The unsolved murder of Rhonda Hinson

[Huskerz85]

Originally Posted by Killarney Rose

It wants me to disable my adblocker and pay for a subscription.

Try this

https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/de...BLBLTOKTE4G3I/

[dynoguy88]

Any chance these possible new leads will focus on the McDowell family?

Any non-DNA related evidence after 40 years would be pretty amazing.

Poor Judy Hinson. That dream she had where she finally feels the satisfaction of knowing someone has been charged with Rhonda’s murder only to wake up and be back at square one.

[TheCars1986]

I cannot stand when law enforcement does this without making an arrest. Seems clear to me that the series of articles written about the case has stirred some interest back into it. Unless this announcement was made with the intention of getting a confession, I don't see the reason why they would do that (unless, hopefully, an arrest is imminent).

[Killarney Rose]

That one worked.

[Huskerz85]

Originally Posted by TheCars1986

I cannot stand when law enforcement does this without making an arrest. Seems clear to me that the series of articles written about the case has stirred some interest back into it. Unless this announcement was made with the intention of getting a confession, I don't see the reason why they would do that (unless, hopefully, an arrest is imminent).

Indeed - from the tone of those articles (the way certain subjects came off - as very shady, or outright guilty), I'm betting they struck a chord with LE and an investigator decided to gamble on this.

[dynoguy88]

Originally Posted by Huskerz85

Indeed - from the tone of those articles (the way certain subjects came off - as very shady, or outright guilty), I'm betting they struck a chord with LE and an investigator decided to gamble on this.

If so, this makes me wonder why it took 38 years to publish those articles in the first place. The internet has been around for a long time. It shouldn't have taken until 2019 to release that info. I refuse to believe it took the Hinsons that long to feel suspicious over how the McDowells acted in regards to everything involving the murder.

The McDowells cut off all contact with the Hinsons after the murder (sure, nothing suspicious about that) so it's not like they were owed any loyalty.

[Hambone2421]

Wow, I had no idea that there was a podcast covering this case and that it has apparently renewed interested within local LE to solving this case. Let's hope something comes of this.

[TheCars1986]

https://thewilkesrecord.com/rhonda-h...-p3556-149.htm

https://thewilkesrecord.com/hinson-k...-p3579-149.htm

https://thewilkesrecord.com/the-kill...-p3611-149.htm

https://thewilkesrecord.com/hinson-c...-p3979-149.htm

https://thewilkesrecord.com/the-kill...-p5097-149.htm

I've lost count on how many "The Killing of Rhonda Hinson" installments there was, but Larry J. Griffin is doing excellent work at keeping this case alive for the last 3 years or so. There is zero doubt in my mind that Greg McDowell murdered her and this is what happened to Rhonda:

After leaving her company Christmas party, she went over to a friend and coworkers house named Sherry Pittman. She called her soon to be ex-boyfriend Greg from this residence at around midnight. Sherry and Sherry's mother Birdell both overheard Rhonda arguing with Greg over the phone. They also heard her tell him that she was leaving the Pittman residence. After the phone call, she went to the bathroom and emerged crying. She told them that she was breaking up with Greg. Rhonda left the Pittman residence at 12:20 a.m. and was due to make the 20 minute drive back to her house. Several eyewitnesses recall hearing a shot ring out at 12:55 a.m.

IMO, Rhonda agreed to meet up with Greg that night to finally once and for all break up. They argued, and as Rhonda attempted to drive away, Greg fired a rifle into the back of Rhonda's car, fatally striking her. Both his father and his mother helped lie for him about Greg receiving a phone call from Rhonda at 12:30 a.m. on the night she was killed. There were 3 items found in Rhonda's car which, IMO, conclusively link Greg to the murder:

-A grey hooded sweatshirt which belonged to Rhonda, which was observed by Rhonda's best friend Jill Turner-Mull in the backseat of her boyfriend's (Mark Turner) car at 12:25 a.m. on the night of Rhonda's murder. Jill asked Mark if he wanted her to give the sweatshirt back to Rhonda, and Mark said he would just give the sweatshirt back to Greg when he saw him. This sweatshirt was found on the sundeck of Rhonda's car.

-Rhonda's East Burke letter jacket was found in her backseat. She specifically told her mother that morning that Greg was in possession of this jacket.

-A stuffed pink snake was also found in the backseat. Evidently the snake was some sort of souvenir from a trip that Greg and Rhonda had taken to Myrtle Beach. Rhonda had given it to Greg. Greg told detectives that he always kept this on his dresser in his bedroom. But it was found in Rhonda's car on the night of her murder.

Also of note, the eyewitness who was hypnotized and featured on Unsolved Mysteries was a man by the name of Reggie Smart. Reggie had told investigators that he saw a blue Chevy with the front end being "messed up" speeding away from the scene as well as a dark blue Trans-Am as well as a small blue Toyota (not mentioned on UM) parked down the road from Rhonda's vehicle. He also saw a man, 5'10" - 6', with "sort of dark brown hair" standing at the driver's side door of Rhonda's vehicle. By 1:00 a.m., just 5 minutes after several witnesses heard the gunshot, there were 5 people present at the crime scene: Mark Micol, Tim Pons, Todd Garrou, Jerry Baker, and Brent Smith. Mark Micol owned a dark blue Trans-Am. Tim Pons was driving with Mark Micol. Todd Garrou owned a small blue Toyota pickup truck, and Jerry Baker and Brent Smith were passengers in the truck. Todd Garrou recounted to investigators that he and Brent Smith were too scared to get out of their vehicle, but Jerry Baker did and went and conversed with Mark Micol and Tim Pons. IMO, Reggie Smart saw either Mark Micol or Tim Pons outside of Rhonda's car that night, and the damaged blue Chevy he saw speeding away was being driven by Greg McDowell. A coworker of Rhonda's remembered Greg coming to pick her up for lunch on the 22nd and remembered seeing damage to the front end of the driver's side of his car. A blue Chevy Nova was registered in Greg's father's name at the time of Rhonda's murder.

[dynoguy88]

Wow. This begs the question…why wasn’t Greg McDowell considered the main suspect since day one? He should have been investigated long before this was ever featured on Unsolved Mysteries.

This blows my mind that it took 38 years just to reveal his name. And UM was right when they mentioned that Rhonda would not have pulled over for a stranger at 12:50 a.m. But she would have pulled over for Greg.

[TheCars1986]

Originally Posted by dynoguy88

Wow. This begs the question…why wasn’t Greg McDowell considered the main suspect since day one? He should have been investigated long before this was ever featured on Unsolved Mysteries.

I think it was two reasons:

1. His parents gave him an alibi and said that Greg was home all night and they remember him receiving a phone call from Rhonda at 12:30 a.m., meaning he wouldn't have had the time to drive to the spot to kill her.

2. Just 3 months after Rhonda's murder, at approximately 10:30 p.m. on March 26th, 1982, a man named Dennis Moose came upon a car being driven by 62 year old Ransom Connelly, and Moose began to ram the back of Connelly's car because he felt he was driving too slow. Connelly and his passenger gave multiple opportunities for Moose to pass but he never did. Eventually, Connelly pulled into a drug store parking lot. Moose followed in and pulled a shotgun out and shot Connelly at point blank range. Killed him instantly. This all took place in relative proximity to the spot where Rhonda was shot.

[Or So It Seems]

The current episode of the podcast "Criminology" covers Rhonda's case and does a good job going through the evidence Larry Griffin unearthed. They also suggest that the evidence shows that Greg McDowell shot Rhonda.

[dynoguy88]

I was reading a Facebook anniversary mention of the 43rd anniversary of Rhonda’s murder. The reward money for information on the murder is now past $97,000. With it now being 6 years since that extensive article series came out involving Rhonda’s complicated history with Greg McDowell, I’m wondering if the police know McDowell is the killer and they are just lacking that key piece of evidence to arrest him.

Those articles came out in 2019 and I was finally getting some hope that this would be resolved. But we seem to be no closer now than we were then. That’s frustrating because those articles fill the biggest holes in my mind that nagged me before their release.

-Rhonda would not pull to the side of the road at 1:00 in the morning for a stranger. But she would have pulled over to speak to Greg.

-Greg waiting at that spot would make more sense if they were about to have an argument instead of Rhonda’s house because he wouldn’t have to worry about her parents getting involved.

-Seeing that he had just gotten off the phone with her, Greg would have known Rhonda would be driving past that spot at that time. Nobody else knew she was coming home.

-Nothing about Greg’s actions after the shooting make sense. Him and both his parents cutting off all contact with the entire Hinson family after one day (not to mention the father’s bizarre eulogy) has never sat right with me. The father was a pastor who had known Rhonda for years and the mother worked with Rhonda at Hickory Steel. None of these people made themselves look any less suspicious through their actions.

This just seems to be another cold case where everyone knows who did it but the killer remains free after 4+ decades.

[MediaHoarder]

Not sure some of these points are that meaningful, I could interpret them multiple ways.

Originally Posted by dynoguy88

-Rhonda would not pull to the side of the road at 1:00 in the morning for a stranger.

If a stranger had a high powered rifle pointed at her that might have been enough persuasion to pull over. Also, I'm still not entirely sure that she was pulled over when she was shot, the wiki says the bullet went through the trunk. That could have been done with the vehicle in motion.

Originally Posted by dynoguy88

-Nothing about Greg’s actions after the shooting make sense. Him and both his parents cutting off all contact with the entire Hinson family after one day (not to mention the father’s bizarre eulogy) has never sat right with me. The father was a pastor who had known Rhonda for years and the mother worked with Rhonda at Hickory Steel. None of these people made themselves look any less suspicious through their actions.

He was the ex-boyfriend. Any lawyer worth their salt would have told them to distance themselves from the family after a murder like that, as the ex is always a top suspect.

[TheCars1986]

I still do not understand why Mark Turner would remain quiet (or lie) about giving Rhonda's gray sweatshirt back to Greg McDowell. Mark's girlfriend saw it in his car roughly 30 minutes before Rhonda was shot. If he admits to giving the sweatshirt to Greg that night in the approximate area of where Rhonda was shot....then I think an arrest would be made.

[dynoguy88]

Originally Posted by TheCars1986

I still do not understand why Mark Turner would remain quiet (or lie) about giving Rhonda's gray sweatshirt back to Greg McDowell. Mark's girlfriend saw it in his car roughly 30 minutes before Rhonda was shot. If he admits to giving the sweatshirt to Greg that night in the approximate area of where Rhonda was shot....then I think an arrest would be made.

There was an article written last March about Mark’s selective memory. I also find it interesting that investigators didn’t talk to him until a full 15 years after the murder. WTF?

https://thewilkesrecord.com/the-kill...-p8052-149.htm