He didnt work night and day on this case like we did. To Tom, they were evidence that his suspect, Chris, had left them there out of his continuing remorse. She wouldve fought back if it was someone who came to her trailer that she didnt know. But she told us simply this: As far as she remembers, there never was any milky white substance. Well how about ice cream? 310 S. Dargan Street Florence, SC 29506 . Because, says Pat, of something he saw in Toms fictional movie script. There was no forced entry and nothing was taken, Patel told WMBF News. 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. Nothing that wasnt true but i brought up several times that this files been lost. 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.. 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? Unless there was a break or something.Morrison: Its not something she wouldve normally done?Snowden: Its not something she normally wouldve done. In the years since, investigators have sent information on the Morgan murder to a group of retired FBI agents who profile cases for other agencies. Well, yes, in fact, someone did the South Carolina State Police. Pat says his colleagues agreed he was right to be suspicious. And I just sat there and I just said dad what are you talking about? Tom Morgan: No, I wasnt.Pat Moug: Tom, listen. Chris told Boone he argued with Jennifer about their relationship and left her trailer about 10:30 the night before her death. Some parts 2023 Advameg, Inc. Crime rate in Florence, South Carolina (SC): murders, rapes, robberies, assaults, burglaries, thefts, auto thefts, arson, law enforcement employees, police officers, crime map, Crime rate in Florence, South Carolina (SC). Chris Woodson. Tom Morgan: Then were sitting and waiting for funding. Id like to get everybodysMorrison: Tell us everything you know.Tom Morgan: Yeah. Tom Morgan: How dare Ihow dare I insinuate theyre not working on this case. 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. 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 . Morrison: So, what do you think happened?Pat Moug: He had an unhealthy relationship with his sister. But there it was. Hed just moved there from Michigan and was staying with a friend. "We're optimistic, we just want justice," said Hansa Patel, sister of Vinaben Patel and aunt of Punam Gopaldas. Tom Morgan: He was edging around the back of the headstone and was down here with just a little edger to clear the grass away and he popped out a fraternity ring. There was no identification on them, but it was surmised they were traveling or 'backpacking'. And that neither Tom Morgan nor any member of his family had anything to do with Jennifer Morgans death. They buried her, or what was left of her after the fire, in this garden-like cemetery, in the finest casket they could find. He can sketch a diagram of Morgans mobile home. All the old impatience, the frustration, the crazy feeling, came flooding back the minute Toms parents found that fraternity ring at Jennifers grave. 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 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. South Carolina Crime Stoppers View Source Square with arrow pointing upper right. 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. Unsolved Morgan murder still haunts Florence County sheriff 20 years later. Pat Moug is a 4th generation policeman. He has repeatedly declined our attempts to see him and hear his side of the story. Tom Morgan: I just kept thinking how long is it gonna take before they arrest this person, how long is this gonna take? One of those 49, Charles Willis, was. Pat Moug says he got the story from Florence County Sheriff Kenny Boone, who said he learned about it from the forensic pathologist. But only an idiot would miss the obvious message. I told a lot of peopleI moved to Michigan after my sister passed away. Brother: something you wouldnt know much about right? 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. Pat instantly thought back to his police training in part, to acourse in criminal psychology hed once attended. City-data.com does not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of any information on this site. 1:00. He went over the head of the florence county sheriff and marched right on over to state police headquarters. A personal advertisement. And I dont think they can give me one. 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 . Nothing to do with it, responds Pat. This, just after he failed that polygraph. She wouldntve let it just go by the wayside.. Its a big crowd; Pat has invited his many friends, many of them from law enforcement. And then she winds up face down on her bed. 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. And wouldnt the police want to, in light of Pat Mougs allegations? It was all different now. 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? And I might know who did it. But Jennifer, like the center of any Movieland mystery as you will see hides her secret well. Tom Morgan: When I got that letter, I called him that day. It was the last night Scott saw Jennifer, at her trailer, when Chris showed up. Pat showed his tapes to some of his fellow cops in Livonia, Michigan. Jennifer: Ethan what are you doing? Boone sent the body to the forensic pathologist. Morrison: What did it seem like he was doing?Kerry Morgan: Wanted to know if anybody thought he did it. Pat wasnt buying it. And, I think that he caused her death possibly. Jennifer: what? We watched Bold as a Lion together, with frequent stops when Tom objected to Pats allegations. The case remained unsolved for decades, until the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office took another crack at the Walker family murders case. Tom Morgan watched a local production team piece together his story - Toms fictional imagining - of the murder of his little sister Jennifer. I mean, theres still a possibility. At that point, you know, wehis alibi was clear. So it was exciting when a friend said he knew someone who could make the film. 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. Tom Morgan: Finally when I did talk to him his response was, its not illegal to put a ring under a headstone. FLORENCE, SC (WMBF) - Three-and-a-half years have passed since the bodies of two women were found brutally stabbed in Florence. Well the man thats there is Tom Morgan. Tom Morgan: Sounded good with me. I dont.Morrison: Why would it be white? Snowden: We knew the distance would be a strain on the relationship. They initially thought the fire was the result of an electrical problem but soon realized the blaze had several points of origin. His name was Chris Woodson, a science major Jennifer met at her college campus. Tom Morgan: I had my chance that weekend when that kid called that many times. The audience saw that character hide in the bushes, growing jealous as Jennifer characters meets a male visitor. Its an easy way to say you left Michigan as opposed to I was having sex with a married woman andI was doing other things that I wasnt too proud of and so I left.. Did you kill Jennifer Morgan? There was, however, one very curious discovery. In the summer of 2005, Tom Morgans movie about the killing of his sister, showed up here and there in independent film festivals. It didnt make him feel better of course. He indicated to me that he did not remember telling Tom Morgan any of these facts. Days after the murder, Hiral Gopaldas was arrested for murder. 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.. Hes just a friend.Morrison: Yeah? All victims have been submitted by law enforcement or the victims' families. And we had - for years - been asking some, well, difficult questions. Ethan: What does it look like? Deitz: I guess thats one of lifes little lessons Ive learned from her death is you never know whether youll have an opportunity to express to a them how you feel about them. I mean youre just cruisin through life, living life, everythings fine. At least they had that watchthe old boyfriends giftfound in Jennifers hand. 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. And then, said Tom, he virtually collapsed, went numb, cried. But what about a motive? Does a diploma or something, at the end of it?Pat Moug: Ah, a certificate. And Sheriff Boone thinks theyre both wrongthat quite possibly the neighbor did it. Fifteen international film festivals asked to screen Among Brothers and in the end, the little independent made with the directors second mortgage got a distribution deal. I put everything I found in here, she told us. But Pat Moug was right about one thing: Kenny Boone did not cooperate with a fellow police officerthe one from Livonia, Michigan. Tom Morgan: Heres a guy that I think potentially did it and what would that conversation be like? Thats the time when Pat suggested Tom knew too much about the killingthat he knew things only the murderer would know. Tom, the budding screenwriter, still doesnt believe the sheriff and still suspects the fraternity boyfriend. In the audience, her parents and older sister. I got nothing to hide. Boone said Moag called him wanting information and falsely told him he was an FBI agent. This Category is reserved for Unsolved Mysteries cases that occurred on South Carolina. Some people down in South Carolina have suggested this is all payback because Tom dropped Pat from the movie project. 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. Sheriff Boone: Tom couldve been gettin that information from the family cause at that point, you know, I tried to keep the family kind of up to date on what was going on, what was taking place, kind of where we were going. What do you do? And then the second the advanced class is like a two-day seminar.Morrison:Then what? 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. No way. David showed how he tucked the ring into the ground beside the headstone. A big, friendly bundle of gung ho. EFFINGHAM, S.C. Its been 20 years since Florence County Sheriff Kenney Boone got called to a suspicious fire in a mobile home park near Francis Marion University. In the film the visitor is her brother; in real life it was Chris Woodsons rival, Scott Snowden. As for Pats conclusion that Tom is the suspect in his sisters murder, and that his father and brother may be complicit? South Carolina Crime Stoppers View Source Square with arrow pointing upper right. Part art, part desperate effort to prod the police to reviving the investigation. The Patel family traveled from England, Missouri and Illinois to speak with WMBF News about the case. What probably happened was the lamp fell over. It was two nights before she died. 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. But, I cant put him in that trailer yet.Morrison: What do you mean, yet?Sheriff Boone: You never know. Snowden: I have no idea why she wouldve been clutching that watch. And of course, we have our legendary tale of the "swamp man.". And at the glacial pace the investigation has moved, the new generation of the Morgan family may be in college themselves before Tom can finally let it go. But Pat would not be directing. He took some footage on her college campus. And one more piece of evidence that had seemed to point at Chris or Tom suddenly vanished. Morrison: When you called them, what was the response?Tom Morgan: I had called the lead investigator at the time and he would always assure me we were working on this, not a day goes by that I dont think about the case. Then there was Pats suspicion that Tom knew too much about the murder if he wasnt around to witness it. Im not goingIm not going to go away. I think Jenny came home between classes and had gotten something to drink, Boone said. Where did you get the information youre using there?Tom Morgan: We were all speculating at the time. Later, at his movie premiere, Pat admits he never did check out the alibi. Well, Pat told us he taken some special training in criminal psychology that has enabled him to detect possible guilt based on what people say and how they say it. And when I do, the district attorney is gonaa seek the death penalty and probably get it.. Morrison: And you think Tom did it.Pat Moug: I think theres a distinct possibility that Tom did it, absolutely. And his story. What is it your mom said? All along, something Tom told Pat had made him very suspicious. Its a family just as close as it says its always been. That was histhat was his background.Morrison: The acting detective?Tom Morgan: Yeah, he worked on the SWAT team. So Moug traveled down to South Carolina, interviewed Jennifers friends. And then came, quite suddenly, another one of those moments. HORRY COUNTY, SC (WBTW) - Since 1978, the Criminal Investigations Division of the Horry County Police Department reports there are 49 unsolved homicides. And they were gonna bring this thing to some closure for us. Though there is no particular rush to find the man. She worked as nurse at McLeod Hospital and was raising her toddler son, Jai, at home in the Country Club of South Carolina. And finally, here it was: 11 years after her death, Jennifers story, flickered to life on the screen. As for Kenny Boone, he says hes determined still that someone will be charged with the murder of Jennifer Morgan. They knocked the fire down, and discovered the body burned beyond recognition, lying face down on the bed. It wasnt at all surprising, said Boone, that Tom seemed to know things about the crime that perhaps only the killer would have known. He sat there with a fraternity brother and described what probably happened that day. But early on it didnt look like that precaution would be needed. But the Morgan family was convinced that Kenny Boone had, in fact, found the murderer. Boone and other arson investigators didnt immediately suspect foul play. Ghosts and paranormal activities are pretty normal in a . How had Pat come to the conclusion that Tom could be a sociopath? And he was stillhe was still actively involved with the police force. 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. Two men were charged in the crime, but a lack of evidence forced investigators to drop the charges. And, remember how Pat ferreted out Tom Morgans fudging about his movements around the time his sister was killed? Pat Moug: After three to four years of me asking nicely, Im tired of asking nicely. Days after the murder, a tantalizing lead in the classified section of a local newspaper. The audience knows virtually nothing about the story, beyond the selectively-prepared case that Pat is presenting to them. As far as she knew, her whole lifetime was spread out ahead of her. Pat, remember, had been replaced as the movie director when a new man was brought aboard. Tom suggested those were left by his suspect, Chris Woodson. But Pat came to a different conclusion. It was the morning of November 6, 2001, when a. He waited for the polygrapher, and an awful feeling washed over him. Partly because the odd things didnt stop, even after Jennifer was buried and the months began to turn into years. Two men. Listen to me, what Im telling you. Investigator Boone confirmed Snowden couldnt have been the killer. He had made an independent film, directed and starred in it himselfa movie called The Ugly One.. And yes, the woman who was having her baby the day Jennifer was killed. Of course Tom had not forgotten this was the same state police agency which once admitted it lost the file on the murder years before. You know, question his authority? Tom Morgan: We all looked at each other like how odd is that? The investigator, Kenny Boone, told them what he knew: that he saw right away the fire was so intense, it had to have had extra fuel, some sort of accelerant. 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. 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 when they missed connecting with family on Saturday, June 25, 2011, Florence County deputies were sent to the home for a welfare check. Scott had met him too, in fact. Of course, things dont always work out the way wed like them to. And he even interviewed Tom about the murder itself, about the movie project and about fundraising. He still remembers how her body was positioned on the bed. Higher means more crime, U.S. average is 254.8. And so, here it was, on a winter-frigid night in Livonia, Michigan, in a donated theater in a giant suburban multiplexthe premiere of Pat Mougs Bold as a Lion.. (both laughing) Send money. Gopaldas murder unsolved. Its important to me, Boone said. And as many independent films do, you know, never came. 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. Bold as a Lion had raised some very serious questions but were they legitimate? And then she winds up face down on her bed. Jennifer: Doing what, working? 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.