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Unsolved Triple Murder, North Carolina, 1972


Regi

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I'm sure I've never read the the blog at the link below because I didn't know until recently that Hall had obtained an attorney, however, I do remember seeing the blog and it somehow didn't appear to be my cup of tea.

Yes, it seems that Sheriff Carroll must have expressed his doubt that the phone call ever happened and perhaps that- together with his conclusion that this was a "grudge killing"- is the reason Hall wouldn't interview until he obtained an attorney. (Now, if such behavior doesn't have guilt written all over it, I don't know what does. Annnnyway...)

From the following link: "Watauga County authorities claim they're still actively investigating the Durham murders, and a $40,000 reward has been offered for information leading to an arrest for the crime. As SBI agent Charlie Whitman told the author of Haunted Watauga County North Carolina, although some evidence has been lost over the years the woven cotton sash rope found around Bryce Durham's neck 'is still accounted for'. Modern DNA technology can detect and identify even a smattering of epithelial cells; the answer to this forty-year old mystery may have been sitting in a police evidence locker all along."

Okay, well heck! Will they/have they submitted the danged cord for testing or not?!

Another interesting tidbit (my interest in these cases is primarily the psychology of the evidence), I previously questioned the behaviors of both Hall and Small (although I think Small was easily influenced) once they discovered the bodies- and the writer of that blog did too- but he alluded to a fact that never occurred to me before and that's that there was no thought/attempt to call police from the Durham home. Now, I don't know if Hall/Small ever stated whether or not they'd noticed that the phone was 'out of order' but if they didn't, then they certainly couldn't know that it was inoperable.

Also, I certainly understand there would be shock over the discovery of the bodies, but I can't understand how they were overcome by fear... especially if Small was indeed armed.

http://ididitforjodi.../uncategorized/

Edited by regi
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I'm sure I've never read the the blog at the link below because I didn't know until recently that Hall had obtained an attorney, however, I do remember seeing the blog and it somehow didn't appear to be my cup of tea.

Yes, it seems that Sheriff Carroll must have expressed his doubt that the phone call ever happened and perhaps that- together with his conclusion that this was a "grudge killing"- is the reason Hall wouldn't interview until he obtained an attorney. (Now, if such behavior doesn't have guilt written all over it, I don't know what does. Annnnyway...)

From the following link: "Watauga County authorities claim they're still actively investigating the Durham murders, and a $40,000 reward has been offered for information leading to an arrest for the crime. As SBI agent Charlie Whitman told the author of Haunted Watauga County North Carolina, although some evidence has been lost over the years the woven cotton sash rope found around Bryce Durham's neck 'is still accounted for'. Modern DNA technology can detect and identify even a smattering of epithelial cells; the answer to this forty-year old mystery may have been sitting in a police evidence locker all along."

Okay, well heck! Will they/have they submitted the danged cord for testing or not?!

Another interesting tidbit (my interest in these cases is primarily the psychology of the evidence), I previously questioned the behaviors of both Hall and Small (although I think Small was easily influenced) once they discovered the bodies- and the writer of that blog did too- but he alluded to a fact that never occurred to me before and that's that there was no thought/attempt to call police from the Durham home. Now, I don't know if Hall/Small ever stated whether or not they'd noticed that the phone was 'out of order' but if they didn't, then they certainly couldn't know that it was inoperable.

Also, I certainly understand there would be shock over the discovery of the bodies, but I can't understand how they were overcome by fear... especially if Small was indeed armed.

http://ididitforjodi.../uncategorized/

It does seem more and more that Ginny and Hall may have did these murders of her family, for the money. There's no way Mrs. Durham could have made that call at 10;15 and be dead that soon after the Jimmy was spotted just five minutes later fleeing away. Small was just a back up later of them finding the bodies. Another thing how do they know that the Durhams didn't pick up Ginny and her husband on the way home and all they said about what they were doing were lies.What convinces me is there was no fighting back as if the victims knew their killers

Edited by docyabut2
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In reference to my post, labs in the US had performed touche DNA for about 8 years by the time that blog was posted in which it's stated that the SBI agent said there's evidence available/suitable for such testing, so what gives?

Are they "actively investigating" the case or not?!

About Ginny's hypnosis- that aspect of the investigation intrigues me- there are only two things I can imagine (based on what little I know) LE might have needed her to remember; 1) who her father's once-intended business partner was (btw, I don't know where that info came from about the partner and it possibly could have come from her), and/or 2) whether or not she actually heard the phone ring.

I'm curious about whether or not Hall and Ginny submitted to poly's.

(My most favorable impression of Ginny is that she could actually be completely oblivious.)

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In reference to my post, labs in the US had performed touche DNA for about 8 years by the time that blog was posted in which it's stated that the SBI agent said there's evidence available/suitable for such testing, so what gives?

Are they "actively investigating" the case or not?!

About Ginny's hypnosis- that aspect of the investigation intrigues me- there are only two things I can imagine (based on what little I know) LE might have needed her to remember; 1) who her father's once-intended business partner was (btw, I don't know where that info came from about the partner and it possibly could have come from her), and/or 2) whether or not she actually heard the phone ring.

I'm curious about whether or not Hall and Ginny submitted to poly's.

(My most favorable impression of Ginny is that she could actually be completely oblivious.)

Regi i think your thoughts about the hypnosis is dead on. what did they want? I have no new thoughts, but i wish this mystery was more investigated. I suggested it for 48 hrs and cold justice....some tv show should love to do this story. I used their FB pages.

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Regi i think your thoughts about the hypnosis is dead on.

You do? Yeah, what more could she have clarified and/or known? I wonder if her statements correlated with Hall and Small's...

That one investigator said he was especially interested in the sound the car made when it wouldn't start, so that's another thing they might have wanted to go over.

I'll tell you what's slowly occurred to me as being a bit odd and that's that Hall and Ginny listened to music after the TV went out. I mean, if they were listening to music, then couldn't that be a reason why Ginny may not have actually heard the phone ring?

As it is, I'd already noted that it just happened to have been Hall who answered the phone and so I wonder if it was Hall's idea to listen to music...

(Now, whether or not there was a phone call doesn't matter to me because I don't believe it was possible that Mrs. Durham could have made that call. I think it's just something interesting to consider as I sit here with so little to go on.)

I have no new thoughts, but i wish this mystery was more investigated. I suggested it for 48 hrs and cold justice....some tv show should love to do this story. I used their FB pages.

Oh, you rock! :tsu: I didn't even know there was a facebook page. Yeah, it'd be great to see this case featured! It seems there would be cooperation/participation from LE and all others involved, especially in light of the reward offered for info., but I think a program should go with it even if there's not. I feel the same way about the girl scout murder case- in which LE refuses to discuss it because it's unsolved. (Seriously, it absolutely blows my mind that that case has never been featured... except in a 5 part(?) recap on a local TV station back in 1990. Oddly (I think), only two parts have been made available on YouTube.)

Anyway, I think this case could not only be solved, but prosecuted.

Edited by regi
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You do? Yeah, what more could she have clarified and/or known?

We heard about the hypnosis from the retired detective. The same detective that seem to misinterpret the profiler saying the killers were comfortable in the home...he also seem to suggest the hypnosis was like a lie detector which of course it is not. And your observation reminded me of that fact. It is used for clarity, for assistance in memory, for a witness, not for truth. So if the SBI decided to hypnotize her, they must have thought she forgot important details about the case. I kind of dismiss what this detective thought. I am sure he was a decent law enforcement officer, but a Columbo I doubt. I think he missed many points.

Oh, you rock! :tsu: I didn't even know there was a facebook page. Yeah, it'd be great to see this case featured! It seems there would be cooperation/participation from LE and all others involved, especially in light of the reward offered for info., but I think a program should go with it even if there's not. I feel the same way about the girl scout murder case- in which LE refuses to discuss it because it's unsolved. (Seriously, it absolutely blows my mind that that case has never been featured... except in a 5 part(?) recap on a local TV station back in 1990. Oddly (I think), only two parts have been made available on YouTube.)

Anyway, I think this case could not only be solved, but prosecuted.

I went to the 48hr facebook page and messaged them about the case. The show cold justice, has a link on their facebook page to their website. On the website it has a link to suggest a case. It asked your relationship, but I just said i had none. Maybe others can do this. This case and that girl scout case are both interesting mysteries that deserve a resolution. 48 hrs has their mystery series. Come to think of it so does dateline. Maybe i will suggest it there next. The publicity alone could make some forgotten witness come forward. Maybe Cecil Small's widow knows something about that night, Cecil told her. If she is living, she probably is very old. So if she knows something, somebody better get her on the record sooner rather than later.

Edited by mbrn30000
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We heard about the hypnosis from the retired detective. The same detective that seem to misinterpret the profiler saying the killers were comfortable in the home...he also seem to suggest the hypnosis was like a lie detector which of course it is not. And your observation reminded me of that fact. It is used for clarity, for assistance in memory, for a witness, not for truth. So if the SBI decided to hypnotize her, they must have thought she forgot important details about the case. I kind of dismiss what this detective thought. I am sure he was a decent law enforcement officer, but a Columbo I doubt. I think he missed many points.

Oh, I thought that man was an embarrassment to his profession!

I don't remember reading anything about the hypnosis, but I reviewed that Yes! Weekly article for comments from him...Whitman was his name. He was the one who said that the Jimmy was seen at 10:30 but... (and I've already pointed this out) he first said the witness saw it "coming off a residential area at 10:30" and then went on to say that the witness "got home at 10:30". :huh:

Apart from expressing confusion over the one and only thing he remembered from the profiler, he also said "...the whole thing was staged. Now I don't know why." :whistle:

(I'm thinking that must have been one of the things he forgot from the profiler. :lol: )

He said the call was "a clue" yet he didn't offer his impression as how it fit, just that it was a clue.

Re: the suspects who'd been arrested but the charges were dropped, he said "One of them had a fairly secure alibi." So, was he referring to the one who was actually incarcerated at the time of the crime? If so, then yep, I think we'd all agree that that would provide a "fairly secure" alibi. :-*

His conclusion comes as no surprise. Re: who did it, he said "I haven't the slightest idea."

A couple of things are interesting, though. Re: the sash cord, he said "It was just a sash rope" and I don't know what he means by "just a sash rope", but it sounds like he gave it no more thought as though a sash cord is some common thing one would see lying around anytime, anywhere. Now, Rashore informed me that it's the type of cord used in windows, so where the heck would anyone have acquired such a thing? Perps use what's available and what's handy so it sounds to me like that could have been a missed lead.

Also, it appears you're right about the business partner who backed out. Whitman said "I don't recall if his name ever surfaced". (I still wonder where that info came from.)

Both Whitman and the former '74 attn. general thought there had to have been several people who committed the murders. Whitman pointed out that the victims were " two adults and one muscular nineteen year-old boy."

Well, I can remember a case where a couple of adults and a young teen were overtaken by one perp and the younger children of the family were abducted by that perp.

In this case, the only reason I think there was more than one perp is because of the Jimmy sighting.

Edited by regi
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Ok, I haven't read all the links but I intend to. So knowing that and allowing that I may not have covered everything and might be covering things that have been in the articles, here are my thoughts/questions so far...

The Jimmy.

Only relevant as I believe it was a get-away vehicle to get to where the actual getaway vehicle and driver were waiting for them (whoever "them" are!) If it had been about the Jimmy and something inside it, it would have not been found for a while and wouldn't have been in good condition. I don't find it odd that the family took it home. You wouldn't leave the silver in the car if it was a real robbery which is more evidence it was staged and not a robbery.

The phone call.

The case for it... she was the only one who was strangled to death, they may have left her thinking she was dead and then finished the job when they caught her making the call. If she had been strangled to near death then that could explain her apparent mumbling. She could have been a joker and staged stuff like this before. Believe it or not, there are people who do that kind of thing. Why? I don't know but they do. So that might explain why he thought it was a joke and decided not to call the police but decided to go and check anyway. I would hope the police would have questioned along those lines, cause if she wasn't known for that kind of thing then that raises some pretty major alarm bells. The fact that they went over there suggests A call was made, but was it from the house and the mother?

The case against it.... I do find it odd that no other voices or sounds of people getting assaulted weren't heard on the line. We'd need a map of the house and where the phone was and the bathroom etc to be sure you wouldn't hear anything. No call to the police straight away. Would the attackers really let her out of their sight though, unless in a panic, which they didn't seem to be?

I think a phone call happened, but from whom and for what reason I don't know.

The crime scene...

The fact they were strangled and drowned seems to me that the attackers wanted to be sure they were dead. If the mother had made the phone call and they thought she was dead only to find that she wasn't would make a good case for them to make double sure. But why not just stab them? Slit their throats or whatever? Maybe they didn't want to leave too much evidence? Again that would show that they weren't in a panic and were thinking clearly. I'm not sure how they were tied up is of much help really. Anyone can learn how to tie knots. I guess from a left handed-right handed point of view would be helpful, but other than that...? It is clear this isn't a robbery as the cash was left and the silver was left in the Jimmy. The house seems staged. The running water intrigues me. Did they place the bodies and then turn the tap on and leave? To me that seems the most likely seeing as the floor was dry. The weather was perfect for the crime. Footprints covered up quickly, the noise etc etc. Was that a good coincidence for the attackers or just dumb luck?

The motive

Um yeah? What could it have been? Seems too weird for it to have been a bungled robbery. The bodies would have been lying around and not in the tub and it seems as though at least two of them might have survived. I could speculate a lot on this but I would hope the police would have done checks for feuds/affairs etc. It just doesn't seem like a crime of opportunity.

The suspects.

Well I am convinced that it was someone who knew them. Whether it was all or one of the attackers or whoever might have sent the attackers there. It certainly doesn't seem like a murder/suicide. As for the military angle. I would hope the police would have checked all their whereabouts and also if any of them had any connection to the family. If fingerprints were found then fingerprint all them. That line of thought seems to be easily checked out.

Anyway those are my initial thoughts.

Edited by Poltergeistnz
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I think it had to be Ginny and her husband, what better time to do this horrific act in a middle of a snow storm to cover up all their tracks, there had to be another vehicle at the Jimmy`s drop off them to get away in,there would been some other tire tracks around if not for the snow covering them up

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I think it had to be Ginny and her husband, what better time to do this horrific act in a middle of a snow storm to cover up all their tracks, there had to be another vehicle at the Jimmy`s drop off them to get away in,there would been some other tire tracks around if not for the snow covering them up

I have a hard time with how they responded to that (alleged) phone call. We're told that this was a call which ended abruptly and thereafter, they couldn't reach Mrs. Durham. This was after 10 PM and roads were treacherous and so why on earth they apparently wouldn't/didn't take it seriously is beyond me. The only way I can make any sense of it is if they didn't believe that the call was actually from Mrs. Durham.

I don't know what Ginny's stated reason was for having stayed in the car, but Hall and Small (as reportedly described) approached the Durham home with apprehension and caution and to me, that behavior contradicts that they went there just to check on the Durham's well being and it contradicts the fact that the police weren't called before they decided to go over there.

Edited by regi
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you right re

I have a hard time with how they responded to that (alleged) phone call. We're told that this was a call which ended abruptly and thereafter, they couldn't reach Mrs. Durham. This was after 10 PM and roads were treacherous and so why on earth they apparently wouldn't/didn't take it seriously is beyond me. The only way I can make any sense of it is if they didn't believe that the call was actually from Mrs. Durham.

I don't know what Ginny's stated reason was for having stayed in the car, but Hall and Small (as reportedly described) approached the Durham home with apprehension and caution and to me, that behavior contradicts that they went there just to check on the Durham's well being and it contradicts the fact that the police weren't called before they decided to go over there.

Your right regi, anyone getting a phone call like that would have call the police right away if they could `nt get there fast enough.As far as Ginny staying in the car I would have freaked out in panic trying to get to my parents to see if they were ok, this whole scenario is not right.

Edited by docyabut2
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Your right regi, anyone getting a phone call like that would have call the police right away if they could `nt get there fast enough.As far as Ginny staying in the car I would have freaked out in panic trying to get to my parents to see if they were ok, this whole scenario is not right.

Well, I just think it's ludicrous that they'd go over there with any notion that Mrs. Durham was "playing a trick", but about Ginny, I don't know why she went over there in the first place rather than stay home to keep trying to get her mother on the phone or why it apparently didn't occur to either of them to call the operator so she could determine the reason the number was continual busy. Also, operators certainly could and certainly would break through the line if it was stated as an emergency.

I've thought about the car not starting and Whitman's focus with Ginny on the sound the car made and I wonder what explanation Ginny and Hall offered about how the car was made operable again. I mean, if it was a dead battery, then they either put it on a charger or someone gave it a jump (they apparently only had the one car so they would have needed assistance from someone else with the latter one), but my point is, there would have been some sort of supportive evidence of either of those things. Now, if they said that the car inexplicably started on the next attempt, then I have a serious problem with that, that is, unless they could show that it was a problem they'd already been experiencing and then continued to have.

Edited by regi
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  • 1 month later...

There is almost a full chapter related to this case in the book "The Murder Room". In the book, the author/main charachter says that the guilty party is "rather obvious". But he does not reveal who he thinks it is. Had any of you guys read this?? Here is a link:

http://books.google.com/books?id=ZUDh6fV8DKUC&pg=PT132&lpg=PT132&dq=bryce+durham+the+murder+room&source=bl&ots=MEZnn9lk00&sig=ocMgUENgbu4YX1snYbh6LqxxHj8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=RgrdU8eJLoKNyAT4lIHQCA&ved=0CCQQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=bryce%20durham%20the%20murder%20room&f=false

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There is almost a full chapter related to this case in the book "The Murder Room". In the book, the author/main charachter says that the guilty party is "rather obvious". But he does not reveal who he thinks it is. Had any of you guys read this?? Here is a link:

http://books.google....er room&f=false

I have heard of this book. Its sold by the vidocq society. I just read the preview you linked. It seems to only have two pages here before they move on. I did see the rather obvious comment but could not tell who he meant. Most of the rumor mongers, blog posters, commenters on newspaper websites, as well as us crime forum people seem to think it was the Son in law....do you think he means that? if its obvious? who else is obvious? its definitely a very interesting case. I still think it can be solved, but as time moves on without a real effort, I doubt it will.

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I have heard of this book. Its sold by the vidocq society. I just read the preview you linked. It seems to only have two pages here before they move on. I did see the rather obvious comment but could not tell who he meant. Most of the rumor mongers, blog posters, commenters on newspaper websites, as well as us crime forum people seem to think it was the Son in law....do you think he means that? if its obvious? who else is obvious? its definitely a very interesting case. I still think it can be solved, but as time moves on without a real effort, I doubt it will.

I assume he thinks it's either son-in-law or Cecil Small. It also sounds like he may have been the person that reviewed the case for the SBI in 1990, and he shared his theory with them. But apparently nothing ever came of it. It puzzles me that a case like this can go for decades at a time with no news stories. The guy named Bullard that wrote a couple of stories five or six years ago was the first coverage that it had been given in a long time. That's obvious from when doing a web search.

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I assume he thinks it's either son-in-law or Cecil Small. It also sounds like he may have been the person that reviewed the case for the SBI in 1990, and he shared his theory with them. But apparently nothing ever came of it. It puzzles me that a case like this can go for decades at a time with no news stories. The guy named Bullard that wrote a couple of stories five or six years ago was the first coverage that it had been given in a long time. That's obvious from when doing a web search.

Go back in the thread, there was some coverage in 2012 talking about the case was still open. Can't find anything after that. You might want to review the thread. Lots of good info and links to newspaper stories. It is a very interesting case.

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Go back in the thread, there was some coverage in 2012 talking about the case was still open. Can't find anything after that. You might want to review the thread. Lots of good info and links to newspaper stories. It is a very interesting case.

Thanks. I have read those stories from 2012. At that time, a few stories from newspapers local to that area popped up then because it was the 40 year anniversary. I am from that area of NC and I remember when it happened in 1972 but I was only 10 years old at the time. So I've seen just about everything that is available on the web, which is not a lot. I even found an old True Detective issue from late 1972 with a story in it. In that story, they still thought the 4 guys from Asheville did it, and they were bragging about how the Sheriffs caught them.

And if you will notice, there are really no news stories from around 1990 until 2007, so it is almost a forgotten case.

By the way, what does that mean when a high profile case like this is never solved, and then goes dormant?

I've assumed it means that they really do know who is guilty, but they could never get enough evidence to prove it.

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Thanks. I have read those stories from 2012. At that time, a few stories from newspapers local to that area popped up then because it was the 40 year anniversary. I am from that area of NC and I remember when it happened in 1972 but I was only 10 years old at the time. So I've seen just about everything that is available on the web, which is not a lot. I even found an old True Detective issue from late 1972 with a story in it. In that story, they still thought the 4 guys from Asheville did it, and they were bragging about how the Sheriffs caught them.

And if you will notice, there are really no news stories from around 1990 until 2007, so it is almost a forgotten case.

By the way, what does that mean when a high profile case like this is never solved, and then goes dormant?

I've assumed it means that they really do know who is guilty, but they could never get enough evidence to prove it.

If you go back to an interview in 2010 or 2012 of one of the original SBI agents I think you might see why they never solved it. He sounded kind of stupid. It appears they just took the Son in laws word that the car would not start...he says he asked the daughter what sound the car made...nothing about we checked the car....he said some other stuff that makes you think, he was clueless. I think they got on the wrong trail and never got off it.

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If you go back to an interview in 2010 or 2012 of one of the original SBI agents I think you might see why they never solved it. He sounded kind of stupid. It appears they just took the Son in laws word that the car would not start...he says he asked the daughter what sound the car made...nothing about we checked the car....he said some other stuff that makes you think, he was clueless. I think they got on the wrong trail and never got off it.

Sadly, I think you are pretty accurate in your evaluation of that casework. Don't know if you're familiar with the area, but Boone is not a very large town. They have a large regional university there called Appalachian State, but that's it. Everything else is farms and small town industry. And it was even smaller in 1972. I think the Sheriff was probably dumber than the SBI agent, and had never dealt with anything even close to that before. I've heard that they did a very poor job with the crime scene and did not know how to protect evidence from foot traffic, etc.

But....one of the 2012 stories focuses on the State Attorney General and all of the work he did on the case. He doesn't seem to be dumb, but I guess that was too far after the fact.

But still, the answer almost seems obvious, so I guess when they finally did get on the right trail it was too late.........

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  • 1 month later...

Glad to find this forum. I have been following this case for years and it's good to read what others think. For those who haven't found it already, there is a discussion thread on "GoWilkes" chat forum that was posted a few years back when Tim Bullard wrote about the murders. l am from Wilkes County, NC, as were the Durhams, and Troy Hall. Wilkes borders Watagua Co and l remember hearing about the murders when they ocurred in 72. The general rumor at that time was that the daughter and SIL did it for the money. http://www.gowilkes.com/voice/view/?startview=20&msg=77993

I think this info is especially interesting because some people who personally knew the victims as well as the suspects have offered some insight that has not been found in news articles. Of course, as in all public forums, there are some off-topic posts and the thread is rather lengthy, but well worth the read for those who are truly intrigued by this case.

Oh, and my two cents worth on how the murders were committed: Strangulation/drowning are normally up close and personal ways to kill but are also less bloody and noisy than guns or knives. The placement of the bodies in water assured that if perchance they survived the strangulation, death by drowning was imminent. Why go to such lengths to insure no one survived unless they could identify their killer(s)? And last, but maybe not least, who wants to inherit a house that is a bloody mess?

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Glad to find this forum. I have been following this case for years and it's good to read what others think. For those who haven't found it already, there is a discussion thread on "GoWilkes" chat forum that was posted a few years back when Tim Bullard wrote about the murders. l am from Wilkes County, NC, as were the Durhams, and Troy Hall. Wilkes borders Watagua Co and l remember hearing about the murders when they ocurred in 72. The general rumor at that time was that the daughter and SIL did it for the money. http://www.gowilkes....ew=20&msg=77993

I think this info is especially interesting because some people who personally knew the victims as well as the suspects have offered some insight that has not been found in news articles. Of course, as in all public forums, there are some off-topic posts and the thread is rather lengthy, but well worth the read for those who are truly intrigued by this case.

Oh, and my two cents worth on how the murders were committed: Strangulation/drowning are normally up close and personal ways to kill but are also less bloody and noisy than guns or knives. The placement of the bodies in water assured that if perchance they survived the strangulation, death by drowning was imminent. Why go to such lengths to insure no one survived unless they could identify their killer(s)? And last, but maybe not least, who wants to inherit a house that is a bloody mess?

I am not sure they owned that house. I looked into the house ownership and i never saw their name. It seems to have been spit from a larger parcel and perhaps they rented it. I think any inheritance would be the dealership, cash and insurance. not sure that is the motive, but I don't think the house was important. The overall estate was valued at 250k I think. A pretty big amount for 1972...someone would kill you over much less even today.

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The following observations are speculative and not accusatory in any manner, but certain aspects of this case do not seem plausible as we know them:

I cannot believe that there was ever a phone call from Mrs. Durham to the son in law. The timeline just doesn't support it, and it fits too nicely with the staged event (right down to the perps being the n-words, which would surely throw investigators off at least initially).

The daughter's explanation of events that night are difficult to digest -- too much unaccounted for time between Troy going to library around 5pm to his 9:55pm arrival home just in time to get "the call" -- what was she doing during this time? And in my opinion, on a night when Boone was receiving such a pounding snowstorm, there would have likely been some communication between the 21 y/o daughter and her parents (or vice versa) by phone checking on each other, etc. (if there was such communication revealed, I missed it).

I have not read anything about the relationship between the Durham's and their daughter, and the fact that this is a blank page in the story causes me great concern in itself. Yes, there have been references in some forums/articles that the Durham's were not fans of Troy (but no details as to the causes that I've seen), but it appears highly possible that there was a parental estrangement between the daughter--if the Durham family is reading this, and I am off base in my assumption, my apologies -- I just can't find anything to resolve this in my mind. Determining this goes a long way in understanding motives.

Unless there is anything more revealing about Cecil Small, my opinion is that he was only used as a tool to aid in "the discovery", and don't feel like he was a participant--there's just not enough known about him to draw that conclusion. The visual that has been presented is as a detective wannabe with a big imagination (the JFK thing) driving an old truck and unless somebody can shed more light on what he was really like, that's where I'll leave him.

This case should be able to be solved for the memory of the Durham's.

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  • 3 months later...

I just recently read a story about this case in a 1972 Detective Case magazine. The article stated that something valuable was taken from the basement, but they did not disclose what it was. The article also said that there were some bullet holes found in the walls. This info is never mentioned nowadays, interesting.

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I just recently read a story about this case in a 1972 Detective Case magazine. The article stated that something valuable was taken from the basement, but they did not disclose what it was. The article also said that there were some bullet holes found in the walls. This info is never mentioned nowadays, interesting.

Could you tell us which detective case magazine it was? I mean, was it called Detective Case or was it a magazine about cases? What month was it from?

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