SC - Paul Murdaugh & mom Margaret Found Shot To Death - Alex Murdaugh Accused - Islandton #27

[LetsSolvIt]

I understand that most people think AM is guilty and I pretty much agree, however, I’m still hung up on his seemingly love for his family. I do think he loved all of them and I think he was very dedicated as a father, so obviously murdering them in the way that he did (gruesome) goes against this thought. I don’t know, I’ve never had a massive drug problem or have been in financial ruin so it’s probably hard for me to understand the psyche behind such horrific actions. It’s perplexing to me. Side note: Harpootlian is an *advertiser censored*

IMO Alec was a narcissist. Paul was no longer a good reflection on him. Maggie was becoming more assertive about finances and it sounded like she was preparing to confront him (and possibly talk to extended family) with her concerns about his pills. Neither situation was supporting Alec's view of himself as the affluent, successful attorney; social icon; and generous community man who had the perfect wife and loving family life.

MOO. MOO.

edits: clarification and typos

 

[Cindizzi]

[…]

In one 1991 death penalty trial, Harpootlian won a conviction after describing how the killer crushed the victim’s head “like an eggshell.” He showed jurors gruesome photos of the victim’s body, prompting them to avert their eyes and squirm in their chairs.

In another case a few years ago, Harpootlian put the arresting officer on the witness stand and asked her to identify his client, the defendant.

It was a routine question, but the officer quickly realized Harpootlian was trying to trick her. He had stationed a different, but similar-looking man at the defense table.

The officer looked beyond him and picked out a man in the second row. She thought she had bested the defense attorney. She was wrong.

Harpootlian’s client was actually in the back of the room. The man at the defense table was his brother. The one in the second row was his cousin. The case was dismissed.

[…]
Harpootlian and Griffin don’t need the Murdaugh case to bolster their resumes.

As a prosecutor, Harpootlian convicted former USC President Jim Holderman on corruption charges and got the death penalty for serial killer Pee Wee Gaskins. He took down corrupt sheriffs, police chiefs and judges.

One of his most prized trophies still remains in his desk — a gold badge that once belonged to Wilbur Hodge, the chairman of the state liquor board. Hodge had to surrender it after Harpootlian prosecuted him for lying about accepting 18 cases of free booze from a wholesaler.

And as a trial attorney, Harpootlian has extracted hundreds of millions of dollars for his clients in legal judgments and settlements — much of it from suing government agencies on behalf of businesses and taxpayers.
[…]

Alex Murdaugh’s defense attorneys: Who are Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin?

When a fatal boat crash dragged Alex Murdaugh’s family into the crosshairs of a criminal investigation, the wealthy Hampton lawyer hired Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin to defend them. The

www.postandcourier.com

 

[LetsSolvIt]

Well on the plus side Barny only needed one bullet and was so good lol he kept it in his shirt pocket, that's having some stones lol.

o/t: glad you brought up the one bullet. I was trying to think of something funny to say about Barny's one bullet, but my creative juices dry up after too many carbs -- ate too many pancakes at church supper for Shrove Tuesday! LOL.

 

[Luna20]

I am sorry but I got the idea we weren't always getting the truth. I sometimes noticed his blink rate increase, there are no tire marks in the Almeda grass in the photos, some answers were complete contradictions to testimony of stronger witnesses, blood is thicker than water...

Buster knows but he has been ingrained into the Murdaugh system. He’s carrying the actions forward from the previous generations. The family control is deep and far reaching.

“Was your Dad known for taking several baths in one day?” Buster slid right in with “Oh yeah, that was normal for him. He took a lot of baths in one day” The way he answered was a dead giveaway. That is the Murdaugh spirit of deception at work.

He couldn’t remember AM birthday but even though he doesn’t live with his parents he can recall the several daily showers in seconds flat. Without a pause he spit that right out.

It would be more believable if he said ‘I don’t really remember, maybe, but I haven’t lived with him for a while’.

 

[Knox]

In addition to DH brandishing a gun, pointing it at the Prosecution and making a joke, here’s something else that should not have been allowed in Court today:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1628232986385694721

Thanks for bending the truth on the stand for me today son ...

 

[Smelly Squirrel]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1628169107089637377

That last one really impressed me. Buster wasn't sure what his dad's bd is. That's just wrong.

 

[Seattle1]

Buster was released from the Beach wrongful death lawsuit and it was wrong for JG to misrepresent this suit when he asked BM if he was being sued and the state objected on relevance. MOO

 

[Derph]

Yep, these small people just show up and voila! Weapons appear.

No one's ever really seen them mind you. But legend has it around these parts there's a sinister organization that's rarely talked about. The Government won't discuss them and vehemently denies that they even exist. However there is a long storied history of a secret lost colony of people here in the swamps of the Low Country who escaped a factory in England in the 60's after decades of servitude to a huge candy magnate.

This person kept them hidden away from the prying eyes of competitors for years as he dominated the industry. Escaping during a failed experiment for a secret formula for an everlasting product that would forever change the course of the industry, some of them made their way out right before the devastating explosion that killed hundreds of their kind. Those that survived finally got away from HIS grasp. They made the long arduous journey to the South Carolina Coast, smuggled in on an old molasses trade route used during the prohibition era where they seemingly disappeared into thin air.

What no one could have known was that they were honing their skills in another occupation. One far more deadlier. They mastered the art of camouflage and invisibility. They mastered and qualified in over 10,000 different kinds of weapons. They became trained in the deadliest marshal arts known to mankind. They operated under complete secrecy. Only a select few knew of their existence.

In the mean time, they took jobs that no one else wanted or were even capable of doing. Jobs that required a certain skill set. Jobs that would help finance their colony and their elite training and weaponry so that one day they might return to England to extract their vengeance on their Oppressor.....

I'm talking about The Low Country Oompa Loompa Hit Squad of course. Those Cowboi Outlaws of Candy Land! It was THEY who were responsible for the Murdaugh hit. It's the only reasonable explanation for these horrible crimes! All the state has to do is link the missing Murdaugh funds to them to complete the circle and get these....these things off the streets!


My own opinion of course. Yes, this is sarcasm but that might as well be what Sutton testified to today. I just can't for the life of me understand why he was brought to court today?? He's really not an expert on anything in particular. Besides being a conflict of interest since he is worked on the boat case and was already employed by the defense team, his science made no sense. There were no controls in his experiments. He neglected variables that may have had an influence on his findings. His recreations didn't even use the same firearms or ammunition. He didn't account for weather, tree growth or elapsed time since he went to the crime scene years after the crime. He conducted his 'recreations' without taking into considerations a host of things. His work was sloppy at best. He relied on the state's findings to base some of his results. The same results that defense sought to impeach!! His graph wasn't even labeled. A mistake a grade school student would make. His testimony was mess. It was pretty obvious he just regurgitated what ever Poot and Co wanted him to repeat. A complete joke.

I can't remember a person being so completely annihilated on the stand this way in a loong time. I'll give Sutton credit, he didn't lose his demeanor or get frustrated. I'll give him that but man, it was bad this afternoon. For that I give him a Wonka Everlasting Gobstopper!

 

[Smelly Squirrel]

Thanks for bending the truth on the stand for me today son ...

After Buster's testimony, Alex mouthed "he's a good boy" to JG, and looking very much like a proud mob boss dad.

 

[Smelly Squirrel]

Buster was released from the Beach wrongful death lawsuit and it was wrong for JG to misrepresent this suit when he asked BM if he was being sued and the state objected on relevance. MOO

Buster didn't even know if Paul was being sued. He doesn't seem interested to know anything important about anyone in his family.

 

[Luna20]

[…]

In one 1991 death penalty trial, Harpootlian won a conviction after describing how the killer crushed the victim’s head “like an eggshell.” He showed jurors gruesome photos of the victim’s body, prompting them to avert their eyes and squirm in their chairs.

In another case a few years ago, Harpootlian put the arresting officer on the witness stand and asked her to identify his client, the defendant.

It was a routine question, but the officer quickly realized Harpootlian was trying to trick her. He had stationed a different, but similar-looking man at the defense table.

The officer looked beyond him and picked out a man in the second row. She thought she had bested the defense attorney. She was wrong.

Harpootlian’s client was actually in the back of the room. The man at the defense table was his brother. The one in the second row was his cousin. The case was dismissed.

[…]
Harpootlian and Griffin don’t need the Murdaugh case to bolster their resumes.

As a prosecutor, Harpootlian convicted former USC President Jim Holderman on corruption charges and got the death penalty for serial killer Pee Wee Gaskins. He took down corrupt sheriffs, police chiefs and judges.

One of his most prized trophies still remains in his desk — a gold badge that once belonged to Wilbur Hodge, the chairman of the state liquor board. Hodge had to surrender it after Harpootlian prosecuted him for lying about accepting 18 cases of free booze from a wholesaler.

And as a trial attorney, Harpootlian has extracted hundreds of millions of dollars for his clients in legal judgments and settlements — much of it from suing government agencies on behalf of businesses and taxpayers.
[…]

Alex Murdaugh’s defense attorneys: Who are Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin?

When a fatal boat crash dragged Alex Murdaugh’s family into the crosshairs of a criminal investigation, the wealthy Hampton lawyer hired Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin to defend them. The

www.postandcourier.com

His ego wants this bad! He’s part of the Murdaugh cult.

 

[LaborDayRN]

If Buster was there, none of this would have happened. The dynamic with BM and AM was different at this point in time. PM's *goose was cooked* facing prison time he couldn't possibly cope with and MM was in a depressed state with the entire situation. ERGO, AM could justify in his mind *making them go away*. This was certainly premeditated...with the assumption AM could get away with this. I'm aware 90% of those here disagree. At this point it becomes moot, since AM is guilty either way. Just my 2 cents.

I completely understand your take on things and you may be right but personally I feel AM fits the bill for FM. YMMV

 

[LetsSolvIt]

No, the birds are dead when they shoot them. Soft mouth refers to teaching the dogs to not bite or chew on the bird when they retrieve it even though the bird is dead. they don’t want the dogs to damage the feathers on the bird.

o/t: I think the soft mouth is actually bread into some game dogs. We had a pure-bred Golden Retriever -- she was a pet although she did like to chase after clay pigeons when we shot skeet, and would also sit by my husband's gun case hoping she could go even though he never took her hunting.

Back to her "soft mouth" -- we also had pet budgies. One got out of the cage and was down on the floor. Before it could fly to safety, our Golden "retrieved" the bird and brought him to us -- amazingly no harm done. The budgie outlived the retriever.

 

[Luna20]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1628169107089637377

That last one really impressed me. Buster wasn't sure what his dad's bd is. That's just wrong.

Hmmm…Buster have you dipped into the bags of meds too because you don’t remember your father’s birthday?? For being such a perfect and close family that’s sketchy. How does he wish him a happy birthday if he doesn’t know the date? I suppose Maggie kept the boys up on those things.

I wonder if he knows Maggie’s birthday.

 

[Seattle1]

From BM's testimony today, he did clarify that "Greenfield" or John Marvin's hunting lodge where the lawyers from the firm all gathered to support AM before SLED arrived, is located only a couple of minutes down the road from Alameda (AM's parents' home).

This better explains why RM3 was able to ride over to the hunting lodge where the other lawyers were meeting (Ronnie Crosby testified RM3 was present outside). MOO

 

[clearskies1]

It's interesting to me that no friends of Maggie have testified. I know that much of what they might say could be excluded on hearsay grounds, but there are a lot of hearsay exceptions and you would think someone might have something relevant to say. I feel there is so much that we don't know. JMO.

 

[HawthorneJuniper]

Yep. IMO he qualifies as a family annihilator (monster). I think Buster is very lucky he wasn't at home.

IMO if Alex had wanted Buster there he’d have been there. For whatever reason he wanted Buster alive. Maybe he knew Buster was his father’s son. And that Buster wouldn’t ask any questions or try to find the killer. Everything Alex did was calculated. It would have been easy to get Buster there if he had wanted to.

None of it makes much logical sense to a person who doesn’t have a personality disorder. But I think it made perfect sense to Alex.

 

[gremlin444]

After Buster's testimony, Alex mouthed "he's a good boy" to JG, and looking very much like a proud mob boss dad.

Some days I really wish Websleuths had a vomit emoji. *sigh*

 

[gremlin444]

IMO if Alex had wanted Buster there he’d have been there. For whatever reason he wanted Buster alive. Maybe he knew Buster was his father’s son. And that Buster wouldn’t ask any questions or try to find the killer. Everything Alex did was calculated. It would have been easy to get Buster there if he had wanted to.

None of it makes much logical sense to a person who doesn’t have a personality disorder. But I think it made perfect sense to Alex.

Not to mention, calling Buster home from where he was 200 miles away to include in his murder scheme would have made it unbelievably clear JUST HOW ORCHESTRATED this all was. How would this group of short cartel members/people seeking revenge for Mallory Beach's death have been able to miraculously know that Buster (who lived over 1 1/2 hrs away) would be home unexpectedly on that one night? There is no way he could get anyone to believe that. Whereas he knew he had a decent chance of getting people to believe that folks would expect or know that Maggie and Paul would be there that night.

 

[Snoopster]

I understand that most people think AM is guilty and I pretty much agree, however, I’m still hung up on his seemingly love for his family. I do think he loved all of them and I think he was very dedicated as a father, so obviously murdering them in the way that he did (gruesome) goes against this thought. I don’t know, I’ve never had a massive drug problem or have been in financial ruin so it’s probably hard for me to understand the psyche behind such horrific actions. It’s perplexing to me. Side note: Harpootlian is an *advertiser censored*

It's difficult for us so-called normal people to understand killers. What makes me believe that AM is guilty (besides the powerful evidence) is that he stole from his good friend, Chris Wilson. He stole from Gloria Satterfield's family, who he described as 'part of the family'. He stole from his close business partners. He supposedly cared about these people, but in the end he cared more about himself.