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Alex Murdaugh: Who is the disgraced attorney and why is he on trial?
Alex Murdaugh’s high-profile murder trial is now in full swing with prosecutors slated to call more witnesses to the stand in Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Monday.
The disgraced legal scion, 54, is accused of gunning down his wife Maggie, 52, and son Paul, 22, at the family’s estate in Islandton on 7 June 2021. He denies the allegations.
Last week, jurors were shown dramatic bodycam footage from the scene of the grisly murders, where he “immediately” told officers the killings were connected to a fatal 2019 boat crash.
Mr Murdaugh’s first police interview was also revealed for the first time, showing how he described attempts to move the victims’ bloodied bodies – an account that was contradicted by law enforcement testimony and images of his “clean” hands and clothing. Crime scene photos of the dog kennels and the 911 call made by Mr Murdaugh were also shown in court.
On Monday, jurors heard the last text messages and phone calls received by Maggie and Paul as new crime scene photos were released.
The trial is only one of Mr Murdaugh’s troubles in a saga spanning a botched hitman plot, multi-million-dollar fraud schemes, and unexplained deaths.
Watch: Police bodycam shows guns inside family’s hunting lodge
Alex Murdaugh: Police bodycam shows guns inside family’s hunting lodge
Oliver O’Connell30 January 2023 22:45
Judge Clifton Newman adjourns the court for the day after Murdaugh’s DNA swab is entered into evidence.
Court will resume at 9.30am ET on Tuesday.
Oliver O’Connell30 January 2023 22:08
Murdaugh was asked about how he tried to check Paul’s pulse and how he tried to roll him over. He says he tried to move him in the direction away from the kennels.
Friday’s testimony focused heavily on Murdaugh’s clothes being clean of blood in what was a very bloody scene.
When Paul’s phone fell out, Murdaugh says he didn’t want to “mess anything up” by trying to unlock it. In his first interview, he said he had started to do something with the phone, but put it down.
At one point, he says of his son: “It’s just so bad. I did him so bad.”
Oliver O’Connell30 January 2023 21:58
In one of the more interesting exchanges, a SLED agent asks about CB Rowe who works on the property. Murdaugh says he is keeping him employed for the time being.
The agent then explains that because of the remote nature of the Murdaugh’s Moselle Road property, it seems unlikely that someone randomly went there to commit the murders.
He implies that the murderer would have some knowledge of the property and they would start to look from the inside out.
To rule Murdaugh out they say they will take a DNA sample from him.
Oliver O’Connell30 January 2023 21:46
With regards to Paul’s missing .300BLK, Murdaugh says he didn’t officially report it as stolen as he wasn’t convinced was stolen and that Paul had lost it somewhere. He says he was certain it had been replaced, but his other son believes it had not been.
Oliver O’Connell30 January 2023 21:42
Court resumes and the jury is brought back in.
Prosecutors play more of Murdaugh’s second interview with officers on 10 June 2021, three days after the murders.
Murdaugh says the whole family, especially Paul, left guns out around the property.
Oliver O’Connell30 January 2023 21:31
Murdaugh says he cannot think of anyone who would have gone to such extremes to kill Maggie and Paul, but adds that Paul’s friends may have more of an idea who had threatened him following the boat crash.
Asked about his son’s worst qualities he says he was scatterbrained and would leave clothes, guns, and even boats “strung out all over the state”.
Murdaugh appears to get very upset when talking about his wife. He is unsure what her doctor’s appointment was for and recalls that Blanca, the housekeeper, cooked them dinner that night as Maggie had been away.
Oliver O’Connell30 January 2023 21:09
At his mother’s he made some calls to his brother, his friend Chris, and his other son, Buster. He spoke with his mother’s carer, Shelly who lives with her, and then drove home.
When he saw no one was at the house he drove down to the kennels. It was then he says he found the bodies and called 911.
Oliver O’Connell30 January 2023 21:02
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