SC - Paul Murdaugh & mom Margaret Found Shot To Death - Alex Murdaugh Accused - Islandton #23

[Edvis]

Sorry, just joining in. Is this the detective whose mother passed away yesterday?

Yes indeed.

 

[arielilane]

https://twitter.com/AveryGWilks

The state calls its 57th witness, SLED agent David Owen, the lead investigator on this case. This should be good.

Prosecutor John Meadors is questioning Owen. I figured it would be lead prosecutor Creighton Waters. Meadors joined the AG's Office only in January.

Owen testifies he was called into the case at 10:30 p.m. on 6/7/21 and told he needed to go to 4147 Moselle Road. He was in bed at the time. He got to Moselle around midnight.

When Owen arrived, he was told Alex Murdaugh was with a group of family and law partners. Within 30 minutes, Owen’s supervisors pulled him aside and said SLED was going to take the lead on this case, making Owen the lead investigator.

Owen testifies investigators are taught to treat every scene as a homicide until proven otherwise. “It was paramount that I speak with Alex Murdaugh to try to determine” what he knew and saw and what was going on in their lives.

Correction: Meadors started with the Attorney General's Office in December, not January, I'm told.

Meadors: Did AM appear to be under the influence of any intoxicants? Owen: No. “He seemed of full body and mind other than being distraught” that he had just found his wife and son dead.

Owen testifies about asking AM for his clothes that evening. AM understood, went up to the master bedroom, disrobed and handed them over.

Owen testifies he looked around the Moselle house that evening and saw nothing out of place or unusual. No evidence of forced entry, a fight or scuffle.

Owen: AM that night said he had called some of Paul’s friends. One of them, Nolan Tuten, was at the Moselle house. Owen interviewed him as well. Remember: Nolan’s DNA was found on AM’s white shirt.

Owen testifies some 8-10 people were at the Moselle house when he arrived after midnight on the evening of the slayings. Family, friends, PMPED lawyers were there.

Owen testifies he stayed at Moselle until about 9 a.m. the next morning.

Owen testifies about interviewing C.B. Rowe, the Moselle farmhand, when he arrived at the property that morning. AM had told Owen a story about Rowe claiming to have been hired by the FBI out of high school to be some “sort of killer operative.”

Owen testifies he spoke with Rowe and got his alibi, which was that he had taken his father to the doctor in Mt. Pleasant on 6/7/21 and didn’t go to Moselle.

Owen testifies about how SLED interviewed Paul’s friend Rogan Gibson early on 6/8/21 and learned that Gibson was 99 percent sure he had heard AM in the background of his call with Paul that evening. Again, SLED knew early on about the inconsistencies regarding Murdaugh’s alibi.

Owen wanted to interview Alex again as soon as possible. Owen testifies it is important to speak with witnesses quickly while their memories are still fresh.

Owen reiterates that in interviews, AM was very clear that he had not gone down to the dog kennels that evening before finding the bodies there.

Owen said he verified AM's story that Maggie had gone to see a Charleston doctor earlier that day. Owen spoke with the doctor. “She didn’t appear to be in any distress. It appeared to be a normal visit.”

Owen testiifes AM called 7/28/21 wanting to know about his 2021 Chevrolet Suburban and asking if he could get it back. Owen says he told AM the SUV was inoperable. AM said he wanted to get some stuff from it, including his golf clubs, because he was about to go on vacation.

Owen testifies AM also asked about the investigation. He wanted to know what SLED had learned. Owen said he told him not much. But he wanted to question AM again because he needed clarification on some things.

Owen: AM said he couldn’t meet yet. They ultimately set up an interview for 8/11/21.

Owen is now testifying about AM's 8/11/21 interview with SLED. This is reportedly when SLED asked him point blank if he killed Maggie and Paul. 14th Circuit Solicitor Duffie Stone recused himself from the investigation that same day.

The jury is excused for a short break before Meadors plays a lengthy recording of the 8/11/21 SLED-AM interview in court. Here we go, folks.

 

[Katrinepa]

I think this may have been asked before but why didn’t Alex get rid of Paul’s phone? Seems like he knew about the video but couldn’t get into the phone because the battery was dead? That video is going to seal the deal, IMO.

He didn't have the Password.

 

[Edvis]

Excellent post!

AM sniffing for anything that may eyeball him.

 

[Cindizzi]

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[arielilane]

I think this may have been asked before but why didn’t Alex get rid of Paul’s phone? Seems like he knew about the video but couldn’t get into the phone because the battery was dead? That video is going to seal the deal, IMO.

Yep, I lost count... how many people are now confirmed to have heard AM on kennel video now?

 

[Cindizzi]

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[worm]

Like the parents who wrapped the kid's present's up over and over again only to reveal a small box inside of 30yrds of wrapping.

I’m not watching but rather listening from across the room and the package noises are grueling.

 

[arielilane]

Per Maggie's sister yesterday, Maggie was looking at real estate. Alec shut that down. "Not a good time."

I don't think Alec hated Maggie. I think Alec loved Alec.

My theory: he didn't want Maggie to find out about the financial mess he was in, one which exploding spectacularly around him.

The boat crash lit the fuse.

JMO

Agreed. Not sure if he would have been seeking a loan, if so, it would have been difficult since he was deeply in financial ruin- right?

 

[legalmomma]

AM looks a little frantic right now before the interview...passing a note to counsel.

 

[Katrinepa]

Yes but in order to put someone in prison for life the state has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that AM murdered his wife and son. Evidence in the form of testimony that demonstrates there were serious marital issues would help the state when it comes to Maggie’s murder. Any other evidence that shows AM loathed his family or wanted to be rid of them would also help. There is none!

The only thing is the Housekeeper/errand woman said Maggie was upset, as AM always kept secrets from her, and she was worried about finances she was not privy to. Plenty have said they had a good relationship, which makes it strange, but again, we neve know what goes on privately, and the ex girlfriend of Paul said Alex became volatile, and they dropped him and MM at home...(someone posted the transcript previously)

 

[arielilane]

The jury returned to the court room.

 

[Seattle1]

And not just that. Maggie’s death was extremely painful. Shot to the kidneys.
Speaking of that, why so many shots to both? If he was a hunter, shouldn’t his aim have been a lot better?

Hoping to throw off the investigation, which is probably why his shots were intentionally 'off' for a man of his experience-- except for the execution-style shot to the head which he did not miss. MOO

 

[Cindizzi]

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[Tiger Stripes]

I think this may have been asked before but why didn’t Alex get rid of Paul’s phone? Seems like he knew about the video but couldn’t get into the phone because the battery was dead? That video is going to seal the deal, IMO.

I, too, have been thinking that the Snapchat video would make it a done deal, but...this morning, hearing Agt DO testifying that, when DO arrived at Moselle shortly after midnight, the house at Moselle had "at least 8-10 people...members of the defendant's law firm..." -- as well as "friends and family" of the defendant's...

My mind is simply boggled beyond explanation from when we first heard a SLED agent (this was a female SLED agent with a search warrant) testify that she never checked the drain in the shower... (Okay, I understand that may sound like such a "simple" item; it is "simple", to be sure. Buuuut...just now recalling a certain case in central Illinois a few summers ago where a young Ph. D. student was kidnapped and murdered; the local LE investigators immediately went to the suspect's apartment, and checked all the drains, along with using Luminol there and in the suspect's vehicle. But I digress...)

Is it possible (dare I even ask this question?) that...back in the early summer of 2021 the local SLED agents were in awe of AM/his family/their prestige and influence over their communities? (And I myself tend to be a pro-LE person, for anyone wondering...)

Continuing to hope and pray for justice for MM and PM.

 

[arielilane]

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[arielilane]

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[Cindizzi]

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[arielilane]

2. Rocking Back and Forth

As I have written here and elsewhere, repetitive behaviors are soothing or pacifying and help us deal with stress. From foot bouncing to finger strumming to twirling strands of hair, they help us pass the time, enjoy a moment, or deal with momentary stress or anxiety.

But the sudden onset of rocking back and forth, almost like a metronome, is reserved for extremely stressful situations—when terrible news has been received or a horrific event has been witnessed. In those cases—I have seen it in adults as well as children—a person seemingly zones out, oblivious to the world or any attempts to communicate as he or she self-soothes by rocking back and forth, sometimes for several minutes.

As renowned author and researcher David Givens points out in his Nonverbal Dictionary, the rocking action back and forth or side to side (think of a mother rocking a baby to sleep) “stimulates the vestibular senses and is therefore soothing” in a very primitive, but effective way.

5 Ways That Body Language Can Signal Trouble

During times of high stress or a calamity, these unique behaviors shout, "I need help."

www.psychologytoday.com