SC

Upstate “Castle Killing” Raises Questions (UPDATED)

PARIS MOUNTAIN SLAYING SPAWNS CONTROVERSY …  A fatal shooting on private property has the Palmetto State buzzing … and gun rights advocates debating self-defense laws. At around 9:30 a.m. EDT on Saturday March 20, a 32-year-old man by the name of Matthew Whitman was fatally shot near 229 Altamont Road…

PARIS MOUNTAIN SLAYING SPAWNS CONTROVERSY … 

A fatal shooting on private property has the Palmetto State buzzing … and gun rights advocates debating self-defense laws.

At around 9:30 a.m. EDT on Saturday March 20, a 32-year-old man by the name of Matthew Whitman was fatally shot near 229 Altamont Road – a sprawling thirty-acre estate on the south face of Paris Mountain near Greenville, S.C.

The $2 million property features a 5,400-square foot castle originally built in 1902 for a German baroness.  The castle was intended to resemble an estate on the Rhine.  According to the website OldHouseDreams.com, the property features a “gated driveway winding through a hickory/oak forest,” offering its owner “absolute privacy.”

Not last weekend, apparently …

According to property records, the estate is owned by Allen Stephenson, the 29-year-old founder of Southern Tide – an apparel company specializing in clothing worn by fraternity and sorority members.

“It’s the frat boy polos with the little fish on it,” a source familiar with the shooting told us.  “You’ll probably see 5,000 of them at any South Carolina football game.”

Stephenson’s name was not initially released by the media in conjunction with the incident. How come?  That’s a good question … and not surprisingly, we’ve already got some promising leads on that front.

In the meantime, lets review the facts of the case (as we know them) …

According to police, the as-yet-unidentified property owner – who has not yet been charged with any crime – placed a 911 call alerting authorities to the presence of an unauthorized person on his property.  The property owner then armed themselves and confronted Whitman on the road leading to his house.

An altercation of some sort ensued, and the property owner’s gun was fired – striking Whitman in the torso.  Whitman later died.

According to Sloan Ellis, Stephenson’s attorney – his client shot Whitman after the trespasser ignored repeated warnings to leave the premises.  According to a statement released by Ellis, his client was attacked by a “hostile” intruder wielding a knife – leaving the wealthy young businessman “no alternative but to defend himself with his shotgun.”

Whitman lived at a home located less than two miles away from Stephenson’s property. It’s not clear what led him to Stephenson’s estate.  According to Ellis, Stephenson “did not know” Whitman.

“At this time, we have no information on Mr. Whitman or his motives,” he said.

“It is going to be interesting to see how this shooting plays out from a legal perspective,” one pro-Second Amendment website noted.  “As a general rule of thumb, castle doctrine – real or figurative – applies when someone enters or attempts to enter the home.”

That didn’t happen here …

What about South Carolina’s “stand your ground” laws?  These statutes permit individuals to defend themselves in the face of an onrushing attacker – making clear that an individual does not have an affirmative duty to retreat prior to using deadly force in self-defense.

Could they conceivably be used to excuse the shooting?  We shall see …

If Stephenson fired his weapon in response to an attempted knife attack on his own property, as his attorney has suggested, he should be 100 percent in the clear.

***

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82 comments

Crooner March 22, 2016 at 2:43 pm

That castle needs some landscaping. Or a moat.

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TroubleBaby March 22, 2016 at 3:35 pm

and some alligators for the moat.

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Tazmaniac March 22, 2016 at 3:42 pm

Gators with Pit Bulls on their backs.

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TroubleBaby March 22, 2016 at 3:49 pm

Let’s not forget to put in some sharks with frickin’ lasers attached to their heads:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bh7bYNAHXxw

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Tazmaniac March 22, 2016 at 4:00 pm
erneba March 22, 2016 at 4:40 pm

And throw in a couple of ugly, ill-tempered women with PMS and the homestead should be untouchable.

shifty henry March 22, 2016 at 4:46 pm

And a half-dozen Jack Russell Terrorists to roam the grounds…..

Knights who say Ni March 22, 2016 at 5:30 pm

And perhaps a small shrubbery.

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Sky Rockets in Flight March 22, 2016 at 6:43 pm

To be planted at 4:20.

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mamatiger92 March 22, 2016 at 3:51 pm

And, an insulting Frenchman.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSo0duY7-9s

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shifty henry March 22, 2016 at 5:37 pm

MaMa Tiger, you have reminded of one of my stories back when we had to tolerate the GrandTango, or BigT as he was also known.. I’ll share this puzzler with you as it was told to me.

Way back during the Middle Ages, one of BigT’s ancestors was a roaming singer and musician who was known far and wide as BigTroubadour. Arriving at a castle one day he was greeted
by the King who welcomed him and offered food and lodging for the night in return for providing his well-known entertainment talents.

After a huge feast, the King brought out his three gorgeous daughters who also provided entertainment, much to the pleasure of BigTroubadour.

—– the first daughter sang the most beautiful songs he had ever heard

—– the second daughter danced the most alluring dances he had ever seen

—– the third daughter played a flute with the most melodious tunes he had ever heard

Afterwards, the King said, “As is my well-known custom for hospitality, my guests are allowed to sleep with his choice of bedmate.”

Whom did BigTroubadour choose to sleep with — and why?

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CorruptionInColumbia March 22, 2016 at 5:57 pm

I give up.

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shifty henry March 22, 2016 at 9:55 pm

OK, here it is: BigTroubadour slept with the King — after all this is a Fairy Tale!

CorruptionInColumbia March 22, 2016 at 10:14 pm

Oh crap! LMAO!

shifty henry March 22, 2016 at 11:22 pm

Thanks! It was a hit when I posted it and the GrandTango got really pissed..!!

Rocky Verdad March 22, 2016 at 10:19 pm

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner. I’m suing.

shifty henry March 22, 2016 at 11:20 pm

(chuckles)

mamatiger92 March 23, 2016 at 8:21 am

ba dum dum
ching!

Tazmaniac March 22, 2016 at 6:02 pm

POGO????

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Buzz Martin March 23, 2016 at 11:59 am

Haha! Yeah, after all … what’s a little fecal matter among friends?

sparklecity March 22, 2016 at 6:20 pm

“We’re all virgins between the ages of 16 & 21 here at Castle Anthrax and we deserve a spanking”

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Greenville, SC March 22, 2016 at 2:50 pm

Yeah… Looked up the guy that got shot – didn’t have a criminal record in Greenville County, just some traffic tickets. I’d be interested to hear what happened as well.

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im hearing different things March 22, 2016 at 2:59 pm

“Whitman – who was unarmed at the time of the incident – lived at a home located less than two miles away from Stephenson’s property.”

lived at a Home, or homeless shelter/halfway house-im hearing he was homeless

was unarmed, or was he armed with a knife

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shifty henry March 22, 2016 at 3:12 pm

” was he armed with a knife” —- cops should inventory the silverware

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Tazmaniac March 22, 2016 at 3:41 pm

Before it is over with we will hear that the poor departed was bringing a basket of freshly baked blueberry muffins before he was to go back home and cure cancer. Since when did it become OK for any unarmed person to come on your property and obviously disregard orders to vacate private property? If the Cops had gotten there in time the same unarmed fellow has the right to punch the cop and try to go for his weapon? At some point no means no, and it seems this guy learned a hard lesson.

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Fecal Matters March 22, 2016 at 4:11 pm

“An altercation of some sort ensued”

I’m a pro 2nd amendment guy, but I’m going to need a little more than this vague testimony to exonerate the homeowner. I imagine if Stephenson had taken Uncle Joe’s advice and “fire two blasts outside the house”, this Whitman guy would have ran along on home. Whitman is dead, so he learned nothing. Stephenson might just be the one to learn a lesson here.

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Tazmaniac March 22, 2016 at 4:16 pm

They need to inscribe “Only a idiot brings fists to a fist fight on someone else’s property” on his headstone. If the owner is a nice guy he would donate a chunk of his castle so they can make one for the dear departed.

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Nat March 22, 2016 at 4:40 pm

I’d be interested in what the 911 operator told him. Stay put inside, deputies on their way? Or nothing other than we are sending someone out. Looking at some pics on one of the news sites, crime scene flags are closer to the castle than the road.

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Tazmaniac March 22, 2016 at 4:48 pm

911 Operator has no power to command only suggest. I have little regard for how they are trained these days. Most operators are trying to gather incriminating evidence rather than actually helping the situation and getting people on scene. All without Miranda.

Nat March 22, 2016 at 5:00 pm

I understand they have no power, but in an investigation the cops are going to check out the 911 call. If the operator told you stay inside and you still go outside and shoot someone, it doesn’t help your claim of self defense & being in fear. In this case, if what the attorney says is true, looks like the 911 call was placed after Stephenson confronted Whitman.

shifty henry March 22, 2016 at 9:51 pm

The owner may have video/alarm system on fences and gates which would have alerted him to an intruder. He probably had only a few seconds to get his shotgun because the intruder was almost to the door and no time to call 911.. Just guessing…

Rocky Verdad March 22, 2016 at 10:21 pm

I’m telling you – it’s a gay meet gone bad.

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gville213 March 23, 2016 at 9:01 am

Stephenson’s girlfriend was also at the home at the time. Try again.

Fecal Matters March 23, 2016 at 9:10 am

John Travolta is married to a woman, what’s your point?

Buzz Martin March 24, 2016 at 5:05 pm

Not unlike GT and pogo …

Gay meat gone bad.

CorruptionInColumbia March 22, 2016 at 6:11 pm

Yep! You probably called this one right, sad to say.

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Nat March 22, 2016 at 5:43 pm

A Whitman lives in a mobile home on Nature Trail. Woman could be his mother, or at least she is enough to be. Wondering if Matthew Whitman is going to turn out to be someone with mental health issues.

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Rocky Verdad March 22, 2016 at 10:21 pm

tellin’ ya – gay lover.

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Fecal Matters March 23, 2016 at 8:18 am

Maybe he was in search of some overpriced flamboyant plaid?

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Greenville, SC March 22, 2016 at 3:13 pm

…funny coincedence – Allen Stephenson has an arrest for trespassing back in 2000.

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Readyforchange March 22, 2016 at 3:38 pm

no worries. too big to jail.

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TroubleBaby March 22, 2016 at 3:50 pm

He’s already got the jail thing going on, just run up there and put a padlock on his door.

It’s like the Bastille.

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shifty henry March 22, 2016 at 5:57 pm

LOWER THE PORTCULLIS..!!

— RAISE THE DRAWBRIDGE..!!

—— MORE ARCHERS TO THE TOWERS..!!

——— HIDE THE WOMEN AND CHILDREN..!!

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Tazmaniac March 22, 2016 at 5:58 pm

“——— HIDE THE WOMEN AND CHILDREN..!!”

You forgot “they raping everyone up in here!”

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sparklecity March 22, 2016 at 6:12 pm

“We’re all virgins between the ages of 16 & 21 here at Castle Anthrax and we deserve a spanking”

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erneba March 22, 2016 at 4:31 pm

Without a confession, a witness, or an unauthorized video taping of the incidence, what is to be done.
“..the as-yet-unidentified property owner..” seems to be in the driver’s seat. He is the only witness to the shooting and with a little consultation with a lawyer should be able to come up with a fool-proof story.

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Nat March 22, 2016 at 4:32 pm

A guy in Michigan was recently convicted of second degree murder for shooting a woman on his front porch. Happened in the middle of the night too – not at 9:30 in the morning. The woman was drunk and had crashed her car. Cops think she was looking for help and started beating on the defendant’s door. He picked up his shotgun and blew her away thru his screen door.

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Mom March 22, 2016 at 4:52 pm

It’s odd that FITS describes the Southern Tide brand as “an apparel company specializing in clothing worn by fraternity and sorority members.” No where on the Southern Tide website does it make mention of fraternities or sororities.

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Nölff March 22, 2016 at 8:31 pm

Have you seen the clothes? It has “frat” written all over it without even saying. It speaks for itself. Tucker Carlson would jerk off to that site.

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Original reporting March 22, 2016 at 9:35 pm

Check Wikipedia. That’s where it came from.

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Squishy123 March 23, 2016 at 9:49 am

Have you looked at their webpage? Instead of looking at porn, fratboys look at his catalog line to get hard.

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Nat March 22, 2016 at 4:52 pm

New update- Here’s the story according to Stephenson’s attorney.

Attorney Slone Ellis confirmed Tuesday that his client, Allen Stephenson, owner of Southern Tide, is the homeowner of the Altamont castle

In a release, Ellis said: “On Saturday morning, March 19, Allen Stephenson was attacked at his home by a man who he did not know.

“After repeated requests by Mr. Stephenson, the individual, later identified as Mr. Whitman, would not leave. Instead, he became hostile, and attacked Mr. Stephenson with a knife. Mr. Stephenson had no alternative but to defend himself with his shotgun.

“During the incident, a witness called the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office who promptly responded. Mr. Stephenson has cooperated fully with the authorities and will continue to do so.

“At this time, we have no information on Mr. Whitman or his motives.

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Mom March 22, 2016 at 4:57 pm

Okay. It wouldn’t seem odd if Mr. Stephenson had a CWP and was carrying at the time of the shooting. After all, he’s wealthy and lives in a remote area. But a shotgun – was he out hunting?

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CorruptionInColumbia March 22, 2016 at 6:05 pm

He may not have owned a handgun. He may have had negative encounters with the deceased in the past, recent issues with prowlers or trespassers, or perhaps the guy was acting erratically.

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Mom March 22, 2016 at 6:53 pm

Good point.

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Rocky Verdad March 22, 2016 at 10:20 pm

Startin’ to sound like a gay lovers quarrel. “No, Daryl is mine.”

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Wild West March 22, 2016 at 5:27 pm

Maybe he’ll get the same No Bill from a Greenville jury as in Kershaw County for the redneck that shot a teenager stealing gas out of his pick-em-up truck. The teenager running away that was shot in the back of the head.

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CorruptionInColumbia March 22, 2016 at 5:54 pm

No loss to the world. The man you refer to as a “redneck” was but one of many citizens whose homes and cars have been burglarized in recent months. The self-righteous “Sheriff” and his posse haven’t been able to control the epidemic of crime, probably because he has most of his men playing traffic cop. I bet the rate of these incidents goes down for a while, thanks to the actions of the citizen.

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Nat March 22, 2016 at 5:57 pm

So we’re ok with the death penalty for stealing gas now? Shit, the damn Arabs only cut your hand off for stealing, not shoot you in the head.

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CorruptionInColumbia March 22, 2016 at 6:00 pm

Little shit should have thought of that before he began plundering through the belongings of people who likely worked hard for what they have. Better yet, his mom and (if known or present) dad should have taught him better and more adequately supervised him.

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Nat March 22, 2016 at 6:02 pm

Why not just arm store clerks in the mall and shoot shoplifters while we’re at too? Fuck it, lets just shoot every damn body that breaks the law.

Squishy123 March 23, 2016 at 11:13 am

Nat, do you shoplift? A thief is a thief… until he’s a dead thief.

Squishy123 March 23, 2016 at 11:14 am

Nat, do you condone theft? It almost sounds as if you do… “it’s only gas”. Well it’s only the gas that the store owner purchased and owns.

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GOB March 22, 2016 at 10:20 pm

You need to quit listening to Hollywood Jim Matthews.

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Squishy123 March 23, 2016 at 11:15 am

Good shoot, the little bastard was breaking in and stealing someone else’s property. Just because he got caught and ran doesn’t make him any less guilty. Had he not ran he might be walking today.

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Sic Semper Tyrannis March 22, 2016 at 5:32 pm

Burn it down, like the rest of the US.

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CorruptionInColumbia March 22, 2016 at 5:48 pm

Absent anything indicating premeditated wrongdoing by the resident such as a drug deal gone bad, I will err on the side of caution in favor of the resident. He had an absolute right to be there. The trespasser did not.

Decades ago, a family member was working in a liquor store to make ends meet. His pay was meager, his hours were long, and any losses came out of his pocket. One day, a man with connections to a local element that was notorious for attempts to steal, swindle, even rob, the establishment came in to the store. My relative asked what he could do for the man and he looked around for a minute and said, “I want a bottle of that wine”, while pointing at some wine on a shelf near the old guy. My relative reached up and got the wine while keeping a close eye on his “customer”. He sat the wine on the counter and rang it up, saying “that will be $8.00 (or whatever it was)”. The “customer” picked up the bottle of wine and started for the door, saying “I don’t have it on me. I’ll be back and pay you on Friday”. My relative told him to put the bottle of wine back or give him the money and that it was illegal at that time for them to sell alcohol on credit. The “customer” said, “since you’re going to be that way about it, I’ll take the wine and I WON’T be back on Friday.”

At that point, my relative drew one of his nickel plated .357 revolvers from behind the counter and pointed it at the “customer”/would-be thief, telling him to put the GD wine on the counter.

Customer/Thief: “You ain’t gonna shoot me over a bottle of wine!”

Clerk/Relative: “No, I’m going to shoot you because you pulled a knife on me”.

Customer/Thief: “I ain’t got a knife.”

Clerk/Relative: “You’ll have one by the time the cops get here”, as he cocks the .357 pointed at the “Customer”/Thief.

He said the would-be thief gently placed the bottle of wine on the counter ran out of the store, never to be seen in there while he was working, again.

As my relative correctly noted, had he let this guy get away with his little larceny, there would have likely been thirty or so of his associates in the store, each running the same scam, before the week was over.

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Jesse Jackson March 22, 2016 at 5:53 pm

White Privilege at work!

Try that shit in Nicholtown and see what happens. You wind up “killing” yo’self.

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Suz March 22, 2016 at 10:20 pm

Southern Tide is not a “Frat Boy” company. If you think so then I guess so is Izod, Ralph Lauren, Polo etc. Southern Tide makes a lot of different types of clothing. And Allen Stephenson was not a frat boy. His love of clothing made Southern Tide what it is today. Southern Tide has done a lot of charitable work and donated clothing to many people in need. And you don’t have to have a CWP to have weapons in your home. The comment about the victim living within 2 miles of Allen suggesting a history between the two is just plain stupid. Do you have a history with everyone who lives within 2 miles of you? I have been to ” the Castle” and it is gated, fenced, and has no trespassing signs up. I would encourage you all to stop cracking jokes etc about this situation since none of you know what occurred. This is a situation for the police and the legal system to figure out. Both families have been affected and both families should be in our prayers.

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Fecal Matters March 23, 2016 at 8:46 am

“Southern Tide is not a “Frat Boy” company. If you think so then I guess so is Izod, Ralph Lauren, Polo etc. Southern Tide makes a lot of different types of clothing.”

Oh you mean “different” clothing such as seersucker suits, obnoxious bowties, stupid sunglass straps to match the obnoxious bowties, played out fishing and boating themed belts, and a myriad of other preppy wear?

Yawn.

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Squishy123 March 23, 2016 at 9:46 am

Maybe he should have said “douchebag” instead of “Frat Boy”. From the looks of their line of clothes, I’m guessing this was a lover’s spat.

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John leopard April 22, 2023 at 2:19 pm

Race baiting fake Rev Thug. Thank God above we ran your a$$ out of Greenville

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Devilsadvocate March 22, 2016 at 7:00 pm

Rich, white? Why burden the legal system with a trial?

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Capt_Morgan March 22, 2016 at 7:22 pm

My bet is there is some history between the two. The dead man lived 2 miles away.

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Nölff March 22, 2016 at 8:27 pm

Frat boys. I sneer.

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Tazmaniac March 23, 2016 at 7:21 am

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTU2He2BIc0

Wearing the entire catalog.

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Fecal Matters March 23, 2016 at 8:40 am

If Stephenson does wind up in court, the fact that Whitman will be 6 feet under by then will very much work to his advantage. The statement made by Sloan Ellis is pretty flimsy. You ALWAYS want to appear in court with the next of kin.

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Valerie Loves Me March 23, 2016 at 11:20 am

Google the pictures of each man. Once you do that, you’ll know EXACTLY what this was. Looks like Baron Brownsword offed Colonel Cornholer in a spat over Dandy Dicktaker.

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ELCID March 23, 2016 at 11:24 am

KEY: Where did the knife come from ???
Was it planted?
A key element in a defense of home is to plant a knife on the intruder.
The knife ownership is key to this case.

You can’t just go out a shoot people for walking on your property.
There’s more to this than what’s published.

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Buzz Martin March 23, 2016 at 12:00 pm

That’s actually kind of a lame-ass castle.

It needs some castle doctorin’.

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shifty henry March 23, 2016 at 1:00 pm

finally got it!

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Leslie March 25, 2016 at 3:09 pm

Is the victim (Matt Whitman) the same Matt Whitman that worked for the same company (Southern Tide)? Methinks there is far more to this story….

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