SC - Paul Murdaugh,22 & Mom Margaret,52, 7 June 2021 *Media, Maps, Timeline-NO DISCUSSION*
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2/23/23
10:47
Court is in recess until 2:40 [LUNCH}
10:46
Murdaugh notes his clothes were spread out all over the place following the murders.
10:45
Murdaugh rehashes how he never stayed another night at Moselle after the murders.
10:45
Contradicting his statements immediately before -- saying SLED made his clothes an issue on Aug. 11 -- Murdaugh says "I'm well aware that my clothes never became an issue in this case until my lawyers proved that this blood spatter that they said I had on my shirt from my wife and my son was a lie, and that there was no blood on my shirt. Once they filed the documents and they proved that was a lie, all of a sudden the clothes I was wearing back on that day became an issue. And that's in the weeks leading up to this trial."
10:41
Griffin brings up how SLED asked him August 11 about clothes Alex was wearing in the Snapchat video. Murdaugh says he specifically asked Blanca if she remembered getting his clothes after August 11, contradicting the testimony Blanca gave about what he said. He says he asked because SLED had made an issue about the clothes in the meeting. The state never asked him for the clothes.
10:37
Murdaugh recalls how he'd been begging David Owen to meet with him and Maggie's parents for weeks ahead of the August 11 meeting with SLED, and thought that the purpose of the meeting was to get an update. By the end, he says it was clear to him he was a suspect.
10:34
Murdaugh says he was careful not to talk to potential witnesses after the murders because of the scrutiny over the boat crash case alleging he fixed witnesses and orchestrated the investigation and influenced the police. He didn't want to take any chances
10:33
Griffin asks Murdaugh about Shelly Smith saying he tried to suggest to her how long she should say Murdaugh was there. Murdaugh insinuates now for a second time Smith misremembered what happened. He claims he told Smith to talk to SLED and please tell the truth.
10:31
Griffin plays the June 10 interview now. Murdaugh told SLED he thought Paul arrived around 5 p.m. but we know now it was around 7 p.m. Another example of Murdaugh not appearing to have a good grasp on time.
10:29
Griffin replays the August 11 SLED interview with Alex, specifically bringing up Alex's inaccurate recollection of times. Murdaugh says in interview he arrived by 10 at work the morning of the murders at the latest, but in reality he didn't get there until around noon. Murdaugh points out how he also told David Owen to go pull his key card data to get an accurate time.
10:26
Murdaugh says in the week following his Dad's funeral, he never carried a tarp into his parent's house. Asked about the blue rain jacket, he says he's never seen it or touched it. He never at any point recalls taking a blue tarp to his parents' house. He says Shelly seems to have that in her mind, and he says it's not impossible he did at some point in time, but it certainly didn't happen in the week or weeks around or after his father's funeral.
10:23
Morning of Wednesday, June 16, he was in Summerville. Murdaugh says he doesn't believe he went to Almeda at 6:30 in the morning that day. He says he didn't go to Almeda at any point early in the morning that week after the funerals. He was in Summerville.
10:18
Catching back up now on testimony about the blue tarp / jacket, etc.
10:18
Very important dialogue from earlier in Murdaugh's testimony about the importance to him of SLED getting the location data off all the phones and his SUV:
Murdaugh: "Every time that I talked to David Owen, I would ask him about getting OnStar data (from his SUV) and GPS data from phones."
Griffin: Why was that important to you?
Murdaugh: "To confirm where I was saying I went, what I did, GPS. At that point in time, I knew that Maggie's phone had been taken, and I knew that my phone and Maggie's phone and my Suburban had never crossed paths, and that was extremely important to me, and I asked him about it every single time we talked. Every single time."
Murdaugh says because Maggie loved to use the "Find My iPhone" or "Find My Friends" feature on iPhone, Murdaugh says "I just knew that there would be GPS data on Maggie's phone."
Murdaugh: "I knew at that point in time, since I was the person who found PaulPaul and Mags, that I was a suspect. I mean they kept talking about this circle. But I knew that it was very important for me to find that -- to get that.
Griffin: "What was your belief that information would've done for you?"
Murdaugh: "There's no question in there that it'd demonstrate that I couldn't have done this."
(Murdaugh seemed to have a keen understanding of the importance of GPS data. It makes him leaving his phone at the house - uncharacteristically - seem more peculiar in hindsight.)
10:03
The week after, he stayed in Summerville with Maggie's parents for a few days, and then went to Greenville in the Upstate for the end of the week to be with niece and family after she'd just had a baby.
10:02
Murdaugh says he was attached at the hip to Buster after the murders, all the way through the funeral services and burials on the following Sunday. He says the burials were all on the same day.
09:59
Alex says it was important for SLED to get that information off Maggie and Paul's phones after that because he knew he was in that circle of suspects but also knew the location data could prove they never crossed paths. (Of note, Murdaugh left his phone at the house while Maggie and Paul were at the kennels. Several people have testified he was always on his phone.)
Updated: 09:59
09:57
Griffin asking Murdaugh about after the murders. He discusses giving SLED full access to search everything. He says he asked SLED agent David Owen repeatedly after the murders for location data off Maggie and Paul's phones. He says he gave SLED the code to Maggie's phone via John Marvin after it was found. He and Maggie knew each other's passwords. Maggie always used location services. She loved to use "Find My iPhone" to see where family was, and would tease them about where they were, or surprise them out places.
09:46
Alex says there couldn't have been high velocity blood spatter on his clothes. "No way." He was nowhere near the shooting.
09:44
The gun Alex grabbed the night of the murders was Paul's Benelli shotgun. Murdaugh says Paul didn't frequently clean his guns. Murdaugh says he was carrying Paul's shotgun around for awhile at the scene before police arrived, explaining the gunshot residue on his hands and clothes.
09:43
Alex says he knows he got blood on his fingertips from touching the bodies. He wasn't sure whose blood, likely both Maggie and Paul. If Maggie's blood was on his steering wheel and gun that night, then he "put it there" after touching them.
09:40
Back from break.
09:27
Court is in recess for 10 minutes.
09:27
Griffin asks Murdaugh about the photo of the woman in the bathing suit texted by Michael Gunn, and the Safari browser search for Whaleys restaurant at Edisto Beach. Murdaugh is adamant that even though he opened that text, he wasn't reading it. He says the Whaleys search must have been from his search history. He says the call to the videographer must've been accidental. Murdaugh is adamant all those things were simply accidental incidents while he was trying to do other things and call other people on his phone.
09:23
Griffin asks about Paul getting threats after the boat wreck. Murdaugh recalls a meeting with Paul and the dean of students at UofSC, making sure Paul was OK, letting him know they were aware of the threats.
09:15
Griffin continues playing 911 call. Murdaugh brings up the boat wreck and Paul getting threats. Alex is asked on the call not to touch them. He says he's already touched them checking to see if they were breathing. Alex tells the court he touched Maggie several times, but doesn't think he touched Paul but once or twice. He touched both before he got in the car and drove back to the house.
09:12
Griffin points out Murdaugh saying he was 100 yards away from the house when he told dispatchers he was going to get a gun. Murdaugh admits the distance is over 1,100 feet (nearly 400 yards), he was clearly wrong in what he told dispatchers, he has no explanation.
09:10
Murdaugh says he's not totally sure why he thought he needed to go get a gun from his house "just in case." He was scared there could've been danger still, killers maybe around.
09:08
Murdaugh discussing going back to the house and grabbing a shotgun and shells. Asked about putting the 16 gauge shell in the 12 gauge shotgun, he says he's been hunting and using firearms his whole life. That's not a mistake he'd have made under any other circumstances except that night.
09:05
Grifin asks Alex about telling 911 he last talked to them about 1.5-2 hours before he found their bodies. Murdaugh says he told 911 that's approximately when he last saw them. Given him last being at the kennels at 8:45ish, and this call being around 10:10, it was close to an hour and a half.
09:03
Alex is asked about saying "I should've known." Alex says he said "Paul Paul I should've known." He was referring to the threats Paul received, and how he (Alex) should've taken them seriously. Alex says Paul got some of the most vile, over the top threats, so crazy you couldn't believe. People talking about what he was going to get, and how they were going to "get him." He disregarded the threats.
09:00
Griffin asks Murdaugh about him randomly saying "Here" while talking to 911. Murdaugh says he was trying to explain to the dispatcher Maggie and Paul hadn't shot themselves, but he wasn't talking to somebody else or calling a dog or anything. He says he didn't mess with the dogs when he arrived or the hose. He looked around for a flashlight or a gun.
08:57
Defense now playing the Colleton County portion of Alex Murdaugh's 911 call. "I've been up to it now, it's bad." He says he thinks he didn't go all the way up to Maggie and Paul's bodies at first before calling 911. He knows he touched them after that.
08:54
Murdaugh says the phone popped out of Paul's pocket when he tried to turn him over. He doesn't recall much about that other than he picked up the phone and put down on top of him. He didn't see any messages on it or anything.
08:52
Murdaugh sobbing: "I mean my boy's laying face down, and he's done the way he's done. His head was the way his head was. I could see his -- I could see his brain laying on the sidewalk. I didn't know what to do. I tried to turn him over. I grabbed him by the belt loop, and I tried to turn him over. And when I did, his phone popped out of his -- I mean his phone popped out. So I picked it up and I put it right back there."
08:50
Alex says he doesn't know why he tried to turn Paul over.
08:49
Alex crying.
"Paul was so bad. At some point, I know I tried to check him for a pulse. I know I tried to turn him over."
08:48
Griffin asks if he could see them on the ground as he pulled up. Alex says he could. He jumped out of his car. He isn't sure what he did. He ran back to his car to call 911. He was going back and forth between Maggie and Paul while on the phone trying to tend to them.
08:46
He says he saw what the jury has seen pictures of. "It was so bad."
08:46
Alex breaks down crying.
08:45
Alex says when he got to Moselle, all the lights were on. He was inside several minutes. He wasn't totally surprised Maggie and Paul weren't back, he thought they would've been back, but he wasn't shocked or concerned immediately. He went and looked around the house for Maggie and Paul. He assumed they were still at the kennels. Thinks he tried to call them, got in his suburban and drove down to the kennels.
08:43
Alex explains why he stopped in the driveway at his mother's house on the way back. He dropped his phone down between the seat and center console, and was trying to get it. He answers emphatically "No" to whether or not he was disposing of bloody clothes or murder weapons.
08:42
Alex says he tried to call Maggie twice to let her know he was leaving, then texted her. It didn't concern him when she didn't answer at the time because she was with Paul and he also knew cell phone service was spotty out there. Not unusual.
08:40
Alex says Maggie wasn't planning to go visit his mom that night. She loved to visit Alex's dad, but by this time Libby was a shell of herself, she wasn't healthy, and Maggie didn't like to go visit her. (When he originally called Maggie to come home, it was to go visit his Dad, not his mom. His Dad got hospitalized that day.)
08:38
When he arrived, he called the house phone to ask Shelly to let him in. He went in and sat on the rollaway bed beside his mother's bed. Held her hand and talked to her for a minute. She wasn't agitated the way Barbara had described earlier before giving her medicine. Tried to be real positive and upbeat. Just talked to her and made sure she was OK. He eventually got on his mother's bed after a few minutes, sitting then lying beside her. Watched TV.
08:29
Murdaugh says it was frequent for Libby Murdaugh to get agitated when Randolph wasn't home. Barbara Mixson had called him earlier saying he needed to go check on her, so he did. He drove to Almeda after lying on the couch, parked around the side, and says that's where his family always parked.
08:26
Murdaugh says back at the house, he laid down on the couch. TV was on (he claims the TV was always on when they were home). He stayed on the couch a few minutes. He may or may not have dozed off, he isn't sure. He got up, and decided he was going to his mother's house.
08:22
Murdaugh says he went back to the house on the golf cart.
08:21
Alex says he didn't notice he water hose on the ground outside of the kennels at the time.
08:21
Alex says after he got the chicken out of Bubba's mouth, and left to go back to the house.
08:19
Murdaugh got down there and the dogs were out. He's describing the dogs being in the pines behind the kennels, indicating to him they hadn't been out long. Grady was chasing guineas. Bubba was chasing chickens and caught one. Alex was talking to Maggie, Paul was looking at Rogan Gibson's dog Cash, didn't know what exactly Paul was doing besides "fooling with his tail." Alex took the chicken from Bubba, put it up on the shelf in the feed room thinking it was stunned, not dead.
08:14
Murdaugh says at the time he didn't know how Maggie got to the kennels. He now thinks it's clear Maggie rode with Paul down there. He changed his mind and got on the golf cart, then drove down there. The golf cart stayed up at the house most of the time.
08:11
Griffin now shifts gears to the weekend before. Murdaugh talking about visiting Columbia for a University of South Carolina baseball game and seeing Buster and his girlfriend.
08:09
Griffin brings up the clothes Alex was seen wearing in the Snapchat video the evening before the murders. Murdaugh says he was about 265 pounds at the time and was sweating a lot. He say you also sweat a lot when you take oxycodone. He came back and took a shower. After he got done, he ate dinner on the couch. Paul was already done and wasn't in the den anymore. After he got done, Maggie asked him to come down to the kennels with her. Alex explained he didn't want to. It was hot, he'd just showered, he knew he'd end up doing work and messing with the dogs was always an ordeal. He didn't go immediately.
08:03
Murdaugh says it was impossible not to have fun with Paul.
08:02
Alex is emotional talking about riding around with Paul on the property the evening of the 7th.
07:58
Murdaugh is adamant he always asked Maggie to come back home to stay at Moselle at night.
07:56
Murdaugh is now describing his day leading up to the murders on June 7.
07:56
Griffin asks why Murdaugh continued to lie:
Murdaugh: "Once I lied, I continued to lie, yessir. You know, what a tangled web we weave, but once I told the lie, I told my family -- I had to keep lying."
07:54
"I wasn't thinking clearly. I don't think I was capable of reason, and I lied about being down there, and I'm so sorry that I did. I'm sorry to my son Buster. I'm sorry to Grandmar and Papa T (Maggie's parents). I'm sorry to both of our families. Most of all, I'm sorry to Mags and Paul Paul. I would never do anything intentionally to hurt either one of them. Ever. Ever."
07:53
Griffin asks why he lied.
Murdaugh says as his addiction evolved, he'd get paranoid about anything and everything. He says his lawyer friends were all telling him not to talk without lawyer Danny Henderson present. Police taking gunshot residue from his hands, being questioned by SLEd, finding Maggie and "Paul Paul" dead made him paranoid.
07:49
Murdaugh admits it's his voice on the kennel video. Admits he lied to SLED about staying at the house after dinner.
"I did lie to them."
07:48
Griffin asks about Maggie.
Murdaugh: "Mr. Griffin, I didn't shoot my wife or my son anytime, ever."
07:47
Jim Griffin picks up a shotgun from the evidence cache, asks Alex Murdaugh if he blew his sons brains out with that gun or any gun like it.
Murdaugh: "No, I did not."
07:43
The jury is back. Here we go. Alex Murdaugh is about to take the stand in his own defense.
07:22
No further questions for Tuten. Court in recess for about 10 minutes. Alex Murdaugh will take the stand afterward.
07:21
Nolan says Alex said to him at the scene "the boat wreck, the *advertiser censored*king boat wreck" twice, and asked he get in touch with Rogan Gibson.
07:19
Alex, Randy, Ronnie Crosby, Mark Ball and first responders were on the scene when he arrived.
07:19
Tuten got a call at 10:30 from his mom. He tried to call and text Paul, didn't get a response, so he drove over there as fast as he could. It was probably a 20-25 minute drive. He pulled up to the scene from the road. First responders wouldn't let him in. He came in the other driveway and approached the scene. He saw the bodies under the sheets.
07:16
Tuten says at night, you'd be able to see the lights of the kennels and shed from the house.
07:16
Tuten says the kennel and shed area is very well lit if the lights are on at night. There's lights inside and outside the hangar shed and in the kennels.
07:15
Tuten was shown the "kennel video." He identified Paul, Maggie and Alex's voices on the video.
07:15
Tuten spent a lot of time at Moselle. Reiterates he was supposed to go to Moselle that afternoon. Received a Snapchat message from Paul around 7 p.m. showing a bad leak on the high boy sprayer.
07:09
Tuten agrees Paul was always on the move, somewhat unpredictable. He agrees it would be hard to keep up with Paul and know where he was going to be unless you talked to him a lot -- like Nolan did.
07:08
Notes how originally the only entrance to Moselle was by the kennels. Entrance straight to the house was added later.
07:06
Tuten reiterates how guns were left at the kennels, shed area on occasion, but not stored down there. Paul might leave guns down there after cleaning out his truck or something.
07:05
After Paul's rifle was stolen, Paul took Buster's .300 BLK as his own.
07:03
Halloween party 2017, Paul's original .300 Blackout AR15 rifle was stolen.
07:02
Fernandez asking Tuten about the guns Paul had.
07:02
Fernandez in cross exam for the State. He asks several background questions on Nolan's relationship with Paul. Paul was the kind of guy who'd always be there, always have his phone.
07:01
The morning of June 7, he talked to Paul about plowing under dead sunflowers CB Rowe had sprayed. They were supposed to meet that afternoon, but Nolan couldn't get off work. He found out about 10:30 they'd been killed. He came to Moselle, hugged Alex, Alex said "they're gone." Alex was pretty distraught.
06:58
Nolan says Maggie would walk, ride her bike, or take a vehicle to the kennels.
06:57
Nolan says they'd take whatever vehicle was closest when they'd ride around at Moselle. They never walked, not even to the kennels.
06:56
Murdaughs had a good family relationship. Paul and Alex had a good relationship.
06:55
Nolan says Paul's phone was always within reaching distance.
06:55
First on the witness stand today for the Defense: Nolan Tuten, lifelong friend of Buster and Paul. Known the Murdaugh family pretty much his whole life. Paul was one of his best friends, like a little brother. Paul was someone who was always there for you, call you all the time, do whatever he could for you "at the drop of a hat." He talked to Paul every day, and saw each other several times a week.
06:51
Alex Murdaugh: "I am going to testify. I want to testify."
06:51
Alex Murdaugh: "I am going to testify. I want to testify."
06:51
The Defense will call another witness before Murdaugh.
06:50
Judge Newman reads Alex Murdaugh his rights regarding his testimony. 5th Amendment protections against self incrimination, etc,
06:50
Judge Newman: Defendant can't take the stand without exposing himself to cross examination. He'll take up any objections as they arise, as he said yesterday.
06:49
Harpootlian again says they wouldn't put Murdaugh on the stand had the financial crimes not been allowed into the record. He's fearful the state will spend the next three days going through the minute details of the financial crimes -- "a Bernie Madoff trial, not a murder trial" -- rather than prosecuting the murder charges. If the State has carte blanche to do that, it's going to take another week.
06:45
"This is just a naked effort of character assassination to influence the jury. We're fearful ... that they will hold it against him."
06:44
Harpootlian: He's not been convicted of anything, so normally they couldn't ask him anything about them. Then you've also got the issue of it being character evidence. We disagree with the State being able to ask Murdaugh extensively the financial crimes to assassinate Murdaugh's character. That would undermine the judge's instructions on Murdaugh's other misdeeds only being fodder for the jury's consideration under the scope of motive, not character. Our advice to Murdaugh had the financial crimes not come out would be the jury likely will acquit because the state hadn't proven motive.
06:40
Judge Newman rules he will not change his order on previously allowing in financial crimes evidence.
06:39
Dick Harpootlian begins by saying he will very soon ask Judge Newman to advise Alex Murdaugh of his rights regarding taking the stand to testify in his own defense. But first, Harpootlian is re-raising his objection to evidence of Murdaugh's financial crimes being allowed into the trial. He says had the earlier rulings to allow the financial issues been different, his advice to Murdaugh on whether to take the stand would have been different, also.
06:30
Alex Murdaugh is said to be likely to testify in his own defense today. Sources we've spoken to say it's not a *for sure* decision until we see him on the stand, but it's considered 'likely."
abcnews4.com
LIVE BLOG: Murdaugh Murder Trial, Day 23-- am: Alex takes the stand
Live blog below authored by Drew Tripp.10:47
Court is in recess until 2:40 [LUNCH}
10:46
Murdaugh notes his clothes were spread out all over the place following the murders.
10:45
Murdaugh rehashes how he never stayed another night at Moselle after the murders.
10:45
Contradicting his statements immediately before -- saying SLED made his clothes an issue on Aug. 11 -- Murdaugh says "I'm well aware that my clothes never became an issue in this case until my lawyers proved that this blood spatter that they said I had on my shirt from my wife and my son was a lie, and that there was no blood on my shirt. Once they filed the documents and they proved that was a lie, all of a sudden the clothes I was wearing back on that day became an issue. And that's in the weeks leading up to this trial."
10:41
Griffin brings up how SLED asked him August 11 about clothes Alex was wearing in the Snapchat video. Murdaugh says he specifically asked Blanca if she remembered getting his clothes after August 11, contradicting the testimony Blanca gave about what he said. He says he asked because SLED had made an issue about the clothes in the meeting. The state never asked him for the clothes.
10:37
Murdaugh recalls how he'd been begging David Owen to meet with him and Maggie's parents for weeks ahead of the August 11 meeting with SLED, and thought that the purpose of the meeting was to get an update. By the end, he says it was clear to him he was a suspect.
10:34
Murdaugh says he was careful not to talk to potential witnesses after the murders because of the scrutiny over the boat crash case alleging he fixed witnesses and orchestrated the investigation and influenced the police. He didn't want to take any chances
10:33
Griffin asks Murdaugh about Shelly Smith saying he tried to suggest to her how long she should say Murdaugh was there. Murdaugh insinuates now for a second time Smith misremembered what happened. He claims he told Smith to talk to SLED and please tell the truth.
10:31
Griffin plays the June 10 interview now. Murdaugh told SLED he thought Paul arrived around 5 p.m. but we know now it was around 7 p.m. Another example of Murdaugh not appearing to have a good grasp on time.
10:29
Griffin replays the August 11 SLED interview with Alex, specifically bringing up Alex's inaccurate recollection of times. Murdaugh says in interview he arrived by 10 at work the morning of the murders at the latest, but in reality he didn't get there until around noon. Murdaugh points out how he also told David Owen to go pull his key card data to get an accurate time.
10:26
Murdaugh says in the week following his Dad's funeral, he never carried a tarp into his parent's house. Asked about the blue rain jacket, he says he's never seen it or touched it. He never at any point recalls taking a blue tarp to his parents' house. He says Shelly seems to have that in her mind, and he says it's not impossible he did at some point in time, but it certainly didn't happen in the week or weeks around or after his father's funeral.
10:23
Morning of Wednesday, June 16, he was in Summerville. Murdaugh says he doesn't believe he went to Almeda at 6:30 in the morning that day. He says he didn't go to Almeda at any point early in the morning that week after the funerals. He was in Summerville.
10:18
Catching back up now on testimony about the blue tarp / jacket, etc.
10:18
Very important dialogue from earlier in Murdaugh's testimony about the importance to him of SLED getting the location data off all the phones and his SUV:
Murdaugh: "Every time that I talked to David Owen, I would ask him about getting OnStar data (from his SUV) and GPS data from phones."
Griffin: Why was that important to you?
Murdaugh: "To confirm where I was saying I went, what I did, GPS. At that point in time, I knew that Maggie's phone had been taken, and I knew that my phone and Maggie's phone and my Suburban had never crossed paths, and that was extremely important to me, and I asked him about it every single time we talked. Every single time."
Murdaugh says because Maggie loved to use the "Find My iPhone" or "Find My Friends" feature on iPhone, Murdaugh says "I just knew that there would be GPS data on Maggie's phone."
Murdaugh: "I knew at that point in time, since I was the person who found PaulPaul and Mags, that I was a suspect. I mean they kept talking about this circle. But I knew that it was very important for me to find that -- to get that.
Griffin: "What was your belief that information would've done for you?"
Murdaugh: "There's no question in there that it'd demonstrate that I couldn't have done this."
(Murdaugh seemed to have a keen understanding of the importance of GPS data. It makes him leaving his phone at the house - uncharacteristically - seem more peculiar in hindsight.)
10:03
The week after, he stayed in Summerville with Maggie's parents for a few days, and then went to Greenville in the Upstate for the end of the week to be with niece and family after she'd just had a baby.
10:02
Murdaugh says he was attached at the hip to Buster after the murders, all the way through the funeral services and burials on the following Sunday. He says the burials were all on the same day.
09:59
Alex says it was important for SLED to get that information off Maggie and Paul's phones after that because he knew he was in that circle of suspects but also knew the location data could prove they never crossed paths. (Of note, Murdaugh left his phone at the house while Maggie and Paul were at the kennels. Several people have testified he was always on his phone.)
Updated: 09:59
09:57
Griffin asking Murdaugh about after the murders. He discusses giving SLED full access to search everything. He says he asked SLED agent David Owen repeatedly after the murders for location data off Maggie and Paul's phones. He says he gave SLED the code to Maggie's phone via John Marvin after it was found. He and Maggie knew each other's passwords. Maggie always used location services. She loved to use "Find My iPhone" to see where family was, and would tease them about where they were, or surprise them out places.
09:46
Alex says there couldn't have been high velocity blood spatter on his clothes. "No way." He was nowhere near the shooting.
09:44
The gun Alex grabbed the night of the murders was Paul's Benelli shotgun. Murdaugh says Paul didn't frequently clean his guns. Murdaugh says he was carrying Paul's shotgun around for awhile at the scene before police arrived, explaining the gunshot residue on his hands and clothes.
09:43
Alex says he knows he got blood on his fingertips from touching the bodies. He wasn't sure whose blood, likely both Maggie and Paul. If Maggie's blood was on his steering wheel and gun that night, then he "put it there" after touching them.
09:40
Back from break.
09:27
Court is in recess for 10 minutes.
09:27
Griffin asks Murdaugh about the photo of the woman in the bathing suit texted by Michael Gunn, and the Safari browser search for Whaleys restaurant at Edisto Beach. Murdaugh is adamant that even though he opened that text, he wasn't reading it. He says the Whaleys search must have been from his search history. He says the call to the videographer must've been accidental. Murdaugh is adamant all those things were simply accidental incidents while he was trying to do other things and call other people on his phone.
09:23
Griffin asks about Paul getting threats after the boat wreck. Murdaugh recalls a meeting with Paul and the dean of students at UofSC, making sure Paul was OK, letting him know they were aware of the threats.
09:15
Griffin continues playing 911 call. Murdaugh brings up the boat wreck and Paul getting threats. Alex is asked on the call not to touch them. He says he's already touched them checking to see if they were breathing. Alex tells the court he touched Maggie several times, but doesn't think he touched Paul but once or twice. He touched both before he got in the car and drove back to the house.
09:12
Griffin points out Murdaugh saying he was 100 yards away from the house when he told dispatchers he was going to get a gun. Murdaugh admits the distance is over 1,100 feet (nearly 400 yards), he was clearly wrong in what he told dispatchers, he has no explanation.
09:10
Murdaugh says he's not totally sure why he thought he needed to go get a gun from his house "just in case." He was scared there could've been danger still, killers maybe around.
09:08
Murdaugh discussing going back to the house and grabbing a shotgun and shells. Asked about putting the 16 gauge shell in the 12 gauge shotgun, he says he's been hunting and using firearms his whole life. That's not a mistake he'd have made under any other circumstances except that night.
09:05
Grifin asks Alex about telling 911 he last talked to them about 1.5-2 hours before he found their bodies. Murdaugh says he told 911 that's approximately when he last saw them. Given him last being at the kennels at 8:45ish, and this call being around 10:10, it was close to an hour and a half.
09:03
Alex is asked about saying "I should've known." Alex says he said "Paul Paul I should've known." He was referring to the threats Paul received, and how he (Alex) should've taken them seriously. Alex says Paul got some of the most vile, over the top threats, so crazy you couldn't believe. People talking about what he was going to get, and how they were going to "get him." He disregarded the threats.
09:00
Griffin asks Murdaugh about him randomly saying "Here" while talking to 911. Murdaugh says he was trying to explain to the dispatcher Maggie and Paul hadn't shot themselves, but he wasn't talking to somebody else or calling a dog or anything. He says he didn't mess with the dogs when he arrived or the hose. He looked around for a flashlight or a gun.
08:57
Defense now playing the Colleton County portion of Alex Murdaugh's 911 call. "I've been up to it now, it's bad." He says he thinks he didn't go all the way up to Maggie and Paul's bodies at first before calling 911. He knows he touched them after that.
08:54
Murdaugh says the phone popped out of Paul's pocket when he tried to turn him over. He doesn't recall much about that other than he picked up the phone and put down on top of him. He didn't see any messages on it or anything.
08:52
Murdaugh sobbing: "I mean my boy's laying face down, and he's done the way he's done. His head was the way his head was. I could see his -- I could see his brain laying on the sidewalk. I didn't know what to do. I tried to turn him over. I grabbed him by the belt loop, and I tried to turn him over. And when I did, his phone popped out of his -- I mean his phone popped out. So I picked it up and I put it right back there."
08:50
Alex says he doesn't know why he tried to turn Paul over.
08:49
Alex crying.
"Paul was so bad. At some point, I know I tried to check him for a pulse. I know I tried to turn him over."
08:48
Griffin asks if he could see them on the ground as he pulled up. Alex says he could. He jumped out of his car. He isn't sure what he did. He ran back to his car to call 911. He was going back and forth between Maggie and Paul while on the phone trying to tend to them.
08:46
He says he saw what the jury has seen pictures of. "It was so bad."
08:46
Alex breaks down crying.
08:45
Alex says when he got to Moselle, all the lights were on. He was inside several minutes. He wasn't totally surprised Maggie and Paul weren't back, he thought they would've been back, but he wasn't shocked or concerned immediately. He went and looked around the house for Maggie and Paul. He assumed they were still at the kennels. Thinks he tried to call them, got in his suburban and drove down to the kennels.
08:43
Alex explains why he stopped in the driveway at his mother's house on the way back. He dropped his phone down between the seat and center console, and was trying to get it. He answers emphatically "No" to whether or not he was disposing of bloody clothes or murder weapons.
08:42
Alex says he tried to call Maggie twice to let her know he was leaving, then texted her. It didn't concern him when she didn't answer at the time because she was with Paul and he also knew cell phone service was spotty out there. Not unusual.
08:40
Alex says Maggie wasn't planning to go visit his mom that night. She loved to visit Alex's dad, but by this time Libby was a shell of herself, she wasn't healthy, and Maggie didn't like to go visit her. (When he originally called Maggie to come home, it was to go visit his Dad, not his mom. His Dad got hospitalized that day.)
08:38
When he arrived, he called the house phone to ask Shelly to let him in. He went in and sat on the rollaway bed beside his mother's bed. Held her hand and talked to her for a minute. She wasn't agitated the way Barbara had described earlier before giving her medicine. Tried to be real positive and upbeat. Just talked to her and made sure she was OK. He eventually got on his mother's bed after a few minutes, sitting then lying beside her. Watched TV.
08:29
Murdaugh says it was frequent for Libby Murdaugh to get agitated when Randolph wasn't home. Barbara Mixson had called him earlier saying he needed to go check on her, so he did. He drove to Almeda after lying on the couch, parked around the side, and says that's where his family always parked.
08:26
Murdaugh says back at the house, he laid down on the couch. TV was on (he claims the TV was always on when they were home). He stayed on the couch a few minutes. He may or may not have dozed off, he isn't sure. He got up, and decided he was going to his mother's house.
08:22
Murdaugh says he went back to the house on the golf cart.
08:21
Alex says he didn't notice he water hose on the ground outside of the kennels at the time.
08:21
Alex says after he got the chicken out of Bubba's mouth, and left to go back to the house.
08:19
Murdaugh got down there and the dogs were out. He's describing the dogs being in the pines behind the kennels, indicating to him they hadn't been out long. Grady was chasing guineas. Bubba was chasing chickens and caught one. Alex was talking to Maggie, Paul was looking at Rogan Gibson's dog Cash, didn't know what exactly Paul was doing besides "fooling with his tail." Alex took the chicken from Bubba, put it up on the shelf in the feed room thinking it was stunned, not dead.
08:14
Murdaugh says at the time he didn't know how Maggie got to the kennels. He now thinks it's clear Maggie rode with Paul down there. He changed his mind and got on the golf cart, then drove down there. The golf cart stayed up at the house most of the time.
08:11
Griffin now shifts gears to the weekend before. Murdaugh talking about visiting Columbia for a University of South Carolina baseball game and seeing Buster and his girlfriend.
08:09
Griffin brings up the clothes Alex was seen wearing in the Snapchat video the evening before the murders. Murdaugh says he was about 265 pounds at the time and was sweating a lot. He say you also sweat a lot when you take oxycodone. He came back and took a shower. After he got done, he ate dinner on the couch. Paul was already done and wasn't in the den anymore. After he got done, Maggie asked him to come down to the kennels with her. Alex explained he didn't want to. It was hot, he'd just showered, he knew he'd end up doing work and messing with the dogs was always an ordeal. He didn't go immediately.
08:03
Murdaugh says it was impossible not to have fun with Paul.
08:02
Alex is emotional talking about riding around with Paul on the property the evening of the 7th.
07:58
Murdaugh is adamant he always asked Maggie to come back home to stay at Moselle at night.
07:56
Murdaugh is now describing his day leading up to the murders on June 7.
07:56
Griffin asks why Murdaugh continued to lie:
Murdaugh: "Once I lied, I continued to lie, yessir. You know, what a tangled web we weave, but once I told the lie, I told my family -- I had to keep lying."
07:54
"I wasn't thinking clearly. I don't think I was capable of reason, and I lied about being down there, and I'm so sorry that I did. I'm sorry to my son Buster. I'm sorry to Grandmar and Papa T (Maggie's parents). I'm sorry to both of our families. Most of all, I'm sorry to Mags and Paul Paul. I would never do anything intentionally to hurt either one of them. Ever. Ever."
07:53
Griffin asks why he lied.
Murdaugh says as his addiction evolved, he'd get paranoid about anything and everything. He says his lawyer friends were all telling him not to talk without lawyer Danny Henderson present. Police taking gunshot residue from his hands, being questioned by SLEd, finding Maggie and "Paul Paul" dead made him paranoid.
07:49
Murdaugh admits it's his voice on the kennel video. Admits he lied to SLED about staying at the house after dinner.
"I did lie to them."
07:48
Griffin asks about Maggie.
Murdaugh: "Mr. Griffin, I didn't shoot my wife or my son anytime, ever."
07:47
Jim Griffin picks up a shotgun from the evidence cache, asks Alex Murdaugh if he blew his sons brains out with that gun or any gun like it.
Murdaugh: "No, I did not."
07:43
The jury is back. Here we go. Alex Murdaugh is about to take the stand in his own defense.
07:22
No further questions for Tuten. Court in recess for about 10 minutes. Alex Murdaugh will take the stand afterward.
07:21
Nolan says Alex said to him at the scene "the boat wreck, the *advertiser censored*king boat wreck" twice, and asked he get in touch with Rogan Gibson.
07:19
Alex, Randy, Ronnie Crosby, Mark Ball and first responders were on the scene when he arrived.
07:19
Tuten got a call at 10:30 from his mom. He tried to call and text Paul, didn't get a response, so he drove over there as fast as he could. It was probably a 20-25 minute drive. He pulled up to the scene from the road. First responders wouldn't let him in. He came in the other driveway and approached the scene. He saw the bodies under the sheets.
07:16
Tuten says at night, you'd be able to see the lights of the kennels and shed from the house.
07:16
Tuten says the kennel and shed area is very well lit if the lights are on at night. There's lights inside and outside the hangar shed and in the kennels.
07:15
Tuten was shown the "kennel video." He identified Paul, Maggie and Alex's voices on the video.
07:15
Tuten spent a lot of time at Moselle. Reiterates he was supposed to go to Moselle that afternoon. Received a Snapchat message from Paul around 7 p.m. showing a bad leak on the high boy sprayer.
07:09
Tuten agrees Paul was always on the move, somewhat unpredictable. He agrees it would be hard to keep up with Paul and know where he was going to be unless you talked to him a lot -- like Nolan did.
07:08
Notes how originally the only entrance to Moselle was by the kennels. Entrance straight to the house was added later.
07:06
Tuten reiterates how guns were left at the kennels, shed area on occasion, but not stored down there. Paul might leave guns down there after cleaning out his truck or something.
07:05
After Paul's rifle was stolen, Paul took Buster's .300 BLK as his own.
07:03
Halloween party 2017, Paul's original .300 Blackout AR15 rifle was stolen.
07:02
Fernandez asking Tuten about the guns Paul had.
07:02
Fernandez in cross exam for the State. He asks several background questions on Nolan's relationship with Paul. Paul was the kind of guy who'd always be there, always have his phone.
07:01
The morning of June 7, he talked to Paul about plowing under dead sunflowers CB Rowe had sprayed. They were supposed to meet that afternoon, but Nolan couldn't get off work. He found out about 10:30 they'd been killed. He came to Moselle, hugged Alex, Alex said "they're gone." Alex was pretty distraught.
06:58
Nolan says Maggie would walk, ride her bike, or take a vehicle to the kennels.
06:57
Nolan says they'd take whatever vehicle was closest when they'd ride around at Moselle. They never walked, not even to the kennels.
06:56
Murdaughs had a good family relationship. Paul and Alex had a good relationship.
06:55
Nolan says Paul's phone was always within reaching distance.
06:55
First on the witness stand today for the Defense: Nolan Tuten, lifelong friend of Buster and Paul. Known the Murdaugh family pretty much his whole life. Paul was one of his best friends, like a little brother. Paul was someone who was always there for you, call you all the time, do whatever he could for you "at the drop of a hat." He talked to Paul every day, and saw each other several times a week.
06:51
Alex Murdaugh: "I am going to testify. I want to testify."
06:51
Alex Murdaugh: "I am going to testify. I want to testify."
06:51
The Defense will call another witness before Murdaugh.
06:50
Judge Newman reads Alex Murdaugh his rights regarding his testimony. 5th Amendment protections against self incrimination, etc,
06:50
Judge Newman: Defendant can't take the stand without exposing himself to cross examination. He'll take up any objections as they arise, as he said yesterday.
06:49
Harpootlian again says they wouldn't put Murdaugh on the stand had the financial crimes not been allowed into the record. He's fearful the state will spend the next three days going through the minute details of the financial crimes -- "a Bernie Madoff trial, not a murder trial" -- rather than prosecuting the murder charges. If the State has carte blanche to do that, it's going to take another week.
06:45
"This is just a naked effort of character assassination to influence the jury. We're fearful ... that they will hold it against him."
06:44
Harpootlian: He's not been convicted of anything, so normally they couldn't ask him anything about them. Then you've also got the issue of it being character evidence. We disagree with the State being able to ask Murdaugh extensively the financial crimes to assassinate Murdaugh's character. That would undermine the judge's instructions on Murdaugh's other misdeeds only being fodder for the jury's consideration under the scope of motive, not character. Our advice to Murdaugh had the financial crimes not come out would be the jury likely will acquit because the state hadn't proven motive.
06:40
Judge Newman rules he will not change his order on previously allowing in financial crimes evidence.
06:39
Dick Harpootlian begins by saying he will very soon ask Judge Newman to advise Alex Murdaugh of his rights regarding taking the stand to testify in his own defense. But first, Harpootlian is re-raising his objection to evidence of Murdaugh's financial crimes being allowed into the trial. He says had the earlier rulings to allow the financial issues been different, his advice to Murdaugh on whether to take the stand would have been different, also.
06:30
Alex Murdaugh is said to be likely to testify in his own defense today. Sources we've spoken to say it's not a *for sure* decision until we see him on the stand, but it's considered 'likely."
LIVE BLOG: Murdaugh Murder Trial, Day 23: Alex takes the stand
The big question on everyone's mind today: will Alex Murdaugh take the stand in his own double murder trial?Last Tuesday, sources close to Murdaugh's defense t
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2/23/23
15:04
Court is adjourned until 9:30 Friday. Harpootlian asks if he can interrupt Waters' cross examination in the morning to get two expert witnesses out of the way to keep costs down for having them put up in hotels over the weekend. Waters objects and Judge Newman agrees with Waters. Harpootlian tries to say the word murder hasn't been uttered one time by the state and this is clear character assassination by allowing the prolonged questioning about the financial crimes. Newman rules a defendant's credibility is always at issue in any case and adjourns.
15:00
Murdaugh is repeatedly challenged to recall details of one single specific conversation where he lied to people and convinced them he was doing right by them. Murdaugh shifts the goalposts and keeps saying he can't remember specific conversations but changes his answer to say it's with respect to specific documents in evidence Waters keeps showing him.
14:50
Waters makes the point they're real people. Murdaugh says that's one of the saddest parts. These are real people who he cared about, and he still did them wrong.
14:49
After all this back and forth and Murdaugh saying he can't remember whether he sat down face to face and lied to people, Waters gets frustrated and starts poking fun at it. Suggests Murdaugh should just write his copy-paste answer down on a piece of paper and hold it up for the jury. Murdaugh finally concedes he definitely looked clients in the eye on more than one occasion, but he can't name specific times or specific people.
14:44
Waters brings up Deon Martin, with whose family Murdaugh became close afterward. Murdaugh falsified paperwork, stole money.
14:41
Waters calls out Murdaugh, asking how much he practiced his line about "I stole money that didn't belong to me, I misled (the client) and I was wrong." Murdaugh says he never practiced it, that's just his (identical) answer to each theft case.
14:39
Murdaugh doesn't remember the motivation for stealing money from Arthur Badger. Doesn't recall if it had anything to do with illicit loans taken out of Hannah Plyler's account
14:38
Murdaugh is on the stand saying Russell Laffitte never knowingly helped him steal money. A federal court jury disagreed about what knowledge Laffitte apparently had of Murdaugh's thefts and his level of conspiring with Murdaugh, finding Laffitte guilty on six counts of federal bank fraud conspiracy charges.
14:35
Waters brings up how the Plyler sisters were awarded millions of dollars, and Murdaugh and Russell Laffitte came up with the idea to take money from their accounts as "loans." Murdaugh repeatedly says he doesn't remember the specifics of the arrangements with Laffitte, but he's adamant they never "conspired" to take money from other clients to pay back the loans or giving themselves self-serving low interest rates. This contradicts testimony and evidence in the Laffitte trial.
14:30
Waters brings up the Plyler sisters case. Mother and brother killed in wreck. Appointed Russell Laffitte at Palmetto State Bank as conservator for the girls because the father was "undesirable" (history of domestic violence, mistreatment of the children).
14:26
Murdaugh concedes the millions of dollars he was receiving in fees weren't enough for him to maintain his wealthy lifestyle, so he was stealing.
14:25
Murdaugh concedes not all the money he was making and stealing was going toward pills. Waters says it was also going to support his wealthy lifestyle, but Murdaugh won't concede that because he can't remember exactly where the money went.
14:24
Waters again brings up Murdaugh's failed land deals. Murdaugh says the whole picture of that time period including those land investment losses contributed to his stealing. Murdaugh wouldn't concede he was living a "wealthy" lifestyle around that time. Waters points out he was making more than a million dollars a year at that time, and still stealing money. Murdaugh haggles over the definition of wealthy.
14:20
Hakeem Pinckney. Rendered a quadriplegic. $10 million settlement. Murdaugh $4 million in legal fees. Waters: "But that wasn't enough for you?" Murdaugh stole additional $370K from Pinckney. $350K from Natarsha Thomas. Stole over $1.3 million from Arthur Badger and his wife's estate.
14:18
Waters bringing up now more of the clients Murdaugh stole from.
14:12
Waters: Well good. We'll do that, but the point that I'm asking you is it's not as simple as some paperwork. You had to sit down with these people and convince them that you were telling them the truth in order to steal this money, correct?
Murdaugh: That may not be true because in some situations, I may not have had to do that. They may have just trusted me to do it. That's my point. I misled them. There's no question about that. But did I sit down in each particular instance like you're breaking it down, step by step? I can't say that. I stole money that wasn't mine and I shouldn't have done it. And it was terrible.
14:08
Murdaugh: "You have charged me with murdering my wife and my son, and I have sat here for all these weeks listening to all this financial stuff that I did wrong -- that I'm embarrassed by. I'm happy to talk to you about as much of that as you want to talk about.
Waters: And we're going to do that.
Murdaugh: I'm required to talk about it as much as you want to talk about it. But the fact is I cannot specifically remember sitting down -- the details you're asking me for -- I can't tell you. But what I can tell you is in all these financial situations, I stole money that was not my money, I misled people that I shouldn't have misled, and I did wrong. I can tell you that. And I may be able to tell you specifically in some instances what I did or didn't do.
14:04
Waters: "I know Mr. Murdaugh that you would like for it to be just as simple as that, just to say 'Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I stole money,' and have that be the end of it, but in each and every one of these cases --"
Griffin objects to the comment.
Waters brings up how Murdaugh had just moments before said he wanted to admit to the financial crimes and make this quick.
14:01
Murdaugh: "No sir, that may or may not be true. And Mr. Waters, just to try and get through this quicker, I admit --"
Waters: "I know you want to get through it quicker, but we're not, so answer the question, please."
Murdaugh: "What I admit is that I misled them, I did wrong, and that I stole their money. ... For me to sit here and to tell you specifically I remember sitting down and talking with Natarsha Thomas, I can't tell you that. But what I can tell you is that I didn't do right by Natarsha Thomas. I took money from Natarsha Thomas that didn't belong to me, and I was wrong for doing that. And I admit that."
13:56
Murdaugh: "I admit candidly in all of these cases Mr. Waters that I took money that was not mine and I shouldn't have done it. I hate the fact that I did it. I'm embarrassed by it. I'm embarrassed for my son. I'm embarrassed for my family. And I don't dispute that I did it."
Waters: "But you understand that we have to ask about these things. We've heard about it in a very academic paperwork manner, but in every single one of these you had to sit down and look somebody in the eye and convince them you were on their side when you were not, correct? That's what you did in every single one of these."
13:52
Waters refreshing Murdaugh's memory about some of these big cases he won in which he stole money from clients. Murdaugh concedes he had to lie to clients to steal their money. Waters makes the point that Murdaugh had to look each one of them in the eye and convince them he was being truthful, the same way he's doing with this jury.
13:48
Waters brings up how Murdaugh's law partners all testified they thought Murdaugh cured his financial problems by winning several big cases in the 2011 time frame. Murdaugh concedes his financial troubles got better, but not totally cured by those cases.
13:46
Waters asks Murdaugh about when he first started stealing from clients. Murdaugh can't recall exactly. Waters brings up how Murdaugh says his pain pill addiction was a major contributing factor, but asks about the bad land deals Murdaugh got into around the time of the Great Recession also being a factor. Murdaugh concedes they were factors.
13:43
Waters tries to draw a further link between Murdaugh's knowledge of the state grand jury investigation the state grand jury probe into former Colleton County Sheriff Andy Strickland. The Defense objects to relevance, and Judge Newman sustains.
13:42
Waters asks Murdaugh if he knew before the murder about a state grand jury investigation into his conduct the night of the boat crash regarding obstruction of justice. Murdaugh says he's not sure when he first learned about it, before or after.
13:37
Waters shifts back to the night of the boat crash and Murdaugh leaving his badge hanging out of his pocket. Murdaugh insists he doesn't even remember doing that. He won't concede it was intentional to have the badge hanging out like that. Could've been an accident, could've been on purpose. He doesn't remember. Murdaugh says that looks obnoxious. He wouldn't normally carry the badge like that. Murdaugh insists he didn't use the badge to get places he shouldn't have been the night of the boat crash. He admits he went in Morgan Doughty's and Connor Cook's rooms, but claims he didn't tell them not to cooperate or not to talk to law enforcement (despite their testimony otherwise).
13:33
Murdaugh admits he wanted to be head solicitor at some point, but gave that up as his pill problem got worse. He maintains he's certain his law partners never knew about his pill addiction.
13:31
Waters brings up how Murdaugh had his solicitor's office badge hanging out of his pocket at the hospital the night of the boat crash. Murdaugh says he doesn't recall that or even having his badge with him. Waters asks him why. Murdaugh says he can't recall. Waters suggests Murdaugh was trying to use it to his advantage. Murdaugh says flashing the badge caused law enforcement officers to warm up to him, and if he was trying to take any advantage that night, that's what it was.
13:29
Murdaugh also admits he had blue lights installed in his law firm-issued vehicle up until December 2020 when he got the new Suburban. He says he cleared it with the sheriffs in Hampton, Colleton and Allendale counties. All three were OK with it. Waters savvily seizes on Murdaugh mentioning Andy Strickland, former Colleton County Sheriff removed from office and indicted by the state grand jury for public corruption. Murdaugh mentioned they were friends.
13:25
Murdaugh had earlier said he didn't consider himself a law enforcement officer even though he carried a badge. Waters has Murdaugh read the back of the 14th circuit ID issued with his badge. The card says he's a deputy solicitor with authority to enforce law in the circuit. Murdaugh clarifies the part about deputy solicitor, saying he was a volunteer assistant solicitor. Deputy solicitor is the highest position under solicitor, he was never deputy solicitor.
13:20
Waters asks Murdaugh about the solicitor's office badge. He'd ride around with it on his dash or in the cupholder, and show it to law enforcement if he got pulled over or something. Murdaugh admits he used the badge to get better treatment. He doesn't recall having to take an oath to get the badge. If he took any oath at all, it was signing a piece of paper.
13:13
Murdaugh concedes he was the primary income earner for his family.
13:12
Waters asking Murdaugh about the GM OnStar data and the telemetry data the FBI salvaged through their methods. After a lot of back and forth, Murdaugh agrees the two sources of data don't contradict each other.
13:09
Murdaugh agrees in addition to his trial work in civil litigation, he was also an assistant solicitor (prosecutor) in the 14th circuit. He assisted his dad in 4 prosecutions, led one other case. He got a badge from the 14th circuit as part of that role. Murdaugh had that badge up through 2021.
13:05
Waters asks Murdaugh about family's ties with law enforcement though his legal work. Murdaugh agrees he had lots of professional connections, close working relationships and personal friendships within law enforcement in the 14th circuit through his work in the legal community.
13:03
Murdaugh: "I think my family was very well thought of. I think my family was very well respected. I think my family helped a lot of people."
13:02
Murdaugh agrees people probably viewed him as very successful and his family as very prominent. Murdaugh says he never thought of himself that way. Waters says he was asking about public perception. Murdaugh disagrees, he didn't think of he and his family as big shots or prominent just because of their work in the legal community.
13:00
Murdaugh: "By those criteria, I was successful, certainly. But we've talked about a lot of my flaws here today, too. Do I feel like I was successful? No, sir. Not sitting here today, I don't. If you want to use that term on those criteria, I don't have any problem with you saying at that time I looked like I was successful."
12:58
Waters brings up how Murdaugh was president of the trial lawyers association.
12:56
Waters asks if Murdaugh was involved in investigating the cases, and gathering the type of data in evidence in this case. Murdaugh says most of the investigating and records pulled focused on cars' black boxes, not so much telemetry data like has been prominent in this case. Waters has Murdaugh agree he's had cases where cell phone evidence such as cell towers, call logs, computer data were all relevant to his case.
12:54
Murdaugh primarily did plaintiffs work as a trial lawyer. Many automobile accidents. Led to big recoveries.
12:53
Waters asks Murdaugh if Murdaugh was a successful trial lawyer. Murdaugh is hesitant to say successful. He agrees that if winning lots of cases and making millions of dollars is the criteria for successful, then he was successful.
12:51
Waters asks if that family law firm closed because of his actions. Murdaugh agrees, yes.
12:51
Waters asking Murdaugh about his family legacy.
Great-Grandfather Randolph Murdaugh. Founded the Murdaugh law firm, served as chief elected prosecutor (solicitor) of the SC 14th Judicial Circuit.
Grandfather Buster Murdaugh. Solicitor from 1940-1986. Lognest serving solicitor in state. Alex loved him and idolized him.
Father Randolph III ("Handsome") was the Solicitor from 1986 to 2006. Excellent lawyer. Waters notes he worked a case with Handsome.
Murdaugh worked at Moss & Kuhn in Beaufort after he got out of law school in 1994. Later joined the family law firm.
12:46
Murdaugh doesn't dispute he's been stealing since 2010, but is not certain.
Waters: "You're sure about a lot of things, just not that?"
12:45
Creighton Waters in cross examination. He begins by asking if Murdaugh agrees the most important part of his testimony is explaining his lie for a year and a half that he was never down at the kennels the night of June 7. Murdaugh says all of his testimony was important. But he agrees that was an important part and the first time he ever admitted it before today in court.
12:42
Jim Griffin has no more questions for Murdaugh right now.
12:41
Alex loved Paul and Buster like no other. Would never hurt or kill Maggie or Paul under any circumstances.
12:41
Alex talking about Paul. He was the brightest, most inquisitive young man. He wanted to be part of everything. He was a man's man. 100% country boy. Hunt anything, catch any fish, run equipment, at 22 years old took care of so many things, so tough. But he was also so sweet. Wouldn't come home or go near Summerville without going out of his way to visit his grandparents. Would get all his friends on a boat to go watch a sunset. How many 22 year olds do you know who'd do stuff like that? Fiercely loyal. Cared about people. So misrepresented in the media. Never an accurate story told about him. Challenges anyone without an ulterior motive to tell a negative story about Paul. He was helpful, glad to help anyone. He was ADHD. Would jump around from thing to thing, but he would've found his "thing" and he would've been the best at it. He didn't even know when Paul was alive, but there was a cute girl named Julianne who said Paul always told her and friends to be present and appreciate those around you. How many 22 year olds do you know who think that way? He was a special boy.
12:35
Murdaugh describing relationship with Maggie. "Just as beautiful inside as she was outside." Adventurous. Wanted to form her own opinion. Devoted to Paul, Buster and him. Made sure they were always taken care of. Fun, playful. Contagious laugh. Playful look biting her lip and smiling that would melt you. She didn't grow up in the country, but changed everything to become a "boy mom." Threw herself into her boys' life. She might not've had a job, but she worked so hard for the family. She wanted a big family but couldn't because pregnancy didn't suit her. There were problems with Paul's pregnancy such that they both got "in trouble." They didn't have anymore children after that. Could fit in at the governor's mansion in a ball gown or at the food banks in Hampton and the Lowcountry. He could never hurt Maggie.
12:31
Murdaugh says it seemed like the best thing to do at the time. He had $12 million in life insurance policies.
12:30
Murdaugh says he reached out to Blanca about his insurance information the morning of Sept. 4, 2021 so he could have it to enter rehab. Alex took a bunch of pills the day before when he was confronted, handed over what was left to Randy. Morning after, he called Eddie Smith to bring him more. Withdrawals had started, so he changed his mind and asked Eddie to kill him.
"I meant for him to shoot me so I'd be gone."
12:25
Murdaugh is certain none of his law partners were aware of his opioid addiction before he confessed when confronted by his brother Randy and Danny Henderson about stealing Sept. 3, 2021.
12:23
Murdaugh says he first entered a clinical detox facility at home in December 2017. He'd tried to detox at home before and after that. All three times he went into clinical detox, it was at the same facility in Atlanta. He explains the detox process only cures the physical dependency in the body, not the chemical dependency in the brain (the addiction). He'd never been to rehab before Sept. 2021. He relapsed each time he came out of detox. He's been opioid free now for 535 days.
12:21
Murdaugh admits to stealing client money, and blames it on his opioid pain killer addiction. Hydrocodone, oxycodone, oxycontin. He hurt his knee very badly playing football in college. Had several surgeries. He was hooked on painkillers by the early-mid 2000s around the time of his final surgery to repair his knee.
12:18
Murdaugh is asked about the June 10 hearing in the boat crash case that got canceled. Murdaugh says he wasn't concerned about the motion to compel his financial records from Tinsley, rather he was concerned about the change of venue motion filed by Parkers. Murdaugh says he also wasn't doing legal work on his own case. He says in his entire career as an attorney, he never heard of a judge ordering someone to turn over the full financial records to the scope Mark Tinsley was asking for at that phase of trial. Murdaugh says he was expecting however to turn over a statement of net worth, and that's what he was working on in his office the afternoon of June 7, the handwritten note about which Mark Ball testified finding in Murdaugh's desk.
12:12
Murdaugh says he'd reached out about a line of credit on the Moselle property around the time of the murders (the $600K line of credit mentioned in text message state presented last week). He also says there was several million dollars in combined equity in the beach house and the house / property at Moselle. However, Maggie's death made it more difficult to obtain financing afterward because Moselle was 100% in Maggie's name, beach house was 50% in her name. He couldn't get documents signed due to estate issues in probate.
12:09
Griffin: "On June 7, did you believe your financial house of cards was about to crumble?"
Murdaugh: "On June 7? Absolutely not."
12:08
Griffin brings up the testimony of Jeanne Seckinger saying she learned in the June 7 meeting Alex's father was going in the hospital and was terminal. Murdaugh says the info he got during that meeting said the doctor only thought it was pneumonia, and Jeanne is misremembering and just assuming in hindsight that the news meant Randolph was terminal.
12:06
Murdaugh admits he was concerned but "it wasn't a very big concern" about Jeanne Seckinger confronting him about the money he wasn't supposed to have. Murdaugh tells a story about one of Chris Wilson's former law partners going through a divorce and the ex-wife trying to subpoena Wilson's firm's financial documents, so he somehow knew because of that Chris Wilson wouldn't be sending out any financial documents to anybody, so he thought he didn't really have to worry at the time about his firm getting the records. Not an immediate concern.
11:56
Griffin is now discussing with Alex his financial thefts, and being confronted by Jeanne Seckinger on June 7 (the morning of the murders).
11:43
Court is back from lunch recess.
10:54
Adding for the record Murdaugh broke down crying at one point noting there was blood everywhere, so much blood. But he says he only got a little blood on his fingertips from touching both bodies. He says he touched Maggie's body several times, and Paul at least twice.
10:47
Court is in recess until 2:40
abcnews4.com
LIVE BLOG: Murdaugh Murder Trial, Day 23-- pm: Alex takes the stand
Live blog below authored by Drew Tripp.15:04
Court is adjourned until 9:30 Friday. Harpootlian asks if he can interrupt Waters' cross examination in the morning to get two expert witnesses out of the way to keep costs down for having them put up in hotels over the weekend. Waters objects and Judge Newman agrees with Waters. Harpootlian tries to say the word murder hasn't been uttered one time by the state and this is clear character assassination by allowing the prolonged questioning about the financial crimes. Newman rules a defendant's credibility is always at issue in any case and adjourns.
15:00
Murdaugh is repeatedly challenged to recall details of one single specific conversation where he lied to people and convinced them he was doing right by them. Murdaugh shifts the goalposts and keeps saying he can't remember specific conversations but changes his answer to say it's with respect to specific documents in evidence Waters keeps showing him.
14:50
Waters makes the point they're real people. Murdaugh says that's one of the saddest parts. These are real people who he cared about, and he still did them wrong.
14:49
After all this back and forth and Murdaugh saying he can't remember whether he sat down face to face and lied to people, Waters gets frustrated and starts poking fun at it. Suggests Murdaugh should just write his copy-paste answer down on a piece of paper and hold it up for the jury. Murdaugh finally concedes he definitely looked clients in the eye on more than one occasion, but he can't name specific times or specific people.
14:44
Waters brings up Deon Martin, with whose family Murdaugh became close afterward. Murdaugh falsified paperwork, stole money.
14:41
Waters calls out Murdaugh, asking how much he practiced his line about "I stole money that didn't belong to me, I misled (the client) and I was wrong." Murdaugh says he never practiced it, that's just his (identical) answer to each theft case.
14:39
Murdaugh doesn't remember the motivation for stealing money from Arthur Badger. Doesn't recall if it had anything to do with illicit loans taken out of Hannah Plyler's account
14:38
Murdaugh is on the stand saying Russell Laffitte never knowingly helped him steal money. A federal court jury disagreed about what knowledge Laffitte apparently had of Murdaugh's thefts and his level of conspiring with Murdaugh, finding Laffitte guilty on six counts of federal bank fraud conspiracy charges.
14:35
Waters brings up how the Plyler sisters were awarded millions of dollars, and Murdaugh and Russell Laffitte came up with the idea to take money from their accounts as "loans." Murdaugh repeatedly says he doesn't remember the specifics of the arrangements with Laffitte, but he's adamant they never "conspired" to take money from other clients to pay back the loans or giving themselves self-serving low interest rates. This contradicts testimony and evidence in the Laffitte trial.
14:30
Waters brings up the Plyler sisters case. Mother and brother killed in wreck. Appointed Russell Laffitte at Palmetto State Bank as conservator for the girls because the father was "undesirable" (history of domestic violence, mistreatment of the children).
14:26
Murdaugh concedes the millions of dollars he was receiving in fees weren't enough for him to maintain his wealthy lifestyle, so he was stealing.
14:25
Murdaugh concedes not all the money he was making and stealing was going toward pills. Waters says it was also going to support his wealthy lifestyle, but Murdaugh won't concede that because he can't remember exactly where the money went.
14:24
Waters again brings up Murdaugh's failed land deals. Murdaugh says the whole picture of that time period including those land investment losses contributed to his stealing. Murdaugh wouldn't concede he was living a "wealthy" lifestyle around that time. Waters points out he was making more than a million dollars a year at that time, and still stealing money. Murdaugh haggles over the definition of wealthy.
14:20
Hakeem Pinckney. Rendered a quadriplegic. $10 million settlement. Murdaugh $4 million in legal fees. Waters: "But that wasn't enough for you?" Murdaugh stole additional $370K from Pinckney. $350K from Natarsha Thomas. Stole over $1.3 million from Arthur Badger and his wife's estate.
14:18
Waters bringing up now more of the clients Murdaugh stole from.
14:12
Waters: Well good. We'll do that, but the point that I'm asking you is it's not as simple as some paperwork. You had to sit down with these people and convince them that you were telling them the truth in order to steal this money, correct?
Murdaugh: That may not be true because in some situations, I may not have had to do that. They may have just trusted me to do it. That's my point. I misled them. There's no question about that. But did I sit down in each particular instance like you're breaking it down, step by step? I can't say that. I stole money that wasn't mine and I shouldn't have done it. And it was terrible.
14:08
Murdaugh: "You have charged me with murdering my wife and my son, and I have sat here for all these weeks listening to all this financial stuff that I did wrong -- that I'm embarrassed by. I'm happy to talk to you about as much of that as you want to talk about.
Waters: And we're going to do that.
Murdaugh: I'm required to talk about it as much as you want to talk about it. But the fact is I cannot specifically remember sitting down -- the details you're asking me for -- I can't tell you. But what I can tell you is in all these financial situations, I stole money that was not my money, I misled people that I shouldn't have misled, and I did wrong. I can tell you that. And I may be able to tell you specifically in some instances what I did or didn't do.
14:04
Waters: "I know Mr. Murdaugh that you would like for it to be just as simple as that, just to say 'Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I stole money,' and have that be the end of it, but in each and every one of these cases --"
Griffin objects to the comment.
Waters brings up how Murdaugh had just moments before said he wanted to admit to the financial crimes and make this quick.
14:01
Murdaugh: "No sir, that may or may not be true. And Mr. Waters, just to try and get through this quicker, I admit --"
Waters: "I know you want to get through it quicker, but we're not, so answer the question, please."
Murdaugh: "What I admit is that I misled them, I did wrong, and that I stole their money. ... For me to sit here and to tell you specifically I remember sitting down and talking with Natarsha Thomas, I can't tell you that. But what I can tell you is that I didn't do right by Natarsha Thomas. I took money from Natarsha Thomas that didn't belong to me, and I was wrong for doing that. And I admit that."
13:56
Murdaugh: "I admit candidly in all of these cases Mr. Waters that I took money that was not mine and I shouldn't have done it. I hate the fact that I did it. I'm embarrassed by it. I'm embarrassed for my son. I'm embarrassed for my family. And I don't dispute that I did it."
Waters: "But you understand that we have to ask about these things. We've heard about it in a very academic paperwork manner, but in every single one of these you had to sit down and look somebody in the eye and convince them you were on their side when you were not, correct? That's what you did in every single one of these."
13:52
Waters refreshing Murdaugh's memory about some of these big cases he won in which he stole money from clients. Murdaugh concedes he had to lie to clients to steal their money. Waters makes the point that Murdaugh had to look each one of them in the eye and convince them he was being truthful, the same way he's doing with this jury.
13:48
Waters brings up how Murdaugh's law partners all testified they thought Murdaugh cured his financial problems by winning several big cases in the 2011 time frame. Murdaugh concedes his financial troubles got better, but not totally cured by those cases.
13:46
Waters asks Murdaugh about when he first started stealing from clients. Murdaugh can't recall exactly. Waters brings up how Murdaugh says his pain pill addiction was a major contributing factor, but asks about the bad land deals Murdaugh got into around the time of the Great Recession also being a factor. Murdaugh concedes they were factors.
13:43
Waters tries to draw a further link between Murdaugh's knowledge of the state grand jury investigation the state grand jury probe into former Colleton County Sheriff Andy Strickland. The Defense objects to relevance, and Judge Newman sustains.
13:42
Waters asks Murdaugh if he knew before the murder about a state grand jury investigation into his conduct the night of the boat crash regarding obstruction of justice. Murdaugh says he's not sure when he first learned about it, before or after.
13:37
Waters shifts back to the night of the boat crash and Murdaugh leaving his badge hanging out of his pocket. Murdaugh insists he doesn't even remember doing that. He won't concede it was intentional to have the badge hanging out like that. Could've been an accident, could've been on purpose. He doesn't remember. Murdaugh says that looks obnoxious. He wouldn't normally carry the badge like that. Murdaugh insists he didn't use the badge to get places he shouldn't have been the night of the boat crash. He admits he went in Morgan Doughty's and Connor Cook's rooms, but claims he didn't tell them not to cooperate or not to talk to law enforcement (despite their testimony otherwise).
13:33
Murdaugh admits he wanted to be head solicitor at some point, but gave that up as his pill problem got worse. He maintains he's certain his law partners never knew about his pill addiction.
13:31
Waters brings up how Murdaugh had his solicitor's office badge hanging out of his pocket at the hospital the night of the boat crash. Murdaugh says he doesn't recall that or even having his badge with him. Waters asks him why. Murdaugh says he can't recall. Waters suggests Murdaugh was trying to use it to his advantage. Murdaugh says flashing the badge caused law enforcement officers to warm up to him, and if he was trying to take any advantage that night, that's what it was.
13:29
Murdaugh also admits he had blue lights installed in his law firm-issued vehicle up until December 2020 when he got the new Suburban. He says he cleared it with the sheriffs in Hampton, Colleton and Allendale counties. All three were OK with it. Waters savvily seizes on Murdaugh mentioning Andy Strickland, former Colleton County Sheriff removed from office and indicted by the state grand jury for public corruption. Murdaugh mentioned they were friends.
13:25
Murdaugh had earlier said he didn't consider himself a law enforcement officer even though he carried a badge. Waters has Murdaugh read the back of the 14th circuit ID issued with his badge. The card says he's a deputy solicitor with authority to enforce law in the circuit. Murdaugh clarifies the part about deputy solicitor, saying he was a volunteer assistant solicitor. Deputy solicitor is the highest position under solicitor, he was never deputy solicitor.
13:20
Waters asks Murdaugh about the solicitor's office badge. He'd ride around with it on his dash or in the cupholder, and show it to law enforcement if he got pulled over or something. Murdaugh admits he used the badge to get better treatment. He doesn't recall having to take an oath to get the badge. If he took any oath at all, it was signing a piece of paper.
13:13
Murdaugh concedes he was the primary income earner for his family.
13:12
Waters asking Murdaugh about the GM OnStar data and the telemetry data the FBI salvaged through their methods. After a lot of back and forth, Murdaugh agrees the two sources of data don't contradict each other.
13:09
Murdaugh agrees in addition to his trial work in civil litigation, he was also an assistant solicitor (prosecutor) in the 14th circuit. He assisted his dad in 4 prosecutions, led one other case. He got a badge from the 14th circuit as part of that role. Murdaugh had that badge up through 2021.
13:05
Waters asks Murdaugh about family's ties with law enforcement though his legal work. Murdaugh agrees he had lots of professional connections, close working relationships and personal friendships within law enforcement in the 14th circuit through his work in the legal community.
13:03
Murdaugh: "I think my family was very well thought of. I think my family was very well respected. I think my family helped a lot of people."
13:02
Murdaugh agrees people probably viewed him as very successful and his family as very prominent. Murdaugh says he never thought of himself that way. Waters says he was asking about public perception. Murdaugh disagrees, he didn't think of he and his family as big shots or prominent just because of their work in the legal community.
13:00
Murdaugh: "By those criteria, I was successful, certainly. But we've talked about a lot of my flaws here today, too. Do I feel like I was successful? No, sir. Not sitting here today, I don't. If you want to use that term on those criteria, I don't have any problem with you saying at that time I looked like I was successful."
12:58
Waters brings up how Murdaugh was president of the trial lawyers association.
12:56
Waters asks if Murdaugh was involved in investigating the cases, and gathering the type of data in evidence in this case. Murdaugh says most of the investigating and records pulled focused on cars' black boxes, not so much telemetry data like has been prominent in this case. Waters has Murdaugh agree he's had cases where cell phone evidence such as cell towers, call logs, computer data were all relevant to his case.
12:54
Murdaugh primarily did plaintiffs work as a trial lawyer. Many automobile accidents. Led to big recoveries.
12:53
Waters asks Murdaugh if Murdaugh was a successful trial lawyer. Murdaugh is hesitant to say successful. He agrees that if winning lots of cases and making millions of dollars is the criteria for successful, then he was successful.
12:51
Waters asks if that family law firm closed because of his actions. Murdaugh agrees, yes.
12:51
Waters asking Murdaugh about his family legacy.
Great-Grandfather Randolph Murdaugh. Founded the Murdaugh law firm, served as chief elected prosecutor (solicitor) of the SC 14th Judicial Circuit.
Grandfather Buster Murdaugh. Solicitor from 1940-1986. Lognest serving solicitor in state. Alex loved him and idolized him.
Father Randolph III ("Handsome") was the Solicitor from 1986 to 2006. Excellent lawyer. Waters notes he worked a case with Handsome.
Murdaugh worked at Moss & Kuhn in Beaufort after he got out of law school in 1994. Later joined the family law firm.
12:46
Murdaugh doesn't dispute he's been stealing since 2010, but is not certain.
Waters: "You're sure about a lot of things, just not that?"
12:45
Creighton Waters in cross examination. He begins by asking if Murdaugh agrees the most important part of his testimony is explaining his lie for a year and a half that he was never down at the kennels the night of June 7. Murdaugh says all of his testimony was important. But he agrees that was an important part and the first time he ever admitted it before today in court.
12:42
Jim Griffin has no more questions for Murdaugh right now.
12:41
Alex loved Paul and Buster like no other. Would never hurt or kill Maggie or Paul under any circumstances.
12:41
Alex talking about Paul. He was the brightest, most inquisitive young man. He wanted to be part of everything. He was a man's man. 100% country boy. Hunt anything, catch any fish, run equipment, at 22 years old took care of so many things, so tough. But he was also so sweet. Wouldn't come home or go near Summerville without going out of his way to visit his grandparents. Would get all his friends on a boat to go watch a sunset. How many 22 year olds do you know who'd do stuff like that? Fiercely loyal. Cared about people. So misrepresented in the media. Never an accurate story told about him. Challenges anyone without an ulterior motive to tell a negative story about Paul. He was helpful, glad to help anyone. He was ADHD. Would jump around from thing to thing, but he would've found his "thing" and he would've been the best at it. He didn't even know when Paul was alive, but there was a cute girl named Julianne who said Paul always told her and friends to be present and appreciate those around you. How many 22 year olds do you know who think that way? He was a special boy.
12:35
Murdaugh describing relationship with Maggie. "Just as beautiful inside as she was outside." Adventurous. Wanted to form her own opinion. Devoted to Paul, Buster and him. Made sure they were always taken care of. Fun, playful. Contagious laugh. Playful look biting her lip and smiling that would melt you. She didn't grow up in the country, but changed everything to become a "boy mom." Threw herself into her boys' life. She might not've had a job, but she worked so hard for the family. She wanted a big family but couldn't because pregnancy didn't suit her. There were problems with Paul's pregnancy such that they both got "in trouble." They didn't have anymore children after that. Could fit in at the governor's mansion in a ball gown or at the food banks in Hampton and the Lowcountry. He could never hurt Maggie.
12:31
Murdaugh says it seemed like the best thing to do at the time. He had $12 million in life insurance policies.
12:30
Murdaugh says he reached out to Blanca about his insurance information the morning of Sept. 4, 2021 so he could have it to enter rehab. Alex took a bunch of pills the day before when he was confronted, handed over what was left to Randy. Morning after, he called Eddie Smith to bring him more. Withdrawals had started, so he changed his mind and asked Eddie to kill him.
"I meant for him to shoot me so I'd be gone."
12:25
Murdaugh is certain none of his law partners were aware of his opioid addiction before he confessed when confronted by his brother Randy and Danny Henderson about stealing Sept. 3, 2021.
12:23
Murdaugh says he first entered a clinical detox facility at home in December 2017. He'd tried to detox at home before and after that. All three times he went into clinical detox, it was at the same facility in Atlanta. He explains the detox process only cures the physical dependency in the body, not the chemical dependency in the brain (the addiction). He'd never been to rehab before Sept. 2021. He relapsed each time he came out of detox. He's been opioid free now for 535 days.
12:21
Murdaugh admits to stealing client money, and blames it on his opioid pain killer addiction. Hydrocodone, oxycodone, oxycontin. He hurt his knee very badly playing football in college. Had several surgeries. He was hooked on painkillers by the early-mid 2000s around the time of his final surgery to repair his knee.
12:18
Murdaugh is asked about the June 10 hearing in the boat crash case that got canceled. Murdaugh says he wasn't concerned about the motion to compel his financial records from Tinsley, rather he was concerned about the change of venue motion filed by Parkers. Murdaugh says he also wasn't doing legal work on his own case. He says in his entire career as an attorney, he never heard of a judge ordering someone to turn over the full financial records to the scope Mark Tinsley was asking for at that phase of trial. Murdaugh says he was expecting however to turn over a statement of net worth, and that's what he was working on in his office the afternoon of June 7, the handwritten note about which Mark Ball testified finding in Murdaugh's desk.
12:12
Murdaugh says he'd reached out about a line of credit on the Moselle property around the time of the murders (the $600K line of credit mentioned in text message state presented last week). He also says there was several million dollars in combined equity in the beach house and the house / property at Moselle. However, Maggie's death made it more difficult to obtain financing afterward because Moselle was 100% in Maggie's name, beach house was 50% in her name. He couldn't get documents signed due to estate issues in probate.
12:09
Griffin: "On June 7, did you believe your financial house of cards was about to crumble?"
Murdaugh: "On June 7? Absolutely not."
12:08
Griffin brings up the testimony of Jeanne Seckinger saying she learned in the June 7 meeting Alex's father was going in the hospital and was terminal. Murdaugh says the info he got during that meeting said the doctor only thought it was pneumonia, and Jeanne is misremembering and just assuming in hindsight that the news meant Randolph was terminal.
12:06
Murdaugh admits he was concerned but "it wasn't a very big concern" about Jeanne Seckinger confronting him about the money he wasn't supposed to have. Murdaugh tells a story about one of Chris Wilson's former law partners going through a divorce and the ex-wife trying to subpoena Wilson's firm's financial documents, so he somehow knew because of that Chris Wilson wouldn't be sending out any financial documents to anybody, so he thought he didn't really have to worry at the time about his firm getting the records. Not an immediate concern.
11:56
Griffin is now discussing with Alex his financial thefts, and being confronted by Jeanne Seckinger on June 7 (the morning of the murders).
11:43
Court is back from lunch recess.
10:54
Adding for the record Murdaugh broke down crying at one point noting there was blood everywhere, so much blood. But he says he only got a little blood on his fingertips from touching both bodies. He says he touched Maggie's body several times, and Paul at least twice.
10:47
Court is in recess until 2:40
LIVE BLOG: Murdaugh Murder Trial, Day 23: Alex takes the stand
The big question on everyone's mind today: will Alex Murdaugh take the stand in his own double murder trial?Last Tuesday, sources close to Murdaugh's defense t
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BLOG: Day 23: ‘I did lie’: Murdaugh admits he was at kennels before murders
Alex Murdaugh told the judge overseeing his murder trial he does plan to testify in his own defense.
www.live5news.com
23/feb/2023
BLOG: Day 23: ‘I did lie’: Murdaugh admits he was at kennels before murders
Alex Murdaugh told the judge overseeing his murder trial he does plan to testify in his own defense.
BLOG: Day 23: ‘I did lie’: Murdaugh admits he was at kennels before murders
WALTERBORO, S.C. (WCSC) - Disbarred attorney Alex Murdaugh told jurors Thursday morning he lied about his whereabouts the night of the killings of his wife and youngest son.
But he insisted multiple times that he did not shoot Maggie or Paul Murdaugh on the night of June 7, 2021.
“I would never intentionally do anything to hurt either one of them. Ever,” he said.
When defense attorney Jim Griffin asked him whether it was his voice heard on a video his son, Paul, took at the family’s Colleton County hunting property just minutes before the double shooting, he acknowledged for the first time that he was there and that he lied to investigators and his family when he said he had not been there before discovering their bodies later that night.
“As my addiction evolved over time, I would get into situations or circumstances where I would get paranoid, thinking. It could be anything that triggered it,” he said. After finding the bodies, he said all of his partners were repeatedly telling him not to talk to anyone without his attorney with him, adding that he began feeling paranoid again as a deputy sheriff performed a gunshot residue test on his hands and as he sat in a police car with Investigator David Owen asking questions about his relationship with the two victims.
“All those things, coupled together after finding them, coupled with my distrust for [the State Law Enforcement Division] caused me to have paranoid thoughts,” he said. He said he wasn’t thinking clearly and doesn’t think apologized to his family, including his surviving son, Buster, who watched from the courtroom gallery, for lying about his whereabouts.
“Most of all,” he said, “I’m sorry to Mags and PauPau,” the nicknames he used for his wife and son.
Griffin asked if he continued to lie after that night.
“Once I lied, I continued to lie,” Murdaugh said. He quoted a portion of a familiar quotation from Sir Walter Scott’s play “Marmion,” saying, “What a tangled web we weave.”
“But once I told a lie, and I told my family, I had to keep going,” he said.
Murdaugh told judge he intended to testify
Judge Clifton Newman briefed Murdaugh on his constitutional rights to testify and to not testify in the murder trial. Murdaugh, flanked by his attorneys, told the judge he did not need further consultation and has decided he would testify.A line of spectators formed early Thursday morning amid speculation that Murdaugh himself would take the stand.
One question raised before Murdaugh might testify is whether the prosecution would be allowed to cross-examine him on nearly 100 alleged financial crimes with which he is also charged. Judge Clifton Newman denied a defense request to block the state from questioning Murdaugh about those other charges. But he later said he’s willing to discuss whether Murdaugh can plead the fifth when asked about them.
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Feb 23, 2023
Live blog below authored by Drew Tripp.
Judge Newman rules he will not change his order on previously allowing in financial crimes evidence.
Harpootlian: He's not been convicted of anything, so normally they couldn't ask him anything about them. Then you've also got the issue of it being character evidence. We disagree with the State being able to ask Murdaugh extensively the financial crimes to assassinate Murdaugh's character. That would undermine the judge's instructions on Murdaugh's other misdeeds only being fodder for the jury's consideration under the scope of motive, not character. Our advice to Murdaugh had the financial crimes not come out would be the jury likely will acquit because the state hadn't proven motive.
Judge Newman: Defendant can't take the stand without exposing himself to cross examination. He'll take up any objections as they arise, as he said yesterday.
Judge Newman reads Alex Murdaugh his rights regarding his testimony. 5th Amendment protections against self incrimination, etc,
The Defense will call another witness before Murdaugh.
Nolan says Paul's phone was always within reaching distance.
Murdaughs had a good family relationship. Paul and Alex had a good relationship.
Nolan says they'd take whatever vehicle was closest when they'd ride around at Moselle. They never walked, not even to the kennels.
Nolan says Maggie would walk, ride her bike, or take a vehicle to the kennels.
The morning of June 7, he talked to Paul about plowing under dead sunflowers CB Rowe had sprayed. They were supposed to meet that afternoon, but Nolan couldn't get off work. He found out about 10:30 they'd been killed. He came to Moselle, hugged Alex, Alex said "they're gone." Alex was pretty distraught.
Fernandez in cross exam for the State. He asks several background questions on Nolan's relationship with Paul. Paul was the kind of guy who'd always be there, always have his phone.
Fernandez asking Tuten about the guns Paul had.
Halloween party 2017, Paul's original .300 Blackout AR15 rifle was stolen.
After Paul's rifle was stolen, Paul took Buster's .300 BLK as his own.
Tuten reiterates how guns were left at the kennels, shed area on occasion, but not stored down there. Paul might leave guns down there after cleaning out his truck or something.
Notes how originally the only entrance to Moselle was by the kennels. Entrance straight to the house was added later.
Tuten agrees Paul was always on the move, somewhat unpredictable. He agrees it would be hard to keep up with Paul and know where he was going to be unless you talked to him a lot -- like Nolan did.
Tuten spent a lot of time at Moselle. Reiterates he was supposed to go to Moselle that afternoon. Received a Snapchat message from Paul around 7 p.m. showing a bad leak on the high boy sprayer.
Tuten was shown the "kennel video." He identified Paul, Maggie and Alex's voices on the video.
Tuten says the kennel and shed area is very well lit if the lights are on at night. There's lights inside and outside the hangar shed and in the kennels.
Tuten says at night, you'd be able to see the lights of the kennels and shed from the house.
Tuten got a call at 10:30 from his mom. He tried to call and text Paul, didn't get a response, so he drove over there as fast as he could. It was probably a 20-25 minute drive. He pulled up to the scene from the road. First responders wouldn't let him in. He came in the other driveway and approached the scene. He saw the bodies under the sheets.
Alex, Randy, Ronnie Crosby, Mark Ball and first responders were on the scene when he arrived.
Nolan says Alex said to him at the scene "the boat wreck, the *advertiser censored*king boat wreck" twice, and asked he get in touch with Rogan Gibson.
No further questions for Tuten. Court in recess for about 10 minutes. Alex Murdaugh will take the stand afterward.
Jim Griffin picks up a shotgun from the evidence cache, asks Alex Murdaugh if he blew his sons brains out with that gun or any gun like it.
Murdaugh says as his addiction evolved, he'd get paranoid about anything and everything. He says his lawyer friends were all telling him not to talk without lawyer Danny Henderson present. Police taking gunshot residue from his hands, being questioned by SLED, finding Maggie and "Paul Paul" dead made him paranoid.
"I wasn't thinking clearly. I don't think I was capable of reason, and I lied about being down there, and I'm so sorry that I did. I'm sorry to my son Buster. I'm sorry to Grandma and Papa T (Maggie's parents). I'm sorry to both of our families. Most of all, I'm sorry to Mags and Paul Paul. I would never do anything intentionally to hurt either one of them. Ever. Ever."
Griffin asks why Murdaugh continued to lie:
Murdaugh is adamant he always asked Maggie to come back home to stay at Moselle at night.
Alex is emotional talking about riding around with Paul on the property the evening of the 7th.
Murdaugh says it was impossible not to have fun with Paul.
Griffin brings up the clothes Alex was seen wearing in the Snapchat video the evening before the murders. Murdaugh says he was about 265 pounds at the time and was sweating a lot. He say you also sweat a lot when you take oxycodone. He came back and took a shower. After he got done, he ate dinner on the couch. Paul was already done and wasn't in the den anymore. After he got done, Maggie asked him to come down to the kennels with her. Alex explained he didn't want to. It was hot, he'd just showered, he knew he'd end up doing work and messing with the dogs was always an ordeal. He didn't go immediately.
Griffin now shifts gears to the weekend before. Murdaugh talking about visiting Columbia for a University of South Carolina baseball game and seeing Buster and his girlfriend.
Murdaugh says at the time he didn't know how Maggie got to the kennels. He now thinks it's clear Maggie rode with Paul down there. He changed his mind and got on the golf cart, then drove down there. The golf cart stayed up at the house most of the time.
Murdaugh got down there and the dogs were out. He's describing the dogs being in the pines behind the kennels, indicating to him they hadn't been out long. Grady was chasing guineas. Bubba was chasing chickens and caught one. Alex was talking to Maggie, Paul was looking at Rogan Gibson's dog Cash, didn't know what exactly Paul was doing besides "fooling with his tail." Alex took the chicken from Bubba, put it up on the shelf in the feed room thinking it was stunned, not dead.
Alex says after he got the chicken out of Bubba's mouth, and left to go back to the house.
Alex says he didn't notice he water hose on the ground outside of the kennels at the time.
Murdaugh says he went back to the house on the golf cart.
Murdaugh says back at the house, he laid down on the couch. TV was on (he claims the TV was always on when they were home). He stayed on the couch a few minutes. He may or may not have dozed off, he isn't sure. He got up, and decided he was going to his mother's house.
Murdaugh says it was frequent for Libby Murdaugh to get agitated when Randolph wasn't home. Barbara Mixson had called him earlier saying he needed to go check on her, so he did. He drove to Almeda after lying on the couch, parked around the side, and says that's where his family always parked.
When he arrived, he called the house phone to ask Shelly to let him in. He went in and sat on the rollaway bed beside his mother's bed. Held her hand and talked to her for a minute. She wasn't agitated the way Barbara had described earlier before giving her medicine. Tried to be real positive and upbeat. Just talked to her and made sure she was OK. He eventually got on his mother's bed after a few minutes, sitting then lying beside her. Watched TV.
Alex says Maggie wasn't planning to go visit his mom that night. She loved to visit Alex's dad, but by this time Libby was a shell of herself, she wasn't healthy, and Maggie didn't like to go visit her. (When he originally called Maggie to come home, it was to go visit his Dad, not his mom. His Dad got hospitalized that day.)
Alex says he tried to call Maggie twice to let her know he was leaving, then texted her. It didn't concern him when she didn't answer at the time because she was with Paul and he also knew cell phone service was spotty out there. Not unusual.
Alex explains why he stopped in the driveway at his mother's house on the way back. He dropped his phone down between the seat and center console, and was trying to get it. He answers emphatically "No" to whether or not he was disposing of bloody clothes or murder weapons.
Alex says when he got to Moselle, all the lights were on. He was inside several minutes. He wasn't totally surprised Maggie and Paul weren't back, he thought they would've been back, but he wasn't shocked or concerned immediately. He went and looked around the house for Maggie and Paul. He assumed they were still at the kennels. Thinks he tried to call them, got in his suburban and drove down to the kennels.
He says he saw what the jury has seen pictures of. "It was so bad."
Griffin asks if he could see them on the ground as he pulled up. Alex says he could. He jumped out of his car. He isn't sure what he did. He ran back to his car to call 911. He was going back and forth between Maggie and Paul while on the phone trying to tend to them.
Alex crying.
"Paul was so bad. At some point, I know I tried to check him for a pulse. I know I tried to turn him over."
Alex says he doesn't know why he tried to turn Paul over.
Murdaugh sobbing: "I mean my boy's laying face down, and he's done the way he's done. His head was the way his head was. I could see his -- I could see his brain laying on the sidewalk. I didn't know what to do. I tried to turn him over. I grabbed him by the belt loop, and I tried to turn him over. And when I did, his phone popped out of his -- I mean his phone popped out. So I picked it up and I put it right back there."
Murdaugh says the phone popped out of Paul's pocket when he tried to turn him over. He doesn't recall much about that other than he picked up the phone and put down on top of him. He didn't see any messages on it or anything.
Defense now playing the Colleton County portion of Alex Murdaugh's 911 call. "I've been up to it now, it's bad." He says he thinks he didn't go all the way up to Maggie and Paul's bodies at first before calling 911. He knows he touched them after that.
Griffin asks Murdaugh about him randomly saying "Here" while talking to 911. Murdaugh says he was trying to explain to the dispatcher Maggie and Paul hadn't shot themselves, but he wasn't talking to somebody else or calling a dog or anything. He says he didn't mess with the dogs when he arrived or the hose. He looked around for a flashlight or a gun.
Alex is asked about saying "I should've known." Alex says he said "Paul Paul I should've known." He was referring to the threats Paul received, and how he (Alex) should've taken them seriously. Alex says Paul got some of the most vile, over the top threats, so crazy you couldn't believe. People talking about what he was going to get, and how they were going to "get him." He disregarded the threats.
Griffin asks Alex about telling 911 he last talked to them about 1.5-2 hours before he found their bodies. Murdaugh says he told 911 that's approximately when he last saw them. Given him last being at the kennels at 8:45ish, and this call being around 10:10, it was close to an hour and a half.
Murdaugh discussing going back to the house and grabbing a shotgun and shells. Asked about putting the 16 gauge shell in the 12 gauge shotgun, he says he's been hunting and using firearms his whole life. That's not a mistake he'd have made under any other circumstances except that night.
Murdaugh says he's not totally sure why he thought he needed to go get a gun from his house "just in case." He was scared there could've been danger still, killers maybe around.
Griffin points out Murdaugh saying he was 100 yards away from the house when he told dispatchers he was going to get a gun. Murdaugh admits the distance is over 1,100 feet (nearly 400 yards), he was clearly wrong in what he told dispatchers, he has no explanation.
Griffin continues playing 911 call. Murdaugh brings up the boat wreck and Paul getting threats. Alex is asked on the call not to touch them. He says he's already touched them checking to see if they were breathing. Alex tells the court he touched Maggie several times, but doesn't think he touched Paul but once or twice. He touched both before he got in the car and drove back to the house.
Griffin asks about Paul getting threats after the boat wreck. Murdaugh recalls a meeting with Paul and the dean of students at UofSC, making sure Paul was OK, letting him know they were aware of the threats.
Griffin asks Murdaugh about the photo of the woman in the bathing suit texted by Michael Gunn, and the Safari browser search for Whaleys restaurant at Edisto Beach. Murdaugh is adamant that even though he opened that text, he wasn't reading it.
He says the Whaleys search must have been from his search history. He says the call to the videographer must've been accidental. Murdaugh is adamant all those things were simply accidental incidents while he was trying to do other things and call other people on his phone.
Alex says he knows he got blood on his fingertips from touching the bodies. He wasn't sure whose blood, likely both Maggie and Paul. If Maggie's blood was on his steering wheel and gun that night, then he "put it there" after touching them.
The gun Alex grabbed the night of the murders was Paul's Benelli shotgun. Murdaugh says Paul didn't frequently clean his guns. Murdaugh says he was carrying Paul's shotgun around for awhile at the scene before police arrived, explaining the gunshot residue on his hands and clothes.
Alex says there couldn't have been high velocity blood spatter on his clothes. "No way." He was nowhere near the shooting.
Griffin asking Murdaugh about after the murders. He discusses giving SLED full access to search everything. He says he asked SLED agent David Owen repeatedly after the murders for location data off Maggie and Paul's phones. He says he gave SLED the code to Maggie's phone via John Marvin after it was found. He and Maggie knew each other's passwords.
Maggie always used location services. She loved to use "Find My iPhone" to see where family was, and would tease them about where they were, or surprise them out places.
Alex says it was important for SLED to get that information off Maggie and Paul's phones after that because he knew he was in that circle of suspects but also knew the location data could prove they never crossed paths. (Of note, Murdaugh left his phone at the house while Maggie and Paul were at the kennels. Several people have testified he was always on his phone.)
Murdaugh says he was attached at the hip to Buster after the murders, all the way through the funeral services and burials on the following Sunday. He says the burials were all on the same day.
The week after, he stayed in Summerville with Maggie's parents for a few days, and then went to Greenville in the Upstate for the end of the week to be with niece and family after she'd just had a baby.
Very important dialogue from earlier in Murdaugh's testimony about the importance to him of SLED getting the location data off all the phones and his SUV:
Morning of Wednesday, June 16, he was in Summerville. Murdaugh says he doesn't believe he went to Almeda at 6:30 in the morning that day. He says he didn't go to Almeda at any point early in the morning that week after the funerals. He was in Summerville.
Murdaugh says in the week following his Dad's funeral, he never carried a tarp into his parent's house. Asked about the blue rain jacket, he says he's never seen it or touched it. He never at any point recalls taking a blue tarp to his parents' house. He says Shelly seems to have that in her mind, and he says it's not impossible he did at some point in time, but it certainly didn't happen in the week or weeks around or after his father's funeral.
Griffin replays the August 11 SLED interview with Alex, specifically bringing up Alex's inaccurate recollection of times. Murdaugh says in interview he arrived by 10 at work the morning of the murders at the latest, but in reality he didn't get there until around noon. Murdaugh points out how he also told David Owen to go pull his key card data to get an accurate time.
Griffin plays the June 10 interview now. Murdaugh told SLED he thought Paul arrived around 5 p.m. but we know now it was around 7 p.m. Another example of Murdaugh not appearing to have a good grasp on time.
Griffin asks Murdaugh about Shelly Smith saying he tried to suggest to her how long she should say Murdaugh was there. Murdaugh insinuates now for a second time Smith misremembered what happened. He claims he told Smith to talk to SLED and please tell the truth.
Murdaugh says he was careful not to talk to potential witnesses after the murders because of the scrutiny over the boat crash case alleging he fixed witnesses and orchestrated the investigation and influenced the police. He didn't want to take any chances.
Murdaugh recalls how he'd been begging David Owen to meet with him and Maggie's parents for weeks ahead of the August 11 meeting with SLED, and thought that the purpose of the meeting was to get an update. By the end, he says it was clear to him he was a suspect.
Griffin brings up how SLED asked him August 11 about clothes Alex was wearing in the Snapchat video. Murdaugh says he specifically asked Blanca if she remembered getting his clothes after August 11, contradicting the testimony Blanca gave about what he said. He says he asked because SLED had made an issue about the clothes in the meeting. The state never asked him for the clothes.
Contradicting his statements immediately before -- saying SLED made his clothes an issue on Aug. 11 -- Murdaugh says "I'm well aware that my clothes never became an issue in this case until my lawyers proved that this blood spatter that they said I had on my shirt from my wife and my son was a lie, and that there was no blood on my shirt. Once they filed the documents and they proved that was a lie, all of a sudden the clothes I was wearing back on that day became an issue. And that's in the weeks leading up to this trial."
Murdaugh rehashes how he never stayed another night at Moselle after the murders.
Murdaugh notes his clothes were spread out among several locations while he stayed with friends and relatives following the murders.
Adding for the record Murdaugh broke down crying at one point noting there was blood everywhere, so much blood. But he says he only got a little blood on his fingertips from touching both bodies. He says he touched Maggie's body several times, and Paul at least twice.
Court broke for lunch just before 1:30 p.m. Will return at 2:40 p.m.
Griffin is now discussing with Alex his financial thefts, and being confronted by Jeanne Seckinger on June 7 (the morning of the murders).
Murdaugh admits he was concerned but "it wasn't a very big concern" about Jeanne Seckinger confronting him about the money he wasn't supposed to have.
Murdaugh tells a story about one of Chris Wilson's former law partners going through a divorce and the ex-wife trying to subpoena Wilson's firm's financial documents, so he somehow knew because of that Chris Wilson wouldn't be sending out any financial documents to anybody, so he thought he didn't really have to worry at the time about his firm getting the records. Not an immediate concern.
Griffin brings up the testimony of Jeanne Seckinger saying she learned in the June 7 meeting Alex's father was going in the hospital and was terminal. Murdaugh says the info he got during that meeting said the doctor only thought it was pneumonia, and Jeanne is misremembering and just assuming in hindsight that the news meant Randolph was terminal.
However, Maggie's death made it more difficult to obtain financing afterward because Moselle was 100% in Maggie's name, beach house was 50% in her name. He couldn't get documents signed due to estate issues in probate.
Murdaugh is asked about the June 10 hearing in the boat crash case that got canceled. Murdaugh says he wasn't concerned about the motion to compel his financial records from Tinsley, rather he was concerned about the change of venue motion filed by Parkers. Murdaugh says he also wasn't doing legal work on his own case.
He says in his entire career as an attorney, he never heard of a judge ordering someone to turn over the full financial records to the scope Mark Tinsley was asking for at that phase of trial. Murdaugh says he was expecting however to turn over a statement of net worth, and that's what he was working on in his office the afternoon of June 7, the handwritten note about which Mark Ball testified finding in Murdaugh's desk.
Murdaugh admits to stealing client money, and blames it on his opioid pain killer addiction. Hydrocodone, oxycodone, oxycontin. He hurt his knee very badly playing football in college. Had several surgeries. He was hooked on painkillers by the early-mid 2000s around the time of his final surgery to repair his knee.
Murdaugh says he first entered a clinical detox facility at home in December 2017. He'd tried to detox at home before and after that. All three times he went into clinical detox, it was at the same facility in Atlanta. He explains the detox process only cures the physical dependency in the body, not the chemical dependency in the brain (the addiction). He'd never been to rehab before Sept. 2021. He relapsed each time he came out of detox. He's been opioid free now for 535 days.
Murdaugh is certain none of his law partners were aware of his opioid addiction before he confessed when confronted by his brother Randy and Danny Henderson about stealing Sept. 3, 2021.
Murdaugh says he reached out to Blanca about his insurance information the morning of Sept. 4, 2021 so he could have it to enter rehab. Alex took a bunch of pills the day before when he was confronted, handed over what was left to Randy. Morning after, he called Eddie Smith to bring him more. Withdrawals had started, so he changed his mind and asked Eddie to kill him.
Murdaugh describing relationship with Maggie. "Just as beautiful inside as she was outside." Adventurous. Wanted to form her own opinion. Devoted to Paul, Buster and him. Made sure they were always taken care of. Fun, playful. Contagious laugh. Playful look biting her lip and smiling that would melt you.
She didn't grow up in the country, but changed everything to become a "boy mom." Threw herself into her boys' life. She might not have had a job, but she worked so hard for the family. She wanted a big family but couldn't because pregnancy didn't suit her. There were problems with Paul's pregnancy such that they both got "in trouble."
They didn't have anymore children after that. Could fit in at the governor's mansion in a ball gown or at the food banks in Hampton and the Lowcountry. He could never hurt Maggie.
Alex talking about Paul. He was the brightest, most inquisitive young man. He wanted to be part of everything. He was a man's man. 100% country boy. Hunt anything, catch any fish, run equipment, at 22-years-old took care of so many things, so tough. But he was also so sweet.
Wouldn't come home or go near Summerville without going out of his way to visit his grandparents. Would get all his friends on a boat to go watch a sunset. How many 22-year-old's do you know who'd do stuff like that? Fiercely loyal. Cared about people.
So misrepresented in the media. Never an accurate story told about him. Challenges anyone without an ulterior motive to tell a negative story about Paul. He was helpful, glad to help anyone. He was ADHD. Would jump around from thing to thing, but he would've found his "thing" and he would've been the best at it.
He didn't even know when Paul was alive, but there was a cute girl named Julianne who said Paul always told her and friends to be present and appreciate those around you. How many 22-year-old's do you know who think that way? He was a special boy.
Alex loved Paul and Buster like no other. Would never hurt or kill Maggie or Paul under any circumstances.
Jim Griffin has no more questions for Murdaugh right now.
Murdaugh doesn't dispute he's been stealing since 2010, but is not certain.
Great-Grandfather Randolph Murdaugh. Founded the Murdaugh law firm, served as chief elected prosecutor (solicitor) of the SC 14th Judicial Circuit.
Grandfather Buster Murdaugh. Solicitor from 1940-1986. Lognest serving solicitor in state. Alex loved him and idolized him.
Father Randolph III ("Handsome") was the Solicitor from 1986 to 2006. Excellent lawyer. Waters notes he worked a case with Handsome.
Murdaugh worked at Moss & Kuhn in Beaufort after he got out of law school in 1994. Later joined the family law firm.
Waters asks if that family law firm closed because of his actions. Murdaugh agrees, yes.
Waters asks Murdaugh if Murdaugh was a successful trial lawyer. Murdaugh is hesitant to say successful. He agrees that if winning lots of cases and making millions of dollars is the criteria for successful, then he was successful.
Murdaugh primarily did plaintiffs work as a trial lawyer. Many automobile accidents. Led to big recoveries.
Waters asks if Murdaugh was involved in investigating the cases, and gathering the type of data in evidence in this case. Murdaugh says most of the investigating and records pulled focused on cars' black boxes, not so much telemetry data like has been prominent in this case. Waters has Murdaugh agree he's had cases where cell phone evidence such as cell towers, call logs, computer data were all relevant to his case.
Waters brings up how Murdaugh was president of the trial lawyers association.
Murdaugh agrees in addition to his trial work in civil litigation, he was also an assistant solicitor (prosecutor) in the 14th circuit. He assisted his dad in 4 prosecutions, led one other case. He got a badge from the 14th circuit as part of that role. Murdaugh had that badge up through 2021.
Waters asking Murdaugh about the GM OnStar data and the telemetry data the FBI salvaged through their methods. After a lot of back and forth, Murdaugh agrees the two sources of data don't contradict each other.
Murdaugh concedes he was the primary income earner for his family.
Waters asks Murdaugh about the solicitor's office badge. He'd ride around with it on his dash or in the cupholder, and show it to law enforcement if he got pulled over or something. Murdaugh admits he used the badge to get better treatment. He doesn't recall having to take an oath to get the badge. If he took any oath at all, it was signing a piece of paper.
Murdaugh had earlier said he didn't consider himself a law enforcement officer even though he carried a badge. Waters has Murdaugh read the back of the 14th circuit ID issued with his badge. The card says he's a deputy solicitor with authority to enforce law in the circuit. Murdaugh clarifies the part about deputy solicitor, saying he was a volunteer assistant solicitor. Deputy solicitor is the highest position under solicitor, he was never deputy solicitor.
Murdaugh also admits he had blue lights installed in his law firm-issued vehicle up until December 2020 when he got the new Suburban. He says he cleared it with the sheriffs in Hampton, Colleton and Allendale counties. All three were OK with it. Waters savvily seizes on Murdaugh mentioning Andy Strickland, former Colleton County Sheriff removed from office and indicted by the state grand jury for public corruption. Murdaugh mentioned they were friends.
Waters brings up how Murdaugh had his solicitor's office badge hanging out of his pocket at the hospital the night of the boat crash. Murdaugh says he doesn't recall that or even having his badge with him. Waters asks him why. Murdaugh says he can't recall. Waters suggests Murdaugh was trying to use it to his advantage. Murdaugh says flashing the badge caused law enforcement officers to warm up to him, and if he was trying to take any advantage that night, that's what it was.
Murdaugh admits he wanted to be head solicitor at some point, but gave that up as his pill problem got worse. He maintains he's certain his law partners never knew about his pill addiction.
Waters shifts back to the night of the boat crash and Murdaugh leaving his badge hanging out of his pocket. Murdaugh insists he doesn't even remember doing that. He won't concede it was intentional to have the badge hanging out like that. Could've been an accident, could've been on purpose.
He doesn't remember. Murdaugh says that looks obnoxious. He wouldn't normally carry the badge like that. Murdaugh insists he didn't use the badge to get places he shouldn't have been the night of the boat crash. He admits he went in Morgan Doughty's and Connor Cook's rooms, but claims he didn't tell them not to cooperate or not to talk to law enforcement (despite their testimony otherwise).
Waters asks Murdaugh if he knew before the murder about a state grand jury investigation into his conduct the night of the boat crash regarding obstruction of justice. Murdaugh says he's not sure when he first learned about it, before or after.
Waters tries to draw a further link between Murdaugh's knowledge of the state grand jury investigation the state grand jury probe into former Colleton County Sheriff Andy Strickland. The Defense objects to relevance, and Judge Newman sustains.
Waters asks Murdaugh about when he first started stealing from clients. Murdaugh can't recall exactly. Waters brings up how Murdaugh says his pain pill addiction was a major contributing factor, but asks about the bad land deals Murdaugh got into around the time of the Great Recession also being a factor. Murdaugh concedes they were factors.
Waters brings up how Murdaugh's law partners all testified they thought Murdaugh cured his financial problems by winning several big cases in the 2011 time frame. Murdaugh concedes his financial troubles got better, but not totally cured by those cases.
Waters refreshing Murdaugh's memory about some of these big cases he won in which he stole money from clients. Murdaugh concedes he had to lie to clients to steal their money. Waters makes the point that Murdaugh had to look each one of them in the eye and convince them he was being truthful, the same way he's doing with this jury.
Waters brings up how Murdaugh had just moments before said he wanted to admit to the financial crimes and make this quick.
Hakeem Pinckney. Rendered a quadriplegic. $10 million settlement. Murdaugh $4 million in legal fees. Waters: "But that wasn't enough for you?" Murdaugh stole additional $370K from Pinckney. $350K from Natarsha Thomas. Stole over $1.3 million from Arthur Badger and his wife's estate.
Waters again brings up Murdaugh's failed land deals. Murdaugh says the whole picture of that time period including those land investment losses contributed to his stealing. Murdaugh wouldn't concede he was living a "wealthy" lifestyle around that time. Waters points out he was making more than a million dollars a year at that time, and still stealing money.
Murdaugh haggles over the definition of wealthy.
Murdaugh concedes not all the money he was making and stealing was going toward pills. Waters says it was also going to support his wealthy lifestyle, but Murdaugh won't concede that because he can't remember exactly where the money went.
Murdaugh concedes the millions of dollars he was receiving in fees weren't enough for him to maintain his wealthy lifestyle, so he was stealing.
Waters brings up the Plyler sisters case. Mother and brother killed in wreck. Appointed Russell Laffitte at Palmetto State Bank as conservator for the girls because the father was "undesirable" (history of domestic violence, mistreatment of the children).
Waters brings up how the Plyler sisters were awarded millions of dollars, and Murdaugh and Russell Laffitte came up with the idea to take money from their accounts as "loans." Murdaugh repeatedly says he doesn't remember the specifics of the arrangements with Laffitte, but he's adamant they never "conspired" to take money from other clients to pay back the loans or giving themselves self-serving low interest rates. This contradicts testimony and evidence in the Laffitte trial.
Murdaugh is on the stand saying Russell Laffitte never knowingly helped him steal money. A federal court jury disagreed about what knowledge Laffitte apparently had of Murdaugh's thefts and his level of conspiring with Murdaugh, finding Laffitte guilty on six counts of federal bank fraud conspiracy charges.
Waters calls out Murdaugh, asking how much he practiced his line about "I stole money that didn't belong to me, I misled (the client) and I was wrong." Murdaugh says he never practiced it, that's just his (identical) answer to each theft case.
Waters brings up Deon Martin, with whose family Murdaugh became close afterward. Murdaugh falsified paperwork, stole money.
After all this back and forth and Murdaugh saying he can't remember whether he sat down face to face and lied to people, Waters gets frustrated and starts poking fun at it. Suggests Murdaugh should just write his copy-paste answer down on a piece of paper and hold it up for the jury. Murdaugh finally concedes he definitely looked clients in the eye on more than one occasion, but he can't name specific times or specific people.
Waters makes the point they're real people. Murdaugh says that's one of the saddest parts. These are real people who he cared about, and he still did them wrong.
Murdaugh is repeatedly challenged to recall details of one single specific conversation where he lied to people and convinced them he was doing right by them. Murdaugh shifts the goalposts and keeps saying he can't remember specific conversations but changes his answer to say it's with respect to specific documents in evidence Waters keeps showing him.
Court is adjourned until 9:30 Friday.
Harpootlian asks if he can interrupt Waters' cross examination in the morning to get two expert witnesses out of the way to keep costs down for having them put up in hotels over the weekend. Waters objects and Judge Newman agrees with Waters.
Harpootlian tries to say the word murder hasn't been uttered one time by the state and this is clear character assassination by allowing the prolonged questioning about the financial crimes. Newman rules a defendant's credibility is always at issue in any case and adjourns.
Court adjourned just after 5:30 p.m. and will resume at 9:30 Friday morning.
abcnews4.com
Live blog below authored by Drew Tripp.
Thursday
Dick Harpootlian begins by saying he will very soon ask Judge Newman to advise Alex Murdaugh of his rights regarding taking the stand to testify in his own defense. But first, Harpootlian is re-raising his objection to evidence of Murdaugh's financial crimes being allowed into the trial. He says had the earlier rulings to allow the financial issues been different, his advice to Murdaugh on whether to take the stand would have been different, also.Judge Newman rules he will not change his order on previously allowing in financial crimes evidence.
Harpootlian: He's not been convicted of anything, so normally they couldn't ask him anything about them. Then you've also got the issue of it being character evidence. We disagree with the State being able to ask Murdaugh extensively the financial crimes to assassinate Murdaugh's character. That would undermine the judge's instructions on Murdaugh's other misdeeds only being fodder for the jury's consideration under the scope of motive, not character. Our advice to Murdaugh had the financial crimes not come out would be the jury likely will acquit because the state hadn't proven motive.
Harpootlian again says they wouldn't put Murdaugh on the stand had the financial crimes not been allowed into the record. He's fearful the state will spend the next three days going through the minute details of the financial crimes -- "a Bernie Madoff trial, not a murder trial" -- rather than prosecuting the murder charges. If the State has carte blanche to do that, it's going to take another week.
Judge Newman: Defendant can't take the stand without exposing himself to cross examination. He'll take up any objections as they arise, as he said yesterday.
Judge Newman reads Alex Murdaugh his rights regarding his testimony. 5th Amendment protections against self incrimination, etc,
The Defense will call another witness before Murdaugh.
First witness: Nolan Tuten
First on the witness stand today for the Defense: Nolan Tuten, lifelong friend of Buster and Paul. Known the Murdaugh family pretty much his whole life. Paul was one of his best friends, like a little brother. Paul was someone who was always there for you, call you all the time, do whatever he could for you "at the drop of a hat." He talked to Paul every day, and saw each other several times a week.Nolan says Paul's phone was always within reaching distance.
Murdaughs had a good family relationship. Paul and Alex had a good relationship.
Nolan says they'd take whatever vehicle was closest when they'd ride around at Moselle. They never walked, not even to the kennels.
Nolan says Maggie would walk, ride her bike, or take a vehicle to the kennels.
The morning of June 7, he talked to Paul about plowing under dead sunflowers CB Rowe had sprayed. They were supposed to meet that afternoon, but Nolan couldn't get off work. He found out about 10:30 they'd been killed. He came to Moselle, hugged Alex, Alex said "they're gone." Alex was pretty distraught.
Fernandez in cross exam for the State. He asks several background questions on Nolan's relationship with Paul. Paul was the kind of guy who'd always be there, always have his phone.
Fernandez asking Tuten about the guns Paul had.
Halloween party 2017, Paul's original .300 Blackout AR15 rifle was stolen.
After Paul's rifle was stolen, Paul took Buster's .300 BLK as his own.
Tuten reiterates how guns were left at the kennels, shed area on occasion, but not stored down there. Paul might leave guns down there after cleaning out his truck or something.
Notes how originally the only entrance to Moselle was by the kennels. Entrance straight to the house was added later.
Tuten agrees Paul was always on the move, somewhat unpredictable. He agrees it would be hard to keep up with Paul and know where he was going to be unless you talked to him a lot -- like Nolan did.
Tuten spent a lot of time at Moselle. Reiterates he was supposed to go to Moselle that afternoon. Received a Snapchat message from Paul around 7 p.m. showing a bad leak on the high boy sprayer.
Tuten was shown the "kennel video." He identified Paul, Maggie and Alex's voices on the video.
Tuten says the kennel and shed area is very well lit if the lights are on at night. There's lights inside and outside the hangar shed and in the kennels.
Tuten says at night, you'd be able to see the lights of the kennels and shed from the house.
Tuten got a call at 10:30 from his mom. He tried to call and text Paul, didn't get a response, so he drove over there as fast as he could. It was probably a 20-25 minute drive. He pulled up to the scene from the road. First responders wouldn't let him in. He came in the other driveway and approached the scene. He saw the bodies under the sheets.
Alex, Randy, Ronnie Crosby, Mark Ball and first responders were on the scene when he arrived.
Nolan says Alex said to him at the scene "the boat wreck, the *advertiser censored*king boat wreck" twice, and asked he get in touch with Rogan Gibson.
No further questions for Tuten. Court in recess for about 10 minutes. Alex Murdaugh will take the stand afterward.
Alex Murdaugh takes the stand
The jury is back. Here we go. Alex Murdaugh is about to take the stand in his own defense.Jim Griffin picks up a shotgun from the evidence cache, asks Alex Murdaugh if he blew his sons brains out with that gun or any gun like it.
Griffin asks about Maggie.
Murdaugh admits it's his voice on the kennel video. Admits he lied to SLED about staying at the house after dinner.
Griffin asks why he lied.
Murdaugh says as his addiction evolved, he'd get paranoid about anything and everything. He says his lawyer friends were all telling him not to talk without lawyer Danny Henderson present. Police taking gunshot residue from his hands, being questioned by SLED, finding Maggie and "Paul Paul" dead made him paranoid.
"I wasn't thinking clearly. I don't think I was capable of reason, and I lied about being down there, and I'm so sorry that I did. I'm sorry to my son Buster. I'm sorry to Grandma and Papa T (Maggie's parents). I'm sorry to both of our families. Most of all, I'm sorry to Mags and Paul Paul. I would never do anything intentionally to hurt either one of them. Ever. Ever."
Griffin asks why Murdaugh continued to lie:
Murdaugh is now describing his day leading up to the murders on June 7.
Murdaugh is adamant he always asked Maggie to come back home to stay at Moselle at night.
Alex is emotional talking about riding around with Paul on the property the evening of the 7th.
Murdaugh says it was impossible not to have fun with Paul.
Griffin brings up the clothes Alex was seen wearing in the Snapchat video the evening before the murders. Murdaugh says he was about 265 pounds at the time and was sweating a lot. He say you also sweat a lot when you take oxycodone. He came back and took a shower. After he got done, he ate dinner on the couch. Paul was already done and wasn't in the den anymore. After he got done, Maggie asked him to come down to the kennels with her. Alex explained he didn't want to. It was hot, he'd just showered, he knew he'd end up doing work and messing with the dogs was always an ordeal. He didn't go immediately.
Griffin now shifts gears to the weekend before. Murdaugh talking about visiting Columbia for a University of South Carolina baseball game and seeing Buster and his girlfriend.
Murdaugh says at the time he didn't know how Maggie got to the kennels. He now thinks it's clear Maggie rode with Paul down there. He changed his mind and got on the golf cart, then drove down there. The golf cart stayed up at the house most of the time.
Murdaugh got down there and the dogs were out. He's describing the dogs being in the pines behind the kennels, indicating to him they hadn't been out long. Grady was chasing guineas. Bubba was chasing chickens and caught one. Alex was talking to Maggie, Paul was looking at Rogan Gibson's dog Cash, didn't know what exactly Paul was doing besides "fooling with his tail." Alex took the chicken from Bubba, put it up on the shelf in the feed room thinking it was stunned, not dead.
Alex says after he got the chicken out of Bubba's mouth, and left to go back to the house.
Alex says he didn't notice he water hose on the ground outside of the kennels at the time.
Murdaugh says he went back to the house on the golf cart.
Murdaugh says back at the house, he laid down on the couch. TV was on (he claims the TV was always on when they were home). He stayed on the couch a few minutes. He may or may not have dozed off, he isn't sure. He got up, and decided he was going to his mother's house.
Murdaugh says it was frequent for Libby Murdaugh to get agitated when Randolph wasn't home. Barbara Mixson had called him earlier saying he needed to go check on her, so he did. He drove to Almeda after lying on the couch, parked around the side, and says that's where his family always parked.
When he arrived, he called the house phone to ask Shelly to let him in. He went in and sat on the rollaway bed beside his mother's bed. Held her hand and talked to her for a minute. She wasn't agitated the way Barbara had described earlier before giving her medicine. Tried to be real positive and upbeat. Just talked to her and made sure she was OK. He eventually got on his mother's bed after a few minutes, sitting then lying beside her. Watched TV.
Alex says Maggie wasn't planning to go visit his mom that night. She loved to visit Alex's dad, but by this time Libby was a shell of herself, she wasn't healthy, and Maggie didn't like to go visit her. (When he originally called Maggie to come home, it was to go visit his Dad, not his mom. His Dad got hospitalized that day.)
Alex says he tried to call Maggie twice to let her know he was leaving, then texted her. It didn't concern him when she didn't answer at the time because she was with Paul and he also knew cell phone service was spotty out there. Not unusual.
Alex explains why he stopped in the driveway at his mother's house on the way back. He dropped his phone down between the seat and center console, and was trying to get it. He answers emphatically "No" to whether or not he was disposing of bloody clothes or murder weapons.
Alex says when he got to Moselle, all the lights were on. He was inside several minutes. He wasn't totally surprised Maggie and Paul weren't back, he thought they would've been back, but he wasn't shocked or concerned immediately. He went and looked around the house for Maggie and Paul. He assumed they were still at the kennels. Thinks he tried to call them, got in his suburban and drove down to the kennels.
He says he saw what the jury has seen pictures of. "It was so bad."
Griffin asks if he could see them on the ground as he pulled up. Alex says he could. He jumped out of his car. He isn't sure what he did. He ran back to his car to call 911. He was going back and forth between Maggie and Paul while on the phone trying to tend to them.
Alex crying.
"Paul was so bad. At some point, I know I tried to check him for a pulse. I know I tried to turn him over."
Alex says he doesn't know why he tried to turn Paul over.
Murdaugh sobbing: "I mean my boy's laying face down, and he's done the way he's done. His head was the way his head was. I could see his -- I could see his brain laying on the sidewalk. I didn't know what to do. I tried to turn him over. I grabbed him by the belt loop, and I tried to turn him over. And when I did, his phone popped out of his -- I mean his phone popped out. So I picked it up and I put it right back there."
Murdaugh says the phone popped out of Paul's pocket when he tried to turn him over. He doesn't recall much about that other than he picked up the phone and put down on top of him. He didn't see any messages on it or anything.
Defense now playing the Colleton County portion of Alex Murdaugh's 911 call. "I've been up to it now, it's bad." He says he thinks he didn't go all the way up to Maggie and Paul's bodies at first before calling 911. He knows he touched them after that.
Griffin asks Murdaugh about him randomly saying "Here" while talking to 911. Murdaugh says he was trying to explain to the dispatcher Maggie and Paul hadn't shot themselves, but he wasn't talking to somebody else or calling a dog or anything. He says he didn't mess with the dogs when he arrived or the hose. He looked around for a flashlight or a gun.
Alex is asked about saying "I should've known." Alex says he said "Paul Paul I should've known." He was referring to the threats Paul received, and how he (Alex) should've taken them seriously. Alex says Paul got some of the most vile, over the top threats, so crazy you couldn't believe. People talking about what he was going to get, and how they were going to "get him." He disregarded the threats.
Griffin asks Alex about telling 911 he last talked to them about 1.5-2 hours before he found their bodies. Murdaugh says he told 911 that's approximately when he last saw them. Given him last being at the kennels at 8:45ish, and this call being around 10:10, it was close to an hour and a half.
Murdaugh discussing going back to the house and grabbing a shotgun and shells. Asked about putting the 16 gauge shell in the 12 gauge shotgun, he says he's been hunting and using firearms his whole life. That's not a mistake he'd have made under any other circumstances except that night.
Murdaugh says he's not totally sure why he thought he needed to go get a gun from his house "just in case." He was scared there could've been danger still, killers maybe around.
Griffin points out Murdaugh saying he was 100 yards away from the house when he told dispatchers he was going to get a gun. Murdaugh admits the distance is over 1,100 feet (nearly 400 yards), he was clearly wrong in what he told dispatchers, he has no explanation.
Griffin continues playing 911 call. Murdaugh brings up the boat wreck and Paul getting threats. Alex is asked on the call not to touch them. He says he's already touched them checking to see if they were breathing. Alex tells the court he touched Maggie several times, but doesn't think he touched Paul but once or twice. He touched both before he got in the car and drove back to the house.
Griffin asks about Paul getting threats after the boat wreck. Murdaugh recalls a meeting with Paul and the dean of students at UofSC, making sure Paul was OK, letting him know they were aware of the threats.
Griffin asks Murdaugh about the photo of the woman in the bathing suit texted by Michael Gunn, and the Safari browser search for Whaleys restaurant at Edisto Beach. Murdaugh is adamant that even though he opened that text, he wasn't reading it.
He says the Whaleys search must have been from his search history. He says the call to the videographer must've been accidental. Murdaugh is adamant all those things were simply accidental incidents while he was trying to do other things and call other people on his phone.
Alex says he knows he got blood on his fingertips from touching the bodies. He wasn't sure whose blood, likely both Maggie and Paul. If Maggie's blood was on his steering wheel and gun that night, then he "put it there" after touching them.
The gun Alex grabbed the night of the murders was Paul's Benelli shotgun. Murdaugh says Paul didn't frequently clean his guns. Murdaugh says he was carrying Paul's shotgun around for awhile at the scene before police arrived, explaining the gunshot residue on his hands and clothes.
Alex says there couldn't have been high velocity blood spatter on his clothes. "No way." He was nowhere near the shooting.
Griffin asking Murdaugh about after the murders. He discusses giving SLED full access to search everything. He says he asked SLED agent David Owen repeatedly after the murders for location data off Maggie and Paul's phones. He says he gave SLED the code to Maggie's phone via John Marvin after it was found. He and Maggie knew each other's passwords.
Maggie always used location services. She loved to use "Find My iPhone" to see where family was, and would tease them about where they were, or surprise them out places.
Alex says it was important for SLED to get that information off Maggie and Paul's phones after that because he knew he was in that circle of suspects but also knew the location data could prove they never crossed paths. (Of note, Murdaugh left his phone at the house while Maggie and Paul were at the kennels. Several people have testified he was always on his phone.)
Murdaugh says he was attached at the hip to Buster after the murders, all the way through the funeral services and burials on the following Sunday. He says the burials were all on the same day.
The week after, he stayed in Summerville with Maggie's parents for a few days, and then went to Greenville in the Upstate for the end of the week to be with niece and family after she'd just had a baby.
Very important dialogue from earlier in Murdaugh's testimony about the importance to him of SLED getting the location data off all the phones and his SUV:
Murdaugh says because Maggie loved to use the "Find My iPhone" or "Find My Friends" feature on iPhone, Murdaugh says "I just knew that there would be GPS data on Maggie's phone."
Catching back up now on testimony about the blue tarp/jacket, etc.
Morning of Wednesday, June 16, he was in Summerville. Murdaugh says he doesn't believe he went to Almeda at 6:30 in the morning that day. He says he didn't go to Almeda at any point early in the morning that week after the funerals. He was in Summerville.
Murdaugh says in the week following his Dad's funeral, he never carried a tarp into his parent's house. Asked about the blue rain jacket, he says he's never seen it or touched it. He never at any point recalls taking a blue tarp to his parents' house. He says Shelly seems to have that in her mind, and he says it's not impossible he did at some point in time, but it certainly didn't happen in the week or weeks around or after his father's funeral.
Griffin replays the August 11 SLED interview with Alex, specifically bringing up Alex's inaccurate recollection of times. Murdaugh says in interview he arrived by 10 at work the morning of the murders at the latest, but in reality he didn't get there until around noon. Murdaugh points out how he also told David Owen to go pull his key card data to get an accurate time.
Griffin plays the June 10 interview now. Murdaugh told SLED he thought Paul arrived around 5 p.m. but we know now it was around 7 p.m. Another example of Murdaugh not appearing to have a good grasp on time.
Griffin asks Murdaugh about Shelly Smith saying he tried to suggest to her how long she should say Murdaugh was there. Murdaugh insinuates now for a second time Smith misremembered what happened. He claims he told Smith to talk to SLED and please tell the truth.
Murdaugh says he was careful not to talk to potential witnesses after the murders because of the scrutiny over the boat crash case alleging he fixed witnesses and orchestrated the investigation and influenced the police. He didn't want to take any chances.
Murdaugh recalls how he'd been begging David Owen to meet with him and Maggie's parents for weeks ahead of the August 11 meeting with SLED, and thought that the purpose of the meeting was to get an update. By the end, he says it was clear to him he was a suspect.
Griffin brings up how SLED asked him August 11 about clothes Alex was wearing in the Snapchat video. Murdaugh says he specifically asked Blanca if she remembered getting his clothes after August 11, contradicting the testimony Blanca gave about what he said. He says he asked because SLED had made an issue about the clothes in the meeting. The state never asked him for the clothes.
Contradicting his statements immediately before -- saying SLED made his clothes an issue on Aug. 11 -- Murdaugh says "I'm well aware that my clothes never became an issue in this case until my lawyers proved that this blood spatter that they said I had on my shirt from my wife and my son was a lie, and that there was no blood on my shirt. Once they filed the documents and they proved that was a lie, all of a sudden the clothes I was wearing back on that day became an issue. And that's in the weeks leading up to this trial."
Murdaugh rehashes how he never stayed another night at Moselle after the murders.
Murdaugh notes his clothes were spread out among several locations while he stayed with friends and relatives following the murders.
Adding for the record Murdaugh broke down crying at one point noting there was blood everywhere, so much blood. But he says he only got a little blood on his fingertips from touching both bodies. He says he touched Maggie's body several times, and Paul at least twice.
Court broke for lunch just before 1:30 p.m. Will return at 2:40 p.m.
Griffin is now discussing with Alex his financial thefts, and being confronted by Jeanne Seckinger on June 7 (the morning of the murders).
Murdaugh admits he was concerned but "it wasn't a very big concern" about Jeanne Seckinger confronting him about the money he wasn't supposed to have.
Murdaugh tells a story about one of Chris Wilson's former law partners going through a divorce and the ex-wife trying to subpoena Wilson's firm's financial documents, so he somehow knew because of that Chris Wilson wouldn't be sending out any financial documents to anybody, so he thought he didn't really have to worry at the time about his firm getting the records. Not an immediate concern.
Griffin brings up the testimony of Jeanne Seckinger saying she learned in the June 7 meeting Alex's father was going in the hospital and was terminal. Murdaugh says the info he got during that meeting said the doctor only thought it was pneumonia, and Jeanne is misremembering and just assuming in hindsight that the news meant Randolph was terminal.
Murdaugh says he'd reached out about a line of credit on the Moselle property around the time of the murders (the $600K line of credit mentioned in text message state presented last week). He also says there was several million dollars in combined equity in the beach house and the house/property at Moselle.
However, Maggie's death made it more difficult to obtain financing afterward because Moselle was 100% in Maggie's name, beach house was 50% in her name. He couldn't get documents signed due to estate issues in probate.
Murdaugh is asked about the June 10 hearing in the boat crash case that got canceled. Murdaugh says he wasn't concerned about the motion to compel his financial records from Tinsley, rather he was concerned about the change of venue motion filed by Parkers. Murdaugh says he also wasn't doing legal work on his own case.
He says in his entire career as an attorney, he never heard of a judge ordering someone to turn over the full financial records to the scope Mark Tinsley was asking for at that phase of trial. Murdaugh says he was expecting however to turn over a statement of net worth, and that's what he was working on in his office the afternoon of June 7, the handwritten note about which Mark Ball testified finding in Murdaugh's desk.
Murdaugh admits to stealing client money, and blames it on his opioid pain killer addiction. Hydrocodone, oxycodone, oxycontin. He hurt his knee very badly playing football in college. Had several surgeries. He was hooked on painkillers by the early-mid 2000s around the time of his final surgery to repair his knee.
Murdaugh says he first entered a clinical detox facility at home in December 2017. He'd tried to detox at home before and after that. All three times he went into clinical detox, it was at the same facility in Atlanta. He explains the detox process only cures the physical dependency in the body, not the chemical dependency in the brain (the addiction). He'd never been to rehab before Sept. 2021. He relapsed each time he came out of detox. He's been opioid free now for 535 days.
Murdaugh is certain none of his law partners were aware of his opioid addiction before he confessed when confronted by his brother Randy and Danny Henderson about stealing Sept. 3, 2021.
Murdaugh says he reached out to Blanca about his insurance information the morning of Sept. 4, 2021 so he could have it to enter rehab. Alex took a bunch of pills the day before when he was confronted, handed over what was left to Randy. Morning after, he called Eddie Smith to bring him more. Withdrawals had started, so he changed his mind and asked Eddie to kill him.
Murdaugh says it seemed like the best thing to do at the time. He had $12 million in life insurance policies.
Murdaugh describing relationship with Maggie. "Just as beautiful inside as she was outside." Adventurous. Wanted to form her own opinion. Devoted to Paul, Buster and him. Made sure they were always taken care of. Fun, playful. Contagious laugh. Playful look biting her lip and smiling that would melt you.
She didn't grow up in the country, but changed everything to become a "boy mom." Threw herself into her boys' life. She might not have had a job, but she worked so hard for the family. She wanted a big family but couldn't because pregnancy didn't suit her. There were problems with Paul's pregnancy such that they both got "in trouble."
They didn't have anymore children after that. Could fit in at the governor's mansion in a ball gown or at the food banks in Hampton and the Lowcountry. He could never hurt Maggie.
Alex talking about Paul. He was the brightest, most inquisitive young man. He wanted to be part of everything. He was a man's man. 100% country boy. Hunt anything, catch any fish, run equipment, at 22-years-old took care of so many things, so tough. But he was also so sweet.
Wouldn't come home or go near Summerville without going out of his way to visit his grandparents. Would get all his friends on a boat to go watch a sunset. How many 22-year-old's do you know who'd do stuff like that? Fiercely loyal. Cared about people.
So misrepresented in the media. Never an accurate story told about him. Challenges anyone without an ulterior motive to tell a negative story about Paul. He was helpful, glad to help anyone. He was ADHD. Would jump around from thing to thing, but he would've found his "thing" and he would've been the best at it.
He didn't even know when Paul was alive, but there was a cute girl named Julianne who said Paul always told her and friends to be present and appreciate those around you. How many 22-year-old's do you know who think that way? He was a special boy.
Alex loved Paul and Buster like no other. Would never hurt or kill Maggie or Paul under any circumstances.
Jim Griffin has no more questions for Murdaugh right now.
Cross-examination of Alex Murdaugh
Creighton Waters in cross examination. He begins by asking if Murdaugh agrees the most important part of his testimony is explaining his lie for a year and a half that he was never down at the kennels the night of June 7. Murdaugh says all of his testimony was important. But he agrees that was an important part and the first time he ever admitted it before today in court.Murdaugh doesn't dispute he's been stealing since 2010, but is not certain.
Waters asking Murdaugh about his family legacy.
Great-Grandfather Randolph Murdaugh. Founded the Murdaugh law firm, served as chief elected prosecutor (solicitor) of the SC 14th Judicial Circuit.
Grandfather Buster Murdaugh. Solicitor from 1940-1986. Lognest serving solicitor in state. Alex loved him and idolized him.
Father Randolph III ("Handsome") was the Solicitor from 1986 to 2006. Excellent lawyer. Waters notes he worked a case with Handsome.
Murdaugh worked at Moss & Kuhn in Beaufort after he got out of law school in 1994. Later joined the family law firm.
Waters asks if that family law firm closed because of his actions. Murdaugh agrees, yes.
Waters asks Murdaugh if Murdaugh was a successful trial lawyer. Murdaugh is hesitant to say successful. He agrees that if winning lots of cases and making millions of dollars is the criteria for successful, then he was successful.
Murdaugh primarily did plaintiffs work as a trial lawyer. Many automobile accidents. Led to big recoveries.
Waters asks if Murdaugh was involved in investigating the cases, and gathering the type of data in evidence in this case. Murdaugh says most of the investigating and records pulled focused on cars' black boxes, not so much telemetry data like has been prominent in this case. Waters has Murdaugh agree he's had cases where cell phone evidence such as cell towers, call logs, computer data were all relevant to his case.
Waters brings up how Murdaugh was president of the trial lawyers association.
Murdaugh agrees people probably viewed him as very successful and his family as very prominent. Murdaugh says he never thought of himself that way. Waters says he was asking about public perception. Murdaugh disagrees, he didn't think of he and his family as big shots or prominent just because of their work in the legal community.
Waters asks Murdaugh about family's ties with law enforcement though his legal work. Murdaugh agrees he had lots of professional connections, close working relationships and personal friendships within law enforcement in the 14th circuit through his work in the legal community.
Murdaugh agrees in addition to his trial work in civil litigation, he was also an assistant solicitor (prosecutor) in the 14th circuit. He assisted his dad in 4 prosecutions, led one other case. He got a badge from the 14th circuit as part of that role. Murdaugh had that badge up through 2021.
Waters asking Murdaugh about the GM OnStar data and the telemetry data the FBI salvaged through their methods. After a lot of back and forth, Murdaugh agrees the two sources of data don't contradict each other.
Murdaugh concedes he was the primary income earner for his family.
Waters asks Murdaugh about the solicitor's office badge. He'd ride around with it on his dash or in the cupholder, and show it to law enforcement if he got pulled over or something. Murdaugh admits he used the badge to get better treatment. He doesn't recall having to take an oath to get the badge. If he took any oath at all, it was signing a piece of paper.
Murdaugh had earlier said he didn't consider himself a law enforcement officer even though he carried a badge. Waters has Murdaugh read the back of the 14th circuit ID issued with his badge. The card says he's a deputy solicitor with authority to enforce law in the circuit. Murdaugh clarifies the part about deputy solicitor, saying he was a volunteer assistant solicitor. Deputy solicitor is the highest position under solicitor, he was never deputy solicitor.
Murdaugh also admits he had blue lights installed in his law firm-issued vehicle up until December 2020 when he got the new Suburban. He says he cleared it with the sheriffs in Hampton, Colleton and Allendale counties. All three were OK with it. Waters savvily seizes on Murdaugh mentioning Andy Strickland, former Colleton County Sheriff removed from office and indicted by the state grand jury for public corruption. Murdaugh mentioned they were friends.
Waters brings up how Murdaugh had his solicitor's office badge hanging out of his pocket at the hospital the night of the boat crash. Murdaugh says he doesn't recall that or even having his badge with him. Waters asks him why. Murdaugh says he can't recall. Waters suggests Murdaugh was trying to use it to his advantage. Murdaugh says flashing the badge caused law enforcement officers to warm up to him, and if he was trying to take any advantage that night, that's what it was.
Murdaugh admits he wanted to be head solicitor at some point, but gave that up as his pill problem got worse. He maintains he's certain his law partners never knew about his pill addiction.
Waters shifts back to the night of the boat crash and Murdaugh leaving his badge hanging out of his pocket. Murdaugh insists he doesn't even remember doing that. He won't concede it was intentional to have the badge hanging out like that. Could've been an accident, could've been on purpose.
He doesn't remember. Murdaugh says that looks obnoxious. He wouldn't normally carry the badge like that. Murdaugh insists he didn't use the badge to get places he shouldn't have been the night of the boat crash. He admits he went in Morgan Doughty's and Connor Cook's rooms, but claims he didn't tell them not to cooperate or not to talk to law enforcement (despite their testimony otherwise).
Waters asks Murdaugh if he knew before the murder about a state grand jury investigation into his conduct the night of the boat crash regarding obstruction of justice. Murdaugh says he's not sure when he first learned about it, before or after.
Waters tries to draw a further link between Murdaugh's knowledge of the state grand jury investigation the state grand jury probe into former Colleton County Sheriff Andy Strickland. The Defense objects to relevance, and Judge Newman sustains.
Waters asks Murdaugh about when he first started stealing from clients. Murdaugh can't recall exactly. Waters brings up how Murdaugh says his pain pill addiction was a major contributing factor, but asks about the bad land deals Murdaugh got into around the time of the Great Recession also being a factor. Murdaugh concedes they were factors.
Waters brings up how Murdaugh's law partners all testified they thought Murdaugh cured his financial problems by winning several big cases in the 2011 time frame. Murdaugh concedes his financial troubles got better, but not totally cured by those cases.
Waters refreshing Murdaugh's memory about some of these big cases he won in which he stole money from clients. Murdaugh concedes he had to lie to clients to steal their money. Waters makes the point that Murdaugh had to look each one of them in the eye and convince them he was being truthful, the same way he's doing with this jury.
Griffin objects to the comment.
Waters brings up how Murdaugh had just moments before said he wanted to admit to the financial crimes and make this quick.
Waters bringing up now more of the clients Murdaugh stole from.
Hakeem Pinckney. Rendered a quadriplegic. $10 million settlement. Murdaugh $4 million in legal fees. Waters: "But that wasn't enough for you?" Murdaugh stole additional $370K from Pinckney. $350K from Natarsha Thomas. Stole over $1.3 million from Arthur Badger and his wife's estate.
Waters again brings up Murdaugh's failed land deals. Murdaugh says the whole picture of that time period including those land investment losses contributed to his stealing. Murdaugh wouldn't concede he was living a "wealthy" lifestyle around that time. Waters points out he was making more than a million dollars a year at that time, and still stealing money.
Murdaugh haggles over the definition of wealthy.
Murdaugh concedes not all the money he was making and stealing was going toward pills. Waters says it was also going to support his wealthy lifestyle, but Murdaugh won't concede that because he can't remember exactly where the money went.
Murdaugh concedes the millions of dollars he was receiving in fees weren't enough for him to maintain his wealthy lifestyle, so he was stealing.
Waters brings up the Plyler sisters case. Mother and brother killed in wreck. Appointed Russell Laffitte at Palmetto State Bank as conservator for the girls because the father was "undesirable" (history of domestic violence, mistreatment of the children).
Waters brings up how the Plyler sisters were awarded millions of dollars, and Murdaugh and Russell Laffitte came up with the idea to take money from their accounts as "loans." Murdaugh repeatedly says he doesn't remember the specifics of the arrangements with Laffitte, but he's adamant they never "conspired" to take money from other clients to pay back the loans or giving themselves self-serving low interest rates. This contradicts testimony and evidence in the Laffitte trial.
Murdaugh is on the stand saying Russell Laffitte never knowingly helped him steal money. A federal court jury disagreed about what knowledge Laffitte apparently had of Murdaugh's thefts and his level of conspiring with Murdaugh, finding Laffitte guilty on six counts of federal bank fraud conspiracy charges.
Waters calls out Murdaugh, asking how much he practiced his line about "I stole money that didn't belong to me, I misled (the client) and I was wrong." Murdaugh says he never practiced it, that's just his (identical) answer to each theft case.
Waters brings up Deon Martin, with whose family Murdaugh became close afterward. Murdaugh falsified paperwork, stole money.
After all this back and forth and Murdaugh saying he can't remember whether he sat down face to face and lied to people, Waters gets frustrated and starts poking fun at it. Suggests Murdaugh should just write his copy-paste answer down on a piece of paper and hold it up for the jury. Murdaugh finally concedes he definitely looked clients in the eye on more than one occasion, but he can't name specific times or specific people.
Waters makes the point they're real people. Murdaugh says that's one of the saddest parts. These are real people who he cared about, and he still did them wrong.
Murdaugh is repeatedly challenged to recall details of one single specific conversation where he lied to people and convinced them he was doing right by them. Murdaugh shifts the goalposts and keeps saying he can't remember specific conversations but changes his answer to say it's with respect to specific documents in evidence Waters keeps showing him.
Court is adjourned until 9:30 Friday.
Harpootlian asks if he can interrupt Waters' cross examination in the morning to get two expert witnesses out of the way to keep costs down for having them put up in hotels over the weekend. Waters objects and Judge Newman agrees with Waters.
Harpootlian tries to say the word murder hasn't been uttered one time by the state and this is clear character assassination by allowing the prolonged questioning about the financial crimes. Newman rules a defendant's credibility is always at issue in any case and adjourns.
Court adjourned just after 5:30 p.m. and will resume at 9:30 Friday morning.
LIVE BLOG: Murdaugh Murder Trial, Day 23: Alex takes the stand
The big question on everyone's mind today: will Alex Murdaugh take the stand in his own double murder trial?Last Tuesday, sources close to Murdaugh's defense t
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Court in recess until 2:15
10:16
Waters: "Have you ever heard the expression 'Not telling the whole truth is the same as a lie?'"
Murdaugh: "Sure I have."
Waters: "Is that something you understood as a lawyer and a prosecutor?"
Murdaugh affirms.
10:15
Murdaugh believes the moment SLED asked him about his relationship with Maggie and Paul was what ultimately sent his paranoia over the edge and caused him to lie about what happened.
10:14
Waters asks if Murdaugh can watch the full first SLED interview and pinpoint the exact moment he first decided to lie? Murdaugh isn't sure.
10:13
Waters asks if he can recall the specific moment he chucked the pills he had in his pocket when SLED was turning over his clothes. He says he can't recall but it was when they were in the bedroom.
10:11
Waters says he doesn't know when he decided to lie, but it had to do with his law partners and Sheriff Hill and Chief Greg Alexander saying not to talk to anybody without a lawyer. Those things with his distrust of SLED, and them asking about his relationship with his wife and son, that triggered him to lie, triggered his paranoia. He'd been checked for GSR. He had a pocket full of pills. He'd found the bodies. He distrusted SLED. Waters asks if he interpreted his lawyers and Hill and Alexander giving him advice as a reason to lie. Murdaugh says that's a mischaracterization, that was one factor that triggered his paranoia causing him to lie.
10:06
Waters points out very early in the first SLED interview Murdaugh said "Maggie had gone to the kennels, I was at the house." Waters says this is the first instance of Murdaugh making a conscious decision of lying to SLED. Murdaugh disagrees, he hadn't decided to lie at that point, and that wasn't technically a lie.
10:01
Murdaugh in the SLED interview says he went up to both bodies and checked them for pulses. He then says he called 911 right away. It's not clear what order of events Murdaugh is giving based on this. Murdaugh says he is confident he called 911 before going up to the bodies and checking them. (In the 911 call, Murdaugh says "I've been up to it now, it's bad.")
09:57
Murdaugh says he's almost certain he didn't check their bodies in that 20 second timeframe between arriving and calling 911. Waters pulls up the very first SLED interview.
09:55
Waters asks Murdaugh about arriving back at Moselle. 10:05, drives down to the kennels after first going to the house. Waters says Murdaugh told law enforcement repeatedly he went up to the bodies and checked on them, then called 911. Murdaugh says if he said that, it's not accurate, he doesn't think that's what happened. He doesn't recall saying that either. He thinks he didn't check their bodies until he was already on the phone with 911. That's true of Paul, for sure, he says.
09:52
Waters: "The only thing you're concerned about is yourself, you're not concerned about giving accurate information to law enforcement, correct? What's the reason for that, Mr. Murdaugh? Why don't you want to give accurate information to law enforcement? Why don't you want to talk to these women who both are employed by you or your family, and influence what they're going to say?"
Murdaugh: "I did want to give law enforcement accurate information. I told a lie about being down there, and I've got myself wed to that, but I wanted to give them as much -- I knew that I hadn't done this, and I wanted to give them as much accurate information as I could."
09:49
Waters points out how Murdaugh can remember specific details of that conversation with Blanca, but not the night of the murder. Murdaugh says "you're dang right," because SLED had just told him he was a suspect in the murder very shortly before, and he knew that conversation was very important.
09:47
Waters says Murdaugh also tried to influence Blanca Simpson's testimony about the clothes he was wearing in the Snapchat video. Murdaugh says he checked with Blanca to see if she remembered his clothes that day because it was very important.
09:46
Waters says he may have told Shelly he was there 45 minutes, but he was mistaken if he did, he only wanted to talk to her to tell her to please cooperate with law enforcement.
09:44
Skipping ahead, Murdaugh is asked about the trip to Almeda to visit his mother. Waters brings up how Shelly Smith says Murdaugh tried to suggest to her he was at the house for over 30 minutes. Murdaugh believes Shelly is a good person, but he disagrees that's what happened. He knew all along the OnStar data would prove his whereabouts and times of his movements, why would he ask someone to lie about that?
09:38
Murdaugh says he always wanted Maggie to come home, and probably asked her each time he spoke to her that day to come home that night, but hadn't made a call to specifically ask her to come home (*that makes no sense... how do you asks someone multiple times to come home, but never specifically ask them to come home?) Murdaugh says he thought Maggie was probably staying at Edisto that night. In hindsight, he thinks because Maggie didn't take the dogs with her to the Edisto house, she was never planning to stay the night down there. One or both dogs would've been with her if so. Murdaugh says he only learned after the fact that Maggie came home because she was worried about him when Blanca showed him the text from Maggie saying she was worried about him.
09:32
Waters brings up Murdaugh telling law enforcement on multiple occasions Maggie was planning to stay at Edisto the night of the murders, but she came home on her own because she was worried about him. However, Waters points out Maggie's sister Marian testifying Maggie told her Alex wanted her to come home, and Maggie's text to Blanca saying Alex wanted her to come home.
09:29
Murdaugh says he didn't talk Maggie about going to Almeda at the kennels. He may have talked to her about it during dinner. At dinner they were talking Paul's high blood pressure. He doesn't recall ever specifically discussing with Maggie about going together to Almeda that night. Murdaugh says it was unusual for Maggie to go see only his mom.
09:27
Waters asks why Murdaugh didn't take a quick left to go check on Maggie and Paul before he left after the missed calls. Murdaugh says it wasn't important to do that. It wasn't odd they didn't answer the phone. There was no sense of urgency. Maggie was with Paul, she should be as safe as she could be.
09:25
(Of course, Murdaugh did manufacture an alibi when he claimed he was never at the kennels in the first place, and had been on the couch the entire time after he ate dinner.)
09:24
Murdaugh: "It is an absolute fact that I am not manufacturing and alibi as you say."
Waters: "How do you remember so much detail about everything else, but you don't remember what you were specifically doing to generate 283 steps while you're making all these phone calls in the same 4 minute period?"
Murdaugh: "I remember unequivocally without any doubt, with as clear a mind as I could have at any time, that I never manufactured any alibi in any way, shape or form because I did not and I would not hurt my wife and my child. So I know for a fact that I never ever ever created an alibi."
Waters: "Why don't you remember what you were doing for this 4-minute critical period, other than 'I was getting ready to go?'"
Murdaugh: "Well, because that's what I was doing."
09:20
Murdaugh says that's absolutely incorrect. Waters asks if it's just another coincidence -- right around the time he lied to law enforcement about one of the most important facts in the case.
09:19
Waters: "The real reason, Mr. Murdaugh, is you as a lawyer and a prosecutor are up at 9:02 finally having your phone in your hand, moving around and making all these phone calls to manufacture an alibi, is that not true?"
09:17
Murdaugh can't recall bringing up his calls to Maggie very quickly in the SLED interview.
09:17
Waters asks why all of Murdaugh's call history was deleted after the fact (when forensics experts say the only way they were deleted was manually)? Murdaugh is adamant he didn't delete them.
09:16
Waters asks why Murdaugh was making several calls during this time period of 4 minutes. Calls to his dying father in the hospital, calls to Maggie who was only 1,100 feet away. Murdaugh says they were very normal phone calls for him.
09:15
Murdaugh he says he certainly wasn't getting rid of evidence or anything as Waters has implied when he took all those steps.
09:13
Waters points out Murdaugh testified he went straight inside and lied down on the couch, and his SUV was right outside where he parked. He'd already showered and changed clothes before dinner. Why did he have to take so many steps to get ready to go to his parents' house? Murdaugh doesn't recall.
09:10
Waters asks Murdaugh to explain why he took 283 steps in a 4 minute time period from 9:02 to 9:06 when he got in the SUV - more than any other time period during the day. Murdaugh can't. He doesn't recall. Waters asks if Murdaugh was running in place?
09:08
Waters points out Maggie's phone shows it didn't disconnect from her car until 8:17. Murdaugh says it wasn't uncommon for Maggie to leave her phone in her car when she got home, then go back outside to get it
09:05
Waters asks what Murdaugh did with his phone once he got back to the house. He doesn't recall. Waters points out Murdaugh can specifically remember dropping his phone between the center console and seat to explain stopping for a long time in the driveway of his parents' house, but he can't remember if he took his phone to the kennels the night of the murder, or where he left his phone when he got back at the house.
09:02
Murdaugh says he and Paul rode around the property a long time. When Maggie got home, he left to go to the house. Murdaugh's phone shows no steps between 8:09 when he arrived at the house and 9:02 right before he left to go to Almeda. Murdaugh says he believes Paul stayed down at the shed a while. Waters GPS data shows Paul arrived at the house at 8:08.
08:57
Murdaugh concedes he probably left his phone at the house when he went to the kennels. He says he doesn't recall, but doesn't dispute it. Murdaugh says it wouldn't be unusual for him to not bring his phone for a quick trip down to the kennels when he knew he was coming right back. Murdaugh reminds the court there's very bad service all over the property.
08:54
Waters now going over the timeline with Murdaugh.
08:53
Waters asks if there was blood on the chicken when Murdaugh took it from Bubba. He says no. Murdaugh says he didn't wash his hands. Murdaugh says Maggie was not messing with the hose at all while he was there.
08:52
Judge Newman reminds everyone in the courtroom there will be no reactions to any testimony -- no cheers, jeers or otherwise.
08:49
Waters says Murdaugh took more steps between 9:02 and leaving Moselle than he had the entire day. Waters says Murdaugh thought to mention the facts about the wild cat, and told the jury he was cooperative with law enforcement in the investigation, but left out the most important details about the investigation -- that he was at the scene minutes before his wife and son were killed.
08:47
Waters makes the point Murdaugh remembered details about possibly seeing a wild cat, and thinking he heard a car pull up outside while he was lounging, but he doesn't remember specifics about the interactions with Maggie and Paul at the kennels.
08:45
Murdaugh says his story is he took the chicken from Bubba, dealt with that, said some sort of goodbye to Maggie, drove back to the house, went straight inside, TV was on, made his way to the couch, and he didn't get up until 9:02.
08:42
Waters establishes it was probably 8:46 by the time Murdaugh got off the golf cart and dealt with the chicken. Murdaugh says it could've been 8:47 when he left. Went straight back to the house. That would've put him back at the house around 8:49. Waters keeps making the point Murdaugh is fuzzy about exact details from this newly revealed story, except for the parts that fit neatly with the timeline.
08:39
Murdaugh says the dogs weren't acting strange like anybody else was around -- like dogs do. Murdaugh says definitely there was nobody else around while he was down there. He took the chicken from Bubba, put it up on the shelf, came back to the golf cart and eventually left. Murdaugh can't remember the specifics of the conversations he had with Maggie and what words he used. He's sure he told her he was leaving.
08:36
Murdaugh says it takes about 2 minutes to get from the house to the kennels in a golf cart. Paul wasn't in the kennel with Cash yet when he first arrived. He didn't tell Maggie he was going to Almeda. Murdaugh doesn't think he and Paul had ever discussed the issue with the dog's tail before that. He pulled up beside Maggie at the chicken coop and they talked a few minutes. He doesn't recall what they talked about, says Maggie was concerned about Paul at that time, may have talked about that, but doesn't recall. Murdaugh says he stayed on the golf cart until Bubba came out of the woods with the chicken.
08:31
Murdaugh reiterates he didn't want to go to the kennels at first the night of the murders, but a few minutes went by and he changed his mind because Maggie wanted him to come.
08:30
Murdaugh says he's still not exactly sure how Maggie and Paul got to the kennels, but he believes now they had to have gone down there together.
08:29
Waters reiterates how Murdaugh never told law enforcement "the most important parts" of what happened the night of the murders, even though he has tried to claim several times he's been cooperative and wanted to helpful. Murdaugh admits this on the stand now.
08:26
Murdaugh says Paul arrived home a little after he did that day. When they got back to the house after riding around the property, Maggie was already home.
08:25
Switching to the day of June 7. Murdaugh went to the law firm around noon, left a little before 6:30. Riding the property, Murdaugh says there wasn't a .300 Blackout rifle with them. All they had with them is a .22 pistol that day, but didn't have it while they were riding the property specifically. They weren't hog hunting, they were riding around looking for signs of hogs. He says you don't hunt hogs in the daytime (which is generally true).
08:21
Waters brings up the trip to the Columbia to see a baseball game the weekend before the murders. Murdaugh stayed at the hotel while Maggie and Buster and his family were at the ballpark. Texts show Maggie telling Alex not to come if he doesn't feel well because it was so hot and muggy. Waters asks Murdaugh (who has testified he would profusely sweat and feel sick because of the pills) if he was staying in the room because he was actually going through withdrawals and his family was after him to stay off the drugs. Murdaugh admits he was going through withdrawals, but doesn't admit Maggie was on him to stay off the drugs.
08:15
Murdaugh admits if the Faris vs. Mack Trucks case fees thefts had been discovered on June 7, he'd have no longer been able to borrow money from his law partner John Parker.
08:14
Murdaugh says the confrontation at the trial lawyers convention with Mark Tinsley "absolutely, unequivocally never happened."
08:14
Waters says Murdaugh was paranoid about police pulling out behind him on the street, but not the discovery of millions of dollars of thefts, wasn't paranoid about the boat case. Murdaugh says his paranoia was always related to the pills. (Yet he claimed it wasn't a big issue he'd been confronted about the pills by his family a month before the murders).
08:10
Waters points out this appears to be another instance of Murdaugh making up a new story to fit the facts in the aftermath.
08:09
Waters brings up the June 7, 2021 confrontation with Jeanne Seckinger. Murdaugh disagrees it was a confrontation, and Seckinger only feels that way now because Seckinger is hurt and angry about what Murdaugh did. He says it was so quick, he didn't take it as a confrontation.
08:07
Waters brings up how Murdaugh's own lawyers were on national TV repeating the original story as of November 2022 in an HBO interview. Griffin tries to object citing attorney client privilege. Overruled. Murdaugh believes Griffin gave that interview months earlier.
08:04
Waters asks if Murdaugh agrees the State, law enforcement and Murdaugh's friends and family all heard Murdaugh's "paranoia" story about the kennels for the first time on Thursday. Murdaugh agrees.
08:03
Waters asks if it's true the reality is Murdaugh made up the new story about the kennel video to suit the facts after Murdaugh's friends and family testified numerous times that was his voice in the kennel video. Murdaugh disagrees. Waters says it's indicative of Murdaugh's pattern behavior. Every time he's presented with facts he can't deny, he makes up a new lie. Murdaugh says that's not correct, but he admits again he's lied many times to people who trusted him.
08:00
Waters: "But you admit you never conveyed you wanted to change your story after multiple interviews with law enforcement about what happened that night, including the most important fact of all, which is when the last time you supposedly saw your wife and son alive was?"
Murdaugh: "I don't know exactly what was conveyed to you. All I know is what I was trying to do -- "
Waters: "Fair enough, you don't know."
Murdaugh: " -- which was to sit down to bring all this to a close. Sit down and go through all of these financial things and all of these things that I've done wrong."
07:56
Murdaugh tries to say he was "begging" to try to meet with the State up until the time he was charged with the murders in July 2022, but he stopped after that.
07:55
Waters asks if Murdaugh ever reached out to Mark Ball to explain himself the way he claims he wanted to explain himself to the State before yesterday. Waters brings up how Ball and all of Murdaugh's other law partners and his brothers were with him at the scene the night of the murders, and he also told them the same story about the kennels he told law enforcement. They didn't hear that new story until yesterday.
07:51
Back in questioning, Murdaugh says Waters and the State would not respond to his invitations to meet so Murdaugh could tell them all he did wrong and bring this situation to a head. Murdaugh says he made multiple requests. Waters is incredulous.
07:49
Waters: "Did you ever reach out to anyone in law enforcement or the prosecution and tell that story that you told that you told this jury yesterday about the kennels before yesterday?"
Murdaugh: No, sir, I did not.
Jim Griffin objects, saying the questioning about Murdaugh volunteering information related to the murder charges violates his 5th Amendment rights against self incrimination, and the Defense strongly objects. Further questioning along this line would force them to make a motion. Judge Newman overrules, as Waters points out Murdaugh opened this line of questioning through his statements about the State never speaking to Jim Griffin and the defense. Jim Griffin disagrees, saying Murdaugh didn't say anything like that. Judge Newman tells Griffin to sit down.
07:44
Waters asks if Murdaugh is trying to say he (Waters) never respondes to Jim Griffin?
Waters: "Are you saying that you ever before yesterday ever reached out to anyone through yourself or through your attorneys to anyone in law enforcement or the prosecution, and told them the story about the kennels?"
07:41
Waters says this is the first time anyone from the State is hearing that explanation about the pills in May 2021. Murdaugh tries to turn the tables and says he had Jim Griffin reach out to the State multiple times inviting them to sit down and meet with Alex, but the State never responded.
07:38
Murdaugh says he believes Paul smoothed over the May 2021 pills discovery by telling Maggie that Alex got them in anticipation of pain from a cataract surgery, and never took them.
07:37
Murdaugh says the family wasn't trying to get him to detox again after finding the pills in May 2021. He and Paul had a long talk after a previous incident, and he explained to Paul detox didn't work, and he promised to Paul that he would go to rehab after the criminal part of the boat case was over.
07:33
Murdaugh says Maggie and Paul and Buster had been watching him like a hawk for many years. They all had found pills at points and tried to keep him off them. They all had seen him try to detox.
07:32
Waters brings up how Maggie's sister Marian Proctor said the "little detective" nickname came from Paul watching him like a hawk regarding the pills. Murdaugh concedes that's what she testified. He says Paul confronting him in May 2021 about the pills was after Maggie found some in his computer bag, not Paul.
07:29
Waters asks about Alex calling Paul a little detective. Murdaugh says he doesn't recall saying that (he said it in a SLED interview after the murders), but says Maggie usually called Paul that. Murdaugh also adds that Paul was an intuitive little dude, same as he said in the SLED interview. Waters asks if Paul's ability to find pills contributed to that nickname. Murdaugh won't agree specifically to that.
07:26
Murdaugh says for many many years, he always had pills on him, Kept them on his person to avoid them being found. He had a pocket full of pills in the interview with SLED.
07:25
Murdaugh goes back to the paranoid thoughts he says he developed, and blamed for lying about his whereabouts the night of the murders. Murdaugh says it was usually something he could get through by taking deep breaths.
07:23
Murdaugh says he tried to self detox dozens of times. Powerful withdrawal symptoms made it too difficult.
07:22
Murdaugh is describing withdrawal symptoms in detail.
07:22
Murdaugh explains the tolerance opioid abusers build up to clarify why he took so many as time went on. Murdaugh says opioids gave him energy, made everyday things more enjoyable. He enjoyed taking them and they made him feel good, and he had to keep taking them to prevent backsliding and feeling withdrawal symptoms. He would take pills from the time he woke up until the time he went to sleep. Murdaugh says withdrawal symptoms are so bad, physically sick like the flu, that you'll do almost anything to make it stop.
07:18
Waters asks Murdaugh about his pill intake. As of January 2021, he was taking 30mg oxycontin instant release, and delayed release oxycodone each day. 1,000, 1,200, 1,500 milligrams on lower days, above 2,000 mgs sometimes. He would take 60 to 100 pills a day.
07:16
Waters asks if Murdaugh agrees he misled his staff and convincing them to go along with his thefts by preying on their trust. Murdaugh says he didn't have to do anything extra to mislead them, but allowed them to be misled knowing they trusted him,
07:14
Waters transitions to Murdaugh's pain pill addiction. Murdaugh agrees he was still able to function as a lawyer and commit all these high-level thefts despite the pill usage.
07:13
Waters asks again if Murdaugh recalls specific conversations with clients and friends who he stole from. Waters asks Murdaugh about lying to Tony Satterfield after his mother, the family housekeeper Gloria Satterfield, died in a trip and fall at the Moselle house. Murdaugh admits he looked Tony Satterfield in the eye and lied to him on multiple occasions, and in phone calls. Lied to his family too.
07:11
Waters brings up Murdaugh stealing from his friend Barrett Boulware while he was dying from cancer and needed money for his wife to have a place to stay close to the hospital. Murdaugh tries to tell a long story of his background with Boulware. Waters tries to cut him off, but then says "go ahead, tell us about your friend you stole from." Murdaugh mentions bad real estate deals with Boulware and how that really put Murdaugh in financial trouble because he was the only partner who could pay. Murdaugh says he stole from Boulware through "lies of omission" rather than lying right to his face because Boulware owed him so much money when he was dying, Murdaugh says he just stole it and didn't tell him. Lie by omission. Waters asks if that means Murdaugh felt he was entitled to steal from Boulware. Murdaugh doesn't agree, but says when you were addicted like he was and so caught up in stealing like he was, you'll justify your wrongdoing any way you can.
07:03
He agrees instances of stealing from law partners can be qualified the same way. He loved and cared for them, and they trusted him, yet he stole from them.
07:01
Regarding the people he hurt, Murdaugh agrees he had personal conversations, phone calls and in-person meetings with, and he looked them in the eye and he believed he had their trust at some point. "I believe that all the people I stole money from all those years trusted me."
06:59
Skipping ahead a bit. Waters asks Murdaugh if he agrees all the people he stole from are real people who needed their money, but Murdaugh still stole their money on top. Waters asks if Murdaugh considered his needs and wants more important than the people he stole from. Murdaugh says he has no justification in hindsight, but doesn't agree he thinks he ever sat down and rationalized he needed the money more than his clients did. He thinks he was selfish and just took the money.
06:57
Waters brings up how Murdaugh stole the attorney fees from the Faris vs. Mack Trucks case in March 2021. Murdaugh agrees the bulk of his income usually came in year-end bonuses, and the reason he stole the Faris case fees (at least partially) was because he needed money right away and couldn't wait until the end of the year ... meaning he couldn't get cash as quickly as he suggested.
06:53
Murdaugh doesn't agree with waters he was running out of liquid assets (cash on hand) leading up to June 2021. He believes he still could've borrowed money from his law partner John Parker and his father Randolph Murdaugh, and gotten more money from Palmetto State Bank as well if he wanted to.
06:50
Murdaugh acknowledges he had a $1 million line of credit & $600K line of credit at Palmetto State Bank that were maxed out in June 2021, and he was using stolen funds to pay them back. Murdaugh also acknowledges he was taking out hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans from law partner John Parker and his father Randolph. He was using stolen money to pay both back.
06:48
Murdaugh agrees he was borrowing significant amounts of money - more than he had in the past - as he got closer to June 2021 while also stealing more.
06:47
Murdaugh agrees his stealing increased over the last several years leading up to the murders. Murdaugh says again he misled people he cared about and loved, stole money from them, and he was wrong.
06:43
Waters asks if it's fair to say if Murdaugh's legal income decreased year over year after 2015. Murdaugh says there were ebbs and flows. Records Waters produces generally indicate both are true. Lower income after 2015 than before, but clear ups and downs from year to year.
06:41
Waters asks Murdaugh if his stealing increased after the boat crash in 2019. Murdaugh initially doesn't agree. Waters rephrases to say he stole more in 2019 than any other year. Murdaugh agrees.
06:40
We begin with Creighton Waters asking Murdaugh if he will agree his stealing money wasn't only going to pay for drugs. Murdaugh agrees.
Friday
10:18Court in recess until 2:15
10:16
Waters: "Have you ever heard the expression 'Not telling the whole truth is the same as a lie?'"
Murdaugh: "Sure I have."
Waters: "Is that something you understood as a lawyer and a prosecutor?"
Murdaugh affirms.
10:15
Murdaugh believes the moment SLED asked him about his relationship with Maggie and Paul was what ultimately sent his paranoia over the edge and caused him to lie about what happened.
10:14
Waters asks if Murdaugh can watch the full first SLED interview and pinpoint the exact moment he first decided to lie? Murdaugh isn't sure.
10:13
Waters asks if he can recall the specific moment he chucked the pills he had in his pocket when SLED was turning over his clothes. He says he can't recall but it was when they were in the bedroom.
10:11
Waters says he doesn't know when he decided to lie, but it had to do with his law partners and Sheriff Hill and Chief Greg Alexander saying not to talk to anybody without a lawyer. Those things with his distrust of SLED, and them asking about his relationship with his wife and son, that triggered him to lie, triggered his paranoia. He'd been checked for GSR. He had a pocket full of pills. He'd found the bodies. He distrusted SLED. Waters asks if he interpreted his lawyers and Hill and Alexander giving him advice as a reason to lie. Murdaugh says that's a mischaracterization, that was one factor that triggered his paranoia causing him to lie.
10:06
Waters points out very early in the first SLED interview Murdaugh said "Maggie had gone to the kennels, I was at the house." Waters says this is the first instance of Murdaugh making a conscious decision of lying to SLED. Murdaugh disagrees, he hadn't decided to lie at that point, and that wasn't technically a lie.
10:01
Murdaugh in the SLED interview says he went up to both bodies and checked them for pulses. He then says he called 911 right away. It's not clear what order of events Murdaugh is giving based on this. Murdaugh says he is confident he called 911 before going up to the bodies and checking them. (In the 911 call, Murdaugh says "I've been up to it now, it's bad.")
09:57
Murdaugh says he's almost certain he didn't check their bodies in that 20 second timeframe between arriving and calling 911. Waters pulls up the very first SLED interview.
09:55
Waters asks Murdaugh about arriving back at Moselle. 10:05, drives down to the kennels after first going to the house. Waters says Murdaugh told law enforcement repeatedly he went up to the bodies and checked on them, then called 911. Murdaugh says if he said that, it's not accurate, he doesn't think that's what happened. He doesn't recall saying that either. He thinks he didn't check their bodies until he was already on the phone with 911. That's true of Paul, for sure, he says.
09:52
Waters: "The only thing you're concerned about is yourself, you're not concerned about giving accurate information to law enforcement, correct? What's the reason for that, Mr. Murdaugh? Why don't you want to give accurate information to law enforcement? Why don't you want to talk to these women who both are employed by you or your family, and influence what they're going to say?"
Murdaugh: "I did want to give law enforcement accurate information. I told a lie about being down there, and I've got myself wed to that, but I wanted to give them as much -- I knew that I hadn't done this, and I wanted to give them as much accurate information as I could."
09:49
Waters points out how Murdaugh can remember specific details of that conversation with Blanca, but not the night of the murder. Murdaugh says "you're dang right," because SLED had just told him he was a suspect in the murder very shortly before, and he knew that conversation was very important.
09:47
Waters says Murdaugh also tried to influence Blanca Simpson's testimony about the clothes he was wearing in the Snapchat video. Murdaugh says he checked with Blanca to see if she remembered his clothes that day because it was very important.
09:46
Waters says he may have told Shelly he was there 45 minutes, but he was mistaken if he did, he only wanted to talk to her to tell her to please cooperate with law enforcement.
09:44
Skipping ahead, Murdaugh is asked about the trip to Almeda to visit his mother. Waters brings up how Shelly Smith says Murdaugh tried to suggest to her he was at the house for over 30 minutes. Murdaugh believes Shelly is a good person, but he disagrees that's what happened. He knew all along the OnStar data would prove his whereabouts and times of his movements, why would he ask someone to lie about that?
09:38
Murdaugh says he always wanted Maggie to come home, and probably asked her each time he spoke to her that day to come home that night, but hadn't made a call to specifically ask her to come home (*that makes no sense... how do you asks someone multiple times to come home, but never specifically ask them to come home?) Murdaugh says he thought Maggie was probably staying at Edisto that night. In hindsight, he thinks because Maggie didn't take the dogs with her to the Edisto house, she was never planning to stay the night down there. One or both dogs would've been with her if so. Murdaugh says he only learned after the fact that Maggie came home because she was worried about him when Blanca showed him the text from Maggie saying she was worried about him.
09:32
Waters brings up Murdaugh telling law enforcement on multiple occasions Maggie was planning to stay at Edisto the night of the murders, but she came home on her own because she was worried about him. However, Waters points out Maggie's sister Marian testifying Maggie told her Alex wanted her to come home, and Maggie's text to Blanca saying Alex wanted her to come home.
09:29
Murdaugh says he didn't talk Maggie about going to Almeda at the kennels. He may have talked to her about it during dinner. At dinner they were talking Paul's high blood pressure. He doesn't recall ever specifically discussing with Maggie about going together to Almeda that night. Murdaugh says it was unusual for Maggie to go see only his mom.
09:27
Waters asks why Murdaugh didn't take a quick left to go check on Maggie and Paul before he left after the missed calls. Murdaugh says it wasn't important to do that. It wasn't odd they didn't answer the phone. There was no sense of urgency. Maggie was with Paul, she should be as safe as she could be.
09:25
(Of course, Murdaugh did manufacture an alibi when he claimed he was never at the kennels in the first place, and had been on the couch the entire time after he ate dinner.)
09:24
Murdaugh: "It is an absolute fact that I am not manufacturing and alibi as you say."
Waters: "How do you remember so much detail about everything else, but you don't remember what you were specifically doing to generate 283 steps while you're making all these phone calls in the same 4 minute period?"
Murdaugh: "I remember unequivocally without any doubt, with as clear a mind as I could have at any time, that I never manufactured any alibi in any way, shape or form because I did not and I would not hurt my wife and my child. So I know for a fact that I never ever ever created an alibi."
Waters: "Why don't you remember what you were doing for this 4-minute critical period, other than 'I was getting ready to go?'"
Murdaugh: "Well, because that's what I was doing."
09:20
Murdaugh says that's absolutely incorrect. Waters asks if it's just another coincidence -- right around the time he lied to law enforcement about one of the most important facts in the case.
09:19
Waters: "The real reason, Mr. Murdaugh, is you as a lawyer and a prosecutor are up at 9:02 finally having your phone in your hand, moving around and making all these phone calls to manufacture an alibi, is that not true?"
09:17
Murdaugh can't recall bringing up his calls to Maggie very quickly in the SLED interview.
09:17
Waters asks why all of Murdaugh's call history was deleted after the fact (when forensics experts say the only way they were deleted was manually)? Murdaugh is adamant he didn't delete them.
09:16
Waters asks why Murdaugh was making several calls during this time period of 4 minutes. Calls to his dying father in the hospital, calls to Maggie who was only 1,100 feet away. Murdaugh says they were very normal phone calls for him.
09:15
Murdaugh he says he certainly wasn't getting rid of evidence or anything as Waters has implied when he took all those steps.
09:13
Waters points out Murdaugh testified he went straight inside and lied down on the couch, and his SUV was right outside where he parked. He'd already showered and changed clothes before dinner. Why did he have to take so many steps to get ready to go to his parents' house? Murdaugh doesn't recall.
09:10
Waters asks Murdaugh to explain why he took 283 steps in a 4 minute time period from 9:02 to 9:06 when he got in the SUV - more than any other time period during the day. Murdaugh can't. He doesn't recall. Waters asks if Murdaugh was running in place?
09:08
Waters points out Maggie's phone shows it didn't disconnect from her car until 8:17. Murdaugh says it wasn't uncommon for Maggie to leave her phone in her car when she got home, then go back outside to get it
09:05
Waters asks what Murdaugh did with his phone once he got back to the house. He doesn't recall. Waters points out Murdaugh can specifically remember dropping his phone between the center console and seat to explain stopping for a long time in the driveway of his parents' house, but he can't remember if he took his phone to the kennels the night of the murder, or where he left his phone when he got back at the house.
09:02
Murdaugh says he and Paul rode around the property a long time. When Maggie got home, he left to go to the house. Murdaugh's phone shows no steps between 8:09 when he arrived at the house and 9:02 right before he left to go to Almeda. Murdaugh says he believes Paul stayed down at the shed a while. Waters GPS data shows Paul arrived at the house at 8:08.
08:57
Murdaugh concedes he probably left his phone at the house when he went to the kennels. He says he doesn't recall, but doesn't dispute it. Murdaugh says it wouldn't be unusual for him to not bring his phone for a quick trip down to the kennels when he knew he was coming right back. Murdaugh reminds the court there's very bad service all over the property.
08:54
Waters now going over the timeline with Murdaugh.
08:53
Waters asks if there was blood on the chicken when Murdaugh took it from Bubba. He says no. Murdaugh says he didn't wash his hands. Murdaugh says Maggie was not messing with the hose at all while he was there.
08:52
Judge Newman reminds everyone in the courtroom there will be no reactions to any testimony -- no cheers, jeers or otherwise.
08:49
Waters says Murdaugh took more steps between 9:02 and leaving Moselle than he had the entire day. Waters says Murdaugh thought to mention the facts about the wild cat, and told the jury he was cooperative with law enforcement in the investigation, but left out the most important details about the investigation -- that he was at the scene minutes before his wife and son were killed.
08:47
Waters makes the point Murdaugh remembered details about possibly seeing a wild cat, and thinking he heard a car pull up outside while he was lounging, but he doesn't remember specifics about the interactions with Maggie and Paul at the kennels.
08:45
Murdaugh says his story is he took the chicken from Bubba, dealt with that, said some sort of goodbye to Maggie, drove back to the house, went straight inside, TV was on, made his way to the couch, and he didn't get up until 9:02.
08:42
Waters establishes it was probably 8:46 by the time Murdaugh got off the golf cart and dealt with the chicken. Murdaugh says it could've been 8:47 when he left. Went straight back to the house. That would've put him back at the house around 8:49. Waters keeps making the point Murdaugh is fuzzy about exact details from this newly revealed story, except for the parts that fit neatly with the timeline.
08:39
Murdaugh says the dogs weren't acting strange like anybody else was around -- like dogs do. Murdaugh says definitely there was nobody else around while he was down there. He took the chicken from Bubba, put it up on the shelf, came back to the golf cart and eventually left. Murdaugh can't remember the specifics of the conversations he had with Maggie and what words he used. He's sure he told her he was leaving.
08:36
Murdaugh says it takes about 2 minutes to get from the house to the kennels in a golf cart. Paul wasn't in the kennel with Cash yet when he first arrived. He didn't tell Maggie he was going to Almeda. Murdaugh doesn't think he and Paul had ever discussed the issue with the dog's tail before that. He pulled up beside Maggie at the chicken coop and they talked a few minutes. He doesn't recall what they talked about, says Maggie was concerned about Paul at that time, may have talked about that, but doesn't recall. Murdaugh says he stayed on the golf cart until Bubba came out of the woods with the chicken.
08:31
Murdaugh reiterates he didn't want to go to the kennels at first the night of the murders, but a few minutes went by and he changed his mind because Maggie wanted him to come.
08:30
Murdaugh says he's still not exactly sure how Maggie and Paul got to the kennels, but he believes now they had to have gone down there together.
08:29
Waters reiterates how Murdaugh never told law enforcement "the most important parts" of what happened the night of the murders, even though he has tried to claim several times he's been cooperative and wanted to helpful. Murdaugh admits this on the stand now.
08:26
Murdaugh says Paul arrived home a little after he did that day. When they got back to the house after riding around the property, Maggie was already home.
08:25
Switching to the day of June 7. Murdaugh went to the law firm around noon, left a little before 6:30. Riding the property, Murdaugh says there wasn't a .300 Blackout rifle with them. All they had with them is a .22 pistol that day, but didn't have it while they were riding the property specifically. They weren't hog hunting, they were riding around looking for signs of hogs. He says you don't hunt hogs in the daytime (which is generally true).
08:21
Waters brings up the trip to the Columbia to see a baseball game the weekend before the murders. Murdaugh stayed at the hotel while Maggie and Buster and his family were at the ballpark. Texts show Maggie telling Alex not to come if he doesn't feel well because it was so hot and muggy. Waters asks Murdaugh (who has testified he would profusely sweat and feel sick because of the pills) if he was staying in the room because he was actually going through withdrawals and his family was after him to stay off the drugs. Murdaugh admits he was going through withdrawals, but doesn't admit Maggie was on him to stay off the drugs.
08:15
Murdaugh admits if the Faris vs. Mack Trucks case fees thefts had been discovered on June 7, he'd have no longer been able to borrow money from his law partner John Parker.
08:14
Murdaugh says the confrontation at the trial lawyers convention with Mark Tinsley "absolutely, unequivocally never happened."
08:14
Waters says Murdaugh was paranoid about police pulling out behind him on the street, but not the discovery of millions of dollars of thefts, wasn't paranoid about the boat case. Murdaugh says his paranoia was always related to the pills. (Yet he claimed it wasn't a big issue he'd been confronted about the pills by his family a month before the murders).
08:10
Waters points out this appears to be another instance of Murdaugh making up a new story to fit the facts in the aftermath.
08:09
Waters brings up the June 7, 2021 confrontation with Jeanne Seckinger. Murdaugh disagrees it was a confrontation, and Seckinger only feels that way now because Seckinger is hurt and angry about what Murdaugh did. He says it was so quick, he didn't take it as a confrontation.
08:07
Waters brings up how Murdaugh's own lawyers were on national TV repeating the original story as of November 2022 in an HBO interview. Griffin tries to object citing attorney client privilege. Overruled. Murdaugh believes Griffin gave that interview months earlier.
08:04
Waters asks if Murdaugh agrees the State, law enforcement and Murdaugh's friends and family all heard Murdaugh's "paranoia" story about the kennels for the first time on Thursday. Murdaugh agrees.
08:03
Waters asks if it's true the reality is Murdaugh made up the new story about the kennel video to suit the facts after Murdaugh's friends and family testified numerous times that was his voice in the kennel video. Murdaugh disagrees. Waters says it's indicative of Murdaugh's pattern behavior. Every time he's presented with facts he can't deny, he makes up a new lie. Murdaugh says that's not correct, but he admits again he's lied many times to people who trusted him.
08:00
Waters: "But you admit you never conveyed you wanted to change your story after multiple interviews with law enforcement about what happened that night, including the most important fact of all, which is when the last time you supposedly saw your wife and son alive was?"
Murdaugh: "I don't know exactly what was conveyed to you. All I know is what I was trying to do -- "
Waters: "Fair enough, you don't know."
Murdaugh: " -- which was to sit down to bring all this to a close. Sit down and go through all of these financial things and all of these things that I've done wrong."
07:56
Murdaugh tries to say he was "begging" to try to meet with the State up until the time he was charged with the murders in July 2022, but he stopped after that.
07:55
Waters asks if Murdaugh ever reached out to Mark Ball to explain himself the way he claims he wanted to explain himself to the State before yesterday. Waters brings up how Ball and all of Murdaugh's other law partners and his brothers were with him at the scene the night of the murders, and he also told them the same story about the kennels he told law enforcement. They didn't hear that new story until yesterday.
07:51
Back in questioning, Murdaugh says Waters and the State would not respond to his invitations to meet so Murdaugh could tell them all he did wrong and bring this situation to a head. Murdaugh says he made multiple requests. Waters is incredulous.
07:49
Waters: "Did you ever reach out to anyone in law enforcement or the prosecution and tell that story that you told that you told this jury yesterday about the kennels before yesterday?"
Murdaugh: No, sir, I did not.
Jim Griffin objects, saying the questioning about Murdaugh volunteering information related to the murder charges violates his 5th Amendment rights against self incrimination, and the Defense strongly objects. Further questioning along this line would force them to make a motion. Judge Newman overrules, as Waters points out Murdaugh opened this line of questioning through his statements about the State never speaking to Jim Griffin and the defense. Jim Griffin disagrees, saying Murdaugh didn't say anything like that. Judge Newman tells Griffin to sit down.
07:44
Waters asks if Murdaugh is trying to say he (Waters) never respondes to Jim Griffin?
Waters: "Are you saying that you ever before yesterday ever reached out to anyone through yourself or through your attorneys to anyone in law enforcement or the prosecution, and told them the story about the kennels?"
07:41
Waters says this is the first time anyone from the State is hearing that explanation about the pills in May 2021. Murdaugh tries to turn the tables and says he had Jim Griffin reach out to the State multiple times inviting them to sit down and meet with Alex, but the State never responded.
07:38
Murdaugh says he believes Paul smoothed over the May 2021 pills discovery by telling Maggie that Alex got them in anticipation of pain from a cataract surgery, and never took them.
07:37
Murdaugh says the family wasn't trying to get him to detox again after finding the pills in May 2021. He and Paul had a long talk after a previous incident, and he explained to Paul detox didn't work, and he promised to Paul that he would go to rehab after the criminal part of the boat case was over.
07:33
Murdaugh says Maggie and Paul and Buster had been watching him like a hawk for many years. They all had found pills at points and tried to keep him off them. They all had seen him try to detox.
07:32
Waters brings up how Maggie's sister Marian Proctor said the "little detective" nickname came from Paul watching him like a hawk regarding the pills. Murdaugh concedes that's what she testified. He says Paul confronting him in May 2021 about the pills was after Maggie found some in his computer bag, not Paul.
07:29
Waters asks about Alex calling Paul a little detective. Murdaugh says he doesn't recall saying that (he said it in a SLED interview after the murders), but says Maggie usually called Paul that. Murdaugh also adds that Paul was an intuitive little dude, same as he said in the SLED interview. Waters asks if Paul's ability to find pills contributed to that nickname. Murdaugh won't agree specifically to that.
07:26
Murdaugh says for many many years, he always had pills on him, Kept them on his person to avoid them being found. He had a pocket full of pills in the interview with SLED.
07:25
Murdaugh goes back to the paranoid thoughts he says he developed, and blamed for lying about his whereabouts the night of the murders. Murdaugh says it was usually something he could get through by taking deep breaths.
07:23
Murdaugh says he tried to self detox dozens of times. Powerful withdrawal symptoms made it too difficult.
07:22
Murdaugh is describing withdrawal symptoms in detail.
07:22
Murdaugh explains the tolerance opioid abusers build up to clarify why he took so many as time went on. Murdaugh says opioids gave him energy, made everyday things more enjoyable. He enjoyed taking them and they made him feel good, and he had to keep taking them to prevent backsliding and feeling withdrawal symptoms. He would take pills from the time he woke up until the time he went to sleep. Murdaugh says withdrawal symptoms are so bad, physically sick like the flu, that you'll do almost anything to make it stop.
07:18
Waters asks Murdaugh about his pill intake. As of January 2021, he was taking 30mg oxycontin instant release, and delayed release oxycodone each day. 1,000, 1,200, 1,500 milligrams on lower days, above 2,000 mgs sometimes. He would take 60 to 100 pills a day.
07:16
Waters asks if Murdaugh agrees he misled his staff and convincing them to go along with his thefts by preying on their trust. Murdaugh says he didn't have to do anything extra to mislead them, but allowed them to be misled knowing they trusted him,
07:14
Waters transitions to Murdaugh's pain pill addiction. Murdaugh agrees he was still able to function as a lawyer and commit all these high-level thefts despite the pill usage.
07:13
Waters asks again if Murdaugh recalls specific conversations with clients and friends who he stole from. Waters asks Murdaugh about lying to Tony Satterfield after his mother, the family housekeeper Gloria Satterfield, died in a trip and fall at the Moselle house. Murdaugh admits he looked Tony Satterfield in the eye and lied to him on multiple occasions, and in phone calls. Lied to his family too.
07:11
Waters brings up Murdaugh stealing from his friend Barrett Boulware while he was dying from cancer and needed money for his wife to have a place to stay close to the hospital. Murdaugh tries to tell a long story of his background with Boulware. Waters tries to cut him off, but then says "go ahead, tell us about your friend you stole from." Murdaugh mentions bad real estate deals with Boulware and how that really put Murdaugh in financial trouble because he was the only partner who could pay. Murdaugh says he stole from Boulware through "lies of omission" rather than lying right to his face because Boulware owed him so much money when he was dying, Murdaugh says he just stole it and didn't tell him. Lie by omission. Waters asks if that means Murdaugh felt he was entitled to steal from Boulware. Murdaugh doesn't agree, but says when you were addicted like he was and so caught up in stealing like he was, you'll justify your wrongdoing any way you can.
07:03
He agrees instances of stealing from law partners can be qualified the same way. He loved and cared for them, and they trusted him, yet he stole from them.
07:01
Regarding the people he hurt, Murdaugh agrees he had personal conversations, phone calls and in-person meetings with, and he looked them in the eye and he believed he had their trust at some point. "I believe that all the people I stole money from all those years trusted me."
06:59
Skipping ahead a bit. Waters asks Murdaugh if he agrees all the people he stole from are real people who needed their money, but Murdaugh still stole their money on top. Waters asks if Murdaugh considered his needs and wants more important than the people he stole from. Murdaugh says he has no justification in hindsight, but doesn't agree he thinks he ever sat down and rationalized he needed the money more than his clients did. He thinks he was selfish and just took the money.
06:57
Waters brings up how Murdaugh stole the attorney fees from the Faris vs. Mack Trucks case in March 2021. Murdaugh agrees the bulk of his income usually came in year-end bonuses, and the reason he stole the Faris case fees (at least partially) was because he needed money right away and couldn't wait until the end of the year ... meaning he couldn't get cash as quickly as he suggested.
06:53
Murdaugh doesn't agree with waters he was running out of liquid assets (cash on hand) leading up to June 2021. He believes he still could've borrowed money from his law partner John Parker and his father Randolph Murdaugh, and gotten more money from Palmetto State Bank as well if he wanted to.
06:50
Murdaugh acknowledges he had a $1 million line of credit & $600K line of credit at Palmetto State Bank that were maxed out in June 2021, and he was using stolen funds to pay them back. Murdaugh also acknowledges he was taking out hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans from law partner John Parker and his father Randolph. He was using stolen money to pay both back.
06:48
Murdaugh agrees he was borrowing significant amounts of money - more than he had in the past - as he got closer to June 2021 while also stealing more.
06:47
Murdaugh agrees his stealing increased over the last several years leading up to the murders. Murdaugh says again he misled people he cared about and loved, stole money from them, and he was wrong.
06:43
Waters asks if it's fair to say if Murdaugh's legal income decreased year over year after 2015. Murdaugh says there were ebbs and flows. Records Waters produces generally indicate both are true. Lower income after 2015 than before, but clear ups and downs from year to year.
06:41
Waters asks Murdaugh if his stealing increased after the boat crash in 2019. Murdaugh initially doesn't agree. Waters rephrases to say he stole more in 2019 than any other year. Murdaugh agrees.
06:40
We begin with Creighton Waters asking Murdaugh if he will agree his stealing money wasn't only going to pay for drugs. Murdaugh agrees.
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LIVESTREAM: Murdaugh Murder Trial - Feb. 24, LIVE BLOG, pm.
Murdaugh is off the stand. Defense has 4 more witnesses to call Monday and will rest their case. The State will have 2 reply witnesses. They anticipate closing arguments and jury charge by Tuesday or Wednesday. Judge Newman will not impose time limits on closing arguments. Griffin and Harpootlian want to split handling the defense's closing arguments. They will agree to a 2-hour limit. Newman says it is unprecedented in the State of South Carolina, he's not inclined to allow it, but will consider it. Newman wants proposed jury charge instructions by Monday night. Court is adjourned for the weekend.
13:50
Murdaugh says he would hurt himself before he would ever hurt Maggie and Paul if he were truly under the pressure State alleges.
13:49
Murdaugh says his primary motivation in staging the roadside shooting to look like a murder was so it wouldn't look like a suicide so his surviving son Buster wouldn't have to know he killed himself.
13:45
Murdaugh says again he didn't kill Maggie and Paul.
13:31
Murdaugh says he wasn't lying when he gave inaccurate times to law enforcement, he was just bad at times.
13:30
Murdaugh reiterates he asked several times if SLED had gotten the location data off everyone's devices because he felt he knew the murderers had her phone at some point and the location data could prove her phone and his phone and his SUV had never been in the same place.
13:27
Murdaugh says he never had Maggie's phone with him the night of the murders. He was never walking with the phone during the time period shown where there were several steps recorded after the apparent times of the murders.
13:18
Griffin asks where all the money went from the Faris fees theft? Murdaugh says over $500K went to Eddie Smith for pills. He is an addict, and he was worried about his addiction and pill abuse being exposed.
13:16
Murdaugh is back on the Stand, Jim Griffin in redirect with Murdaugh.
13:16
Waters: "But you still told the same lie. And all those reasons that you just gave this jury about the most important part of your testimony was a lie, too. Isn't that true, Mr. Murdaugh?"
Murdaugh: "I disagree with that."
Waters has no further questions for the State.
13:15
Waters plays the body camera video of the first responding deputy on the scene, before any of those several factors Murdaugh cited as his reason for lying. Murdaugh lied about how long he'd been gone to his mothers, and lied about how long before he'd left Moselle it'd been since he'd seen Maggie and Paul. Waters points out SLED wasn't there yet. No one had taken GSR from his hands. His law partners, Greg Alexander nor Buddy Hill were there, and David Owen wasn't there. Murdaugh confirms that's correct.
13:12
Waters briefly recaps Murdaugh's motivations: Dope paranoia, deputy taking GSR sample, law partners and sheriff and Greg Alexander telling him he needed a lawyer before he talked to police, believing David Owen with SLED was someone else from another case that caused him to distrust SLED, that Owen asked him about his relationship with Maggie and Paul made him paranoid.
13:09
Waters: "And you testified yesterday and during cross yesterday and today -- it's kind of evolved on the facts of the factors that led you to decide to lie at some point during that interview with David Owen."
Murdaugh doesn't agree the factors have evolved, just that Creighton asked more specific questions.
13:07
Waters: "Do you remember at the beginning of your testimony I asked you whether or not you agreed that trying to explain your presence on the kennel video was the most important part of your testimony before this jury. Dyou remember that? And you said not the most important. And I said, 'Well is it at least important?'"
Murdaugh agrees that's an important component, but says there are a lot of important components.
13:04
Waters: "Do you know why people lie, Mr. Murdaugh? Because they know they've done something wrong. And you've been able to lie quickly, easily and convincingly if you think it'll save your skin for well over a decade, isn't that true."
Murdaugh: "I have lied for well over a decade."
Waters: "And you want this jury to believe a story manufactured to fit the evidence that you brought forth just yesterday, after hearing this trial's worth of testimony?"
Murdaugh: "No sir, that's not correct."
13:02
Waters notes Murdaugh lied about the roadside shooting.
13:01
Waters continues: He lied to Gloria Satterfield's sons. (Murdaugh texted Tony an update in the case about 5 weeks before June 7).
13:00
Waters says Murdaugh claims that he would never hurt Maggie and Paul, but he lied to them, his Dad, his brothers, his family, Maggie's family, his best friend Chris Wilson, Barrett Boulware, his law partners, his paralegals, Jeanne Seckinger, Michael Gunn, his clients. Pamela Pinckney, Hakeem Pinckney, Natarsha Thomas, Arthur Badger, Hannah and Alaina Plyler, Deon Martin, Johnny Bush, Manuel Cristiani, Jamien Risher, Randy Drawdy, Jordan Jenks, Mary Duncan, Audrianna Haig, Angel Gary, Christopher Anderson, Elise Mallory, Thomas Moore (Murdaugh claims they never talked, he just stole),
12:53
Waters: "Mr. Murdaugh, are you a family annihilator?"
Murdaugh: "You mean like did I shoot my wife and my son?"
Waters: "Yes."
Murdaugh: "No. I would never hurt Paul Murdaugh. I would never hurt Maggie Murdaugh, under any circumstances."
12:52
Waters asks if Murdaugh was coming to a point of financial crisis. He was having financial issues like many times in the past.
12:51
Murdaugh says he was "very privileged" in his life.
12:51
Murdaugh doesn't agree he lived a life of authority.
12:50
Murdaugh concedes he was outwardly perceived as a prominent, powerful lawyer. He agrees he tried to keep up that perception.
12:49
Murdaugh says he wasn't successful in his life and career because he was an addict. Making a bunch of money doesn't change his self esteem.
12:48
Waters: "Shame for you is an extraordinary provocation, isn't it, Mr. Murdaugh?"
Murdaugh: "I don't like to be shamed."
Waters: "The prospect of humiliating your legacy is an extraordinary provocation to you, isn't it Mr. Murdaugh? It affects you deeply. It's your biggest concern, is it not?"
Murdaugh: "No, that's not my biggest concern."
12:45
Murdaugh says the story he told the day of the roadside shooting was made up on the fly because the person he asked to kill him didn't get the job done. He was supposed to die. There was no intent to gain sympathy.
12:43
Murdaugh: "There were no accountability issues on my doorstep on June 7th."
Waters: "That's what you say. Not what other people say."
12:42
Waters: "For the first time in your life of privilege and prominence and wealth, when you were facing accountability, each time suddenly you became a victim and everyone ran to your aid, isn't that true?"
Murdaugh: "I disagree with that."
12:40
Waters: "When accountability is at your door Mr. Murdaugh, bad things happen. Isn't that true?"
Murdaugh says he doesn't believe June 7th happened because accountability was at his doorstep. He says in the September roadside shooting, he did try to get a man to kill him because issues were at his doorstep.
12:38
Waters is asking Murdaugh about the detailed sketch Murdaugh helped SLED produce after the staged roadside shooting. Waters says the lies in the case were intended to make people think the real killers were back. Murdaugh disagrees that's the effect of his actions in the shooting. He doesn't think the people closest to him believed that.
12:25
Murdaugh says he couldn't borrow the full amount from Palmetto State Bank because of Maggie's death and limitations that presented in the estate process.
12:21
Waters notes Murdaugh taking out $250K loan from John Parker, $350K from Russell Laffitte at Palmetto State Bank. Then went to Chris Wilson to ask him to cover the remaining $192K with his own money. Forwarded Wilson the money from the other two loans, then emailed his law firm that Wilson had all the funds even though he'd stolen them.
12:19
Water shows Murdaugh lying about not going to the kennels in the seconds SLED interview, answering "Yes sir," when SLED agent David Owen asked if the last time he saw Maggie and Paul alive was at dinner.
12:18
Waters brings up Murdaugh for some reason bringing up in the 2nd SLED interview Paul was very intuitive and like a "little detective." Waters points out again how Marian Proctor testified her sister Maggie told her that's her nickname for Paul because of his keeping tabs on Alex's pain pill use and abuse. Murdaugh says you can ask anybody who knew Paul, and they would tell you he was very intuitive.
12:15
Waters asks if pretty much everything Murdaugh said in the first couple minutes of the second SLED interview was a lie? Murdaugh concedes, yes.
Waters: You're able to do that so easily and naturally, aren't you?
Murdaugh: That's not for me to judge.
Waters: That's true.
12:13
Waters plays the second SLED interview.
12:13
Waters notes how Murdaugh was surrounded by family and friends for days after the murders, and told the same lie to them, and never corrected himself until Thursday when he took the witness stand.
12:11
Waters plays the video of Murdaugh lying to SLED about staying on the couch 30 minutes while Maggie was at the kennels, then going straight to Almeda. Murdaugh again says he can't say exactly when he decided to lie.
12:10
Waters notes that's a very specific memory Murdaugh has about the night of the murders. Murdaugh counters again, that's just not how he normally parked it.
12:09
Waters shows Murdaugh a photo of where all the vehicles are parked outside the house at Moselle. Murdaugh indicates it's not parked where or how he'd normally park it. He believes the night of the murders he parked it how he normally would, on the opposite side of the steps from where it's parked in the photo taken the day after the murders. Murdaugh notes it's not parked how he would've parked it. You need to park it on the other side of the steps so you can be close to an outlet to charge it.
12:06
Waters asks Murdaugh why he was in such a hurry going to and from Almeda - why he was doing 70-80 mph down that dark, beat-up road? Murdaugh says he wasn't in a hurry.
12:04
Murdaugh: "You've got a lot of factors in there Mr. Waters, not all of which I agree with, but some of which I do."
12:04
Waters: "The 12-year-old, 5'2" people that just happened to know Paul and Maggie both were at Moselle on June 7, that knew that they would be at the kennels alone on June the 7th, and knew that you would not be there -- but only between the times of 8:49 and 9:02. That they show up without a weapon assuming that they're going to find weapons and ammunition there, that they commit this crime during that short time window, and then they travel the same exact route that you do around the same time to Almeda? That's what you're trying to tell this jury?"
12:04
Murdaugh doesn't agree with the assessment of "random vigilantes." But Waters points out he just said it wasn't anyone actually involved in the boat wreck.
Waters: "So you're saying it's somebody off of social media? And you don't have any evidence of that, do you?
Murdaugh: "No."
Waters: "You're just telling the jury that as you try to explain the lie that you told for the first time yesterday, isn't that right?"
Murdaugh: "No sir, that's not right."
Waters: "So what you're telling this jury is that it's a random vigilante?
Murdaugh: "That's your words."
11:56
Murdaugh: "I can tell you for a fact that the person or people who did what I saw on June the 7th, they hated Paul Murdaugh and they had anger in their heart. And that is the only, only reason that somebody could be mad at Paul-Paul like that and hate him like that. That's why I did then believe it was the boat wreck, and I believe now the boat wreck had something to do with."
11:54
Waters brings up how Murdaugh brought up the boat wreck to law enforcement immediately and repeatedly the night of the murders. Murdaugh says there was never a point in time he believed any of the kids involved in the boat wreck or any of their families had anything to do with the boat wreck. But he says the vile response from the public in the aftermath of the boat wreck has something to do with their deaths. Waters quips "random 5'2" vigilantes?" Murdaugh says he believes then and believes today somebody influenced by the media coverage of the boat wreck were responsible for murdering Paul.
11:50
Murdaugh: "But all those things that I mentioned, I believe, contributed to that."
Waters: "OK, anymore you want to add now, since you keep adding them?"
Murdaugh: "I''d be glad to answer any question you have."
Waters: "Well, I mean, I'm asking you. The factors have gone from yesterday to today and now even after lunch we've got some new ones, so anything else you want to add right now, as to factors."
Murdaugh: "Mr. Waters, I don't believe I've added any new factors. I believe that's what I said yesterday. ... I don't believe I've added any factors."
11:46
Waters pauses the SLED interview right after Murdaugh was questioned about his relationship with Maggie and Paul, and asks if this is the moment -- if that's the look on his face -- when he decided to lie. Murdaugh says no, that was not when he decided to lie, it was one of all the things that contributed to it.
11:43
Murdaugh finally explains his distrust of SLED. He was unhappy with things that had happened in the investigation of Paul's criminal charges in the boat crash case, the handling of the investigation of Stephen Smith's death with rumors about Buster and Paul's involvement (Murdaugh didn't mention Stephen Smith by name), and SLED's pursuit of charges against his friend Yemassee Police Chief Greg Alexander 10 years earlier. Murdaugh says he was concerned that night SLED agent Dave Owen (who conducted the interview) was involved in the Alexander investigation. That all contributed to his distrust of SLED and paranoia.
11:38
Waters continuing playing video of initial SLED interview with Murdaugh, and Murdaugh being unable to pinpoint when he decided to lie.
11:38
Newman says the rule Griffin tried to cite only applies to omission by suspects asserting their Miranda right to remain silent, and not speaking. He denies the motion to strike the testimony from the record.
11:37
Griffin tried to say Murdaugh was only talking about wanting to meet with the State to discuss the financial crimes, not the murders, so Waters was improper to try bringing that up with Murdaugh.
11:33
Griffin wants the testimony stricken from the record where Waters interrogated Murdaugh about his claim he had tried to meet with law enforcement many times to tell the full story, alleging it was a violation of Murdaugh's due process rights. He cited a rule saying you're not allowed to cross examine defendants about omissions in their sworn statements -- such as Murdaugh not saying telling the full story about being at the kennels.
11:27
We're back from lunch.
10:18
Court in recess until 2:15
Friday
14:00Murdaugh is off the stand. Defense has 4 more witnesses to call Monday and will rest their case. The State will have 2 reply witnesses. They anticipate closing arguments and jury charge by Tuesday or Wednesday. Judge Newman will not impose time limits on closing arguments. Griffin and Harpootlian want to split handling the defense's closing arguments. They will agree to a 2-hour limit. Newman says it is unprecedented in the State of South Carolina, he's not inclined to allow it, but will consider it. Newman wants proposed jury charge instructions by Monday night. Court is adjourned for the weekend.
13:50
Murdaugh says he would hurt himself before he would ever hurt Maggie and Paul if he were truly under the pressure State alleges.
13:49
Murdaugh says his primary motivation in staging the roadside shooting to look like a murder was so it wouldn't look like a suicide so his surviving son Buster wouldn't have to know he killed himself.
13:45
Murdaugh says again he didn't kill Maggie and Paul.
13:31
Murdaugh says he wasn't lying when he gave inaccurate times to law enforcement, he was just bad at times.
13:30
Murdaugh reiterates he asked several times if SLED had gotten the location data off everyone's devices because he felt he knew the murderers had her phone at some point and the location data could prove her phone and his phone and his SUV had never been in the same place.
13:27
Murdaugh says he never had Maggie's phone with him the night of the murders. He was never walking with the phone during the time period shown where there were several steps recorded after the apparent times of the murders.
13:18
Griffin asks where all the money went from the Faris fees theft? Murdaugh says over $500K went to Eddie Smith for pills. He is an addict, and he was worried about his addiction and pill abuse being exposed.
13:16
Murdaugh is back on the Stand, Jim Griffin in redirect with Murdaugh.
13:16
Waters: "But you still told the same lie. And all those reasons that you just gave this jury about the most important part of your testimony was a lie, too. Isn't that true, Mr. Murdaugh?"
Murdaugh: "I disagree with that."
Waters has no further questions for the State.
13:15
Waters plays the body camera video of the first responding deputy on the scene, before any of those several factors Murdaugh cited as his reason for lying. Murdaugh lied about how long he'd been gone to his mothers, and lied about how long before he'd left Moselle it'd been since he'd seen Maggie and Paul. Waters points out SLED wasn't there yet. No one had taken GSR from his hands. His law partners, Greg Alexander nor Buddy Hill were there, and David Owen wasn't there. Murdaugh confirms that's correct.
13:12
Waters briefly recaps Murdaugh's motivations: Dope paranoia, deputy taking GSR sample, law partners and sheriff and Greg Alexander telling him he needed a lawyer before he talked to police, believing David Owen with SLED was someone else from another case that caused him to distrust SLED, that Owen asked him about his relationship with Maggie and Paul made him paranoid.
13:09
Waters: "And you testified yesterday and during cross yesterday and today -- it's kind of evolved on the facts of the factors that led you to decide to lie at some point during that interview with David Owen."
Murdaugh doesn't agree the factors have evolved, just that Creighton asked more specific questions.
13:07
Waters: "Do you remember at the beginning of your testimony I asked you whether or not you agreed that trying to explain your presence on the kennel video was the most important part of your testimony before this jury. Dyou remember that? And you said not the most important. And I said, 'Well is it at least important?'"
Murdaugh agrees that's an important component, but says there are a lot of important components.
13:04
Waters: "Do you know why people lie, Mr. Murdaugh? Because they know they've done something wrong. And you've been able to lie quickly, easily and convincingly if you think it'll save your skin for well over a decade, isn't that true."
Murdaugh: "I have lied for well over a decade."
Waters: "And you want this jury to believe a story manufactured to fit the evidence that you brought forth just yesterday, after hearing this trial's worth of testimony?"
Murdaugh: "No sir, that's not correct."
13:02
Waters notes Murdaugh lied about the roadside shooting.
13:01
Waters continues: He lied to Gloria Satterfield's sons. (Murdaugh texted Tony an update in the case about 5 weeks before June 7).
13:00
Waters says Murdaugh claims that he would never hurt Maggie and Paul, but he lied to them, his Dad, his brothers, his family, Maggie's family, his best friend Chris Wilson, Barrett Boulware, his law partners, his paralegals, Jeanne Seckinger, Michael Gunn, his clients. Pamela Pinckney, Hakeem Pinckney, Natarsha Thomas, Arthur Badger, Hannah and Alaina Plyler, Deon Martin, Johnny Bush, Manuel Cristiani, Jamien Risher, Randy Drawdy, Jordan Jenks, Mary Duncan, Audrianna Haig, Angel Gary, Christopher Anderson, Elise Mallory, Thomas Moore (Murdaugh claims they never talked, he just stole),
12:53
Waters: "Mr. Murdaugh, are you a family annihilator?"
Murdaugh: "You mean like did I shoot my wife and my son?"
Waters: "Yes."
Murdaugh: "No. I would never hurt Paul Murdaugh. I would never hurt Maggie Murdaugh, under any circumstances."
12:52
Waters asks if Murdaugh was coming to a point of financial crisis. He was having financial issues like many times in the past.
12:51
Murdaugh says he was "very privileged" in his life.
12:51
Murdaugh doesn't agree he lived a life of authority.
12:50
Murdaugh concedes he was outwardly perceived as a prominent, powerful lawyer. He agrees he tried to keep up that perception.
12:49
Murdaugh says he wasn't successful in his life and career because he was an addict. Making a bunch of money doesn't change his self esteem.
12:48
Waters: "Shame for you is an extraordinary provocation, isn't it, Mr. Murdaugh?"
Murdaugh: "I don't like to be shamed."
Waters: "The prospect of humiliating your legacy is an extraordinary provocation to you, isn't it Mr. Murdaugh? It affects you deeply. It's your biggest concern, is it not?"
Murdaugh: "No, that's not my biggest concern."
12:45
Murdaugh says the story he told the day of the roadside shooting was made up on the fly because the person he asked to kill him didn't get the job done. He was supposed to die. There was no intent to gain sympathy.
12:43
Murdaugh: "There were no accountability issues on my doorstep on June 7th."
Waters: "That's what you say. Not what other people say."
12:42
Waters: "For the first time in your life of privilege and prominence and wealth, when you were facing accountability, each time suddenly you became a victim and everyone ran to your aid, isn't that true?"
Murdaugh: "I disagree with that."
12:40
Waters: "When accountability is at your door Mr. Murdaugh, bad things happen. Isn't that true?"
Murdaugh says he doesn't believe June 7th happened because accountability was at his doorstep. He says in the September roadside shooting, he did try to get a man to kill him because issues were at his doorstep.
12:38
Waters is asking Murdaugh about the detailed sketch Murdaugh helped SLED produce after the staged roadside shooting. Waters says the lies in the case were intended to make people think the real killers were back. Murdaugh disagrees that's the effect of his actions in the shooting. He doesn't think the people closest to him believed that.
12:25
Murdaugh says he couldn't borrow the full amount from Palmetto State Bank because of Maggie's death and limitations that presented in the estate process.
12:21
Waters notes Murdaugh taking out $250K loan from John Parker, $350K from Russell Laffitte at Palmetto State Bank. Then went to Chris Wilson to ask him to cover the remaining $192K with his own money. Forwarded Wilson the money from the other two loans, then emailed his law firm that Wilson had all the funds even though he'd stolen them.
12:19
Water shows Murdaugh lying about not going to the kennels in the seconds SLED interview, answering "Yes sir," when SLED agent David Owen asked if the last time he saw Maggie and Paul alive was at dinner.
12:18
Waters brings up Murdaugh for some reason bringing up in the 2nd SLED interview Paul was very intuitive and like a "little detective." Waters points out again how Marian Proctor testified her sister Maggie told her that's her nickname for Paul because of his keeping tabs on Alex's pain pill use and abuse. Murdaugh says you can ask anybody who knew Paul, and they would tell you he was very intuitive.
12:15
Waters asks if pretty much everything Murdaugh said in the first couple minutes of the second SLED interview was a lie? Murdaugh concedes, yes.
Waters: You're able to do that so easily and naturally, aren't you?
Murdaugh: That's not for me to judge.
Waters: That's true.
12:13
Waters plays the second SLED interview.
12:13
Waters notes how Murdaugh was surrounded by family and friends for days after the murders, and told the same lie to them, and never corrected himself until Thursday when he took the witness stand.
12:11
Waters plays the video of Murdaugh lying to SLED about staying on the couch 30 minutes while Maggie was at the kennels, then going straight to Almeda. Murdaugh again says he can't say exactly when he decided to lie.
12:10
Waters notes that's a very specific memory Murdaugh has about the night of the murders. Murdaugh counters again, that's just not how he normally parked it.
12:09
Waters shows Murdaugh a photo of where all the vehicles are parked outside the house at Moselle. Murdaugh indicates it's not parked where or how he'd normally park it. He believes the night of the murders he parked it how he normally would, on the opposite side of the steps from where it's parked in the photo taken the day after the murders. Murdaugh notes it's not parked how he would've parked it. You need to park it on the other side of the steps so you can be close to an outlet to charge it.
12:06
Waters asks Murdaugh why he was in such a hurry going to and from Almeda - why he was doing 70-80 mph down that dark, beat-up road? Murdaugh says he wasn't in a hurry.
12:04
Murdaugh: "You've got a lot of factors in there Mr. Waters, not all of which I agree with, but some of which I do."
12:04
Waters: "The 12-year-old, 5'2" people that just happened to know Paul and Maggie both were at Moselle on June 7, that knew that they would be at the kennels alone on June the 7th, and knew that you would not be there -- but only between the times of 8:49 and 9:02. That they show up without a weapon assuming that they're going to find weapons and ammunition there, that they commit this crime during that short time window, and then they travel the same exact route that you do around the same time to Almeda? That's what you're trying to tell this jury?"
12:04
Murdaugh doesn't agree with the assessment of "random vigilantes." But Waters points out he just said it wasn't anyone actually involved in the boat wreck.
Waters: "So you're saying it's somebody off of social media? And you don't have any evidence of that, do you?
Murdaugh: "No."
Waters: "You're just telling the jury that as you try to explain the lie that you told for the first time yesterday, isn't that right?"
Murdaugh: "No sir, that's not right."
Waters: "So what you're telling this jury is that it's a random vigilante?
Murdaugh: "That's your words."
11:56
Murdaugh: "I can tell you for a fact that the person or people who did what I saw on June the 7th, they hated Paul Murdaugh and they had anger in their heart. And that is the only, only reason that somebody could be mad at Paul-Paul like that and hate him like that. That's why I did then believe it was the boat wreck, and I believe now the boat wreck had something to do with."
11:54
Waters brings up how Murdaugh brought up the boat wreck to law enforcement immediately and repeatedly the night of the murders. Murdaugh says there was never a point in time he believed any of the kids involved in the boat wreck or any of their families had anything to do with the boat wreck. But he says the vile response from the public in the aftermath of the boat wreck has something to do with their deaths. Waters quips "random 5'2" vigilantes?" Murdaugh says he believes then and believes today somebody influenced by the media coverage of the boat wreck were responsible for murdering Paul.
11:50
Murdaugh: "But all those things that I mentioned, I believe, contributed to that."
Waters: "OK, anymore you want to add now, since you keep adding them?"
Murdaugh: "I''d be glad to answer any question you have."
Waters: "Well, I mean, I'm asking you. The factors have gone from yesterday to today and now even after lunch we've got some new ones, so anything else you want to add right now, as to factors."
Murdaugh: "Mr. Waters, I don't believe I've added any new factors. I believe that's what I said yesterday. ... I don't believe I've added any factors."
11:46
Waters pauses the SLED interview right after Murdaugh was questioned about his relationship with Maggie and Paul, and asks if this is the moment -- if that's the look on his face -- when he decided to lie. Murdaugh says no, that was not when he decided to lie, it was one of all the things that contributed to it.
11:43
Murdaugh finally explains his distrust of SLED. He was unhappy with things that had happened in the investigation of Paul's criminal charges in the boat crash case, the handling of the investigation of Stephen Smith's death with rumors about Buster and Paul's involvement (Murdaugh didn't mention Stephen Smith by name), and SLED's pursuit of charges against his friend Yemassee Police Chief Greg Alexander 10 years earlier. Murdaugh says he was concerned that night SLED agent Dave Owen (who conducted the interview) was involved in the Alexander investigation. That all contributed to his distrust of SLED and paranoia.
11:38
Waters continuing playing video of initial SLED interview with Murdaugh, and Murdaugh being unable to pinpoint when he decided to lie.
11:38
Newman says the rule Griffin tried to cite only applies to omission by suspects asserting their Miranda right to remain silent, and not speaking. He denies the motion to strike the testimony from the record.
11:37
Griffin tried to say Murdaugh was only talking about wanting to meet with the State to discuss the financial crimes, not the murders, so Waters was improper to try bringing that up with Murdaugh.
11:33
Griffin wants the testimony stricken from the record where Waters interrogated Murdaugh about his claim he had tried to meet with law enforcement many times to tell the full story, alleging it was a violation of Murdaugh's due process rights. He cited a rule saying you're not allowed to cross examine defendants about omissions in their sworn statements -- such as Murdaugh not saying telling the full story about being at the kennels.
11:27
We're back from lunch.
10:18
Court in recess until 2:15
Seattle1
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Alex Murdaugh was 'not being truthful' during his 'anxious' court testimony
DURING Alex Murdaugh’s testimony at his murder trial on Thursday, there were multiple body language cues that could indicate he was lying, one expert has claimed. The scion to a powerful…
www.the-sun.com
Seattle1
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Alex Murdaugh facing new misdemeanor charge
WALTERBORO, S.C. (WCBD)- Disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh is facing a new charge in Colleton County, according to jail records. Limited details are available, but jail records indicate deputies rec…
www.counton2.com
2/24/24
WALTERBORO, S.C. (WCBD)- Disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh is facing a new charge in Colleton County, according to jail records.
Limited details are available, but jail records indicate deputies received an arrest warrant for a misdemeanor charge sometime on Thursday.
Murdaugh currently stands on trial in the alleged killing of his wife Maggie and son Paul at their family property in June 2021.
News 2 has reached out to the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office for more information.
Seattle1
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20-year-old indicted in death of Mallory Beach
A 20-year-old man has been charged in the death of Mallory Beach, a 19-year-old killed in a boat crash in the Lowcountry in February.
www.wsav.com
Updated: Apr 19, 2019 / 10:55 AM EDT
BEAUFORT COUNTY, S.C. (WSAV) – A 20-year-old man has been charged in the death of Mallory Beach, a 19-year-old killed in a boat crash in the Lowcountry in February.
Paul Murdaugh has been indicted on three felony charges by a Beaufort County Grand Jury: boating under the influence (BUI) causing death and two counts boating under the influence causing great bodily injury.
As of late Thursday afternoon, Murdaugh was not in the custody of law enforcement. He may not end up being taken into custody at all until his arraignment hearing, the date of which has not yet been set.
If convicted, Murdaugh could get between 1 and 25 years for the BUI causing death as well as 30 days to 15 years for the other charges.
The indictment comes on what would have been Beach’s 20th birthday.
[..]
The S.C. Attorney General’s Office will be prosecuting the case. They were handed over the investigation by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) on Thursday.
[..]
Because of their close ties to the Murdaugh family, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office and two circuit court judges have recused themselves from the case.
ETA: add link to 5/6/19 arraignment hearing
Man pleads not guilty in deadly boat crash in Beaufort County
Paul Murdaugh, 20, appeared in a Beaufort County court on Monday to plead not guilty to one count of boating under the influence causing death and two counts of BUI causing great bodily i…
www.wsav.com
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