Murdaugh trial

Alex Murdaugh's defense in his double murder trial rested its case Monday after calling up 14 witnesses over about two weeks of testimony.

A hearing in that civil case was scheduled for June 10, 2021, and had the potential to reveal his financial problems, prosecutors argued, but it was delayed after the killings. They have highlighted Murdaugh’s loving relationships with his family and ridiculed the prosecution’s focus on what they are framing as irrelevant financial misconduct charges. Three months after the killings, on September 3, 2021, Murdaugh’s colleagues again confronted him about the missing funds and forced him to resign. The defense also worked to show that investigators had done a shoddy job with the case, particularly in securing the crime scene. Yet Murdaugh also admitted under oath that he had lied to police when he said he was not at the kennels that night. That video is at the heart of the prosecution’s case against Murdaugh. After the murders, the internal investigation into the funds took a back seat. “It just infuriated me that this young man had been murdered and there was still his remains there.” “It’s structurally difficult for the shooter to have two long (weapons) and no practical reason for that to happen,” he testified. He also determined the shooting of Paul came first and was from such a close range that the shooter would have been temporarily stunned by the explosive violence. It felt like it was the right thing to do. The prosecution, which featured 61 witnesses over three weeks of testimony, said they plan to seek testimony from four or five rebuttal witnesses on Tuesday.

Jurors in the murder trial of disbarred South Carolina lawyer Richard "Alex" Murdaugh will visit the family estate where prosecutors said he gunned down his ...

Alex Murdaugh's brother testified that he had to clean what remained of his slain nephew, Paul Murdaugh, at the crime scene after investigators left a mess.

"The second that you're confronted with facts that you can't deny, you immediately come up with a new lie?" "Isn't that correct?" He asked that the scene be secured for the visit. "Mr. Investigators did not present evidence that Murdaugh had back spatter on him after the shootings. "They told us that it was covered in blood. Jonathan Eisenstat, a forensic pathologist, and Tim Palmbach, a blood-spatter expert, disagreed with the state's pathologist, Dr. Prosecutors say both victims were shot to death with family weapons at about 8:50 p.m. "It's the hardest thing I've ever been through in my life." [ALEX MURDAUGH TRIAL: TOP FIVE TESTIMONY HIGHLIGHTS FROM SOUTH CAROLINA COURTROOM](https://www.foxnews.com/us/alex-murdaugh-trial-top-5-testimony-highlights-south-carolina-courtroom) "It was terrible." Paul's brain was found largely intact near his feet.

The jury in the double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh will be allowed to walk through the crime scene where the former South Carolina lawyer's wife and son ...

If found guilty of the double murders, Murdaugh could face 30 years to life in prison without parole. Of his brother's almost three-decade marriage to Margaret, he testified that "it was a great relationship. Anything that the boys were doing, Alex wanted to do," John Marvin Murdaugh said. "The boys always came first to him." Simpson ](https://www.nbcnews.com/now/video/from-the-archives-the-o-j-simpson-trial-verdict-70567493720)toured the affluent Los Angeles neighborhood where the disgraced football star and his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, had lived. "There were literally dozens of people at Moselle last weekend trespassing to get selfies in front of the feed room. Earlier Monday, Circuit Judge Clifton Newman ruled in favor of the defense team's request for a "jury view" field trip to help jurors better visualize the testimony. "I don't believe it is commonly requested," said Dennis Bolt, a retired attorney in Columbia who has served on cases with members of Murdaugh's defense team. (Simpson was later found not guilty in the murders of Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman.) The prosecution is expected to begin calling its rebuttal witnesses Tuesday morning. Jurors have visited crime scenes in other high-profile trials. [Murdaugh's actions on that night](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/prosecution-alex-murdaugh-trial-wraps-case-hard-evidence-killed-wife-s-rcna70485), and whether he had the time and the opportunity to fatally shoot his wife and son.

Week 6 of the Alex Murdaugh double murder trial begins with the defense set to call its final two witnesses.

Testimony from those witnesses was on hold Friday morning as [Judge Clifton Newman](https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/local/south-carolina/2023/01/13/alex-murdaugh-trial-meet-sc-lawyers-judge-that-will-be-in-spotlight-murder-true-crime-walterboro/69782847007/) heard arguments and debated whether to allow evidence of [the former South Carolina attorney's](https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/local/south-carolina/2023/01/23/who-is-alex-murdaugh-prestigious-wealthy-accused-murderer/69782899007/) alleged financial crimes and other "bad acts" as motive in the deaths of Murdaugh's wife, Maggie, and son, Paul. The defense has one more witness to call after the lunch break Monday, and then expects to rest. It is unclear in what capacity the media will be allowed to cover the jury's trek to the crime scene. Tim Palmbach, an expert in crime scene and blood spatter analysis, along with shooting incident reconstruction, echoed Eisenstat’s findings in every way – then took it a step further by theorizing that two shooters killed Paul and Maggie. It was not until June 8 when doctors informed the family that they were sending Randolph home to die in the care of hospice. What is the State's most powerful evidence? However, jurors and attorneys will only be allowed to visit the dog kennels where the shootings occurred, and not the primary residence or other areas. State prosecutors now suspect that he cleaned up and changed clothes after the killings. John Marvin went on to criticize the S.C. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do in my life.” 27 proceedings in the Alex Murdaugh double murder trial or a replay upon completion. Conrad asked if lying to the police was cooperation.

Jurors in Alex Murdaugh's double-murder trial will be allowed to visit the Murdaugh family estate in South Carolina where the killings took place.

A hearing in that civil case was scheduled for June 10, 2021, and had the potential to reveal his financial problems, prosecutors argued, but it was delayed after the killings. They have highlighted Murdaugh's loving relationships with his family, ridiculed the prosecution's focus on what they are framing as irrelevant financial misconduct charges and challenged the thoroughness of the investigation. A day later, Murdaugh was shot on the side of a rural road in what he initially claimed was a random attack -- but investigators eventually determined was part of a bizarre murder-for-hire plot concocted by Murdaugh. Two investigations in particular that could have exposed Murdaugh's wrongdoing were coming to a head at the time of the murders. Yet Murdaugh also admitted under oath that he had lied to police when he said he was not at the kennels that night. The judge did not set a date for the viewing, but it will have to come in the next few days as the trial nears its end.

Defense attorney Dick Harpootlian said in court the defense expects to rest by the end of Monday, and the prosecution said it will have a few further rebuttal ...

A hearing in that civil case was scheduled for June 10, 2021, and had the potential to reveal his financial problems, prosecutors argued, but it was delayed after the killings. They have highlighted Murdaugh’s loving relationships with his family and ridiculed the prosecution’s focus on what they are framing as irrelevant financial misconduct charges. Three months after the killings, on September 3, 2021, Murdaugh’s colleagues again confronted him about the missing funds and forced him to resign. The defense also worked to show that investigators had done a shoddy job with the case, particularly in securing the crime scene. Yet Murdaugh also admitted under oath that he had lied to police when he said he was not at the kennels that night. That video is at the heart of the prosecution’s case against Murdaugh. After the murders, the internal investigation into the funds took a back seat. “It just infuriated me that this young man had been murdered and there was still his remains there.” “It’s structurally difficult for the shooter to have two long (weapons) and no practical reason for that to happen,” he testified. He also determined the shooting of Paul came first and was from such a close range that the shooter would have been temporarily stunned by the explosive violence. It felt like it was the right thing to do. The prosecution, which featured 61 witnesses over three weeks of testimony, said they plan to seek testimony from four or five rebuttal witnesses on Tuesday.

Alex Murdaugh's defense team will begin the sixth week of his murder trial with its final witnesses.

The Colleton County Sheriff’s Office charged Murdaugh with a misdemeanor on Friday afternoon. I’m not criticizing the strategy. Murdaugh is standing trial for the June 7, 2021, murders of his wife, Maggie; and their youngest son, Paul. “They’re not controversial. But he remained adamant that he did not harm his wife or son. “They’re not complicated.

Alex Murdaugh Defense Rests After Presenting O.J. Simpson–Style Theory of Elusive Mystery Killer. The intruder would have had to be pretty familiar with the ...

The trial continues Tuesday, with prosecutors [saying](https://www.postandcourier.com/murdaugh-updates/live-alex-murdaughs-defense-attorneys-want-jurors-to-see-moselle-site-of-the-killings/article_c7d4eb26-b697-11ed-b63a-935b326f11b0.html) that they plan to call several witnesses to respond to arguments raised by the defense. “And that is the only — only — reason that somebody could be mad at (Paul) like that and hate him like that.” As the prosecutor in the case pointed out, this would have required the assailant to have located Paul on a remote section of a private, rural property. [as early as the night of their deaths](https://www.postandcourier.com/murdaugh-updates/feb-24-alex-murdaugh-walks-prosecutors-through-day-of-slayings-with-changes-to-story/article_30ecd372-b165-11ed-bcbc-4789e55dc390.html) that he had not seen Paul and Maggie since well before the time period in which they are believed to have died. Investigators, however, discovered what they believed to be Alex Murdaugh’s voice on a video recorded at the kennel on Paul Murdaugh’s phone just before activity on the phone stopped. Prosecutors assert that he murdered the two in an effort to relieve the scrutiny he’d been under since a fatal boat crash in 2019 that Paul Murdaugh was involved in.

In the double murder trial of disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh, his defense lawyers want jurors to believe the crime scene can't tell them ...

[ALEX MURDAUGH REPEATEDLY REFERS TO DECEASED SON AS 'PAWPAW' DURING TESTIMONY, SPARKING ONLINE BUZZ](https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/alex-murdaugh-repeatedly-refers-deceased-son-pawpaw-testimony-sparking-online-buzz) [A video](https://apnews.com/article/homicide-legal-proceedings-crime-ae1c73cc2739dec105d265b9b1e7c4b8) on his son’s iPhone, shot minutes before prosecutors think the killings happened, recorded Alex Murdaugh’s voice. [career and finances were crumbling](https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/alex-murdaugh-murder-charges-death-wife-son-south-carolina-disgraced-attorney). [The first officer](https://apnews.com/article/homicide-crime-9c6bc5896cc6e197a241fbd050a2ae93) arrived at the rural Colleton County estate 20 minutes after Murdaugh called 911 when he returned home from visiting his ailing mother. [ALEX MURDAUGH TRIAL: JURORS WILL VISIT CRIME SCENE SITE](https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/jurors-will-visit-crime-scene-site-in-alex-murdaugh-trial) Investigators said they ran a drug and The fatal shot only grazed Murdaugh’s head. I hate the fact that I did it. I would never hurt Maggie, and I would never hurt Paul — ever — under any circumstances," Murdaugh said. The bodies of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh were covered with a sheet, which can absorb fluid, instead of a tarp. Intermittent rain fell and the runoff from the kennel roof fell on Paul Murdaugh’s covered body. "It’s a crime scene.

A day after defense attorneys rested their case in Alex Murdaugh's weekslong double murder trial, prosecutors on Tuesday intend to call a handful of ...

– just minutes after Murdaugh’s voice was captured on the video – based in part on armpit checks he conducted to feel how warm the bodies were. During cross examination, prosecutors asked if the coroner had an idea of when the killings occurred since he did not take exact temperatures. Murdaugh testified last week that he went down to the kennels at Maggie’s request, but then returned to the house and laid down on a couch. When he got up, he said, he drove to visit his ailing mother at her home in nearby Almeda, before returning to his property later that night. [testified](https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/17/us/alex-murdaugh-trial-friday/index.html) that he estimated the time of death to be around 9 p.m. [called 911 at 10:07 p.m.](https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/13/us/alex-murdaugh-trial-monday/index.html) to report finding the bodies. That visit will happen sometime after the rebuttal witnesses’ testimony, Newman said without specifying a day. [a video](https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/01/us/alex-murdaugh-trial-wednesday/index.html) appeared to be filmed that evening at the dog kennels before the killings, and testified he previously lied about being there because of “paranoid thinking” stemming from his [addiction to painkillers](https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/23/us/key-moments-alex-murdaugh-trial-testimony/index.html). [admitted in court](https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/23/us/alex-murdaugh-murder-trial-thursday/index.html) that he lied to investigators when he said he had not been at the scene on the night of the killings until the bodies of his son and wife were found. [have used a video](https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/01/us/alex-murdaugh-trial-wednesday/index.html) filmed at the dog kennels shortly before authorities say the killings took place to argue Murdaugh was at the scene just minutes before the fatal shootings. [also testified](https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/21/us/alex-murdaugh-trial-tuesday-son-testimony/index.html) last week, saying his father was “destroyed” and “heartbroken” following the killings. [testimony](https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/23/us/alex-murdaugh-murder-trial-thursday/index.html) last week, Murdaugh pushed back on prosecutors’ accusations that he killed his wife and son to gain sympathy and distract from the financial misconduct allegations, some of which the state says were about to come to light before the fatal shootings.

The defence has rested its case in the high-profile US trial of a former lawyer who is accused of murdering his wife and son.

Mr Murdaugh is facing legal exposure in all three investigations, in addition to the ongoing trial. Mr Murdaugh implied on the stand that he had faced death threats since the incident. Three months after his wife and son died, in September 2021, Mr Murdaugh was injured in a roadside shooting. "He is presumed innocent," lead lawyer Dick Harpootlian reminded the jury. Mr Murdaugh encouraged her adult children to file a wrongful death lawsuit. "This is the biggest case that I've ever seen [here] in my lifetime." Mr Murdaugh later admitted he had kept it all. But, he said, none of it meant he was guilty. He had been charged and was out on bail at the time of his death. "There's no clear reason why Alex would kill his wife and son." Mr Murdaugh's insurance company paid out to the tune of $4.3m, but the Satterfields did not receive a dime. The defence has rested its case in the high-profile US trial of a former lawyer who is accused of murdering his wife and son.

Prosecutors are scheduled to call at least four witness in their rebuttal case Tuesday at Alex Murdaugh's double-murder trial in Walterboro, South Carolina.

[ALEX MURDAUGH: TIMELINE OF ONCE-POWERFUL SOUTH CAROLINA LAWYER'S SPECTACULAR DOWNFALL](https://www.foxnews.com/us/alex-murdaugh-timeline-once-powerful-south-carolina-lawyers-spectacular-downfall) The charge is a modest addition to the 99 counts spanning 19 indictments that he already faces stemming from financial crimes. "The second that you're confronted with facts that you can't deny, you immediately come up with a new lie?" "Isn't that correct?" He initially claimed he was napping when Paul and Maggie were shot to death by the estate's dog kennels. "[Water's] estimate of time has been a little mushy I think is a good way to put it," the attorney said.

BuzzFeed News reporter David Mack reflected on the twists and turns of the trial as the defense rested its case.

There were so many odd little things that the document revealed about that night, but I found the most potentially incriminating to be Alex’s phone [recording him practically running shortly after the killings](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/davidmack/alex-murdaugh-drugs-wife-maggie-paul-timeline). Finally, it was shocking to learn that [Alex’s own brother had been the one to call authorities](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/davidmack/alex-murdaugh-roadside-shooting-lies) after the botched suicide-for-hire plot to report that Alex was doing suspicious things while being treated in the hospital. Both his housekeeper at the time of the murder and his mother’s caretaker testified about discussions they’d had with Alex in which they felt he was trying to pressure them to mirror his version of events of that night. There was also the attorney for the family of Mallory Beach, the young girl killed in the 2019 boat crash for which Paul had been charged. To that end, I thought the most compelling and devastating witnesses for him were those who were often much lower in status or privilege. It was really quite haunting to watch the video, knowing that it was the last piece of footage Paul would film and that it captured both him and his mother in the final minutes of their lives. [Maggie’s sister felt that Alex was behaving oddly](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/davidmack/alex-murdaugh-sister-in-law-testifies) and had misplaced priorities in the days after. [alleged thefts from his law firm and clients](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/davidmack/alex-murdaugh-trial-financial-crimes-law-firm-theft), as well as the boat case lawsuit, which was threatening to unmask his shady finances. Then there’s the [theft of millions from the grieving family of the Murdaugh housekeeper](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/davidmack/alex-murdaugh-trial-housekeeper-gloria-satterfield-son-tony) who died in 2018 — not to mention Alex’s [years of purported drug use](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/davidmack/alex-murdaugh-sister-in-law-testifies) or his [botched attempt to have himself killed](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/davidmack/alex-murdaugh-roadside-shooting-lies) in order for his surviving son to receive an insurance payout. It was such a surprising piece of evidence, but I do believe its importance probably faded as the trial went on and the jury heard from more people. Before he left, he agreed to answer my questions about his reporting on the twists and turns of the last six weeks of court. The judge also granted a surprise request by the defense for the jury to visit in person the hunting estate where prosecutors say Alex killed his wife, Maggie, and son Paul in June 2021.

Here are the family members involved in the Alex Murdaugh double murder trial in South Carolina. Murdaugh is accused of killing his wife and son in June ...

The Murdaugh family maintained a stronghold over the prosecutor's office for decades. He was charged with [three felony counts](https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/crime) of boating under the influence. "Maggie had a heart of pure generosity, and loved welcoming friends and family into her home on any given occasion," her obituary published by the Peeples-Rhoden Funeral Home states. "It's the hardest thing I've ever been through in my life." [MURDAUGHS REACH SETTLEMENT WITH FAMILY OF MALLORY BEACH, WHO DIED IN FATAL 2019 BOAT CRASH](https://www.foxnews.com/us/murdaughs-reach-settlement-family-of-mallory-beach-who-died-fatal-2019-murdaughs-boat-crash) "It was terrible." "But now she was starting to look into it." I yelled at him, and then he got on top of me, and I just remember him screaming, ‘I told you to shut up,’ just holding down my throat. [19-year-old Mallory Beach](https://www.foxnews.com/us/deadly-murdaugh-boat-crash-surviving-son-reaches-settlement-high-profile-trial) and injuring four others. "He was such a special boy. The allegations temporarily subsided after Paul and Maggie's deaths until September 2021, when his firm revisited the allegations, and he resigned. He described his father as a doting and devoted parent who "coached every Little League team I played on."

On Tuesday, the State plans to call no more than five witnesses in “reply,” or rebuttal, of testimony and evidence presented by the defense.

Other expert witnesses for the State were called to testify for a second time, including Medical University of South Carolina pathologist Dr. He described Murdaugh as having a “very theatrical presence” in the courtroom. But on the stand Tuesday Smalls said that he had never had such a conversation with Murdaugh, nor was he aware of anyone in his department doing so. Last week, in response to Murdaugh’s claim that he lied to state police because he was paranoid and suspicious of them, At a later date, Murdaugh reportedly told Ball that he went to Paul first, and then to Maggie. Early in the trial, prosecutors disputed claims that Murdaugh checked for signs of life on both victims, his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, because he did not have any blood on his hands, clothes, or shoes – and he called 911 less than 20 seconds after arriving at the scene. The State will then have one final session to reply or rebut any new claims or new information the defense introduces in its closings. Law enforcement will secure the scene in advance to ensure onlookers and curious spectators are not on the scene. It is mostly likely that the jury will have the case for deliberation by sometime early Thursday. That media pool will include a Court TV videographer, a pool photographer, and a print journalist selected at random: Valerie Bauerlein of the Wall Street Journal. The next step on this legal journey will be a 9:30 a.m. People around the English-speaking world and beyond have been following this case intently, and they may have a verdict by week’s end.

Prosecutors are expected to call two rebuttal witnesses in the Alex Murdaugh murder trial Tuesday, a day after the defense rested its case.

Before jurors were ushered into the courtroom on Monday morning, Judge Clifton Newman responded to a defense request to allow jurors to see the property in person, saying he would allow a visit. Waters objected, saying the property has changed since the night of the killings. At one moment in the recording, Alex Murdaugh made a statement he insists was, “They did him so bad,” but SLED agent SLED Agent John Croft said he heard, “I did him so bad.” Looking ahead, lead prosecutor Creighton Waters said he believed the state could get through the witnesses Tuesday. The recording of that comment “They would clean it up.

COLLETON COUNTY, S.C. -- Prosecutors on Tuesday planned to call up to seven further witnesses to rebut parts of Alex Murdaugh's defense in his murder trial, ...

Murdaugh has testified he believes the killings of his wife and son were in some way related to threats the family had received in that case. Last week, Colleton County Coroner Richard Harvey testified that he estimated the time of death to be around 9 p.m. The testimony contradicted Murdaugh's assertion last week that he got permission from Smalls to install blue lights in his vehicle. Multiple witnesses testified that Murdaugh's voice can be heard in the background of the video, which was filmed on Paul's phone starting at 8:44 p.m. Murdaugh indeed confessed to a decade of defrauding his legal partners and clients -- yet denied killing his family. A defense crime scene expert argued Monday a shotgun contact wound to the head causes the skull to violently explode, which would have temporarily stunned or even injured the shooter. Under oath, he admitted he had lied to police about his whereabouts on the night of the murders and that he had in fact been at the dog kennels, near where his wife and son were found dead, shortly before the killings. Police say he called 911 at 10:07 p.m. He blamed his lies on "paranoid thinking" stemming from his addiction to painkillers. He was questioned by South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, his first time questioning a witness in the case. He is separately facing 99 charges related to alleged financial crimes that will be adjudicated later. (Alex Murdaugh is 6-foot-4.) Kinsey said there were too many variables to determine the shooter's height with any certainty, calling the analysis "unscientific."

When jurors head to 4147 Moselle Rd. before deliberations in the murder trial, they'll be visiting a $3.9 million property with a dark history.

Lay said that an additional $600,000 will be distributed to the family of Mallory Beach, the 19-year-old who was killed in a 2019 boating collision in a boat driven by Paul Murdaugh. The sale of the home has been on hold amid a court order that Murdaugh’s assets be frozen. Business transactions for that low number of a price are allowed by the IRS as a way for the seller to avoid capital gains taxes. Michael Satterfield, a son of Gloria Satterfield, testified this month that Murdaugh never told the family that he collected more than $4 million in insurance settlements after the 57-year-old woman’s fatal fall at his home. He added that Moselle “is not what the media made it out be,” saying it was far from a “grand hunting destination.” Murdaugh bought the property in 2013 from Jeannine Morris Boulware, wife of Barrett T. It’s allowed as long as the seller invests any proceeds of the sale toward the purchase of other properties, according to the [IRS](https://www.irs.gov/privacy-disclosure/tax-code-regulations-and-official-guidance). The jury’s scheduled trip to Moselle comes as Murdaugh’s defense rested its case after calling 14 witnesses during roughly two weeks of testimony. [publicly posted for sale](https://crosbylandco.com/property/moselle-farm-colleton-south-carolina/24755/) by the Crosby Land Co. They will visit the rural, 1,772-acre hunting estate in Islandton, S.C., that’s been under contract to be sold for almost $4 million, to see the location where Murdaugh is accused of killing his wife and son. Murdaugh, 54, who faces up to life in prison if convicted of the killings, has been at the center of worldwide media coverage for months, including docuseries on Netflix and HBO Max and the murder trial being carried live on cable news since it started Jan. Harpootlian denounced the dozens of people who allegedly showed up at Moselle for photos as “one of the most distasteful things I’ve ever seen.”

But two years ago that life unravelled when Alex Murdaugh - the fourth generation scion of a local legal dynasty - called police to report his wife Maggie and ...

One of these jobs, according to Alex Murdaugh and his lawyers, was to act as Mr Murdaugh's "personal drug dealer" and regularly supply Mr Murdaugh with pills. Mr Murdaugh admitted on the stand he had lied. He had been drunk, they said, descending into a cruel and angry alter ego that friends had nick-named "Timmy", and who allegedly hit his girlfriend the night of the accident. but he took care of so many," his father said at the trial. A mobile phone video taken at the Murdaughs' dog kennels by Paul about five minutes before prosecutors say the killings took place features the voice of Mr Murdaugh talking to Bubba. Testifying at his murder trial, he confessed to the theft, blaming a desperate and expensive addiction to oxycodone. But he briefly found himself in hot water after reportedly passing his father a John Grisham novel, which was later deemed contraband. A full-time homemaker, she was described as an adoring mother to her two sons. Buster testified in his father's defence, describing Mr Murdaugh as a loving presence who was "destroyed" by the murders of Maggie and Paul. But the strangest request came in September 2021, three months after Maggie and Paul's murders, when Mr Murdaugh asked Mr Smith to meet him on the side of a rural road one Saturday, and shoot him in the back of the head. He is now on trial for their murders. But the patina of success hid a number of seedy secrets - Mr Murdaugh was stealing from his clients and colleagues, as much as $3.7m (£3m) in a single year alone.

COLLETON COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC) - The defense officially wrapped up their case Monday in the Murdaugh double murder trial. Now that their case is over, ...

He found throwing it like a frisbee would rarely turn the screen on, but when he raised it over his head and shook it, it was more likely to turn on. Smalls was the next witness called to the stand. Paul McManigal was back on the stand Tuesday, where he was not labeled as a cell phone forensics expert. He was called by the prosecution because of Murdaugh’s testimony. Ball says he learned Murdaugh was at the kennels the night of the murders for the first time during Murdaugh’s testimony. Tuesday, Sheriff Smalls said the opposite on the stand. He also said he heard Murdaugh say he checked both bodies before calling 911. I was there. He was a witness for the defense on “I handled a lot of cases with Alex. Last week Alex Murdaugh said he had blue lights in his personal vehicle and Sheriff Smalls was aware of it because he asked him if he could do it. The prosecution appealed to the judge that it was entitled to focus on specific issues presented by the defense that contradicted its witnesses.

COLLETON COUNTY, S.C. -- Prosecutors on Tuesday planned to call up to seven further witnesses to rebut parts of Alex Murdaugh's defense in his murder trial, ...

The defense has also tried to portray the investigation into the case as shoddy, arguing that the crime scene was not secure or handled carefully. More than a week ago, Colleton County Coroner Richard Harvey testified that he estimated the time of death to be around 9 p.m. During cross examination, prosecutors asked if the coroner had an idea of when the killings occurred since he did not take exact temperatures. "You really do not have a general idea as to when that incident actually occurred?" Multiple witnesses testified that Murdaugh's voice can be heard in the background of the video, which was filmed on Paul's phone starting at 8:44 p.m. Murdaugh indeed confessed to much of that financial misconduct -- yet denied killing his family. He blamed his lies on "paranoid thinking" stemming from his addiction to painkillers. He is separately facing 99 charges related to alleged financial crimes that will be adjudicated later. Police say he called 911 at 10:07 p.m. to report finding the bodies. When he got up, he said, he drove to visit his ailing mother at her home in nearby Almeda, before returning to his property later that night. Closing arguments will follow after that.

Prosecutors in Alex Murdaugh's double murder trial rested Tuesday in Walterboro, South Carolina, after calling six rebuttal witnesses and conducting a ...

"His entire face would have been split open." "It was terrible." The shooter would have been covered in Paul's blood, brain matter and tissue, they said. But he said he let that go a long time ago. "I have had anger with him, extreme anger, Mr. "You'd have to consider this to be a static crime scene. [crime scene](https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/crime/homicide) the night of the murders to support his grieving friend, what Murdaugh told him. [Murdaugh allegedly fleeced](https://www.foxnews.com/us/alex-murdaugh-charged-tax-evasion-ahead-sc-murder-trial) – money that came directly out of the partners' pockets. [Sutton testified](https://www.foxnews.com/us/alex-murdaughs-lawyer-dick-harpootlian-aims-gun-prosecutors-says-tempting) that the angle of the shots indicated that the shooter had to have been between 5 foot 2 and 5 foot 4. "This was a very dynamic crime scene." [Murdaugh, 54](https://www.foxnews.com/us/alex-murdaugh-trial-top-5-testimony-highlights-south-carolina-courtroom), used a shotgun to blow off the head of his son, Paul, and a rifle to execute his wife, Maggie, June 7, 2021, to distract from his financial malfeasance. [South Carolina attorney general ](https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/us-regions/southeast/south-carolina)point a gun at his head in a dramatic re-enactment.

On Tuesday, the State plans to call no more than five witnesses in “reply,” or rebuttal, of testimony and evidence presented by the defense.

As the Murdaugh murder trial comes to a close, the jury could get a break from the courtroom this week to visit the Murdaugh family's former Moselle ...

Courtroom analysis: How the upcoming closing arguments from both sides will likely resonate with the jury in the double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh.

The State will then have one final session to reply or rebut any new claims or new information [the defense](https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/local/south-carolina/2023/01/13/alex-murdaugh-trial-meet-sc-lawyers-judge-that-will-be-in-spotlight-murder-true-crime-walterboro/69782847007/) introduces in its closings. Regardless of the outcome of this trial, Murdaugh reminds jailed on a $7 million bond for roughly 100 other criminal charges, primarily stealing money from law partners and clients. It is mostly likely that the jury will have the case for deliberation by sometime early Thursday. [the State ](https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/local/south-carolina/2023/01/13/alex-murdaugh-trial-meet-sc-lawyers-judge-that-will-be-in-spotlight-murder-true-crime-walterboro/69782847007/)will present its closing argument in full, followed by the defense’s closing argument. There is also a lack of other, direct physical evidence to seal the deal and pinpoint Murdaugh, such as fingerprints, foot or tire marks, DNA or conclusive gunshot residue. Had police done their job properly, the defense claims, they might have been able to find the “real killers.” Here is how they will try to finish that task: Several of Murdaugh’s statements are inconsistent with physical evidence and witness testimony. Here will be the most probably key points: [After the jury visits the scene of the crime at 9:30 a.m. Murdaugh, who was indicted in July 2022 for the June 7, 2021, shooting deaths of his wife, Maggie, and younger son, Paul, is facing life without the possibility of parole if convicted. [The State](https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/local/south-carolina/2023/01/13/alex-murdaugh-trial-meet-sc-lawyers-judge-that-will-be-in-spotlight-murder-true-crime-walterboro/69782847007/) will likely strive to put together the many pieces of circumstantial evidence into a narrative that the jury will follow and believe.

Prosecutors got a chance to reply to the defense's case, including by rebutting their experts who suggested 2 different shooters killed Murdaugh's wife and ...

Once the jury leaves, one reporter, photographer and videographer will be able to see the property. Prosecutors were against the visit, saying the scene looks different than it did in June 2021 as trees and vegetation have grown and no one has lived on the property since the killings. The goal was to refute a defense expert who said moving an iPhone causes its backlight to come on. Kinsey testified his opinion was also based on being certain the fatal shotgun wound to Paul Murdaugh was fired from down low and headed up through the head instead of downward with the gun pressed against his head. Prosecutors contend Murdaugh thought he was about to get caught stealing and killed 52-year-old Maggie Murdaugh and 22-year-old Paul Murdaugh near kennels on June 7, 2021, to buy time to cover up the money trail. A defense expert said Riemer failed to shave hair from Paul Murdaugh’s wound or X-ray his brain after it was blown from his body to confirm her findings.

Disgraced former attorney Alex Murdaugh stands trial for the brutal June 7, 2021 murders of his wife Margaret and youngest son Paul at their Colleton County ...

The jurors in the double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh will travel to the site where his wife and younger son were fatally shot.

On Monday, in one of their last witnesses before resting, the defense brought a crime scene expert to the stand who said he believed the killings were likely committed by two people. Alex Murdaugh told investigators early in the case that he was not down by the kennels that night and had last seen his wife and son at dinner before finding bodies upon returning home from visiting his mother. "You asked me what kind of lawyer Alex was, and I told you he was a good lawyer," Crosby said. No questions can be asked and no talking will be allowed on the trip. "One of the things that I think I explained to you was that he was of a theatrical type presence in the courtroom and he could get very emotional doing closing arguments in front of a jury." Prosecutors have focused on footage taken from Paul Murdaugh's cellphone the night of the murders, including a video taken at the kennels several minutes before the victims were believed to be killed that investigators said has Alex Murdaugh talking in the background.