For a lot of reasons, I’m pretty sure I would make a terrible murderer. I don’t think I’ve got it in me to kill anybody, for a start. And even if I did, the relentless regret and anxiety would almost certainly do me in soon thereafter. Or perhaps it wouldn’t even have time, because I can absolutely imagine my own end coming similar to that of Joseph McKinnon. I say similar to, because I’m positive I would die while digging the damn pit and fall into it myself.
Deputies with the Edgefield County Sheriff’s Office told WJBF they believe Joseph McKinnon strangled Patricia Dent inside her home, and then was burying her in the backyard when he had a heart attack and died.
Deputies were first called to the Trenton home on Saturday when a man was reported lying unresponsive in the yard, The News & Observer reported. When officers arrived, they found Joseph McKinnon, 60, who lived in the home.
In a statement to WJBF, deputies said, “While investigating the death and making notifications to next of kin, a second body, was located in a freshly dug pit.” Officers identified the second person as Patricia Dent, who also lived in the home.