SC - Paul Murdaugh & mom Margaret Found Shot To Death - Alex Murdaugh Accused - Islandton #15

[Seattle1]

Opening statements are not evidence.

True -- but jurors don't like being lied to.

And what would be the purpose of the defense telling the jurors such bogus details about the last day/hours of the lives of the victims?

Did they eat dinner together and is there video evidence of Paul and Alec riding around together looking at the landscape or not?

I mean if you're going to lie about this benign stuff in your opening, what else are you being dishonest about? A monumental backfire if you ask me. MOO

 

[clearskies1]

Am I correct that the the only vehicles they discussed as being in the kennel area when LE arrived was AM's vehicle and the black farm truck?

 

[clearskies1]

True -- but jurors don't like being lied to.

And what would be the purpose of the defense telling the jurors such bogus details about the last day/hours of the lives of the victims?

Did they eat dinner together and is there video evidence of Paul and Alec riding around together looking at the landscape or not?

I mean if you're going to lie about this benign stuff in your opening, what else are you being dishonest about? A monumental backfire if you ask me. MOO

Why do you think that info is false? I just don't know until I hear evidence.

 

[Warwick7]

Chanley Painter on CourtTV who was in the courtroom said that AM wasn’t shown the bodycam video and photos when the jury was shown. He just heard the audio like us.

I cant imagine the memory visuals that flooded his brain as he heard the body cam.

 

[Warwick7]

You could see they had something to block the screen. IMO, it looked like the lid from a printer paper box but I'm sure it was probably something more technical.
Honestly, it kind of threw me off that he was able to block the screen instead of looking away, etc Then again there's a mugshot in street clothes and tic tacs so......

Yes I saw the box lid too. It looked to me they were trying to block the screen.

 

[Snoop Sister]

Unlike many posters here, I think the defence did an excellent job today. I was not really aware or familiar with the case until recently, so I am totally unbiased. At this point, after today’s session, I do have some doubt as to AM’s guilt. Of course this is just the second day of the trial.

Conversely, I think the prosecutor did a good job as well. Both lead lawyers (defence and crown) seem to be very skilled experienced lawyers.

 

[Snoop Sister]

Yes I saw the box lid too. It looked to me they were trying to block the screen.

Yes, definitely trying to block the screen for AM. Not sure if a ploy or to help AM keep his emotions in check.

 

[Warwick7]

My thoughts from today's proceedings and my reactions to some or your thoughts/observations (in case you are interested, LOL):

I thought the discussion of how inaccessible Paul's pulse points would have been was interesting and important. Obviously his wrists were out -- IMO even if Alec tried to turn him over. From the testimony we heard, it sounds like it would have been difficult to access his carotid arteries in his neck (were they even in tact), another obvious place to check.

I already posted about the flip-flop tracks and care taker's tire tracks in close proximity. But in case you missed my post, I think Poot was trying to get people to connect them as in Cuzin Eddie's version of the motive for murder.

Was interested to learn that Duffy Stone's team might have taken photos in the hangar (of the flip-flop tracks) *and* possibly contaminated the evidence. Continue to be angry that Duffy Stone's team was even there!

Search warrant: looking forward to hear why the house wasn't' thoroughly checked since SLED / investigators were entitled to do that. If it was in the search warrant, someone must have considered it part of the crime scene. Wonder how that will be explained.

I am thinking Alec's tears *are* real -- no matter whether he is guilty or not he is under unimaginable pressure. What I am seeing in his facial expressions is mostly tension. I suspect the head bobbing and constant tic-tacs are mechanisms for self-soothing, and a certain amount of the tears are tension relief. There is also the possible reality that in the split seconds after the murders, he changed his mind. He was faced with very real horror of what he had done, which was nothing like his fantasies around financial freedom, buying time, gaining sympathy, etc.

Would love to hear your thoughts ...

P.S. My references to the testimony today are from listening to virtually the entire proceedings through the Law & Crime streaming.

BBM
And the ultimate agony:

His memory forcing him to see Paul's reaction to his gun.

And his mind forcing to remember his wife's shock and her trying to flee from Him.

 

[BeachSky]

Brian Entin on News Nation said the LE body cam recordings are to be released in next couple of days.

Just what I heard. IMO

On the website now :

Murdaugh trial: Body camera footage set to be released

The day after opening arguments in the double-murder trial of Alex Murdaugh, the first witness gave his testimony.

www.newsnationnow.com

The attorneys in the double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh agreed Thursday to release redacted versions of all body camera videos admitted into evidence.
The videos will be available once the redaction process is complete, possibly Thursday evening or Friday morning.

 

[Seattle1]

Why do you think that info is false? I just don't know until I hear evidence.

To be clear, what I cited from the defense's opening statement is directly contrary to the linked info by OP!

I didn't question the same from the defense opening as false but I think OP did.

Again, I don't think the defense would lie about such benign info in their opening. That makes no sense to me. JMO

 

[Cindizzi]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1618784655955890178

 

[LetsSolvIt]

Am I correct that the the only vehicles they discussed as being in the kennel area when LE arrived was AM's vehicle and the black farm truck?

But in Chapman's testimony he did reference tire tracks found in the hangar that night and said they had been matched to vehicle that belonged to a "caretaker" who dealt with the dogs. ITIGTR (I think I got that right).

 

[LetsSolvIt]

Yes I saw the box lid too. It looked to me they were trying to block the screen.

I believe they were trying to block the screen so that spectators and family sitting behind them would not be able to view content and images that were being held back from the public until after the trial.

 

[Cindizzi]

I agree with the poster who said this trial is like something out of a John Grisham novel. JMO

https://twitter.com/x/status/1618611643495370754

 

[Warwick7]

Why had all this come to a head?
Why did AM murder his wife and son?

AM had stolen millions of dollars from his clients and law firm over the past decade.

And the hunt was on to learn more about his finances.

Then there is Paul. Litigation over the passenger’s death had threatened to force AM to share details of his finances, potentially revealing his embezzlement.

On the day of the murders, he had also been confronted by his law firm over a missing monies.

Then there is Maggie. She had met with the divorce atty. She had begun to look into the family finances to determine the state of the couple's marital assets.

AM could see the ALL of this threatening to expose his him...

I whole heartedly agree with the prosecution. AM carried out the killings in a desperate, failed effort to gain the public’s sympathy, stop his embezzlement from coming to light and stop Paul's litigation (which it did).

 

[Cindizzi]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1618757085482876928

https://twitter.com/x/status/1618757090297913344

 

[clearskies1]

To be clear, what I cited from the defense's opening statement is directly contrary to the linked info by OP!

I didn't question the same from the defense opening as false but I think OP did.

Again, I don't think the defense would lie about such benign info in their opening. That makes no sense to me. JMO

I don't see that the opening statement contradicts the article. In the opening statement DH said AM and PM were driving around at 7:30 pm the night of the murder looking at trees. (See 33:50 below).

I'm not sure what DH said about dinner that night in his opening. But I don't see how dinner or driving around at 7:30pm contradicts the FITS news article:

"Whether Paul Murdaugh’s presence at Moselle was a surprise to Alex Murdaugh – or something he knew about – is still unknown....

According to his uncle, John Marvin Murdaugh, Paul spent the day working with him at his equipment rental business in Okatie, S.C.. When Randolph Murdaugh III needed to be transported to the hospital in Savannah, John Marvin drove his truck to his parent’s home in Almeda and took his father to Savannah in his mother’s car."

He asked Paul to retrieve his truck from his parent’s home – which is believed to be the vehicle Paul drove to Moselle on the night he was murdered. As our founding editor Will Folks reported in this article, Paul was at Moselle checking on a friend’s dog. It’s never been made clear if Paul’s presence was unexpected."

'Murdaugh Murders' Saga: All About Motive - FITSNews

A deep dive into all the reasons Alex Murdaugh could have done it ... and the attendant arguments for each theory.

www.fitsnews.com

 

[Warwick7]

I believe they were trying to block the screen so that spectators and family sitting behind them would not be able to view content and images that were being held back from the public until after the trial.

Good Point.

 

[LetsSolvIt]

BBM
And the ultimate agony:

His memory forcing him to see Paul's reaction to his gun.

And his mind forcing to remember his wife's shock and her trying to flee from Him.

He will never lose those images -- they will haunt him forever. And if he is responsible ... ? MOO.

I am actually wondering if he will make it through the trial if he has to keep reliving that night over and over for three weeks. This is very intense, grisly, emotional stuff, where he knows he is being judged, not to mention he has his son and family staring down his back, except for LMG who appears to be totally sympathetic judging by her body language and facial expressions. MOO.

I think AM is too much of a narcissist to take his own life, but I wonder if he might just get tired of being there and reliving it day after day and give up -- plead? Just a thought. MOO.

 

[clearskies1]

But in Chapman's testimony he did reference tire tracks found in the hangar that night and said they had been matched to vehicle that belonged to a "caretaker" who dealt with the dogs. ITIGTR (I think I got that right).

Interesting, I didn't know they matched the tire "tracks" in the grass to the caretaker's vehicle. There was no mention of Maggie's car, right? ETA: I see I mis-read the OP, who was taking about hangar tracks not grass tracks.