Can Static Destroy Electronics?


The Story —
I had been listening to records all night, no issues. I put on an album by Junip, brushed the album with my anti static brush, and went to lift the tone arm by the tone arm lift when I heard a loud static pop. Volume was about 30% up. After which, there is no sound in my right channel.
I think the issue is at the output of the phono preamp, because:

- When I switch the L and R input cables at the phono preamp, the left speaker still plays (the R signal stuff), and the right speaker stays silent (meaning the right input must be working)
- When I switch the L and R phono preamp output cables, the right speaker plays the L signal, and the left speaker is silent (meaning the right channel all the way up the chain from the speaker through the signal is working)

So...did static electricity blow my right phono output?

*System*
Thiel 3.6
Mccormack DNA-1
Mccormack ALD-1
Dynavector P-75
Technics SL-1200 mkII
Dynavector 10x5
128x128heyitsmedusty
Typically, complete and ready consumer electronics devices should be immune from static if properly grounded.  Only bare semiconductors & integrated circuits are very sensitive to this.  You may have a grounding problem.

Check with a mains socket checker device.
ESD mats generally have two wire connections, one from the mat to earth ground such as the screw that holds a wall outlet plate, and the other is a conductive wrist strap that grounds you to the matt/ to the wall plate.  If you put a matt down on the ground/carpet  that is grounded (to the wall plate) and you are wearing shoes that are not conductive - its not going to work.  Either you are barefoot, or your shoes have to be conductive to provide a ground path for you.  You could instead use a touch pad such as the following -  Amazon.com: Anti-Static Touch Pad Touch Pad & Grounding Cord: Home & Kitchen.

FWIW, I use an ESD pad for my table platter mat - but its not for grounding me (but if I touch my metal platter it will ground me), and if you are interested the details are here with discussion and links for reports/test on record static http://www.vpiforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=17186#p65882
Touching the AC metal case of any of your equipment will quickly discharge you. If you don't want a shock use a wrist band that adds a 1M resistor to limit current (same as the mat). 
I checked the outlet with a socket checker device, and it indicated that the ground was good. It’s a device with three lights on it: two yellow and one red. When I plugged it into the socket my main power conditioner is normally plugged into, I got 2 yellows, no red. 
Just realizing something...the Technics SL-1200 turntable outlet plug does not have a ground pin. Neither the Dynavector nor the Trichord phono preamps have a ground pin on their plugs either. Thus, if I am grounding the turntable to a device that also doesn't have a ground, I essentially have no path to ground for those devices. I always though the turntable should have its ground wire connected to the phono preamp, but is that just wrong? How do you guys ground your turntables/phono preamps?