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

[Boodles]

Another weird thing, imo, I’m just catching up on todays events…

He pulls up to the scene, sees Paul and Maggie. Can tell it’s bad.

Goes to Paul. Says he was trying to take pulse and Paul’s cell phone “popped” out of Paul’s pocket. So he picked up the phone, but just briefly to maybe do something with it, then put it down.

THEN went to Maggie’s body.

What was he thinking he’d do with Paul’s phone…WHEN HIS WIFES BODY IS LAYING 30’ away in a pool of blood? This is a stupid story to tell LE. The phone was his priority when he just discovered them shot? Right.

In reality, this is his story concocted to explain why his bloody print is on Paul’s phone. Because after shooting them, he tried to unlock Paul’s phone to delete what had been recorded (audio, I think?) earlier, which placed AM at the kennels with Paul and Maggie. This didn’t happen upon returning from his mother’s house. He touched that phone when he shot them, before leaving the murder scene the first time. MOO.

edited to clarify the thought.

Alex Murdaugh trial shown crime scene photos of bloody dog kennels after murders

Agent testified she found shotshell wad on floor as well as blood, tissues, and piece of skull

news.yahoo.com

“In the footage, a sobbing Mr Murdaugh was heard telling law enforcement twice that he “tried to turn over” his son’s bloodied body and that he had checked him and his wife for pulses.

”I could see his brain ... I ran over to Maggie, actually I think I tried to turn Paul over first... um... you know, I tried to turn him over, I dunno, I figured it out,” he is heard saying.

Mr Murdaugh said that his son’s cell phone fell from his pocket when he tried to move him and that he handled it briefly.

“His cell phone popped out of his pocket, I started trying to do something with it but I put it back down really quickly, and then I went to my wife,” he says.”

 

[Seattle1]

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.

My only hesitation about accepting the ATV as the transport source and solving the question is that Deputy Jason Chapman was pretty sharp and he figured out quickly which vehicles on the property were operable and which were not.

I'm inclined to believe there was something wrong with the ATV because I think he would have asked AM if MM rode it and the question put to rest.

Actually, the only reference I recall to the ATV from the entirety of LE was by I think Agent Rutland that said she collected MM's earring near one of the tires. JMO

 

[Snoopster]

pork and beans.
What an a**.

For those of you who watched the proceedings on video today, you know what I mean.

I can't say I am impressed with either the defense or the prosecution in terms of approach and style. I will give full credit and stars to the prosecution witnesses though. They were credible, clear and believable. I'll give a hat tip now to LE and other first responders in Colleton County.

 

[Snoopster]

Another weird thing, imo, I’m just catching up on todays events…

He pulls up to the scene, sees Paul and Maggie. Can tell it’s bad.

Goes to Paul. Says he was trying to take pulse and Paul’s cell phone “popped” out of Paul’s pocket. So he picked up the phone, but just briefly to maybe do something with it, then put it down.

THEN went to Maggie’s body.

What was he thinking he’d do with Paul’s phone…WHEN HIS WIFES BODY IS LAYING 30’ away in a pool of blood? The phone was his priority? Sadly, yes, imo he was trying to unlock it to remove audio/video Paul recorded earlier at the kennels.

bingo.

"to do something with the phone".

He couldn't even explain why he picked up the phone. To do "something". Seriously?? That's the best he could up with?
Yet, to your point, his wife was also lying there in sight and he hadn't even checked her out. But he wanted to do "something" with Paul's phone.

I think AM wanted to delete the video that Paul made with his friend just a few minutes prior.

 

[JayLee#99]

In my opinion it’s been pretty interesting to see Defense cross-examination over crime scene protocols and potential crime scene contamination. I don’t find that it was all that successful for the defense but I remind myself they just need to convince one juror. The first responders so far have handled it well; but the line of questions and answers of (this is paraphrasing not at all verbatim) “I was just a first responder” followed by “I don’t think the scene was contaminated” added with admission of them having just “basic” training for crime scene handling- the defense is certainly trying for their client.

I thought the answers about not wearing shoe covers was interesting; and they said they typically don’t war the booties aka shoe covers outside; it made me recall some photos taken of Moscow Idaho homicide crime scenes where the techs were wearing shoe covers on the outside. Things, like practices and protocols, can really vary place to place. I think the State is also doing an equally good job on redirect when DH had tried badgering some of the witnesses with such lines of questioning. [photos from Moscow idaho crime scene techs wearing shoe covers outside of the house]

I personally think DH has done a fantastic job of making the state and LE look very incompetent. Baring some sort of physical evidence that can’t be explained away, there is no way I’d convict him.

 

[Warwick7]

Another weird thing, imo, I’m just catching up on todays events…

He pulls up to the scene, sees Paul and Maggie. Can tell it’s bad.

Goes to Paul. Says he was trying to take pulse and Paul’s cell phone “popped” out of Paul’s pocket. So he picked up the phone, but just briefly to maybe do something with it, then put it down.

THEN went to Maggie’s body.

What was he thinking he’d do with Paul’s phone…WHEN HIS WIFES BODY IS LAYING 30’ away in a pool of blood? The phone was his priority? Sadly, yes, imo he was trying to unlock it to remove audio/video Paul recorded earlier at the kennels.

Yup!

 

[keek]

Yup!

Take their pulses..fool. I know he's in jail now and there are the other big charges, but I so want to see him nailed for this one. The arrogance and selfishness of the greedy psychopath/sociopath.

 

[Eagle2123]

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.

Right. But didn’t they say the other day that the shotgun had 1-12 gauge shell and 1-16 gauge shell in the gun as if he had run to the house and put the wrong cartridge into the shotgun. All bc he was “flustered”. So you’re saying she said she found blood evidence solely on the “16” gauge shotgun in the gun room. Which would be a different gun she found while examining the property. Excluding the gun at the scene that the first responder put into his vehicle. Thank you for clearing this up for me.

 

[Megnut]

My only hesitation about accepting the ATV as the transport source and solving the question is that Deputy Jason Chapman was pretty sharp and he figured out quickly which vehicles on the property were operable and which were not.

I'm inclined to believe there was something wrong with the ATV because I think he would have asked AM if MM rode it and the question put to rest.

Actually, the only reference I recall to the ATV from the entirety of LE was by I think Agent Rutland that said she collected MM's earring near one of the tires. JMO

Also didn't she testify to blood low on the carriage of the ATV?

I do have a question. Why did AM return to Moselle (with his fresh clothes)? Why not stay away and let someone else discover them?

I see no genius here.

He strikes me as the sort of person who is always talking, so much so his audiences mistakenly think he's saying something.

"I picked up his phone.... to do something with it. Then I quickly put it down."

Well, exactly.

JMO

 

[Warwick7]

"Pork and Beans" how offensive. What an uneducated juvenile illustration to use. DM's bumbling idiot act is annoying. Does he think this endears him to the jury? With his technological ignorance and complaining about leaving unreturned voicemails, this is painful to watch...

 

[Betty P]

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.

Wasn’t she referring to a gun in the “gun room” in the house? That was the way I interpreted her statement.

 

[Betty P]

"Pork and Beans" how offensive. What an uneducated juvenile illustration to use. DM's bumbling idiot act is annoying. Does he think this endears him to the jury? With his technological ignorance and complaining about leaving unreturned voicemails, this is painful to watch...

I find his questioning of the women who are state experts to be sexist and demeaning. I’m guessing there may be at least one or more men on the jury who hold those beliefs. He’s probably targeting his message to them in hopes they won’t believe the evidence these women present. JMO

ETA: Here’s a link to MM’s obit, referencing her surviving family members.

Obituary for Maggie Murdaugh at Peeples-Rhoden Funeral Home, Hampton Chapel

Margaret Maggie Kennedy Branstetter Murdaugh, 52, entered into eternal rest with her son Paul Terry Murdaugh the evening of Monday, June 7, 2021. She graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1991, where she met her husband, Alex. She was a member of Kappa Delta Sorority, and has kept

www.peeplesrhodenfuneralhome.com

 

[Warwick7]

I find his questioning of the women who are state experts to be sexist and demeaning. I’m guessing there may be at least one or more men on the jury who hold those beliefs. He’s probably targeting his message to them in hopes they won’t believe the evidence these women present. JMO

If we feel it is sexist and demeaning, you better bet those women jurors feel it too.

 

[clearskies1]

Right. But didn’t they say the other day that the shotgun had 1-12 gauge shell and 1-16 gauge shell in the gun as if he had run to the house and put the wrong cartridge into the shotgun. All bc he was “flustered”. So you’re saying she said she found blood evidence solely on the “16” gauge shotgun in the gun room. Which would be a different gun she found while examining the property. Excluding the gun at the scene that the first responder put into his vehicle. Thank you for clearing this up for me.

Ok I assumed it was a 16 gauge gun because Worley talked about a 16 gauge projectile in the barrel. (see 8:19:25 here).

. Maybe she is talking about the 12 gauge gun that AM had ..... sorry. Yes, the article I posted about in my last post mentioned the 16 gauge ammo being in AM's 12 gauge gun. Alex Murdaugh trial shown crime scene photos of bloody dog kennels after murders

 

[Smelly Squirrel]

This report shows some police video. Have they released the full body cam videos yet?

btw, looks wise, jail has been very good to Alex.

 

[otto]

I personally think DH has done a fantastic job of making the state and LE look very incompetent. Baring some sort of physical evidence that can’t be explained away, there is no way I’d convict him.

It's definitely a bit early. Exhibits have been entered into evidence. We're still waiting for the experts to interpret the evidence, to tell use whether the presumptive tests for blood on Alex's steering wheel and vehicle were confirmed blood, and whose blood it is.

 

[Betty P]

Another background article about Maggie Murdaugh’s background and family.

Secret life of Maggie Murdaugh, notorious murders’ forgotten victim

Insiders reveal the tumultuous real life of Maggie Murdaugh, the forgotten murdered matriarch of the scandalized South Carolina family.

nypost.com

 

[Erutan]

This report shows some police video. Have they released the full body cam videos yet?

btw, looks wise, jail has been very good to Alex.

Not a single speck of blood on him.
I'd imagine LE checked thoroughly for a change of clothing for AM ?
If he threw clothes into a lake/river, would the blood evidence be gone ?

Graphic :


He must have been pretty much spattered with the life blood of his own family members on him.
(Sorry).
M00.

 

[Luna20]

If we feel it is sexist and demeaning, you better bet those women jurors feel it too.

His banter and intimidation technique to me is to retain control of the room. Telling the judge thank you is another attempt at self-serving control. ‘Look at me, I’m the big shot here’. Yuck!

 

[uscrudd]

<modsnip> here are some initial thoughts. I think he did it, but I think he walks.

Phone evidence means nothing. Very overblown. Imo the jovial conversation in the background helps AM more than not. The prosecution wants you to believe both phones went silent forever when they died. Phones aren’t connected to your heartbeat. All this means is this was the last time they dimmed the screens on their phones. Their phones were not powered off. This was hyperbole by the prosecution. I’ve also heard zero testimony that denied being at the kennels that night. Phone evidence does nothing for me.

Prosecution can’t decide if they want blood on his clothes or not. First witness they made a huge deal about how there was no blood on him. The next witnesses said there was blood on him. That white shirt that everyone thinks was laundered and pressed was the one he had on the whole time. This is the shirt in question that the crime lab found blood on. One minute they wanted blood on his shirt bc he killed them. The next minute they didn’t want blood on his shirt bc they thought he was lying about checking pulse. They simply can’t decide how to play that and it’s significant. Checking the pulse seems insignificant. Yes, he knew they were dead but as a parent you have false hope of your loved one. Did Jackie Kennedy really think she was going to reattach jfk’s head? Of course not. That’s just what she did.

If he touched the bodies then went to the house to grab shotgun blood, from his hands transferred to the barrel.

Wasn’t unusual for Maggie to ride to the beach for a few days. Beach house is an hour and a half away. Alex and the kids are gone and working all day. That’s just where she likes to hangout. My mother does that too, but my dad didn’t kill her over it.

There was a fight. Maggie’s hair was in globs a distance from her body as well as a broken earring. Testimony also said that Paul had been punched in the cheek. A struggle that produced globs of hair and broken earrings had to transfer DNA to either Alex’s or Maggie’s fingernails.

Hard for people not from the area to really understand gun culture of this area. Their home had guns everywhere, ammo everywhere. All calibers and sizes. They had .300 blackout ammo, but they also had ions of other ammo too. Pretty girly girls in this area hunt and know guns.

Him talking about the boat means nothing. Literally EVERYONE around here thought that’s what the reason was right when it happened. Paul was an arrogant a-hole that plenty of people around here wanted to gut. He was getting away with killing MB and smiling while doing it. Immediately everyone in this area KNEW it was related to the boat. Plus once you add in threats in writing via text and online, it ads a lot of doubt.


All that said, the “smoking gun” here is the shell casing impressions that matched the impressions as the ones found at the gun range. The gun that killed Maggie came from that house. No doubt about it. This is what will get him I think.

There is a lot of reasonable doubt here. The prosecution really has been very ineffective so far. I would recommend putting on blinders and ONLY follow testimony and not internet articles. I read FitsNews too, but everyone around here knows Will Folks is a clown. His website was basically the onion of SC before this. Lots of you don’t remember, but Folks is the guy that made up the stories about having sex with Niki Haley to stop her gubernatorial run. They’ve done a great job following this story, but take them with a grain of salt.

I think he did it, but I can’t tell you 100%. I’m that rogue one juror that DH is speaking to so far. I’m hung

Go Gamecocks