SC - Paul Murdaugh & mom Margaret Found Shot To Death - Alex Murdaugh Accused - Islandton #31

[kaen]

I'm starting to think the motive was pills. I think they had limited his access to pills and he lost it. Just my opinion

He said he was struggling on the 6th with withdraw symptoms. Stayed at the hotel and was afraid to be out in the heat. I do think that the pressure about the scope and cost of his addiction was much more of a family focus than it had ever been.

It does not seem that BM was there often and had begun to carve out a different life. I wonder if he came around less because of the behavior of his father and the addiction.

Like functional alcoholics, AM seemed to be able to keep his addiction under wraps. But that means that MM, PM, and BM had to keep the secret. I am sure there was lots of conflicts that never got resolved and just became the fabric of the family. AM and his need for control/last word/family leader must have been oppressive. At the Moselle property, they had lots of guests and I would venture that AM was always the life of the party (just like his birthday video shown in court) but he probably disappeared and reappeared with a fresh pill infusion.

His 1200 mg habit is likely a very exaggerated report. I can't see him not overdosing or doing long term liver damage with those amounts in a system. That said, this became his number because he exaggerated it to someone and it is the lie that stuck.

I find his stories so telling in that he is always teaching. I find his "I will answer any question you have." statements to be so disengenuous because he just wants control. He must have been great to have a 15 second conversation with but so stubborn, self-absorbed, and self-destructive to live with.

 

[Seattle1]

That accident when he was drinking and driving his truck. His girlfriend calls 911 and he hangs the phone up and calls his grandpa and then his dad.. they show up and take all the guns from the truck and all the alcohol.

This should have been the wake up call.. seems it wasn't. They just scolded his girlfriend for calling 911 because it could have gotten Paul into trouble.

PM also had a juvie record involving underage alcohol. AM represented him in court and PM was ordered to attend some diversion program. IMO, the escalating behavior tells me somebody probably paid for a completion certificate to remit to the court and it was over and done. I recall this info was revealed in discovery for the wrongful death suit. Sorry, I don't have access to fits news (paywalled).

Court documents reveal potential conspiracy to shift blame for deadly boat crash away from Paul Murdaugh

Court documents filed Wednesday revealed new details about the Beaufort County boat crash that led to the death of a teenaged girl in 2019.

www.wistv.com

 

[pittsburghgirl]

He was a drug sick man. He lied, he stole, and he cheated to get the drugs just like all addicts.

We got that part, Mr. Prosecutor, but you haven't proven your case beyond a reasonable doubt.

Why would a man lie when talking to law enforcement about what happened at the time of the murders of his wife and son--unless he was the killer? If someone else killed them, why weren't the dogs barking? And how did they get away when AM was driving out to see his mother? All in a window of a few minutes. I don't see how anyone BUT AM could have killed Maggie and Paul. Finally, there were dozens of moments during his testimony that showed deception about the murders, if you know anything about statement analysis.

 

[mickey2942]

It is. He had resources, support and funding. Alex refused did not want to give up his drug of choice. It gave him energy and felt creative. His cloudy thinking is one of the reasons they had to die.

They were narcing on him. Alex had been an addict since 2004. He carried his drugs on his person so no one could find them and take his pills away from him. He'd developed such a high tolerance that it required massive quantities to satiate his appetite or body's cravings the moment he awoke each day - first thing.

22 year old son, PauPau, was sending semi-threatening texts about needing to talk about the pills they found. He'd promised PauPau that he'd go to Rehab after his boating case was over or was that promise simply a new lie to the jury?

Alex did not think this through. He became, without the use of the Moselle property, essentially, a homeless man on June 8.

That quote was referring to Paul, after he rolled his truck, driving, presumably drunk, prior to his wrecking the boat, with .24 BAC. Too bad the family wouldn't acknowledge his problem and send him to rehabilitation. Before someone was killed, (Mallory Beach).

 

[DeDee]

This is just great!!! The entitlement lives on, even in situations where you should be invisible and are being watched. I love that this emphasizes their major need for control.

Great way to end the day!

Perhaps, the incident harkens back to this event...

In court Wednesday, Alex Murdaugh's sister Lynn Murdaugh Goettee passed him a book through a member of his defense team. It was not shared with the victim's advocate, and Goettee had been admonished just five minutes before that, a source with knowledge of the incident told CNN.
The book was considered contraband because it was not clear what was in it, the source said, adding Murdaugh was already back in his jail cell with it before anybody could check it. The book -- John Grisham's "The Judge's List" -- was later confiscated.

FEB 10, 2023
Alex Murdaugh's wife was worried about money and husband's truthfulness before murders, housekeeper testifies

 

[pittsburghgirl]

I agree -- and it sent shivers down my spine when Maggie's sister, MP, told us what he said: that whoever did it had been planning it for a long time.

The thing I really don't understand is why would he have to plan a crime like that for a long time. It was so poorly done, and he could have stashed the clothes and guns on the same day or a day ahead of the murders. Was that the best he could do? And why that particular day?

It's useful to remember that AM is a long-term opioid addict. He's a guy who staged his own fake murder/wannabe suicide (a sentence I never thought I would write). He took huge risks with his career and livelihood in order to fund a lavish lifestyle and an addiction. He was trying cases in court while actively addicted to huge doses of opioids! And he seemed to think he could talk his way out of anything if he got caught. So I don't see him as a criminal mastermind. I don't know why that day, other than he had the opportunity.

 

[DeDee]

That quote was referring to Paul, after he rolled his truck, driving, presumably drunk, prior to his wrecking the boat, with .24 BAC. Too bad the family wouldn't acknowledge his problem and send him to rehabilitation. Before someone was killed, (Mallory Beach).

Busted me for reading the last posts first. My apologies but time has been tight.

Once I learned my child had earned a special nickname for when he was drunk, then my child would receive enough treatment, therapy and counseling that he'd lose that degrading nickname in no time at all.

If you've seen the Netflix special, then you may have noticed the drone footage of the Moselle property taken by a local, EA, the day after the murders. His drone footage shows BM and JMM removing firearms from the "gun room" at Moselle and loading the weapons into two different vehicles. He uploaded his Netflix footage from that day to his YTC.

 

[makayla]

"when Maggie asked me to leave". Very interesting. Good catch!

Thank you for that! I thought I heard it, but couldn‘t remember where or when. It certainly made me do a double take!

 

[Knox]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1629243187566112768

Everytime he lies that weird mouth motion appears ... Waters hit a home run on this one!!! This is in response to Alex revealing who the real killer(s) are.

• Random vigilante angry with Paul because of lies told on social media about his role in the boat wreck
• Happened to know Paul & Maggie were at Moselle on June 7th
• Knew they would be at the kennels alone, without Alec, only between 8:49 & 9:02
• They show up without a weapon, assuming weapons & ammunition will be waiting there
• Commit the crime in that tiny window of opportunity, then travel the same route you do

That's what you're telling this Jury?

BAM!!!!

 

[Seattle1]

Clickbait news sells -- the proof was in the prosecution witness list!

https://twitter.com/x/status/1629252910075789312

https://twitter.com/x/status/1629327843799736320

 

[LaborDayRN]

Well, what kind of book?

Yes! Inquiring minds want to know!! I'll guess. "How to Win Friends and Influence People"!

 

[pittsburghgirl]

Found this from February 10


Alex Murdaugh's double-murder trial resumed Friday, with some of his relativesordered to sit farther back in the South Carolina courtroom due to inappropriate contact and conduct, the Colleton County clerk of court said.

With the trial now expected to last about two more weeks, Murdaugh is being prosecuted for the killings of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh, his wife and grown son, on June 7, 2021. He has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and two weapons charges.

In court Wednesday, Alex Murdaugh's sister Lynn Murdaugh Goettee passed him a book through a member of his defense team. It was not shared with the victim's advocate, and Goettee had been admonished just five minutes before that, a source with knowledge of the incident told CNN.

The book was considered contraband because it was not clear what was in it, the source said, adding Murdaugh was already back in his jail cell with it before anybody could check it. The book -- John Grisham's "The Judge's List" -- was later confiscated.


State Judge Clifton Newman also was made aware of an obscene gesture Alex Murdaugh's surviving son Buster Murdaugh made toward Mark Tinsley, the attorney representing the family of Mallory Beach, who was killed in a 2019 boat crash involving Paul Murdaugh, Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill told CNN. The gesture happened Monday during Tinsley's testimony outside the presence of the jury.

The younger Murdaugh was admonished for the incident, Hill said. Lynn Murdaugh Goettee and Buster Murdaugh have been warned that any more violations will result in them being barred from the courtroom.
[…]

Courtroom seats of some Murdaugh family members moved back due to inappropriate contact and conduct

Alex Murdaugh's double-murder trial resumed Friday, with some of his relatives ordered to sit farther back in the South Carolina courtroom due to inappropriate contact and conduct, the Colleton County

www.kvoa.com

The Murdaugh family motto: You [the court] aren't the boss of me.

 

[pittsburghgirl]

That accident when he was drinking and driving his truck. His girlfriend calls 911 and he hangs the phone up and calls his grandpa and then his dad.. they show up and take all the guns from the truck and all the alcohol.

This should have been the wake up call.. seems it wasn't. They just scolded his girlfriend for calling 911 because it could have gotten Paul into trouble.

That's a horrifying story. What would anyone need all those guns in a car for?

 

[pittsburghgirl]

Insanity. It isn't like this family didn't have the resources to get help for their son.

Evidently, they didn't see anything wrong with his drinking and driving both trucks and boats. Or covering up his crimes by trying to implicate someone else.

 

[rahod1]

Everytime he lies that weird mouth motion appears ... Waters hit a home run on this one!!! This is in response to Alex revealing who the real killer(s) are.

• Random vigilante angry with Paul because of lies told on social media about his role in the boat wreck
• Happened to know Paul & Maggie were at Moselle on June 7th
• Knew they would be at the kennels alone, without Alec, only between 8:49 & 9:02
• They show up without a weapon, assuming weapons & ammunition will be waiting there
• Commit the crime in that tiny window of opportunity, then travel the same route you do

That's what you're telling this Jury?

BAM!!!!

OH...and YOU LIED about being there minutes before they were killed??

 

[TeaTime]

Why would a man lie when talking to law enforcement about what happened at the time of the murders of his wife and son--unless he was the killer? If someone else killed them, why weren't the dogs barking? And how did they get away when AM was driving out to see his mother? All in a window of a few minutes. I don't see how anyone BUT AM could have killed Maggie and Paul. Finally, there were dozens of moments during his testimony that showed deception about the murders, if you know anything about statement analysis.

Because he knew he would be suspect #1. First "lawyer" instinct - distance yourself from the carnage because even if innocent they will circle you like buzzards to carrion and in his previous experiences with SLED found them to be untrustworthy. He also didn't mention his financial problems or his most recent exposure as a firm thief.

The family's lifestyle was bigger than his million dollar a year earnings and every thing they owned was mortgaged and used as collateral for bank loans. Red flags should have been popping up all over that firm

<modsnip - not victim friendly>

Anyone with a $50K/month drug addiction associates directly, or indirectly, with big-time, dangerous drug dealers - the kind of people who kill the family of the debtor/double crosser because it inflicts a lifetime pain on the dead beat druggie. The kind who take unregistered weapons as offerings. MS-13 ring a bell? Just an example.

Anyone who steals hundreds of thousands or millions from people makes enemies. Enemies that will never recover their losses and who sit around having bourbons and decide to get revenge.

If your drunk, <modsnip> kid loads up his boat with friends and takes control of it while drunk AF, killing a young woman in the process, he, and, by affiliation his family, make enemies.

The whole family were irresponsible gun owners and seemingly had loaded guns scattered around in homes and vehicles, used by any number of people from groups of hunting friends and anyone who came onto the property could find loaded rifles and shotguns in a truck/golf cart or even on the pool table. It is no wonder that long guns went missing there.

MM had unidentified male DNA under her nails.

He's a liar for sure, but he had a lot to hide that had nothing to do with him killing his family. And, he knew he needed to separate himself from the scene so as to not be the focus.

Everybody lies.

I can tell you every detail of what I did after finding a loved one dead, but have no memory of the hours before. It's like the day started at that moment and every thing before that moment is gone. I must have showered, it's a routine. I must have dressed myself as I was dressed when it happened. I called family and friends, a friend called 911 for me. I went through the motions, as stoically as possible to get it all over with so I could melt into an ocean of tears.

I imagine that seeing your son's brains on the sidewalk and your wife riddled with bullets would trigger shock, horror, unimaginable grief, confusion as to how to proceed, and answers to questions that make no sense.

It could have been anybody.

While it is more likely than not that he killed them, 51/49 is not enough to overcome reasonable doubt.

And, I believe it was reversible error to allow the exhaustive financial testimony of prior bad acts.

Notably, none of them involved violence against any person.

All just my humble opinion.

 

[pittsburghgirl]

Hacking, Neil Entwistle, Chris Watts, John List, Christian Longi, that guy Bart something who had faked going to college until he was supposed to graduate - they all led secret lives that were about to be exposed when they killed their families.

It's that simple, really. Either they don't want to be exposed or the family is in their way (Watts).

 

[Cindizzi]

Y’all

https://twitter.com/x/status/1629340297086771201

 

[pittsburghgirl]

Because he knew he would be suspect #1. First "lawyer" instinct - distance yourself from the carnage because even if innocent they will circle you like buzzards to carrion and in his previous experiences with SLED found them to be untrustworthy. He also didn't mention his financial problems or his most recent exposure as a firm thief.

The family's lifestyle was bigger than his million dollar a year earnings and every thing they owned was mortgaged and used as collateral for bank loans. Red flags should have been popping up all over that firm <modsnip - not victim friendly>

Anyone with a $50K/month drug addiction associates directly, or indirectly, with big-time, dangerous drug dealers - the kind of people who kill the family of the debtor/double crosser because it inflicts a lifetime pain on the dead beat druggie. The kind who take unregistered weapons as offerings. MS-13 ring a bell? Just an example.

Anyone who steals hundreds of thousands or millions from people makes enemies. Enemies that will never recover their losses and who sit around having bourbons and decide to get revenge.

If your drunk, <modsnip> kid loads up his boat with friends and takes control of it while drunk AF, killing a young woman in the process, he, and, by affiliation his family, make enemies.

The whole family were irresponsible gun owners and seemingly had loaded guns scattered around in homes and vehicles, used by any number of people from groups of hunting friends and anyone who came onto the property could find loaded rifles and shotguns in a truck/golf cart or even on the pool table. It is no wonder that long guns went missing there.

MM had unidentified male DNA under her nails.

He's a liar for sure, but he had a lot to hide that had nothing to do with him killing his family. And, he knew he needed to separate himself from the scene so as to not be the focus.

Everybody lies.

I can tell you every detail of what I did after finding a loved one dead, but have no memory of the hours before. It's like the day started at that moment and every thing before that moment is gone. I must have showered, it's a routine. I must have dressed myself as I was dressed when it happened. I called family and friends, a friend called 911 for me. I went through the motions, as stoically as possible to get it all over with so I could melt into an ocean of tears.

I imagine that seeing your son's brains on the sidewalk and your wife riddled with bullets would trigger shock, horror, unimaginable grief, confusion as to how to proceed, and answers to questions that make no sense.

It could have been anybody.

While it is more likely than not that he killed them, 51/49 is not enough to overcome reasonable doubt.

And, I believe it was reversible error to allow the exhaustive financial testimony of prior bad acts.

Notably, none of them involved violence against any person.

All just my humble opinion.

A lawyer who lies in a criminal trial can be disbarred. This isn't 51/49. There is no indication at all that anyone else could have done this crime.

 

[Cindizzi]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1629360302620831744