there in public for all to see. It didnt make him feel better of course. In the small town of Florence, Montana, a nail and hair salon stood alone off the side of Highway 93. . Tom Morgan: And for my closure, as strange as this may sound, I didnt want him to be a bad guy. Chris told Boone he argued with Jennifer about their relationship and left her trailer about 10:30 the night before her death. But Jennifer, like the center of any Movieland mystery as you will see hides her secret well. A mother has been trying to phone her daughter, her daughter Jennifer, at the mobile home park which was her off-campus residence. And he was stillhe was still actively involved with the police force. In fact, Kenny Boone didnt tell them somebody killed Jennifer and tried to hide the crime with a fire until the day after Chris offered his explanation. To Tom, they were evidence that his suspect, Chris, had left them there out of his continuing remorse. But, what about that watch? She was just that kind of kid, you were just drawn to her. To Tom, it showed how deeply shocked his dad was by Jennifers death.