The unsolved murder of Rhonda Hinson

[dynoguy88]

Interesting new facts. But I'd like to know how it was revealed that the preacher, Greg's father, had touched Rhonda in inappropriate ways. That would explain all the excessive showers and her saying, "I can't sleep, I feel dirty." But that is quite a bombshell that apparently wasn't known to the Hinsons by the time the UM segment aired. And several years had already passed by then since the murder.

The majority of that write up gives the impression of a VERY overly clingy teenage boyfriend but not exactly to the extreme of a Richard Church. It sounds like he had major issues but it's quite a leap from pushing her to hunting her down in the middle of the night with a rifle. I think I need to know a little more about just how bad their apparent blowup fights had became. Although going to the parents bedroom instead of Rhonda's to have his several hour emotional breakdown is a little...odd. And no contact with the Hinsons since that day, not going to the funeral, taking two hours to get to the house despite living 15 minutes away and being freshly showered.

I'm very intrigued and would like to know more.

[Huskerz85]

Originally Posted by ArmadilloArtist

An investigative reporter, originally from Valdese, is working this story.
Rhonda Hinson was my first cousin. Let me enlighten a few of you. She was not having an affair. She was not pregnant. She was an enthusiastic athlete that excelled in track, tennis, and basketball. She was well liked. She loved life and her family. She had a future! She didn't date until she met Greg McDowell, whom was never interviewed about his whereabouts at the time of her murder. He drove a blue car with a messed up front end. He was home from college that holiday season. Rhonda tried desperately to break up with him due to his jealous streak, physical abuse, and emotional instability. He showed up to Rhonda's house two hours after Rhonda's mother called him and he only lived 15 minutes away. When he showed up that night, he was freshly showered. He went straight to Rhonda's parents bedroom and sat on the bed for several hours, periodically vomiting, but never speaking to anyone. Greg's father, Charles McDowell, was a preacher that "touched" Rhonda in inappropriate ways. (He is now located in Barney GA.) Rhonda dodged him every chance she could. Charles McDowell was an avid hunter with a nice collection of hunting rifles and shotguns. He was a pilot. In the wee morning hours of December 23rd, he suddenly scheduled a flight "out of the area." Greg did not go to Rhonda's funeral, nor has he ever spoken to the family since that day. Now, you have a few more facts. Revise your thinking...

News Feature about Rhonda Hinson published 4.2.19

http://the-record-newspaper.tumblr.c...Qz0KZrq7BCuMe0

So the elder McDowell did it then (fearful Rhonda would eventually rat him out) and forced his son/her boyfriend to help him (which would explain the sightings of more than one car + his bizarre behavior after the fact).....??

[StackTime]

Originally Posted by ArmadilloArtist

An investigative reporter, originally from Valdese, is working this story.
Rhonda Hinson was my first cousin. Let me enlighten a few of you. She was not having an affair. She was not pregnant. She was an enthusiastic athlete that excelled in track, tennis, and basketball. She was well liked. She loved life and her family. She had a future! She didn't date until she met Greg McDowell, whom was never interviewed about his whereabouts at the time of her murder. He drove a blue car with a messed up front end. He was home from college that holiday season. Rhonda tried desperately to break up with him due to his jealous streak, physical abuse, and emotional instability. He showed up to Rhonda's house two hours after Rhonda's mother called him and he only lived 15 minutes away. When he showed up that night, he was freshly showered. He went straight to Rhonda's parents bedroom and sat on the bed for several hours, periodically vomiting, but never speaking to anyone. Greg's father, Charles McDowell, was a preacher that "touched" Rhonda in inappropriate ways. (He is now located in Barney GA.) Rhonda dodged him every chance she could. Charles McDowell was an avid hunter with a nice collection of hunting rifles and shotguns. He was a pilot. In the wee morning hours of December 23rd, he suddenly scheduled a flight "out of the area." Greg did not go to Rhonda's funeral, nor has he ever spoken to the family since that day. Now, you have a few more facts. Revise your thinking...

News Feature about Rhonda Hinson published 4.2.19

http://the-record-newspaper.tumblr.c...Qz0KZrq7BCuMe0

Thank you for posting. We're all sorry for the loss.

I'm a bit confused though. Rhonda "dodged him every chance she could" because of the "jealous streak, physical abuse, and emotional instability" - but he was still welcomed into the home by the parents, including the night of the murder?

Also, Rhonda was knowingly dating the unstable, abusive son of her sexual abuser?

[hostedbyrobertstack]

Very interesting information! ...and seems to actually make total sense and be the most plausible. About to dive into the 10 part news article on this. Already skimming through, it's very nice to see additional photographs of Rhonda (real-life photos are great, as I always hate only seeing school type portraits, as even mine never seem to really give a sense of what a person actually looked like or was really like.)

[MegtheEgg86]

Just finished reading through the whole series.

If anything, it seems the question of the Trans Am is resolved: this was the vehicle belonging to a couple of passersby (named in one of the articles) who stopped to check on the car, but apparently did not come near enough to chance on Rhonda's body in the ditch. They did, however, go into Valdese to try to flag down a police officer and ended up bringing one to the scene.

Greg McDowell fits the sketchy description of the man seen standing by Rhonda's car that night. Although the blue 1976 Nova he was driving at the time doesn't exactly fit the description provided by one of the eyewitnesses, the eyewitness was able to correctly identify the make, with a "messed up" front end (as McDowell's had at the time), and described it as gray, which a blue car might appear to be in low light conditions. The question here would be the sequence of events: if this particular driver (who described both the car and the male seen at Rhonda's car) were traveling away from Valdese on MSM Road toward the I-40 ramp as depicted in the segment, it cannot be that the car was McDowell's and that he was also the man seen with Rhonda.

I think McDowell is probably as good a suspect as any, especially provided having the most solid motive of anybody else we've discussed over the years in addition to his breaking off contact with the Hinson family virtually on the night Rhonda was killed. But I don't understand the logistics of how it might have gone down. Did he wait for her under the bridge? Did he follow her from some other location, like near Sherry Pittman's house in Hickory? Did she realize she was being followed by someone she knew and stop? Did he argue with her and it escalated? Did he approach from the outset with the intention of shooting her? Or did he snipe at her from a distance? Did he even own such a weapon? Did his daddy? I guess my questions mainly center on that small chunk of time just prior to, and just after the shooting.

[TheCars1986]

The series of articles definitely set up Greg McDowell and/or his father being involved in Rhonda's murder, but the most recent article (or maybe it was part 9) also sets up Rhonda's friend's boyfriend (Mark Turner) as a potential suspect. I'm confused as to which way this is going, because I don't see Greg & Mark working together to do this. Especially since Greg got a phone call from Rhonda after midnight (at his house), meaning he wouldn't have had time to contact Mark and then get together to commit the murder. I did see this comment for the first time over at the UM website from someone named Christine:

I went to high school with Rhonda and remember this case well. I pray her killer will be found. One thing I remember is all guys in the area that drove black Trans Ams or Camaros were questioned. I also remember rumors about the father (a preacher) of her boyfriend being questioned. I believe he moved away to another state with another woman. I am not too sure what clues the police have that point to someone stalking her. The area where this happened is very secluded and does have a lot of random gunfire especially at night by drunks. It would probably help solve the case if more details were released to the public or if the case were highlighted more. Keep in mind at the same time this happened a man in the same town was killed for driving too slow. I cannot remember what Rhonda’s boyfriend drove, sad because he drove me home from school one day but I am sure it was not a Trans Am. He was a super guy and would not do such a terrible thing. I can’t imagine any of her friends doing this either. If it was someone stalking her it had to be related to her job or someone she met post high school.

Greg seems like the most logical suspect, but I don't know if he would fly into a rage over Rhonda going to a Christmas party without him to the point where he would hunt her down and shoot her with a rifle. By all accounts he was a jealous guy with a temper. But no one recounted something of that magnitude. I'm interested to see how Mark Turner fits into all of this.

[hostedbyrobertstack]

From what I have pieced together after reading the entire series, it seems to me that it may have happened in this sequence:

1. Rhonda is supposed to spend night at friends house. Once there, she calls Greg. He is very upset, so for some reason, she decides to go home instead of spend the night.

2. Greg knows she is going home, so he goes to wait under the bridge to approach her before she gets home.

3. Once she stops, maybe he gives her back her jacket?

4. Either they argued or the accomplice gave her the jacket and then she drove off.

5. Greg wants to possibly shoot out one of her tires, so that he can come to her rescue.

6. The shot misses and goes through the trunk instead.

7. Greg then goes to the car to check on her and realizes she is dead.

[TheCars1986]

Originally Posted by hostedbyrobertstack

From what I have pieced together after reading the entire series, it seems to me that it may have happened in this sequence:

1. Rhonda is supposed to spend night at friends house. Once there, she calls Greg. He is very upset, so for some reason, she decides to go home instead of spend the night.

2. Greg knows she is going home, so he goes to wait under the bridge to approach her before she gets home.

3. Once she stops, maybe he gives her back her jacket?

4. Either they argued or the accomplice gave her the jacket and then she drove off.

5. Greg wants to possibly shoot out one of her tires, so that he can come to her rescue.

6. The shot misses and goes through the trunk instead.

7. Greg then goes to the car to check on her and realizes she is dead.

Mark Turner was the one who had her jacket. Greg McDowell had an alibi of sorts (his parents, not exactly impartial). Mark Turner, however, dropped his girlfriend off at approximately 12:40 a.m. Rhonda was pulling up off of the interstate to merge onto Eldred Street mere minutes later. You can see where Turner dropped his girlfriend off and where Rhonda was shot here. That's too much of a coincidence if you ask me.

[MegtheEgg86]

Both McDowell and Turner had an article of Rhonda's outerwear, leaving her without something warm to wear outside at least as early as the 21st, because Judy Hinson reported Rhonda telling her as much and attempting to take her brother Robbie's coat on that morning. McDowell had her letter jacket, and Turner had her gray sweatshirt because she had gone Christmas shopping with him several days prior and had worn the sweatshirt during the trip. Both of those clothing items were found in Rhonda's Datsun the night she was shot and I'm not sure if it was established how each found its way back to her.

[UMfan77]

I can't find these articles about Rhonda's murder online? Can someone please post a link? Thanks.

[TheCars1986]

Originally Posted by MegtheEgg86

Both McDowell and Turner had an article of Rhonda's outerwear, leaving her without something warm to wear outside at least as early as the 21st, because Judy Hinson reported Rhonda telling her as much and attempting to take her brother Robbie's coat on that morning. McDowell had her letter jacket, and Turner had her gray sweatshirt because she had gone Christmas shopping with him several days prior and had worn the sweatshirt during the trip. Both of those clothing items were found in Rhonda's Datsun the night she was shot and I'm not sure if it was established how each found its way back to her.

I forgot that McDowell had her lettered jacket. And I must have missed that tidbit about both jackets being found in her car! I know when she left for work that morning she didn't have either jacket (according to her mother and neighbors who saw her wearing a multi-colored jacket), but Greg did meet with Rhonda that day (of the Christmas party) to take her out to lunch. So it's possible that he gave her the jacket at this time. Mark Turner has no logical explanation as to how the jacket he had got back into her car. Turner's girlfriend at the time, Jill (Rhonda's friend) saw Rhonda's jacket in the back of Turner's car when he was dropping her off on Hazel Street, and he told her her would give it back to Greg when he saw him again. I just don't see any time when Turner could have bumped into Greg within that small window. Unless of course he saw Greg parked on the side of the road (under the overpass), made some small talk with him, and then gave him Rhonda's jacket. I don't see why he wouldn't have told the police that though.

[TheCars1986]

Originally Posted by UMfan77

I can't find these articles about Rhonda's murder online? Can someone please post a link? Thanks.

https://the-record-newspaper.tumblr.com/archive

It's currently a 10 part series.

[DarkDante]

This case makes me so angry...words cannot justify.

Two thinks stick out to me about these articles aside from the fact that they rather neatly portray Greg as the most logical suspect.

1 - From Part VII: "Tonya looked across the parking lot and notice Greg waiting for his girlfriend in a blue Chevy Nova. She also observed that the front of the car had apparently sustained damage at some juncture." - This ties into the description of both the vehicle seen by witnesses facing in an inordinate direction on MSM Road and the one recalled under hypnosis as seen fleeing the seen of the accident complete w/notation that the front end of the vehicle was "messed up". This to me is particularly riveting and causes me to wonder exactly when the witness was put under hypnosis and the memories of seeing the Chevy with front-end damage were recalled? Because this obviously there is a direct link between the vehicle recalled by the witness and one owned by someone who knew Rhonda intimately. I truthfully wonder if this link was ever seriously followed up?

2 - The gray sweatshirt was probably given back to Greg by Mark Turner when they met at Turner's house subsequent to Greg being sprung buying condoms by Turner's mother.

As a postscript it somewhat frustrates me that the UM segment took viewers down a rather crooked road in how they reported this case. While it was very possible in my opinion that Rhonda Hinson may have been sexually assaulted by an older man, I'm not sure if this actually played a part in why she was murdered. Also the fact the segment clearly insinuated that Rhonda Hinson may have been seeing a married man on the sly, for years had most of us believing that she was murdered by a jealous spouse or potentially the married man she was having an affair with. *sigh*

[TheCars1986]

Originally Posted by DarkDante

The gray sweatshirt was probably given back to Greg by Mark Turner when they met at Turner's house subsequent to Greg being sprung buying condoms by Turner's mother.

This couldn't have happened because when Turner was dropping his girlfriend off at her house (at 12:30-12:40 a.m. on the night that Rhonda was murdered), she went around the car to give him a goodbye kiss and noticed the jacket in the back of his car. That's when he said he was going to give it back to Greg whenever he saw him again. And that was minutes away from Rhonda pulling up and merging onto Eldred Street. From Part 9:

Mark pulled up in front of my house to let me out; he didn’t like to drive down our steep driveway; there had been some ice that day. I got out of his car, walked around to the driver’s side to kiss him goodnight. It was then that I glanced into Mark’s backseat and noticed Rhonda’s hooded sweatjacket with the HH WTC lettering on it. I asked him why he had Rhonda’s jacket in his car. He said that she left it when the two of them went Christmas shopping to buy me a present. I told him if he would give it to me, I would make certain that Rhonda got it back. He replied that he would just give it to Greg when he saw him next.

Mark left the Turner’s Valdese residence, traveled down sloping Hazel Street, and paused at the stop sign prior to making a left-hand turn onto Mineral Springs Mountain Road toward the interstate. It was approximately 12:30 AM.

It was approaching 12:40 a.m. when the headlights of Rhonda’s 210 Datsun illuminated the Mineral Springs Mountain exit sign. She slowed to take the exit, about a half-mile from her Hillcrest home.

The article says that a couple heard a gunshot at 12:55 a.m. Rhonda's driver side window was down. I think someone flagged her down and talked to her before she took off and they fired the rifle at her car and murdered her. What's also interesting is that in one of the articles they mention that Mark Turner had suffered a back injury 2 days prior to Rhonda's murder. That could account for the eyewitness (who was hypnotized) who says he saw a man standing at the door of Rhonda's car, while Rhonda was slumped over the wheel. When the police arrived, Rhonda was lying next to her car with her head resting on the rear wheel. This could indicate someone tried to move her body from the vehicle, but couldn't move it far, so they just left her next to the car.

It's also weird that the hypnotized witness says he saw a car (with the front end damaged) speeding away from the scene, but after this car leaves is when he claims to have seen the man at Rhonda's vehicle. The UM segment says that latent prints were found on the driver's door but that they couldn't match them to anyone.

[hostedbyrobertstack]

Wow, that is a close area from where Mark was dropping off his GF to the off-ramp. I really wonder if he and Greg were both involved. The only thing that confuses me, is there were no cell phones or way of communication for them to know where one another were at that point. Unless, as mentioned above, Mark saw Greg waiting under the overpass, and got out to talk to him. From there, Greg may have told him that he was waiting for Rhonda because they had an argument, etc..., who knows. Just very strange, but I definitely think they were both involved. Very odd that Mark refuses to talk to any reporters...why? You would think this happened so long ago and is unsolved, that if you had nothing to do w/ this, you would have no issue speaking to someone.

On a side note, this is one of the best, most in-depth article series I have ever read on a UM case that I have followed closely. It is amazing to get a more in depth look at Rhonda's life prior to her death, what type of person/personality she was, and so on. It's always hard to only see 1-2 pictures of a person in a segment, and really know how they look, or what they are like. Really amazing read, I am on my second time through the series.