SC - Paul Murdaugh & mom Margaret Found Shot To Death - Alex Murdaugh Accused - Islandton #16

[Snoopster]

I have not caught up entirely with the testimony today, but I definitely had a chuckle when defensive counsel asked Det. Rutland how she could have seen the area around PM's body as it was covered with a sheet. She responded that the sheet only covered him close to his body. Defense then snarkily asked if it was a fitted sheet. Det. Rutland replied, "no, but it wasn't a queen sheet either".

<chef's kiss>

(I'm sorry if I am making light of this, but I never lose sight that this case is about the horrific murder of two people. Just sometimes I need a mental break from the reason for this trial.)

 

[Eagle2123]

Also, just wanted to state. AM says they had a dinner together? It must’ve been fast food if it only lasted 15 minutes. That seems more like an eat and run kind of dinner to me. Apparently it wasn’t a “somebody cooked and we had family dinner”. Apparently AM says he napped through it all as well. According to the timeline of MM arriving and PM heading to the kennel.

 

[Warwick7]

The phone situation is puzzling. Why pick up PMs phone only to leave it. And yet take MMs phone and dispose of it down the road? Were there 2 killers? There were 2 guns and 2 different actions regarding phones. Or was PMs killer interrupted and that's why he dropped the phone?

My guess is he wanted to get inside Paul's phone, only to find out it was locked. As for MM I feel he was setting up a scenario of a stranger killing her and ditching the phone.
Moo

 

[Warwick7]

OK, it was AM's defense that came out and painted 22-year-old PM as very irresponsible -- blaming him for losing the missing weapon and other assets from Moselle!

And if PM took care of his F-250 like he did the boat he crashed, it could have been PM neglected to respond to a warning light and the truck's computer defaulted to "limp mode" which makes the vehicle inoperable. I think following the BOLO report by LE, somebody got the vehicle to the residence the following day to be searched. MOO

View attachment 398291

Paul Murdaugh's truck was missing from murder scene, deputy testifies

Deputy Jason Chapman testified that a Ford F-250 belonging to Paul Murdaugh was missing from the home on Moselle Road where he was killed.

www.wndu.com

Bingo! Bam!! Spelled out logically.

 

[Eagle2123]

My guess is he wanted to get inside Paul's phone, only to find out it was locked. As for MM I feel he was setting up a scenario of a stranger killing her and ditching the phone.
Moo

He sure did IMO

 

[Warwick7]

Not sure this matters, but just an fyi that the Defense claimed in opening that there is a video of Paul and Alex riding around looking at trees they planted at 7:30 or 8:00 pm the night of the murders. Not sure how close they were to the kennels on this alleged ride. My understanding is that Paul and John Marvin switched vehicles on the day of the murders -- to me that means Paul would have probably driven John Marvin's vehicle to Moselle. But maybe I'm wrong about that. I haven't listened to all the testimony but I haven't heard anything about John Marvin's vehicle being at Moselle. JMO.

Also PM left Okatie for Moselle at around 6:00 p.m.

Maggie Murdaugh Was Lured To Moselle On The Night Of Her Murder

Latest in the Murdaugh Murders Saga: Maggie Murdaugh was lured to the family's Moselle hunting property the night she was killed.

www.fitsnews.com

 

[Eagle2123]

I believe personally he thought by throwing her phone away those texts between them were going with it. AM isn’t savvy with tech and I believe the “bombshells“ drop when the phones are brought into evidence

 

[Eagle2123]

Also PM left Okatie for Moselle at around 6:00 p.m.

Maggie Murdaugh Was Lured To Moselle On The Night Of Her Murder

Latest in the Murdaugh Murders Saga: Maggie Murdaugh was lured to the family's Moselle hunting property the night she was killed.

www.fitsnews.com

Does anyone else think the side by side/ATV is how MM and PM got to the kennels. Seems the most plausible explanation on such a large property. They went down to run the dogs/feed. AM follows With suburban. He leaves scene for his mom‘s and tosses the gun and cell phone along the way?

 

[Warwick7]

Does anyone else think the side by side/ATV is how MM and PM got to the kennels. Seems the most plausible explanation on such a large property. They went down to run the dogs/feed. AM follows With suburban. He leaves scene for his mom‘s and tosses the gun and cell phone along the way?

Up until today I didn't know there was an ATV. Yes, I do think it was used to transport MM. I think PM walked down ( I can see a young man scarfing down the last bit of his Burger as he walks down to the kennels because his buddy is texted him). I feel AM drove down inhis vehicle.

 

[Warwick7]

Also "Maggie had expressed her hesitancy to meet with her estranged husband to at least three other people in her life..."

Three different people! These texts have timestamps.

Maggie Murdaugh Was Lured To Moselle On The Night Of Her Murder

Latest in the Murdaugh Murders Saga: Maggie Murdaugh was lured to the family's Moselle hunting property the night she was killed.

www.fitsnews.com

 

[Snoopster]

I'm STILL far from catching up and continue to watch Det. Rutland's testimony and cross.
Defense asked her if she considered AM, who 'was cooperating the night of June 7 and the morning of June 8, a suspect. She replied that she did as she considered everyone a suspect. Defense pressed and said, well not everyone. Rutland again replied saying that that was why they asked probing questions such as who PM's friends were and who might have threatened him and that they considered everyone a suspect, including AM.

Defense didn't know where to go from there and looked lost for a few seconds. They then moved on to another line of questionning.

I'm sure if LE hadn't considered everyone a potential suspect they would have been accused of tunnel vision. Of course we know that defense is going for the angle that AM was the presumed suspect from the get-go. Rutland told them otherwise. She is straight to the point, clear and professional.

I'm heading back to the court video but not make it to the end at this pace!

 

[otto]

I believe personally he thought by throwing her phone away those texts between them were going with it. AM isn’t savvy with tech and I believe the “bombshells“ drop when the phones are brought into evidence

I guess Alex didn't know that Maggie and her sons used a tracking app to keep tabs on each other.


"Friends of Maggie say that Paul and Buster were the center of her life. Multiple sources have told FITSNews that “Maggie Murdaugh lived for those boys.”

She knew of their whereabouts at all times, and they knew hers. In fact, Buster had an app on his phone that showed his mother’s location through her phone. It is this app that helped investigators locate her discarded phone in the woods."

Maggie Murdaugh Was Lured To Moselle On The Night Of Her Murder

Latest in the Murdaugh Murders Saga: Maggie Murdaugh was lured to the family's Moselle hunting property the night she was killed.

www.fitsnews.com

 

[KentuckyFilly79]

I've tried to get caught up since I got off work this evening... I've listened to the State's Opening Statement and tried to catch up on everything from today including listening to the interview of AM in the SLED vehicle. From what I've seen/heard thus far, the most damning evidence seems to be the Snapchat video with Alex's voice being heard at the kennels where he swears he never was. Also the fact that there is a blood stain IN Paul's pocket. If Alex hadn't admitted to the handling the phone when he tried to roll Paul over, this wouldn't be that damning. Unfortunately for him, he did admit to handling it, he just failed to get the facts correct to match the evidence so now it looks worse for him.

 

[AskMeNoQuestions]

The phone situation is puzzling. Why pick up PMs phone only to leave it. And yet take MMs phone and dispose of it down the road? Were there 2 killers? There were 2 guns and 2 different actions regarding phones. Or was PMs killer interrupted and that's why he dropped the phone?

Also, do I remember Paul sent the snapchat to his friend, and a bit later his friend replied but got no answer? Perhaps the phone gave out a notification and shooter just HAD to see what it was

 

[otto]

Up until today I didn't know there was an ATV. Yes, I do think it was used to transport MM. I think PM walked down ( I can see a young man scarfing down the last bit of his Burger as he walks down to the kennels because his buddy is texted him). I feel AM drove down inhis vehicle.

Sounds like Maggie brought supper at 8:15 and Paul, as you say, scarfed it down before heading to the kennel to check his friend's dog. Alex joined him, I suppose, ATV. Then Maggie joined them.

Two ATVs or one?

All three were at the kennel at 8:45 alive, within 4 minutes two had holes in their heads.

 

[Eagle2123]

IMO. I think SLED knew it was AM from the get go. Maybe even night of Murders. Explains “no threat to public“ BUT there was a problem naming him THE suspect right off the bat. AM‘s and his family in the area, arguably the best in DH and JG as his defense in SC, knew it was small town politics, national attention, old money, old south politics. Etc…. I believe the state has it ALL for a conviction but spent their time putting ducks in a row. And they knew they had to do that for a conviction. Fireworks will come during this 2nd week IMO. Those cell phones are about to turn this case upside down IMO.

 

[otto]

Also "Maggie had expressed her hesitancy to meet with her estranged husband to at least three other people in her life..."

Three different people! These texts have timestamps.

Maggie Murdaugh Was Lured To Moselle On The Night Of Her Murder

Latest in the Murdaugh Murders Saga: Maggie Murdaugh was lured to the family's Moselle hunting property the night she was killed.

www.fitsnews.com

They were spinning a tale within 10 days.


"In other words, Maggie was “lured” to what would be the site of her murder, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation.

These same sources say Maggie had expressed her hesitancy to meet with her estranged husband to at least three other people in her life, but ultimately decided it was the right thing to do.
...

The reason Alex said he wanted his wife at Moselle: Randolph Murdaugh III was dying and Alex wanted Maggie to visit him and his mother, who has dementia, at their Varnville home, multiple sources have confirmed.

But, according to a report on Good Morning America just ten days after the murders, the narrative coming from the Murdaugh camp was that Alex had dropped off his father at a Savannah hospital earlier in the day of the murders and then went to check on his mother.

At the time of the murders, Alex Murdaugh says he was at his parents’ home in Varnville, less than 20 minutes away from Moselle.
...

Randy Murdaugh and John Marvin Murdaugh appeared on Good Morning America in June 2021 to talk about the murders.

“It’s just hard to imagine somebody can be so sick as to do this, intentionally kill people like that. I mean, we see it in the world. We see it on the news. But you don’t think it’s going to happen in your small community, to your family,” Randy said.

Both men said that Paul had been receiving threats from strangers online. They called the threats “bothersome” but did not believe them to be credible."

Maggie Murdaugh Was Lured To Moselle On The Night Of Her Murder

Latest in the Murdaugh Murders Saga: Maggie Murdaugh was lured to the family's Moselle hunting property the night she was killed.

www.fitsnews.com

 

[clearskies1]

So. Just watched/listened to the proceedings of the latter part of today. Is the shotgun that AM said he went to retrieve while on the phone with 911, the same gun with the blood that was swabbed? Does this explain all the earlier talk of one gun missing and one gun found on scene? If so, I think it’s the nail in the coffin for AM, and I fully believe DH and JG ended it because they weren’t expecting that.

I rewatched the State's opening and some testimony. In the opening the State said Paul was shot with buckshot from a 12 gauge shotgun and Maggie was shot with .300 blackout ammunition from an AR style rifle. The gun that AM had when LE got to the scene was a 12 gauge. Alex Murdaugh trial shown crime scene photos of bloody dog kennels after murders. During today's testimony the witness said she found blood on a 16 gauge rifle.

 

[Boodles]

Help me, why did AM go to the kennels? I mean what excuse did he give????

Maggie messes around with the dogs, house was dark so..... suddenly he wanted to ... what? ... mess around with the dogs, too?

Why shouldn't he assume MM had turned in, called it a night? Why did he need to locate her at all? And if she was out, why not plop down on his imaginary couch in his perfect-marriage house of make-believe and wait for her to return?

Erm, did he have a premonition she needed looking for?

So not credible.

JMO

Plus, his story about taking a nap…I figure he’s alleging it was around 8:45pm (if Maggie arrived at and they ate at 8:15).

Who takes a nap at almost 9pm? Especially when you intend to go see your mother who has Alzheimer’s?

 

[Warwick7]

They were spinning a tale within 10 days.


"In other words, Maggie was “lured” to what would be the site of her murder, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation.

These same sources say Maggie had expressed her hesitancy to meet with her estranged husband to at least three other people in her life, but ultimately decided it was the right thing to do.
...

The reason Alex said he wanted his wife at Moselle: Randolph Murdaugh III was dying and Alex wanted Maggie to visit him and his mother, who has dementia, at their Varnville home, multiple sources have confirmed.

But, according to a report on Good Morning America just ten days after the murders, the narrative coming from the Murdaugh camp was that Alex had dropped off his father at a Savannah hospital earlier in the day of the murders and then went to check on his mother.

At the time of the murders, Alex Murdaugh says he was at his parents’ home in Varnville, less than 20 minutes away from Moselle.
...

Randy Murdaugh and John Marvin Murdaugh appeared on Good Morning America in June 2021 to talk about the murders.

“It’s just hard to imagine somebody can be so sick as to do this, intentionally kill people like that. I mean, we see it in the world. We see it on the news. But you don’t think it’s going to happen in your small community, to your family,” Randy said.

Both men said that Paul had been receiving threats from strangers online. They called the threats “bothersome” but did not believe them to be credible."

Maggie Murdaugh Was Lured To Moselle On The Night Of Her Murder

Latest in the Murdaugh Murders Saga: Maggie Murdaugh was lured to the family's Moselle hunting property the night she was killed.

www.fitsnews.com

I think @Seattle1 might be on to something here. It could be originally AM did want her to go with him to see his father.

But, at some point there was a shift a change. Because by by 6pm AM's brother dropped off his vehicle and took his mother's car to transport his dad.

Then this brother asks Paul to retrieve his truck. Which he does. This is the vehicle Paul drives to Moselle.

Paul already knew his uncle was in the middle of transporting his grandpa.