1 00:00:00,960 --> 00:00:09,440 Speaker 1: Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Neighbors in fear a beloved 2 00:00:09,520 --> 00:00:15,440 Speaker 1: couple found the hubby beheaded in the garage. Yes, you 3 00:00:15,600 --> 00:00:22,880 Speaker 1: heard me, the husband found decapitated in the garage. The 4 00:00:22,920 --> 00:00:26,880 Speaker 1: wife nobody could find for the longest time, and then 5 00:00:26,960 --> 00:00:31,920 Speaker 1: she was found by fishermen in the lake, tied to 6 00:00:32,040 --> 00:00:37,280 Speaker 1: a cement chunk. Good evening. I'm Nancy Grace. This is 7 00:00:37,320 --> 00:00:39,920 Speaker 1: Crime Stories. Thank you for being with us. 8 00:00:40,120 --> 00:00:42,839 Speaker 2: Russell and Shirley Durmond are happily married and living in 9 00:00:42,840 --> 00:00:46,280 Speaker 2: a beautiful lakefront property Lake of Coney, Georgia. The couple 10 00:00:46,360 --> 00:00:49,040 Speaker 2: is expected at a Kentucky Derby watch party with neighbors, 11 00:00:49,040 --> 00:00:51,840 Speaker 2: but don't show up. When the neighbors reach out by phone, 12 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:55,160 Speaker 2: the Dermins don't pick up. Days later, however, arriving at 13 00:00:55,200 --> 00:00:57,840 Speaker 2: the Dermoin's home, the neighbor's surprised to find the front 14 00:00:57,880 --> 00:01:01,720 Speaker 2: door unlocked. Calling out their names, Nobody replies with. 15 00:01:01,680 --> 00:01:03,840 Speaker 1: Me in allstar pound to make since we says of 16 00:01:03,880 --> 00:01:07,840 Speaker 1: what we know right now about the Dorman's disappearance, and 17 00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:10,199 Speaker 1: I want to go first to a special guest joining 18 00:01:10,280 --> 00:01:14,400 Speaker 1: us from Putnham County. The elected sheriff Sheriff Howard Seals, 19 00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:17,800 Speaker 1: Sheriff Seals, thank you for being with us. Isn't it 20 00:01:17,920 --> 00:01:24,720 Speaker 1: odd that the smallest in detail can raise the red alarm? Right, 21 00:01:24,840 --> 00:01:29,479 Speaker 1: the flag of alarm. When this neighbor realized that the 22 00:01:29,840 --> 00:01:34,520 Speaker 1: door was not secure, that it was unlocked, right then 23 00:01:34,920 --> 00:01:37,759 Speaker 1: the neighbor knew something was terribly wrong. 24 00:01:37,920 --> 00:01:40,000 Speaker 3: A lot of suspects, but a lot of people here 25 00:01:40,040 --> 00:01:42,760 Speaker 3: in this community still do a lot of the doors. 26 00:01:43,560 --> 00:01:46,679 Speaker 1: Yeah, you know what, I'm very familiar with Putnham County. 27 00:01:46,800 --> 00:01:49,800 Speaker 1: I was a camp counselor there at a national forest, 28 00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:54,680 Speaker 1: the four h Rock Eagle Camp, and it is beautiful, 29 00:01:55,080 --> 00:02:02,120 Speaker 1: but it's also very densely forested with a lot of lakes. 30 00:02:02,520 --> 00:02:07,000 Speaker 1: And this home was on the beautiful Lake Otony. Those 31 00:02:07,040 --> 00:02:10,560 Speaker 1: are beautiful homes right there on the lake right, this. 32 00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:14,040 Speaker 3: Very well, this was part of Rentolds at Lake o'cony, 33 00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:18,880 Speaker 3: so very exclusive neighborhood of very expensive homes. 34 00:02:19,160 --> 00:02:22,960 Speaker 1: Joseph Scott Morgan is joining me, Professor of forensics at 35 00:02:23,040 --> 00:02:27,240 Speaker 1: Jacksonville State University, author of Blood Beneath My Feet, death 36 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:31,799 Speaker 1: investigator and host of a hit series Body Bags of 37 00:02:31,919 --> 00:02:35,480 Speaker 1: Joe Scott Morgan. Joe Scott, you and I have been 38 00:02:35,520 --> 00:02:41,520 Speaker 1: to the scene and a very very extensively walked the area. 39 00:02:42,320 --> 00:02:47,240 Speaker 1: Not only is the dense forest an issue, but the 40 00:02:47,320 --> 00:02:51,960 Speaker 1: fact that this is such a high end property a 41 00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:58,480 Speaker 1: gated community where crime is very, very low. That's the 42 00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:00,080 Speaker 1: first oddity. 43 00:02:59,720 --> 00:03:03,240 Speaker 4: In this, you know, sheriff. The sheriff had mentioned this 44 00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:06,720 Speaker 4: being rentals rentals plantation for those of us from anywhere 45 00:03:06,720 --> 00:03:09,800 Speaker 4: around South approximate in this area, we're very familiar with 46 00:03:09,960 --> 00:03:14,240 Speaker 4: this location. You're talking about very high end living, and 47 00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:17,920 Speaker 4: you have an expectation of safety in these particular parts 48 00:03:18,400 --> 00:03:22,880 Speaker 4: where you know something this horrible and this is at 49 00:03:22,880 --> 00:03:25,320 Speaker 4: the top of the scale, Nancy, as far as cases 50 00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:29,000 Speaker 4: go that we've been covering Loath these many years, you 51 00:03:29,080 --> 00:03:33,280 Speaker 4: don't expect something this horrific to have occurred in this Rather, 52 00:03:33,400 --> 00:03:35,000 Speaker 4: I don't know how to say it other than just 53 00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:40,120 Speaker 4: kind of safe and bucolic location here on this beautiful 54 00:03:40,480 --> 00:03:44,360 Speaker 4: lake Ocone, And you begin to think about points of access. 55 00:03:44,560 --> 00:03:47,840 Speaker 4: How in the world would somebody be brave enough to 56 00:03:47,920 --> 00:03:51,440 Speaker 4: go into this location and how did they access this 57 00:03:51,640 --> 00:03:56,840 Speaker 4: home in this gated community, And it smacks a level 58 00:03:56,840 --> 00:03:59,920 Speaker 4: of familiarity with the area. To me, It always has, 59 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:01,720 Speaker 4: at least, I mean, yeah, hold. 60 00:04:01,520 --> 00:04:05,280 Speaker 1: On right there, Joe Scott. Everything you're saying is absolutely correct, 61 00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:06,760 Speaker 1: but I want to hone in on it before I 62 00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:10,200 Speaker 1: miss a point. You know, I feel like an English teacher, 63 00:04:10,520 --> 00:04:14,440 Speaker 1: you know how they dissect the sentences on the blackboard. 64 00:04:14,520 --> 00:04:17,279 Speaker 4: Yes, and don't ask me what a jarin is because 65 00:04:17,320 --> 00:04:18,560 Speaker 4: I still have to figure that out. 66 00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:21,960 Speaker 1: But you just gave me so much information and everybody 67 00:04:22,040 --> 00:04:25,120 Speaker 1: on the panel, do I have to remind you we're 68 00:04:25,160 --> 00:04:28,840 Speaker 1: not having high tea at Buckingham Palace. Jump in if 69 00:04:28,839 --> 00:04:32,160 Speaker 1: you have a thought, because although the sheriff has been 70 00:04:32,200 --> 00:04:35,720 Speaker 1: working this case, I'm sure he's open to any new ideas. 71 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:40,800 Speaker 1: Joe Scott, you mentioned the level of familiarity as you said, Okay, 72 00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:43,599 Speaker 1: if somebody said to me, okay, I want you to 73 00:04:43,600 --> 00:04:46,400 Speaker 1: fly over to Oregon and I want you to find 74 00:04:46,880 --> 00:04:53,960 Speaker 1: Oregon Forest Tree neighborhood and go to this certain house, 75 00:04:54,760 --> 00:04:57,960 Speaker 1: I would not have any idea what they were talking about. Right, 76 00:04:58,600 --> 00:05:03,560 Speaker 1: We're in Oregon. You know how wooded Oregon is. So 77 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:07,039 Speaker 1: where is this neighborhood? It's gated? How am I going 78 00:05:07,120 --> 00:05:09,040 Speaker 1: to get in unless I climb over a fence? And 79 00:05:09,160 --> 00:05:12,400 Speaker 1: do I have access to get in? And then you 80 00:05:12,480 --> 00:05:15,800 Speaker 1: go back through all these windy roads. How are you 81 00:05:15,800 --> 00:05:17,720 Speaker 1: going to find the place? How are you going to 82 00:05:17,760 --> 00:05:20,440 Speaker 1: find the victims? How are you going to dispose of 83 00:05:20,480 --> 00:05:25,360 Speaker 1: the wife with nobody seeing or hearing a thing? And 84 00:05:25,760 --> 00:05:28,119 Speaker 1: I grew up on a red dirt road, Joe Scott, 85 00:05:28,120 --> 00:05:30,279 Speaker 1: as you know. So when you refer to quote high 86 00:05:30,400 --> 00:05:33,440 Speaker 1: end living, what exactly do you mean by that? 87 00:05:34,520 --> 00:05:37,320 Speaker 3: Let me just say this. We've got a link that 88 00:05:37,440 --> 00:05:42,320 Speaker 3: spans five counties, and the opportunity to get there by 89 00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:47,600 Speaker 3: water is infinitesible. Okay. Likewise, and when you talk about 90 00:05:47,600 --> 00:05:49,800 Speaker 3: where do you go if you're looking for Russell Durman, 91 00:05:49,920 --> 00:05:51,880 Speaker 3: you can go on the website of the Puttnam County 92 00:05:51,960 --> 00:05:56,760 Speaker 3: Taxis Sisters website and find out exactly We won't click. 93 00:05:56,760 --> 00:05:59,520 Speaker 1: But that would. And you're right, you're totally right about 94 00:05:59,560 --> 00:06:02,279 Speaker 1: all of what you just said, Sheriff. But that takes 95 00:06:02,279 --> 00:06:06,480 Speaker 1: me to someone with a boat, Okay, that means money. 96 00:06:06,760 --> 00:06:10,400 Speaker 1: Somebody with a boat on Lake Oconey, which narrows my 97 00:06:10,440 --> 00:06:15,960 Speaker 1: suspect pool. Somebody that would take a boat to their home, docket, 98 00:06:16,400 --> 00:06:20,360 Speaker 1: commit the murders, and then take the wife's body tied 99 00:06:20,400 --> 00:06:24,679 Speaker 1: to a cement rock, chuck out into the water. Who 100 00:06:24,800 --> 00:06:28,599 Speaker 1: would approach this by boat. And as far as the 101 00:06:28,720 --> 00:06:33,080 Speaker 1: tax assessment, you're right again share sales, But that tells 102 00:06:33,080 --> 00:06:36,120 Speaker 1: me a lot about the purp. Somebody that's familiar with 103 00:06:36,160 --> 00:06:39,480 Speaker 1: the computer, somebody would think, hey, if I go to 104 00:06:39,520 --> 00:06:43,919 Speaker 1: the tax assessor's website, I can find this guy that's 105 00:06:44,240 --> 00:06:50,279 Speaker 1: very targeted. So Scott, when you refer to high end living, 106 00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:52,040 Speaker 1: what's that. 107 00:06:52,320 --> 00:06:54,360 Speaker 4: Well, you think you have access to all of these 108 00:06:54,400 --> 00:06:57,440 Speaker 4: amenities around there, not just the lake, but very high 109 00:06:57,520 --> 00:07:02,039 Speaker 4: end golfing. If anyone's ever heard of rental plantation, this 110 00:07:02,080 --> 00:07:05,200 Speaker 4: is not something just somebody off the street can walk 111 00:07:05,240 --> 00:07:07,800 Speaker 4: in and afford to do. And that tells you a 112 00:07:07,839 --> 00:07:10,280 Speaker 4: lot about the Germans, I think relative to the life 113 00:07:10,360 --> 00:07:15,000 Speaker 4: that they had chosen to live in this supposedly secure 114 00:07:15,080 --> 00:07:18,920 Speaker 4: location where they could live out their golden years in 115 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:21,680 Speaker 4: this particular spot. And back to the lake, just one 116 00:07:21,720 --> 00:07:25,520 Speaker 4: more second here, going to familiarity, I think that it's 117 00:07:25,640 --> 00:07:29,400 Speaker 4: key because unless it was perhaps a neighbor that had 118 00:07:29,440 --> 00:07:32,240 Speaker 4: access to a boat that could do this sort of thing, 119 00:07:32,600 --> 00:07:34,680 Speaker 4: we have to think about, well, how familiar are they 120 00:07:34,920 --> 00:07:37,600 Speaker 4: with local boat ramps where you can launch a boat 121 00:07:37,640 --> 00:07:41,120 Speaker 4: to get into this location and you begin to think 122 00:07:41,120 --> 00:07:45,440 Speaker 4: about nighttime and being able to kind of navigate your 123 00:07:45,480 --> 00:07:49,640 Speaker 4: way through this environment, and the placement of the remains 124 00:07:49,720 --> 00:07:52,200 Speaker 4: is certainly key here as well. 125 00:07:52,520 --> 00:07:55,240 Speaker 1: So bottom line, let me understand this, Dave mag joining 126 00:07:55,280 --> 00:07:58,960 Speaker 1: me Crime online dot com investigat every porter, the cheapest 127 00:07:59,160 --> 00:08:01,640 Speaker 1: house you can get and when you your Joe Scott 128 00:08:01,640 --> 00:08:05,400 Speaker 1: Morgan referring to high end living his words, not mine. 129 00:08:05,800 --> 00:08:08,000 Speaker 1: I'm trying to get my head wrapped around that because 130 00:08:08,600 --> 00:08:11,520 Speaker 1: we thought we were living high end when we finally 131 00:08:11,600 --> 00:08:15,320 Speaker 1: got a washer and a dryer. Yeah, washer and dryer. 132 00:08:15,600 --> 00:08:17,640 Speaker 1: That was the big time for us, and we would 133 00:08:17,640 --> 00:08:19,360 Speaker 1: all just go look at it. We were not allowed 134 00:08:19,360 --> 00:08:21,360 Speaker 1: to touch it, of course, until we want to kind 135 00:08:21,360 --> 00:08:27,560 Speaker 1: of use it. But that said, did you know, Dave 136 00:08:27,640 --> 00:08:31,520 Speaker 1: Matt that the cheapest place, the cheapest house you can 137 00:08:31,560 --> 00:08:37,480 Speaker 1: get at this RENTLDS plantation on this lake is in 138 00:08:37,559 --> 00:08:42,040 Speaker 1: the over five hundred thousand dollars approaching six hundred thousand. 139 00:08:42,480 --> 00:08:43,679 Speaker 1: That's the cheapest. 140 00:08:43,960 --> 00:08:45,960 Speaker 2: It's an amazing, beautiful place. 141 00:08:46,200 --> 00:08:48,400 Speaker 1: Yeah. And you know, Dave Matt, as you and I 142 00:08:48,400 --> 00:08:52,160 Speaker 1: have discussed many many times off camera, I don't care 143 00:08:52,600 --> 00:08:56,040 Speaker 1: if the victims are rich, poor, middle class, if they 144 00:08:56,120 --> 00:08:58,080 Speaker 1: got a PhD or they dropped out in third grade, 145 00:08:58,120 --> 00:09:03,520 Speaker 1: don't care. My point is the level of crime in 146 00:09:03,640 --> 00:09:08,800 Speaker 1: this gated community with multimillion dollar dollar homes on the 147 00:09:08,880 --> 00:09:16,080 Speaker 1: lake front is zero. I mean, nobody is getting murdered, 148 00:09:16,160 --> 00:09:20,600 Speaker 1: much less beheaded in this area. That's where I'm headed, 149 00:09:20,679 --> 00:09:21,559 Speaker 1: Dave Matt. 150 00:09:21,320 --> 00:09:24,040 Speaker 2: Nancy, when you really look at this, okay, and no, 151 00:09:24,040 --> 00:09:27,920 Speaker 2: nobody's getting beheaded, nobody's getting kidnapped, nobody's getting murdered in 152 00:09:28,040 --> 00:09:34,079 Speaker 2: this beautiful place. But Nancy, this wasn't even a robbery. Okay, 153 00:09:33,760 --> 00:09:36,559 Speaker 2: the limit of the level of crime here is very, 154 00:09:36,640 --> 00:09:40,880 Speaker 2: very low. But again, remember here we have two people 155 00:09:40,960 --> 00:09:44,040 Speaker 2: dead in the most heinous way you can imagine, and 156 00:09:44,120 --> 00:09:47,000 Speaker 2: yet there wasn't It wasn't like there was a robbery 157 00:09:47,080 --> 00:09:49,839 Speaker 2: going on and they surprised the burglars and it blew up. 158 00:09:50,400 --> 00:09:52,959 Speaker 2: There was no robbery, There was nothing taken. And by 159 00:09:53,000 --> 00:09:56,000 Speaker 2: the way, doesn't even look like there's any evidence inside 160 00:09:56,040 --> 00:09:59,680 Speaker 2: the house that they were killed inside the house. 161 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:05,800 Speaker 1: Who would be had the dad and tie this grandma 162 00:10:06,400 --> 00:10:10,720 Speaker 1: to a cement chunk and throw her to the bottom 163 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:16,079 Speaker 1: of the lake. Who this is not your ordinary barbral 164 00:10:16,480 --> 00:10:20,160 Speaker 1: Joe Scott Morgan, Professor forensics. So we're looking at an 165 00:10:20,320 --> 00:10:22,120 Speaker 1: entirely different suspect pool. 166 00:10:22,280 --> 00:10:25,240 Speaker 4: Yeah, you certainly are. You're looking at somebody that has 167 00:10:25,960 --> 00:10:27,920 Speaker 4: that has a certain level of planning. You know, this 168 00:10:28,040 --> 00:10:31,760 Speaker 4: is not obviously some kind of spontaneous event where one 169 00:10:31,800 --> 00:10:34,520 Speaker 4: person says something it makes somebody angry and they just 170 00:10:34,559 --> 00:10:37,120 Speaker 4: fly off the handle and you've got an assault at least, 171 00:10:37,120 --> 00:10:42,120 Speaker 4: so homicide nothing like that. This takes preparation, It takes 172 00:10:42,160 --> 00:10:46,040 Speaker 4: tom and again I come back to this benchmark throughout 173 00:10:46,040 --> 00:10:50,480 Speaker 4: this entire case. It involves familiarity with the location, you know, 174 00:10:50,920 --> 00:10:54,200 Speaker 4: access and opportunity. How could you know this? How could 175 00:10:54,240 --> 00:10:56,720 Speaker 4: you be aware of tomlines? How could you be aware 176 00:10:57,080 --> 00:10:59,600 Speaker 4: of where to deposit a body and to do it 177 00:10:59,640 --> 00:11:01,480 Speaker 4: in a stealthy manner? 178 00:11:01,800 --> 00:11:04,120 Speaker 1: Guys, I want to go back to the scene. What 179 00:11:04,280 --> 00:11:05,080 Speaker 1: can we learn? 180 00:11:05,640 --> 00:11:08,560 Speaker 2: Listen, The same neighbor decides to look in the garage 181 00:11:08,600 --> 00:11:11,120 Speaker 2: to see if the Drmoan's car is there. It's there. 182 00:11:11,120 --> 00:11:14,440 Speaker 2: In the garage. The neighbor discovers Russell Durmont laying on 183 00:11:14,480 --> 00:11:16,640 Speaker 2: the garage floor, decapitated. 184 00:11:16,760 --> 00:11:19,920 Speaker 1: So the neighbor realizes that something is very wrong. To 185 00:11:20,440 --> 00:11:26,000 Speaker 1: doctor John Delatory, psychologist and mediator who specializes in forensic 186 00:11:26,320 --> 00:11:31,720 Speaker 1: psychology and you can find him at resolution fcs dot com. 187 00:11:31,760 --> 00:11:35,000 Speaker 1: Doctor Delatory, thank you for being with us. If there's 188 00:11:35,240 --> 00:11:40,880 Speaker 1: no sex attack and there's no robbery, who would go 189 00:11:40,960 --> 00:11:45,720 Speaker 1: to the effort. I'm not just killing this beloved couple, 190 00:11:45,960 --> 00:11:51,480 Speaker 1: not just killing them, but decapitating the father and tying 191 00:11:51,559 --> 00:11:54,920 Speaker 1: the mom to a cement chunk and throwing her in 192 00:11:54,960 --> 00:11:56,120 Speaker 1: the water. Why. 193 00:11:56,559 --> 00:12:01,160 Speaker 5: I think this is someone who feels offended somehow. The 194 00:12:01,760 --> 00:12:05,280 Speaker 5: Dermoins offended this individual. The Dermans may not even know 195 00:12:05,400 --> 00:12:07,880 Speaker 5: what they did, or they might not even know who 196 00:12:07,960 --> 00:12:12,600 Speaker 5: this perpetrator actually was. But this person felt offended by 197 00:12:12,720 --> 00:12:15,120 Speaker 5: what was going on. And I think he was offended. 198 00:12:15,360 --> 00:12:17,880 Speaker 5: I say he because more likely he is the offender, 199 00:12:17,960 --> 00:12:20,960 Speaker 5: is that he But I think he was offended by 200 00:12:21,080 --> 00:12:23,640 Speaker 5: mister Dermott. I think a lot of it is probably 201 00:12:23,720 --> 00:12:26,840 Speaker 5: targeted because of whatever it was that that. 202 00:12:26,720 --> 00:12:27,480 Speaker 4: He was doing. 203 00:12:27,960 --> 00:12:31,960 Speaker 5: I think this is I think he wanted mister Dermot 204 00:12:32,000 --> 00:12:35,079 Speaker 5: to watch what the offender was going to do to 205 00:12:35,280 --> 00:12:38,720 Speaker 5: missus Dermott. I think that there's a lot more sort 206 00:12:38,720 --> 00:12:42,280 Speaker 5: of internal struggle strive for that. There's a lot of 207 00:12:42,320 --> 00:12:45,160 Speaker 5: anger that is associated with this that I'm not even 208 00:12:45,240 --> 00:12:47,840 Speaker 5: sure this family even knew existed or even knew that 209 00:12:47,920 --> 00:12:50,440 Speaker 5: this person existed before it all happened. 210 00:12:50,480 --> 00:12:53,440 Speaker 1: Okay to Sheriff Howard Seals joining us Cela does Sheriff 211 00:12:53,440 --> 00:12:57,760 Speaker 1: they're in Putnam County, Sheriff Sales. We hear doctor Delatre, 212 00:12:57,880 --> 00:13:01,040 Speaker 1: and I'm not saying that he's wrong. I said, let's 213 00:13:01,080 --> 00:13:05,480 Speaker 1: follow it through to its logical conclusion. Someone angry with 214 00:13:05,520 --> 00:13:08,880 Speaker 1: mister dermotd angry about what, angry about what he was doing? 215 00:13:08,920 --> 00:13:09,720 Speaker 1: What was he doing? 216 00:13:09,920 --> 00:13:12,080 Speaker 3: Well, I don't know that, but I agree with his 217 00:13:12,160 --> 00:13:15,360 Speaker 3: assessment of that because the assault of missus Dermot was 218 00:13:15,440 --> 00:13:20,160 Speaker 3: quite violent. She was struck multiple times through the skull 219 00:13:20,800 --> 00:13:23,480 Speaker 3: with something like a hammer. I don't know if it 220 00:13:23,559 --> 00:13:27,920 Speaker 3: was a hammer, but something like that. And that's particularly violent. 221 00:13:28,800 --> 00:13:32,360 Speaker 3: And there's some evidence that we have that I don't 222 00:13:32,360 --> 00:13:35,080 Speaker 3: want to go into great detail, that mister Durman was 223 00:13:35,280 --> 00:13:39,160 Speaker 3: present when that occurred. We do not believe she was 224 00:13:39,240 --> 00:13:43,520 Speaker 3: killed at the house, and we believe he was shot 225 00:13:43,720 --> 00:13:48,280 Speaker 3: only because there was some gunshot residue on his shirt. 226 00:13:48,400 --> 00:13:53,000 Speaker 3: So it's very much a violent crime, very much pointed 227 00:13:53,080 --> 00:13:59,600 Speaker 3: toward them. We've never thought otherwise, and it's but through 228 00:14:00,559 --> 00:14:03,560 Speaker 3: you cannot imagine what we've done from the standpoint of 229 00:14:05,040 --> 00:14:08,240 Speaker 3: technology MinC records. I mean, you just can't imagine. But 230 00:14:08,280 --> 00:14:11,400 Speaker 3: we just simply have not been able to find that 231 00:14:11,520 --> 00:14:17,480 Speaker 3: individual that would have had that type of animosity so far. 232 00:14:18,679 --> 00:14:21,400 Speaker 2: Russell Durman's body is found lying between the two cars 233 00:14:21,400 --> 00:14:23,640 Speaker 2: in the garage. He's wearing a short sleeved shirt and 234 00:14:23,680 --> 00:14:26,040 Speaker 2: a pair of boxers, and he's found lying on top 235 00:14:26,080 --> 00:14:28,560 Speaker 2: of a robe while his slippers are tossed to the side. 236 00:14:28,800 --> 00:14:31,360 Speaker 2: Russell Durman's bear feet are stained with blood and there's 237 00:14:31,400 --> 00:14:33,520 Speaker 2: a faint red trail smeared from the door all the 238 00:14:33,520 --> 00:14:36,640 Speaker 2: way to his body. Towels have been placed around impresumably 239 00:14:36,680 --> 00:14:39,200 Speaker 2: to prevent blood from leaking under the garage door. His 240 00:14:39,320 --> 00:14:42,400 Speaker 2: hands are bruised and bloody, with a severe gash on 241 00:14:42,440 --> 00:14:45,840 Speaker 2: the left index. Finger. Strands of Shirley Derman's hairtangle within 242 00:14:45,920 --> 00:14:49,200 Speaker 2: Russell Durmant's fingers, suggesting a struggle between de Durman's and 243 00:14:49,240 --> 00:14:49,920 Speaker 2: their attacker. 244 00:14:50,160 --> 00:14:52,880 Speaker 1: Boy, do I need a professor of forensics right now? 245 00:14:52,960 --> 00:14:56,480 Speaker 1: Joe Scott Morgan, do you hear all that that's a 246 00:14:56,600 --> 00:14:59,040 Speaker 1: lot of forensic evidence to wade through it? 247 00:14:59,160 --> 00:15:02,040 Speaker 4: Certainly is, and you begin to think about the dynamics 248 00:15:02,040 --> 00:15:05,600 Speaker 4: of the attack, as Sheriff had mentioned earlier on Missus Dermot, 249 00:15:06,440 --> 00:15:09,480 Speaker 4: which is quite intriguing from a forensic standpoint when you 250 00:15:09,600 --> 00:15:13,240 Speaker 4: talk about what type of weapon this individual showed up 251 00:15:13,240 --> 00:15:16,600 Speaker 4: with or perhaps access from the home in order to 252 00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:20,840 Speaker 4: commit such an attack like this. It's very upclose, personal, 253 00:15:21,400 --> 00:15:25,880 Speaker 4: very bloody affair, you would think. And then you have 254 00:15:26,000 --> 00:15:30,240 Speaker 4: this contact trace evidence that goes over to mister Dermott. 255 00:15:30,280 --> 00:15:33,400 Speaker 4: It gives you an idea of the intimacy the proximity 256 00:15:34,440 --> 00:15:37,360 Speaker 4: of these two individuals is there as the attack is 257 00:15:37,440 --> 00:15:42,240 Speaker 4: going on, and you know, for me, I'm thinking what 258 00:15:42,280 --> 00:15:45,280 Speaker 4: would be what would be the end game here relative 259 00:15:45,360 --> 00:15:49,280 Speaker 4: to one of these individuals who have been married for 260 00:15:49,480 --> 00:15:53,400 Speaker 4: years and years and years Nancy for the perp to 261 00:15:53,680 --> 00:15:59,120 Speaker 4: have terrorized them in front of one another. And so 262 00:15:59,320 --> 00:16:03,160 Speaker 4: that again goes to the dynamic of what the individual 263 00:16:04,240 --> 00:16:08,240 Speaker 4: that is that they're looking for the perp has against 264 00:16:08,280 --> 00:16:11,520 Speaker 4: these individuals. Because the level of violence we're talking about. 265 00:16:11,320 --> 00:16:14,560 Speaker 1: What do you make of the fact that Russell had 266 00:16:14,880 --> 00:16:18,320 Speaker 1: his wife's hair intertwined in his fingers. 267 00:16:18,760 --> 00:16:22,360 Speaker 4: I'd be interested to know how was it intertwined? Is 268 00:16:22,400 --> 00:16:26,080 Speaker 4: this something that had occurred as a result of hair 269 00:16:26,120 --> 00:16:29,720 Speaker 4: being pulled from her head by him? You have to 270 00:16:29,760 --> 00:16:33,000 Speaker 4: consider that, and then you also have to think about, well, 271 00:16:33,040 --> 00:16:36,040 Speaker 4: if there's like a copious amount of blood. Sometimes, you know, 272 00:16:36,080 --> 00:16:39,280 Speaker 4: we slough hair, and many times if you have this 273 00:16:39,440 --> 00:16:42,800 Speaker 4: tackiness on the surface of the of the hand and 274 00:16:42,840 --> 00:16:46,040 Speaker 4: you're in proximity to loose hair, that can transfer onto 275 00:16:46,120 --> 00:16:48,560 Speaker 4: the hand. So I'd have to know about the placement 276 00:16:48,840 --> 00:16:51,200 Speaker 4: of the hair. I'd like to know what his fingernails 277 00:16:51,240 --> 00:16:53,920 Speaker 4: look like if they and I'm sure that they probably did. 278 00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:57,760 Speaker 4: The State Medical Examiner's office did nail trimmings and scrapings 279 00:16:57,800 --> 00:17:01,160 Speaker 4: on both of these. Well, probably not dermin, that wouldn't 280 00:17:01,160 --> 00:17:05,280 Speaker 4: have offered much information, but certainly mister Dermot because he 281 00:17:05,400 --> 00:17:06,800 Speaker 4: was found in a dry environment. 282 00:17:07,240 --> 00:17:11,719 Speaker 1: I'm very curious because this reminds me of the Scott 283 00:17:11,720 --> 00:17:16,680 Speaker 1: Peterson case where he murdered Lacey and his unborn child Connor. 284 00:17:17,240 --> 00:17:20,080 Speaker 1: Looking at these two in their youth so in love, 285 00:17:20,800 --> 00:17:25,120 Speaker 1: remember Joe Scott that Lacy's hair wasn't just sitting on 286 00:17:25,640 --> 00:17:30,040 Speaker 1: Scott Peterson's toolbox. It wasn't just sitting on a pair 287 00:17:30,280 --> 00:17:37,960 Speaker 1: of long nosed pliers. It was intertwined in the pliers. Now, 288 00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:42,199 Speaker 1: how did that happen? Same thing here, we've got to 289 00:17:42,200 --> 00:17:48,280 Speaker 1: find out. How was her hair on his hand? Was 290 00:17:48,320 --> 00:17:50,919 Speaker 1: it in between his fingers? Was it stuck on his 291 00:17:51,040 --> 00:17:54,880 Speaker 1: wedding band? Was it stuck in blood that had dried? 292 00:17:55,680 --> 00:17:59,199 Speaker 1: Did it come from her head? In other words, was 293 00:17:59,240 --> 00:18:02,400 Speaker 1: the root attached, the nucleus still attached to the hair. 294 00:18:02,880 --> 00:18:06,480 Speaker 1: Was it a transfer from dragging his body across the 295 00:18:06,520 --> 00:18:08,800 Speaker 1: floor and he got a hair on his hands. We 296 00:18:08,880 --> 00:18:11,200 Speaker 1: don't know the answer to that, and that's very important. 297 00:18:11,280 --> 00:18:12,800 Speaker 1: Would you agree, yes. 298 00:18:12,640 --> 00:18:15,600 Speaker 4: I would the dynamic that you're thinking about relative to 299 00:18:16,160 --> 00:18:20,880 Speaker 4: two bodies, after when you have a multiple homicide, for instance, 300 00:18:22,000 --> 00:18:24,879 Speaker 4: what's the perpetrator going to do with the bodies? And 301 00:18:24,960 --> 00:18:29,119 Speaker 4: let's just say, for instance, you have a circumstance where 302 00:18:29,200 --> 00:18:32,480 Speaker 4: you have two bodies that are essentially contacting one of 303 00:18:32,760 --> 00:18:34,960 Speaker 4: one another at least for a period of time. Any 304 00:18:35,040 --> 00:18:37,680 Speaker 4: number of things can transfer from one body to the other. 305 00:18:38,160 --> 00:18:41,640 Speaker 4: And I think probably the sheriff is certainly considering this 306 00:18:41,720 --> 00:18:44,520 Speaker 4: and this ongoing investigation. He has to it to think about, 307 00:18:44,760 --> 00:18:48,480 Speaker 4: you know, those points of contact along the way, both 308 00:18:48,640 --> 00:18:53,199 Speaker 4: inside the house, in the garage and this mysterious vessel 309 00:18:53,440 --> 00:18:55,760 Speaker 4: that we might be talking about as well as here, 310 00:18:55,760 --> 00:18:58,880 Speaker 4: because you know, literally with that, with that boat, you've 311 00:18:58,920 --> 00:19:01,560 Speaker 4: got a floating crime. I'm seen as well, you really do. 312 00:19:01,640 --> 00:19:04,560 Speaker 1: Sheriff Howard steals with us. He elected sheriff in Putnam County. 313 00:19:04,920 --> 00:19:09,199 Speaker 1: What about the hair? I've heard the description that it 314 00:19:09,280 --> 00:19:12,760 Speaker 1: was intertwined in his fingers. Is that correct? 315 00:19:12,920 --> 00:19:17,280 Speaker 3: We believe, and I believe what happened is mister Durman 316 00:19:17,400 --> 00:19:22,600 Speaker 3: reached out to block the blow against his wife's head 317 00:19:22,720 --> 00:19:27,919 Speaker 3: when they enter, and that caused the laceration. This and 318 00:19:28,040 --> 00:19:31,479 Speaker 3: also it was a compound fracture and the finger and 319 00:19:31,560 --> 00:19:34,040 Speaker 3: that's where the hair was. So I think that he 320 00:19:34,160 --> 00:19:38,719 Speaker 3: was actually attempting to defend the blow against his wife 321 00:19:38,720 --> 00:19:40,720 Speaker 3: and that's how it got in there. It's pretty clear. 322 00:19:41,400 --> 00:19:42,399 Speaker 3: That's what it is to me. 323 00:19:49,359 --> 00:19:53,320 Speaker 1: Crime Stories with Nancy Grace joining me now. Is an 324 00:19:53,520 --> 00:19:59,840 Speaker 1: esteemed scientist. It is doctor Kristen Middleman, the chief de 325 00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:04,240 Speaker 1: development Officer at Authram Labs. You can find her at 326 00:20:04,359 --> 00:20:10,479 Speaker 1: DNA solves dot com. A renowned scientist. And when I 327 00:20:10,520 --> 00:20:15,880 Speaker 1: say she is a chief development officer, she is a scientist, 328 00:20:17,680 --> 00:20:23,160 Speaker 1: an expert in cutting edge DNA technology. Doctor Medlman, thank 329 00:20:23,160 --> 00:20:25,200 Speaker 1: you for being with us. This has got to be 330 00:20:26,000 --> 00:20:33,200 Speaker 1: a scientist like you, a dream, a cornucopia of DNA evidence. 331 00:20:33,600 --> 00:20:37,879 Speaker 6: Actually it's a nightmare DNA evidence because there is so 332 00:20:38,080 --> 00:20:41,040 Speaker 6: much blood, there is so much gruesomeness that belongs to 333 00:20:41,080 --> 00:20:45,840 Speaker 6: the victims in this crime scene that it overshadows and 334 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:51,800 Speaker 6: overtakes the DNA evidence left by perpetrators. But yes, there 335 00:20:51,920 --> 00:20:56,520 Speaker 6: is definitely a lot of DNA evidence here, and that's 336 00:20:56,640 --> 00:21:00,800 Speaker 6: part of what makes this crime scene where you have 337 00:21:00,880 --> 00:21:07,399 Speaker 6: to figure out multiple different types of evidence to test 338 00:21:08,160 --> 00:21:10,199 Speaker 6: to try to figure out who might have committed this 339 00:21:10,359 --> 00:21:12,640 Speaker 6: crime and if it was only one person that committed 340 00:21:12,640 --> 00:21:13,880 Speaker 6: this crime or multiple. 341 00:21:14,160 --> 00:21:17,880 Speaker 2: Investigators began a neighborhood search and beyond for Shirley Dermot 342 00:21:17,880 --> 00:21:21,720 Speaker 2: without success. The decapitated body of her husband, Russell Dermott, 343 00:21:21,880 --> 00:21:24,600 Speaker 2: was placed in the garage with towels placed around the body. 344 00:21:24,840 --> 00:21:28,359 Speaker 2: Early on, investigators believed Russell was killed elsewhere in his 345 00:21:28,400 --> 00:21:31,080 Speaker 2: body brought to the garage because the towels appeared to 346 00:21:31,080 --> 00:21:33,800 Speaker 2: be placed around his body to prevent blood from seeping 347 00:21:33,800 --> 00:21:36,080 Speaker 2: out under the garage door. But there doesn't appear to 348 00:21:36,080 --> 00:21:37,720 Speaker 2: be as much blood in the towels as would be 349 00:21:37,760 --> 00:21:41,359 Speaker 2: expected had he been decapitated while still alive. Where his 350 00:21:41,440 --> 00:21:42,200 Speaker 2: body is found? 351 00:21:42,320 --> 00:21:45,720 Speaker 1: Which to you, Sheriff Howard Sills i' ed to Sheriff 352 00:21:45,760 --> 00:21:50,880 Speaker 1: Putnam County, leads me to the question, if not murdered there, 353 00:21:51,359 --> 00:21:54,919 Speaker 1: where were they killed and what was the purpose of 354 00:21:55,000 --> 00:21:57,600 Speaker 1: bringing them back to their own home? 355 00:21:57,800 --> 00:22:01,520 Speaker 3: Well that's the million dollar and that if I probably 356 00:22:01,600 --> 00:22:04,560 Speaker 3: knew the answer, there'd be somebody in the back back 357 00:22:04,600 --> 00:22:08,720 Speaker 3: here today. But we don't believe obviously that she was 358 00:22:08,840 --> 00:22:12,320 Speaker 3: killed there, and while on earth they would have brought 359 00:22:12,320 --> 00:22:16,920 Speaker 3: his body back. I do not know. He was certainly 360 00:22:17,200 --> 00:22:20,720 Speaker 3: deceased at the time of the decapitation, So this was 361 00:22:20,840 --> 00:22:26,040 Speaker 3: more of a preventive for decop flu and things like 362 00:22:26,160 --> 00:22:29,040 Speaker 3: that leaking out from under the garage and door. I 363 00:22:29,080 --> 00:22:31,199 Speaker 3: think that actual blood. 364 00:22:31,600 --> 00:22:36,440 Speaker 1: Scott Morgan joining us, explain how a medical examiner can 365 00:22:36,520 --> 00:22:43,600 Speaker 1: determine if Russell was decapitated prior to his death, or 366 00:22:43,600 --> 00:22:46,160 Speaker 1: if that was the cause of the cause of death 367 00:22:46,359 --> 00:22:49,240 Speaker 1: or decapitated post mortem, it was a. 368 00:22:49,200 --> 00:22:52,920 Speaker 4: Post mortem decapitation or any severance of any appendance of 369 00:22:52,960 --> 00:22:55,560 Speaker 4: the body. If it's in the post mortem state, you're 370 00:22:55,600 --> 00:22:57,280 Speaker 4: not going to have what we refer to as this 371 00:22:57,480 --> 00:23:01,880 Speaker 4: little focal, which means very specific areas of hemorrhage into 372 00:23:01,920 --> 00:23:04,760 Speaker 4: the soft tissue. And what that means is that as 373 00:23:04,760 --> 00:23:08,760 Speaker 4: the body is being traumatized in life, the blood will 374 00:23:08,800 --> 00:23:13,120 Speaker 4: actually leach out into the surrounding tissue where the trauma 375 00:23:13,119 --> 00:23:16,959 Speaker 4: has occurred. When we're doing an examination of a body 376 00:23:17,000 --> 00:23:19,640 Speaker 4: and we see, for instance, something as horrific as this, 377 00:23:20,040 --> 00:23:23,800 Speaker 4: we're going to look for hemorrhage. If you have, say, 378 00:23:23,880 --> 00:23:28,199 Speaker 4: what remains of the neck, you begin to kind of 379 00:23:29,520 --> 00:23:33,280 Speaker 4: circumferentially around the area where this has taken place. You're 380 00:23:33,280 --> 00:23:35,560 Speaker 4: going to look for hemorrhage in there. If you're absent 381 00:23:35,640 --> 00:23:38,320 Speaker 4: that hemorrhage, you can deduce at that point in time 382 00:23:38,359 --> 00:23:42,360 Speaker 4: that you're looking at a post mortem or after death injury. 383 00:23:42,480 --> 00:23:45,719 Speaker 1: And the sheriff seems very convinced. He said it as 384 00:23:45,800 --> 00:23:50,440 Speaker 1: a matter of fact that Russell was decapitated after he 385 00:23:50,560 --> 00:23:54,280 Speaker 1: was killed. The theory is that there were at least 386 00:23:54,560 --> 00:23:56,080 Speaker 1: two perpetrators. 387 00:23:56,520 --> 00:24:00,480 Speaker 2: Why what's Putnam County Sheriff Howard Zille says the evidence 388 00:24:00,520 --> 00:24:02,760 Speaker 2: points to at least two people being involved in the 389 00:24:02,840 --> 00:24:05,800 Speaker 2: murders of Russell and Shirley Durmot. The sheriff says he 390 00:24:05,920 --> 00:24:08,200 Speaker 2: believes the couple was murdered in a place as yet 391 00:24:08,280 --> 00:24:11,479 Speaker 2: unknown to investigators, and the double homicide appears to have 392 00:24:11,520 --> 00:24:14,320 Speaker 2: been personal, not something that happened during the commission of 393 00:24:14,359 --> 00:24:17,280 Speaker 2: another crime such as a burglary, as nothing appears to 394 00:24:17,320 --> 00:24:18,000 Speaker 2: have been stolen. 395 00:24:18,160 --> 00:24:21,440 Speaker 1: Sheriff, why are you convinced or at least two perpetrators 396 00:24:21,440 --> 00:24:22,440 Speaker 1: that murder these two? 397 00:24:22,600 --> 00:24:26,000 Speaker 3: Well, missus Derman's body, I mean, we're talking about two 398 00:24:26,119 --> 00:24:31,160 Speaker 3: bodies here that were moved. She was disposed of by 399 00:24:31,280 --> 00:24:35,240 Speaker 3: boat five miles down the lake. And I just find 400 00:24:35,280 --> 00:24:40,399 Speaker 3: it almost impossible that one person could have picked up 401 00:24:40,480 --> 00:24:43,360 Speaker 3: bodies and things like that and moved them around from 402 00:24:43,400 --> 00:24:47,119 Speaker 3: one location to another much less six miles down the 403 00:24:47,240 --> 00:24:50,359 Speaker 3: lake than tied the bag with the box and and 404 00:24:50,400 --> 00:24:55,160 Speaker 3: all that. I just found that highly unlikely. At least two. 405 00:24:55,280 --> 00:24:57,920 Speaker 3: It wouldn't surprise me. Quite can't through a more. 406 00:24:58,240 --> 00:25:02,160 Speaker 1: Doctor Kristen Middleman joining us development officer at off Ram 407 00:25:02,280 --> 00:25:08,879 Speaker 1: Labs who specialize and degraded or even old DNA really 408 00:25:09,040 --> 00:25:12,560 Speaker 1: working miracles. Doctor Middleman, thank you for being with us. 409 00:25:13,040 --> 00:25:18,800 Speaker 1: If you were advising a crew of forensics experts on 410 00:25:18,920 --> 00:25:23,200 Speaker 1: how and where they should look for DNA at this scene. 411 00:25:23,320 --> 00:25:24,560 Speaker 1: What would you tell them? 412 00:25:24,720 --> 00:25:28,159 Speaker 6: I would definitely look at everything that was just like 413 00:25:28,280 --> 00:25:32,040 Speaker 6: Joe said earlier, underneath fingernails, things that had touched the 414 00:25:32,119 --> 00:25:35,600 Speaker 6: body that may not have been overcome by all the 415 00:25:35,640 --> 00:25:38,080 Speaker 6: blood and all of the other fluids that were at 416 00:25:38,119 --> 00:25:42,959 Speaker 6: the crime scene. Because the victim was decapitated that was 417 00:25:43,000 --> 00:25:48,560 Speaker 6: found in the garage, you have a lot of DNA 418 00:25:48,640 --> 00:25:51,640 Speaker 6: that belongs to the victim that may overpower any touch 419 00:25:51,720 --> 00:25:54,600 Speaker 6: DNA or DNA that was found on the towel or 420 00:25:54,640 --> 00:25:58,560 Speaker 6: the robe or anything that was around that victim to 421 00:25:58,640 --> 00:26:02,360 Speaker 6: stop bleeding. So those are things I would say, try 422 00:26:02,400 --> 00:26:06,200 Speaker 6: to find DNA that would be a higher mixture of 423 00:26:06,600 --> 00:26:09,240 Speaker 6: the perpetrator than it would be the victim, just like 424 00:26:09,320 --> 00:26:14,199 Speaker 6: skin cells, under fingernails or something the perpetrator may have 425 00:26:14,280 --> 00:26:18,440 Speaker 6: touched and not the victim or the victim's fluids. Now, 426 00:26:18,480 --> 00:26:22,440 Speaker 6: the other thing is you said earlier that maybe her 427 00:26:22,480 --> 00:26:25,359 Speaker 6: fingernails wouldn't be useful because they were at the bottom 428 00:26:25,400 --> 00:26:28,159 Speaker 6: of a lake. I still think that DNA could be 429 00:26:28,160 --> 00:26:32,399 Speaker 6: pulled from something like that. We have identified people that 430 00:26:32,400 --> 00:26:35,159 Speaker 6: have been chopped to bits and the suitcases at the 431 00:26:35,200 --> 00:26:38,359 Speaker 6: bottom of a lake for decades bottom of sewage tanks, 432 00:26:38,440 --> 00:26:42,199 Speaker 6: so we have figured out ways to overcome water and 433 00:26:42,400 --> 00:26:45,720 Speaker 6: degradation that comes, contamination that comes with being in water 434 00:26:45,840 --> 00:26:48,400 Speaker 6: for a very long time. So I would still look 435 00:26:48,400 --> 00:26:52,320 Speaker 6: at that evidence as well. Maybe because her body was 436 00:26:52,400 --> 00:26:55,600 Speaker 6: discarded before it was manipulated as much as his by 437 00:26:55,760 --> 00:27:00,639 Speaker 6: the decapitation, maybe there would be more DNA her body 438 00:27:01,520 --> 00:27:03,720 Speaker 6: that could be found that would be more perpetrator. 439 00:27:05,119 --> 00:27:06,280 Speaker 3: That would be my suggestion. 440 00:27:07,600 --> 00:27:10,320 Speaker 2: There is no evidence to suggest either of the Dermoms 441 00:27:10,320 --> 00:27:13,640 Speaker 2: were killed inside their house. There is also no evidence 442 00:27:13,680 --> 00:27:16,359 Speaker 2: of the exact time and date of their death. Sheriff 443 00:27:16,440 --> 00:27:19,560 Speaker 2: Sills said Shirley Dermot was working on a crossword puzzle 444 00:27:19,600 --> 00:27:22,080 Speaker 2: out of US eighty day that's left on the kitchen table. 445 00:27:22,320 --> 00:27:25,080 Speaker 2: The Dermin's bed was unmade, and Russell Dermot was found 446 00:27:25,119 --> 00:27:28,080 Speaker 2: laying on top of his bathrobe wearing his boxers and 447 00:27:28,119 --> 00:27:30,399 Speaker 2: a T shirt. Which Sureley Dermom's body is found in 448 00:27:30,480 --> 00:27:32,680 Speaker 2: Lake Aconi. She is completely dressed. 449 00:27:32,960 --> 00:27:36,120 Speaker 1: To Sheriff Howard Zills joining us from Putnam County Sheriff, 450 00:27:36,600 --> 00:27:40,600 Speaker 1: that tells you about what time of the day do 451 00:27:40,720 --> 00:27:42,720 Speaker 1: you think these two were murdered? 452 00:27:42,920 --> 00:27:45,960 Speaker 3: Well, again, we don't really know because of talking to 453 00:27:46,040 --> 00:27:50,600 Speaker 3: the Durmo's children, we learned that when mister Dermot would 454 00:27:50,640 --> 00:27:52,640 Speaker 3: get up in the morning, if he didn't have anything 455 00:27:52,720 --> 00:27:55,760 Speaker 3: to do, that he would lounge around for several hours, 456 00:27:55,800 --> 00:28:02,320 Speaker 3: sometimes with his robe and bedclothes. However, her custom was 457 00:28:02,359 --> 00:28:06,960 Speaker 3: when she got up, she immediately became dressed. We do 458 00:28:07,160 --> 00:28:12,080 Speaker 3: know that a man was seen or somebody was seen 459 00:28:12,119 --> 00:28:17,880 Speaker 3: in the yard on the Saturday before the Kentucky derby, 460 00:28:18,480 --> 00:28:23,320 Speaker 3: so we actually think, because of all of that together 461 00:28:23,520 --> 00:28:28,880 Speaker 3: that this probably happened initially sometimes Saturday during the daytime. 462 00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:35,399 Speaker 1: Well, I'm curious just looking at people's behavior. He still 463 00:28:35,520 --> 00:28:39,360 Speaker 1: had on his boxers and a T shirt. She was 464 00:28:39,440 --> 00:28:44,320 Speaker 1: doing the crossword puzzle. Joining me is doctor John Delatory, 465 00:28:44,880 --> 00:28:49,840 Speaker 1: renowned psychologist and mediator who specializes in forensic psychology. Doctor 466 00:28:49,920 --> 00:28:54,920 Speaker 1: Delatory number one, I need to know the date of 467 00:28:54,960 --> 00:28:58,800 Speaker 1: the USA today crossroord puzzle. And it's just striking me 468 00:28:58,920 --> 00:29:01,800 Speaker 1: that this was in the morning, which makes this even 469 00:29:01,920 --> 00:29:04,280 Speaker 1: more of an aberration, an oddity. 470 00:29:04,440 --> 00:29:08,440 Speaker 5: Yeah, because they're unprepared, right, there's nothing to suggest that 471 00:29:08,480 --> 00:29:11,200 Speaker 5: anything is going on in their daily lives that made 472 00:29:11,280 --> 00:29:14,160 Speaker 5: them afraid of whatever it is that's going on. Even 473 00:29:14,160 --> 00:29:16,400 Speaker 5: if there was an individual in their yard. It certainly 474 00:29:16,440 --> 00:29:19,960 Speaker 5: doesn't appear as though that individual shouldn't be there, right, 475 00:29:20,040 --> 00:29:23,360 Speaker 5: So there's a lot that's sort of just the routine, right, 476 00:29:23,400 --> 00:29:26,880 Speaker 5: the mundane, the regular things that these two individuals kind 477 00:29:26,880 --> 00:29:30,120 Speaker 5: of go through. They weren't expecting any of this to happen, 478 00:29:30,480 --> 00:29:33,640 Speaker 5: so they weren't prepared. This is not so much a 479 00:29:33,680 --> 00:29:36,160 Speaker 5: blitz attack, because there's nothing to suggest in the home 480 00:29:36,200 --> 00:29:37,880 Speaker 5: that you know, all of a sudden there was some 481 00:29:38,000 --> 00:29:40,600 Speaker 5: kind of fight, But there is something in which they 482 00:29:40,600 --> 00:29:46,040 Speaker 5: were unprepared and they just kind of it was just unexpected, 483 00:29:46,080 --> 00:29:49,840 Speaker 5: and instead of using force, the individual probably use some 484 00:29:49,920 --> 00:29:52,800 Speaker 5: kind of coercive technique, whether it was a gun or 485 00:29:52,800 --> 00:29:55,840 Speaker 5: a weapon or something like that. But there was more coercion, 486 00:29:55,920 --> 00:29:58,640 Speaker 5: more verbal threats more than there was physical threats. 487 00:29:58,840 --> 00:30:01,640 Speaker 1: Just Scott Morgan joining US Professor forensics. It's not all 488 00:30:01,680 --> 00:30:05,840 Speaker 1: about fingerprints and fibers. Let's take a look at it. 489 00:30:05,920 --> 00:30:09,400 Speaker 1: Joe Scott number one, the date of the USA Today paper. 490 00:30:10,480 --> 00:30:13,720 Speaker 1: Was it her custom to do the crossword in the mornings? 491 00:30:14,080 --> 00:30:19,520 Speaker 1: Were coffee cup coffee cups sitting out on the kitchen table? 492 00:30:20,880 --> 00:30:23,680 Speaker 1: Was there a pot of coffee still in the coffee maker, 493 00:30:24,920 --> 00:30:27,160 Speaker 1: Was there anything in the crock pot where their dishes 494 00:30:27,200 --> 00:30:30,000 Speaker 1: out from lunch or did it look more like dinner. 495 00:30:30,480 --> 00:30:32,920 Speaker 1: We know that they didn't show up for the Kentucky 496 00:30:32,960 --> 00:30:36,640 Speaker 1: Derby party, so that gives us the clue as to 497 00:30:36,760 --> 00:30:40,680 Speaker 1: the end. They were dead by that time. What else 498 00:30:40,720 --> 00:30:42,840 Speaker 1: would you look for? Joe Scott well. 499 00:30:42,880 --> 00:30:45,800 Speaker 4: Sheriff Sales has done the right thing by going to 500 00:30:45,880 --> 00:30:49,360 Speaker 4: speak with the family, something we do in investigations to 501 00:30:49,680 --> 00:30:52,040 Speaker 4: just try to get a take a temperature of what 502 00:30:52,080 --> 00:30:55,200 Speaker 4: their daily routine looks like. And you have to try 503 00:30:55,200 --> 00:30:57,840 Speaker 4: to understand that and are there any moments in tom 504 00:30:57,920 --> 00:31:03,200 Speaker 4: that deviate from that norm those normal behaviors moving forward? 505 00:31:04,720 --> 00:31:08,840 Speaker 4: I think that also one of the things. And if 506 00:31:08,920 --> 00:31:12,520 Speaker 4: we believe that there may have been more than one 507 00:31:12,680 --> 00:31:15,480 Speaker 4: individual involved in this, I think that it would be 508 00:31:15,600 --> 00:31:18,840 Speaker 4: very important to try to examine any kind of available 509 00:31:18,960 --> 00:31:22,320 Speaker 4: digital evidence that might be available from back during that 510 00:31:22,480 --> 00:31:25,080 Speaker 4: time period, as far as phone records, anything that came 511 00:31:25,120 --> 00:31:27,520 Speaker 4: off of any of the towers back then. I don't 512 00:31:27,560 --> 00:31:30,600 Speaker 4: know if that's necessarily possible, but it's certainly something that's intriguing. 513 00:31:30,640 --> 00:31:33,840 Speaker 4: If you've got one person in the yard, perhaps are 514 00:31:33,880 --> 00:31:37,800 Speaker 4: they communicating with someone else that could facilitate bringing a 515 00:31:37,800 --> 00:31:41,560 Speaker 4: boat around, because that's that's the rub, isn't it. You know, 516 00:31:41,600 --> 00:31:45,000 Speaker 4: how do you get a boat into a location where 517 00:31:45,120 --> 00:31:48,080 Speaker 4: you're running the risk in broad daylight of people being 518 00:31:48,280 --> 00:31:52,560 Speaker 4: seen at their dock or their mooring location there? How 519 00:31:52,600 --> 00:31:55,320 Speaker 4: does this work? So there has to be communication involved 520 00:31:55,320 --> 00:31:57,880 Speaker 4: in this. I think that's that's certainly something to look at. 521 00:31:58,000 --> 00:31:59,720 Speaker 1: And of course you know the age on question dot 522 00:31:59,760 --> 00:32:03,280 Speaker 1: miss on dilatory. You really think too or more people 523 00:32:03,560 --> 00:32:08,160 Speaker 1: could keep this quiet. No way they had to tell 524 00:32:08,280 --> 00:32:12,000 Speaker 1: a girlfriend, a wife, a co conspirator. There was a 525 00:32:12,120 --> 00:32:16,120 Speaker 1: reason for this murder. Somebody has to know why, and 526 00:32:16,200 --> 00:32:17,520 Speaker 1: that leads you to who. 527 00:32:17,720 --> 00:32:20,840 Speaker 5: Again, it leads me to someone that felt offended by 528 00:32:20,920 --> 00:32:25,200 Speaker 5: whatever Russell Dermot was doing, whatever it was that he 529 00:32:25,280 --> 00:32:28,120 Speaker 5: was involved in. Now, this could have been an ex employee, 530 00:32:28,400 --> 00:32:30,240 Speaker 5: this could have been this could have been anybody. 531 00:32:30,280 --> 00:32:32,520 Speaker 1: But when you say involved in, wait a minute, that 532 00:32:32,560 --> 00:32:34,520 Speaker 1: makes it sounds like it's a victim's fault. How do 533 00:32:34,600 --> 00:32:36,560 Speaker 1: I know it wasn't somebody that broke in and he 534 00:32:36,560 --> 00:32:39,560 Speaker 1: wouldn't give up the pen number to his checking account 535 00:32:39,640 --> 00:32:42,000 Speaker 1: or his saving his account. I mean, we did that 536 00:32:42,120 --> 00:32:44,800 Speaker 1: cause someone to go into a fury, But would they 537 00:32:44,840 --> 00:32:47,880 Speaker 1: go through the effort of driving up in a boat 538 00:32:47,920 --> 00:32:50,160 Speaker 1: and decapitating him over a pin number. 539 00:32:50,320 --> 00:32:51,480 Speaker 4: No, No, absolutely not. 540 00:32:51,600 --> 00:32:54,240 Speaker 5: This is why I'm saying that this is about something 541 00:32:54,240 --> 00:32:57,240 Speaker 5: that was going on within the individual that was specifically 542 00:32:57,280 --> 00:33:00,800 Speaker 5: targeting Russell Dermott or else none of this other stuff 543 00:33:00,800 --> 00:33:03,520 Speaker 5: would need to have happened. I mean that these two 544 00:33:03,640 --> 00:33:06,800 Speaker 5: individuals are killed in very disparate ways, and they're dumped 545 00:33:06,800 --> 00:33:09,600 Speaker 5: in very disparate ways, But I think it's purposeful. This 546 00:33:09,800 --> 00:33:12,600 Speaker 5: was planned from the beginning that this was how things 547 00:33:12,600 --> 00:33:15,960 Speaker 5: were going to play out, and everything is probably geared 548 00:33:15,960 --> 00:33:19,920 Speaker 5: towards Russell Derman being sort of the ultimate target of 549 00:33:19,960 --> 00:33:23,560 Speaker 5: whatever this thing was, given the nature of how his 550 00:33:23,640 --> 00:33:27,800 Speaker 5: wife was beaten to death and how he necessarily wasn't. 551 00:33:27,800 --> 00:33:30,959 Speaker 1: In the last days a break in the case. 552 00:33:31,080 --> 00:33:33,719 Speaker 2: Listen, the case of the double homicide of a beloved 553 00:33:33,800 --> 00:33:36,320 Speaker 2: couple in a gated community on Lake of Cocony goes 554 00:33:36,360 --> 00:33:39,280 Speaker 2: cold for nearly ten years until Sheriff Howard Siles announces 555 00:33:39,320 --> 00:33:42,080 Speaker 2: a break in the case. DNA is recovered from Russell 556 00:33:42,120 --> 00:33:44,960 Speaker 2: Durman's shirt and is sent to a private lab for examination. 557 00:33:45,240 --> 00:33:48,800 Speaker 2: The private lab confirms the DNA does not belong to 558 00:33:48,920 --> 00:33:52,720 Speaker 2: Russell or Shirley Durman. Pubman County Sheriff Howard Siles says 559 00:33:52,760 --> 00:33:55,240 Speaker 2: he believes the DNA is from the person who committed 560 00:33:55,240 --> 00:33:57,840 Speaker 2: the murder, or at least somebody who is a party 561 00:33:57,840 --> 00:33:58,400 Speaker 2: to the crime. 562 00:34:05,480 --> 00:34:09,120 Speaker 1: Crime stories with Nancy Grace, the double homicide of Russell 563 00:34:09,200 --> 00:34:11,680 Speaker 1: and Shirley Dermott rocks their gaety community. 564 00:34:11,960 --> 00:34:15,160 Speaker 2: Huddnam County Sheriff Howard Sills says, based on the evidence, 565 00:34:15,239 --> 00:34:18,319 Speaker 2: Russell Durman was murdered elsewhere, but was beheaded in the 566 00:34:18,360 --> 00:34:21,120 Speaker 2: garage where his body was found. The shriff says the 567 00:34:21,120 --> 00:34:25,120 Speaker 2: injuries Shirley Drman sustained would have left physical evidence that 568 00:34:25,280 --> 00:34:27,320 Speaker 2: was not found in the Drman's. 569 00:34:26,920 --> 00:34:31,160 Speaker 1: Home, nor evidence at the beheading of Russell Dermott occurred 570 00:34:31,280 --> 00:34:34,200 Speaker 1: there in the home as well. Where were they killed? 571 00:34:34,440 --> 00:34:36,680 Speaker 1: What was the purpose of bringing their bodies back to 572 00:34:36,880 --> 00:34:41,000 Speaker 1: that gated community home right on the waterfront of Lake Oconey. 573 00:34:41,320 --> 00:34:45,200 Speaker 1: We are now hearing about new DNA straight out to 574 00:34:45,239 --> 00:34:49,440 Speaker 1: the sheriff. Sheriff Howard sells where did you discover where 575 00:34:49,719 --> 00:34:50,800 Speaker 1: was the new DNA? 576 00:34:50,960 --> 00:34:53,680 Speaker 3: We initially took all of our physical evidence out to 577 00:34:53,719 --> 00:35:00,399 Speaker 3: authoram Authorham did locate and did identified DNA. Some further 578 00:35:00,480 --> 00:35:03,160 Speaker 3: work that needed to be done, and they have referred 579 00:35:03,239 --> 00:35:09,759 Speaker 3: me to Sarrensen Labs in out in Utah and they 580 00:35:09,840 --> 00:35:16,120 Speaker 3: have found DNA that they are still working on trying 581 00:35:16,160 --> 00:35:21,120 Speaker 3: to isolate that we at least know both Author and 582 00:35:22,040 --> 00:35:27,880 Speaker 3: Sarnson found DNA that does not belong to Shirley or 583 00:35:27,960 --> 00:35:34,320 Speaker 3: Russell Derman and Sarnston is still doing whatever they're doing there, 584 00:35:35,160 --> 00:35:37,680 Speaker 3: trying to narrow that down en up where we can 585 00:35:37,680 --> 00:35:42,200 Speaker 3: get it into codis. So I reached out to them. Initially, 586 00:35:42,239 --> 00:35:45,359 Speaker 3: the State Lab said there was no DNA. I'm not 587 00:35:45,520 --> 00:35:47,839 Speaker 3: being critical of them. I don't know the technology at 588 00:35:47,880 --> 00:35:52,040 Speaker 3: the time, other than the Dermots themselves. But after learning 589 00:35:52,080 --> 00:35:55,920 Speaker 3: of the good work of Authorm and sarren Son and 590 00:35:56,120 --> 00:36:00,920 Speaker 3: consulting with the FBI, that's where I decide to take stuff. 591 00:36:01,000 --> 00:36:06,160 Speaker 3: So we're optimistic that that's going to eventually turn up 592 00:36:06,200 --> 00:36:07,799 Speaker 3: something here, hopefully pretty soon. 593 00:36:08,080 --> 00:36:11,719 Speaker 1: Doctor Christen Millman, joining US chief development officer at AUTHRAM, 594 00:36:12,040 --> 00:36:15,160 Speaker 1: tell me about the discovery of the new well, it's 595 00:36:15,160 --> 00:36:18,960 Speaker 1: not really new DNA, it's newly discovered DNA. Where was 596 00:36:19,000 --> 00:36:20,359 Speaker 1: it and how did you find it? 597 00:36:20,360 --> 00:36:22,520 Speaker 6: It was on the clothing, and I guess how we 598 00:36:22,600 --> 00:36:27,120 Speaker 6: found it is the sheriff sent the evidence here to 599 00:36:27,160 --> 00:36:31,600 Speaker 6: see if there was any unknown contributor profile that could 600 00:36:31,600 --> 00:36:35,600 Speaker 6: be detected that wasn't previously detected. Once that was detected 601 00:36:35,600 --> 00:36:39,960 Speaker 6: at our lab, we had to follow the interim policy 602 00:36:40,040 --> 00:36:43,000 Speaker 6: for this type of technology, and that means that any 603 00:36:43,080 --> 00:36:46,000 Speaker 6: DNA that is found needs to be uploaded to COTIS 604 00:36:46,040 --> 00:36:48,640 Speaker 6: first and see if there is a hit and codis 605 00:36:48,760 --> 00:36:51,120 Speaker 6: or a match in CODIS. Once there's not a hitt 606 00:36:51,120 --> 00:36:54,239 Speaker 6: and CODIS, then we can proceed and build a profile. 607 00:36:54,640 --> 00:36:56,759 Speaker 6: If there is a hitting CODIS, obviously the case can 608 00:36:56,800 --> 00:36:59,799 Speaker 6: be solved that way. A lot of the times there isn't. 609 00:37:00,120 --> 00:37:02,279 Speaker 6: If there isn't, then we can proceed and build a 610 00:37:02,320 --> 00:37:05,440 Speaker 6: profile that has hundreds and hundreds of thousands of markers 611 00:37:05,800 --> 00:37:10,840 Speaker 6: rather than twenty, and upload that to genealogical databases consented 612 00:37:10,880 --> 00:37:14,560 Speaker 6: for law enforcement use, allowing us to infer the identity 613 00:37:14,560 --> 00:37:18,800 Speaker 6: of the perpetrator. And so Sorensen is a traditional forensic 614 00:37:18,880 --> 00:37:22,520 Speaker 6: lab that can build these CODIS profiles quickly and get 615 00:37:22,520 --> 00:37:25,839 Speaker 6: them uploaded. That is what's happening now. And if there 616 00:37:25,920 --> 00:37:28,160 Speaker 6: is a hit, that case can be solved that way. 617 00:37:28,200 --> 00:37:30,919 Speaker 6: If there is no hit, then we can take over 618 00:37:31,040 --> 00:37:35,239 Speaker 6: the DNA sample and build one of these genealogical profiles 619 00:37:35,280 --> 00:37:38,160 Speaker 6: that will help us infer the identity of the person 620 00:37:38,200 --> 00:37:41,120 Speaker 6: that left DNA at the crime scene. We can't say 621 00:37:41,160 --> 00:37:44,279 Speaker 6: it's the perpetrator, but we can say someone that left 622 00:37:44,360 --> 00:37:48,160 Speaker 6: DNA on their body at the crime scene during that 623 00:37:48,320 --> 00:37:49,319 Speaker 6: time period. 624 00:37:49,080 --> 00:37:53,320 Speaker 1: The clothes they were wearing at the time they were murdered. Okay, 625 00:37:53,400 --> 00:37:58,720 Speaker 1: question Dodger, Crystal middleman joining us, Dodger Middleman, when I say, 626 00:37:58,920 --> 00:38:04,200 Speaker 1: how do you find the DNA on the clothing? Specifically? 627 00:38:04,200 --> 00:38:07,279 Speaker 1: What do you put it under a microscope? Do you 628 00:38:07,800 --> 00:38:11,200 Speaker 1: treat it in some way? How do you see what 629 00:38:11,360 --> 00:38:14,240 Speaker 1: other scientists could not see? 630 00:38:14,320 --> 00:38:18,160 Speaker 6: Well, DNA techniques should be much the same and standardized, 631 00:38:18,239 --> 00:38:20,840 Speaker 6: but maybe we took a section of that clothing that 632 00:38:20,960 --> 00:38:23,720 Speaker 6: was different and sections that had been tested in the past. 633 00:38:23,800 --> 00:38:27,799 Speaker 6: How forensic testing works is you section different areas of 634 00:38:28,320 --> 00:38:31,440 Speaker 6: a bedsheet, clothing, anything that might have been found at 635 00:38:31,440 --> 00:38:34,480 Speaker 6: the crime scene, and then you extract DNA from all 636 00:38:34,520 --> 00:38:37,600 Speaker 6: of those cuttings. And sometimes you're lucky and you actually 637 00:38:37,600 --> 00:38:40,400 Speaker 6: find a profile that doesn't belong to either one of 638 00:38:40,400 --> 00:38:44,400 Speaker 6: the victims, and that is what the sheriff is alluding 639 00:38:44,400 --> 00:38:45,200 Speaker 6: to in this case. 640 00:38:45,280 --> 00:38:49,759 Speaker 1: Doctor Mintlman, it's amazing to me the work that you 641 00:38:49,880 --> 00:38:54,680 Speaker 1: do at Authram. You've actually found something that other scientists 642 00:38:54,680 --> 00:38:58,560 Speaker 1: at the time couldn't see, and it may hold the 643 00:38:58,640 --> 00:39:02,640 Speaker 1: key to not just a double murder, but the double 644 00:39:02,760 --> 00:39:08,320 Speaker 1: murder of beloved grandparents, a beheading. And I look at 645 00:39:08,840 --> 00:39:14,840 Speaker 1: missus Derman to imagine someone tying her body to a 646 00:39:14,960 --> 00:39:19,520 Speaker 1: cement chunk and throwing her into that cold, dark water. 647 00:39:21,080 --> 00:39:24,240 Speaker 1: These perps have got to be found and your work 648 00:39:24,920 --> 00:39:30,480 Speaker 1: may make that happen. If you know, or you even 649 00:39:30,760 --> 00:39:36,840 Speaker 1: think you know anything about the brutal murders of the Dermans, 650 00:39:36,880 --> 00:39:41,120 Speaker 1: please call seven zero six four eight five eight five 651 00:39:41,320 --> 00:39:45,359 Speaker 1: five seven seven zero six four eight five eight five 652 00:39:45,480 --> 00:39:48,040 Speaker 1: five seven. Now we've got up that there is a 653 00:39:48,120 --> 00:39:51,920 Speaker 1: twenty five thousand dollars reward, but there is also a 654 00:39:52,040 --> 00:39:58,720 Speaker 1: commitment for Metropolitan Life insurance for thirty grand Let's hope 655 00:39:59,160 --> 00:40:04,719 Speaker 1: we can use it total of fifty five thousand dollars 656 00:40:05,200 --> 00:40:12,000 Speaker 1: and promised reward for the discovery of information leading to 657 00:40:12,080 --> 00:40:16,319 Speaker 1: the resolution of this double murder. We stop now and 658 00:40:16,400 --> 00:40:22,120 Speaker 1: remember American hero police Officer Garrett Crumby, Huntsville, Alabama. Just 659 00:40:22,239 --> 00:40:26,080 Speaker 1: thirty six. Officer Crumby shot and killed in the line 660 00:40:26,120 --> 00:40:31,400 Speaker 1: of duty. Survived by grieving wife Taylor, loving parents William 661 00:40:31,400 --> 00:40:37,040 Speaker 1: and Janet, two dogs and two cats, four furry children. 662 00:40:37,200 --> 00:40:42,600 Speaker 1: American hero police Officer Garrett Crumby. Thank you to our 663 00:40:42,640 --> 00:40:46,600 Speaker 1: guests for being with us, especially to doctor Kristen Middleman 664 00:40:46,719 --> 00:40:51,600 Speaker 1: from off Raum Labs, and of course to Sheriff Howard Stills, 665 00:40:51,960 --> 00:40:55,600 Speaker 1: still on the case there in Putnam County. Nancy Grace 666 00:40:55,840 --> 00:41:05,560 Speaker 1: signing off goodbye friend.