Alex Murdaugh trial resumes following bomb threat with testimony on Murdaugh vehicle tracking
Alex Murdaugh, a former lawyer, assistant prosecutor and scion of a powerful South Carolina legal dynasty, is charged with the double murder of his wife, Maggie, and their 22-year-old son, Paul, on June 7, 2021.
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Alex Murdaugh is escorted from the Colleton County Courthouse Feb. 8, 2023. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital)
After a turbulent day that included a bomb threat and a courthouse evacuation, Alex Murdaugh's double murder trial ended early.
Judge Clifton Newman sent the jury and Alex home at about 4:30 p.m.
Alex was escorted from the courthouse to a black van that dropped him off one mile away at the Colleton County Jail, where he'll retire for the night.
Court is set to resume at 9:30 a.m.Thursday at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina.
It was the 11th day of Alex's trial and the afternoon's final witness was FBI electronics engineer Dwight Falkofske.
The expert analyzed the computer data on Alex's 2021 Chevrolet Suburban, which recorded each time he put his car in park on the night of the murders.
The data appeared to suggest that Alex had only visited his mother for about 20 minutes before he alleges he found his slain wife and son a little after 10 p.m. -- another potential chip in his alibi.
He told investigators he was at his mother's home in Almeda for at least 35 minutes before returning to the family's hunting estate in Islandton.
Dwight Falkofske, an FBI electronics engineer in the electronics device analysis unit, testified on Wednesday that the agency was able to identify two phone calls made from Alex Murdaugh's work vehicle on the evening of June 7, 2021.
Alex’s wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, were killed around 8:50 p.m. that evening, and Alex says he found their bodies near dog kennels on his family’s hunting estate called Moselle in Islandton, South Carolina, around 10 p.m.
Prior to that, Alex says he had been napping after dinner, around the time the murders took place, and went to visit his mother. He maintains his innocence.
At 9:03 p.m. that evening, Alex Murdaugh’s 2021 Chevy Suburban started up, and at 9:06 p.m., it was taken out of park, Falkofske testified based on data the FBI pulled from the vehicle’s system, noting that out of park does not necessarily mean driving. The vehicle was put in park again at 9:22 p.m.
At 9:43:05 p.m., Alex’s vehicle started up after it was parked for about 20 minutes and then it was put back it park less than a minute later at 9:43:59 p.m.
Between 10 p.m. and 10:05 p.m., Alex’s vehicle went in and out of park six rimes, according to Falkofske.
The vehicle was then parked for more than five minutes until it was taken out of park again at 10:11 p.m. and put back into park at 10:12 p.m. At 10:13 p.m., the vehicle was taken out of park, but its system did not log the time it was finally parked that evening, Falkofske said, explaining that the system can sometimes stop recording.
Dwight Falkofske, an FBI electronics engineer, testified on Wednesday that the agency was able to identify two phone calls made from Alex Murdaugh's vehicle on of June 7, 2021.
Dwight Falkofske, an FBI electronics engineer in the electronics device analysis unit, testified on Wednesday that the agency was able to identify two phone calls made from Alex Murdaugh's work vehicle on the evening of his wife's and son's murders.
Falkofske said Alex's work-issued 2021 Chevy Suburban was unusually encrypted, meaning the FBI had to jump through some hoops to access the vehicle's call logs, parking movement and other data.
Alex made one 9-1-1-1 call on June 7, 2021, at 10:06:14 p.m. and one 9-1-1 call at 10:06:18 p.m. on that evening, Falkofske said.
The call information came from "an attached phone" that the car's system downloaded from its entertainment system, Falkofske explained.
Alex claims he was napping at the time Paul and Maggie were shot . He then says he drove to his mother's house and returned to Moselle later around 10 p.m., when he discovered his wife's and son's bodies.
Listen to Alex Murdaugh's 911 call here.
Judge Clifton Newman presiding over Alex Murdaugh's murder trial Jan. 27, 2023. (Grace Beahm Alford/The Post and Courier/ pool)
Alex Murdaugh's trial resumed Wednesday at 3:09 p.m. after a bomb threat halted the proceeding shortly before the lunch break.
The jurors were called back into the Colleton County Courthouse and prosecutors recalled South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) computer crimes agent Brian Hudak.
Moments after he started his testimony this morning, Judge Clifton Newman evacuated the courthouse.
The judge did not appear to address the bomb threat before the trial resumed.
Hudak testified that the infotainment system and OnStar module from Alex's 2021 Chevy Suburban were sent to the FBI for analysis.
Alex drove the SUV to the murder scene June 7, 2021.
He's accused of fatally shooting his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, 52, and his son, Paul Murdaugh, 22, to prevent his financial crimes from coming to light.
The disgraced attorney has denied the allegations.
A group of people about to reenter the Colleton County Courthouse after a bomb threat at Alex Murdaugh's murder trial. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital)
Prosecutors, the defense team and sheriff's deputies were seen entering the Colleton County Courthouse Wednesday at around 2:30 p.m. for Alex Murdaugh's double murder trial.
People are lining up at the front entrance to retake their seats for the afternoon session.
A bomb threat was called in at around 12:30 p.m., and the building was evacuated as law enforcement secured the perimeter.
Justin Bamber outside the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Friday. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital)
South Carolina attorney Justin Bamberg said he fears the reported bomb threat could disrupt Alex Murdaugh's murder trial.
"The biggest question is what impact would something like this have on the jury — even when there’s no reason for the jurors to be scared," Bamberg told Fox News Digital.
He said jurors could start to try to get off the case out of concern their lives are in danger.
Bamberg suspects that a "random" person is behind the alarming phone call that came in at about 12:30 p.m. just after the state had called its 38th witness.
“My gut instinct would be that it’s not someone tied to the case just because that would be astronomically stupid,” Bamberg said.
He said bomb threats aren't unsual in high-profile, international cases.
During Susan Smith's South Carolina trial for the murder of her two sons, the proceeding was interrupted by bomb threat, Bamberg noted.
The local attorney has attended the majority of Alex's trial -- but was not present Wednesday.
He represents several of Alex's victims after they had their settlements stolen by the disgraced attorney.
The bomb threat that interrupted Alex Murdaugh's double murder trial Wednesday was called in on the Colleton County Court's general sessions line, a source told Fox News Digital.
A bomb squad is being sent from Summerville -- about 30 miles northeast of Walterboro, South Carolina, Law & Crime reported.
A spokesman for the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division confirmed the threat in a statement.
"A bomb threat was received by Colleton County courthouse personnel. The building has been evacuated and SLED along with the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the threat," the statement says. "No additional information is available from SLED at this time."
Judge Clifton Newman calmly ordered the evacuation of the building at about 12:30 p.m. Wednesday moments after prosecutors called their 38th witness.
Alex Murdaugh was whisked away in a car. The perimeter of the building has been completely blocked off by law enforcement.
It's unclear where the jury has been taken.
Haley Chi-Sing contributed to this report
People shown evacuating the Colleton County Courthouse at Alex Murdaugh's murder trial due to a bomb threat. (Mark Sims for Fox News)
Judge Clifton Newman ordered the evacuation of the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, Wednesday, at around 12:30 p.m during Alex Murdaugh's double murder trial.
A photo gallery shows the crowd exiting the building and heading across the street due to a reported bomb threat.
Alex was whisked away in a police car. It wasn't immediately clear where the jury or judge were taken.
The entire perimeter around the building has been blocked off, preventing reporters from returning to the media staging area or their cars.
The public is not allowed on any sidewalks adjacent to the courthouse, and there is a heavy police presence.
Prosecutors had just called their 38th witness, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Agent Brian Hudak, when the judge calmly ordered the evacuation.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have to evacuate the building at this time so we'll be in recess until we discover what's going on," he said in a calm voice.
He sent jurors to an early lunch and ordered them back by 2:30 p.m. -- but it's possible the trial will not reconvene Wednesday.
"The Colleton Sheriff's Office urges citizens to use an alternate route of travel and will update traffic conditions as needed," the sheriff's office said in a statement.
Alex is on trial for allegedly executing his son, Paul Murdaugh, 22, and his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, 52, June 7, 2021.
Audrey Conklin and Haley Chi-Sing contributed to this report.
Crowds of people were seen leaving the courthouse just before 1 p.m. and gathering outside. (Mark Simms for Fox News Digital)
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) on Wednesday confirmed a bomb threat at the Colleton County courthouse, where the Alex Murdaugh murder trial was underway this afternoon.
The building was evacuated, and the Murdaugh trial broke until 2:30 p.m. after lunch.
"A bomb threat was received by Colleton County courthouse personnel," SLED told Fox News Digital in a statement. "The building has been evacuated and SLED along with the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the threat. No additional information is available from SLED at this time"
The Colleton Sheriff's Office urged citizens" to use an alternate route of travel and will update traffic conditions as needed."
Crowds of people were seen leaving the courthouse just before 1 p.m. and gathering outside.
People are shown evacuating the Colleton County Courthouse after a reported bomb threat.
Prosecutors had just called their 38th witness, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Agent Brian Hudak, when Judge Clifton Newman ordered the evacuation of the building.
A few moments later, a fire truck pulled up in front of the courthouse and prosecutors headed across the street to order lunch from the food trucks.
The perimeter around the building has been blocked off, preventing reporters from returning to the media staging area.
"The Colleton Sheriff's Office urges citizens to use an alternate route of travel and will update traffic conditions as needed," the sheriff's office said in a statement.
Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.
Judge Clifton Newman ordered evacuation of the Colleton County Courthouse Wednesday -- bringing Alex Murdaugh's AlexMurdaugh's double murder trial to an abrupt stop before lunch.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have to evacuate the building at this time so we'll be in recess until we discover what's going on," he said in a calm voice.
The crowd was told to go across the street. The evacuation was spurred by a reported bomb threat. Alex was whisked away in a police car.
The Colleton County Courthouse was evacuated Wednesday afternoon Feb. 8, 2023. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital)
Moments after prosecutors called their 38th witness, Judge Clifton Newman ordered the evacuation of the Colleton County Courthouse at Alex Murdaugh's double murder trial due to a reported bomb threat.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have to evacuate the building at this time so we'll be in recess until we discover what's going on," he said in a calm voice.
Alex was escorted to a police vehicle and driven away.
The judge did not disclose the reason for the evacuation. The courthouse has been evacuated due to a bomb threat, according to a courthouse source.
Alex Murdaugh is on trial for executing his wife , Maggie Murdaugh, and his son, Paul Murdaugh, to prevent his decade-long financial schemes from coming to light.
Judge Clifton Newman said that the trial would resume at 2:30 p.m. The crowd has been instructed to stand across the street from the courthouse.
Austin Westfall contributed to this report.
Annette Griswald reads a text Alex Murdaugh sent her from rehab in September 2021.
Annette Griswold, a secretary at The Parker Law Group, where she worked with Alex Murdaugh for nine years, testified Wednesday that she received an apology text from Alex while he was in rehab.
Alex went to rehab more than four months after the murders of his wife , Maggie, and son, Paul, on June 7, 2021, and less than a month after he was fired from The Parker Law Group — then known as Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth & Detrick. Alex staged a botched suicide plot after his termination from the firm.
On Sept. 26, 2021, Alex sent a text message to Griswald and another secretary at the firm expressing his hope to make amends. Griswald read the text aloud in court on Wednesday.
“Hey, it’s Alex. I’m finally feeling a little bit better each day,” the text message said. “I’m over the worst but still feel like i have the flu. Real weak. I’m have been worried about y’all and I’m sorry I didn’t get to tell y’all myself. I know both of you have been hurt badly by me. I know it sounds hollow, but I am truly sorry.”
He continued: “The better I get, the more guilt I have. I have an awful lot to try to make right when I get out of here. The worst part is knowing I did the most damage to those I love the most. I’m not sure how I let myself get where I did. I am committed to getting better and hope to mend as many relationships as I can. You both are special people and important to me. Please know how sorry I am to have made you part of my misdeeds. I hope you are doing as well as possible. I love you very much.”
A fourth witness testified Wednesday that she can hear Alex Murdaugh's voice in a cellphone video Paul Murdaugh recorded just before he was murdered on June 7, 2021.
Alex is charged with fatally shooting his youngest son with a shotgun and his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, with a rifle near the dog kennels of the family's sprawling hunting estate known as Moselle in Islandton, South Carolina, at about 8:50 p.m. that evening.
About three minutes prior to their deaths, Paul Murdaugh recorded a video of one of the dogs on the family's property that belonged to his friend because something was wrong with the dog's tail.
The video was played again in court Wednesday while Annette Griswold, who worked for Alex for nine years at Peters Murdaugh Parker Eltzroth & Detrick -- the law firm founded by Alex's great-grandfather -- took the witness stand.
Griswold told prosecutor Creighton Waters that she could hear Maggie's, Paul's and Alex's voices in the video.
“How sure are you?” Waters asked.
“I’m 100% sure," Griswold said.
Another one of Alex's friends, attorney Ronnie Corsby, also said he was 100% sure he could hear Alex's voice in the video during his Tuesday testimony. Two of Paul's friends said they were also sure they could hear his voice in the video in their testimony last week.
The video presents a challenge to Alex's claim that he was napping at the time Paul and Maggie were shot. He then says he drove to his mother's house and returned to Moselle later around 10 p.m., when he discovered his wife's and son's bodies.
Fox News' Rebecca Rosenberg contributed to this report.
Alex Murdaugh is led into the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital)
Alex Murdaugh arrived for the 11th day of his double murder trial in Walterboro, South Carolina Wednesday morning, Feb. 8, 2023.
He was escorted from a black van into the Colleton County Courthouse.
Alex's only living son, 26-year-old Buster Murdaugh, was also seen arriving at the courthouse ahead of the trial with his girlfriend, Brooklynn White.
Buster has been seated in the gallery everyday since the trial started last month.
Alex is charged with gunning down his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, and son, Paul Murdaugh, in June 2021 at the family's hunting estate in Islantdon, South Carolina.
Prosecutors have argued that Alex committed the murders to prevent his alleged financial crimes from coming to light.
Alex Murdaugh at his double murder trial Feb. 7, 2023, in Walterboro, South Carolina. (Andrew J. Whitaker/ The Post and Courier/ pool)
Annette Griswold testified Wednesday that her boss, Alex Murdaugh, had her write checks to "Forge," the fake account he created to look like the legitimate company Forge Consulting.
Forge Consulting helps clients structure their settlements -- but Alex was allegedly diverting client funds to an account he controlled named "Forge" that he used as his personal piggy bank.
But, at the time, she didn't realize what he was doing. He often diverted the money when she was out of the office and had another paralegal unfamiliar with the cases handle payments, she said.
But her suspicions grew when she started trying to locate a $792,000 fee from a case Alex tried with his friend, attorney Chris Wilson.
Alex said the disbursement hadn't been paid yet but a staffer at Wilson's firm said they had cut him a check already. Griswold flagged the discrepancy to CFO Jeanne Seckinger.
"We both had a nagging feeling of 'this is not good. Something is wrong,'" she testified.
On June 7, 2021, Seckinger confronted Alex about the missing fee but was brushed off when he got a call that his father had been admitted to the hospital and was terminal.
Early the next morning, Griswold saw a missed call from Alex's brother, also a partner at the firm, Randolph "Randy" Murdaugh IV, and called him back.
"It's bad, Annette, it's real bad," he told her. "It's Maggie and Paul. They've been shot and murdered."
The shocking slayings put an end to the inquiries about the missing settlement fee until Sept. 2, 2021.
Griswold went into Alex's office to find a file. "I picked it up, and when I did, a check floated like a feather to the ground," she told the jurors. "I saw the check and what it said and what it had on it, and instantly became very upset."
It was the settlement payment from Wilson's firm that Alex claimed he never received.
"He was fired the next day," she said.
Alex Murdaugh's former paralegal, Annette Griswold, testifies Feb. 8, 2023, at his murder trial in Walterboro, South Carolina. (Fox News)
Alex Murdaugh 's former paralegal nicknamed him the "Tasmanian devil," describing him as erratic but also "extremely intelligent."
Annette Griswold worked for Alex for nine years at Peters Murdaugh Parker Eltzroth & Detrick -- the law firm founded by his great-grandfather -- until he was pushed out for stealing funds.
Alex, she said, kept unusual hours, often strolling into the office just before 5 p.m. when the staff was ready to head home.
"I sometimes referred to Alex as a Tasmanian devil cause when he walked in, no matter what you were doing, you started spinning because he was just coming through shouting everybody’s name and ready to get work down," she testified.
She also described him as "extremely intelligent when he comes to the law."
After the Murdaughs were sued over a deadly 2019 boat wreck, Alex's demeanor changed.
"He's always been hard to sit still and get answers from,,"she testified. "But it got extremely worse after the boat accident. He was rarely there, and when he was, the door was closed. You could tell the boat crash was weighing heavy on him, it was consuming his life almost."
Paul drunkenly crashed his father's boat into a bridge in Beaufort County, killing 19-year-old Mallory Beach and injuring four other passengers.
Prosecutors have argued that the wrongful death lawsuit threatened to expose Alex's alleged decade-long embezzlement schemes.
The murders of his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, and his son, Paul Murdaugh, halted the boat crash litigation and bought Alex time, prosecutors contend.
SLED forensic scientist Megan Fletcher testifies at Alex Murdaugh's murder trial Feb. 7, 2023. (Andrew J. Whitaker/ The Post and Courier/ pool)
On cross-examination, gunshot residue expert Megan Fletcher confirmed that gunshot residue particles can remain on inanimate objects forever unless they are washed off.
On Tuesday, Fletcher testified that she found one particle on Alex Murdaugh’s hands, three on his white T-shirt, three on his shorts, one on the seat belt of the Chevrolet Suburban he drove to the murder scene and none on his shoes.
Defense lawyer Jim Griffin asked if she can say when or how these particles were deposited on the items, and she confirmed that she could not.
Griffin asked whether the particle found on Alex's hand would be consistent with him retrieving a firearm from the main residence after the murders.
“I did not know he had a firearm in his hand but that would be consistent with someone who had a firearm in his hand,” she said.
Fletcher testified that 52 gunshot residue particles were found on a rain jacket retrieved in September 2021 -- three months after the slayings -- at the home of Alex's parents.
Prosecutors contend that Alex stashed the bundled up raincoat at his parents' home one week after the murders and suggested a gun may have been hidden inside.
Thirty-eight of the gunshot residue particles were found on the inside of the jacket.
“They’re unusual because they are on the interior of a garment and it’s a large number,” she testified on redirect.
Buster Murdaugh and his girlfriend, Brooklynn White, in the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, Feb. 7, 2023. (Joshua Boucher/The State/ pool)
Alex Murdaugh's sister Lynn Murdaugh Goettee, his son, Buster Murdaugh, and his girlfriend, Brooklynn White, arrived at the Colleton County Courthouse together shortly before 9:20 a.m.
They have become fixtures in the courtroom, attending everyday of the double murder trial in Walterboro, South Carolina, since it began last month.
Alex can sometimes be seen talking to Buster and even mouthing "I love you" during breaks in the trial.
The disgraced attorney's brother, John Marvin Murdaugh, has also been present everyday. Alex's brother, Randolph "Randy" Murdaugh IV, makes more sporadic appearances. He's expected to testify for the prosecution.
The family sits a few rows behind the defense table. The trial is expected to resume Wednesday with cross-examination of South Carolina Law Enforcement Division forensic scientist Megan Fletcher.
She testified Tuesday that she found gunshot residue on the clothes Alex was wearing the night of the slayings, and a raincoat prosecutors allege belonged to him that was later found at his parents' home.
Alex Murdaugh in the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, for his murder trial Feb. 7, 2023. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post and Courier/ pool)
Alex Murdaugh, 54, the once powerful scion of a South Carolina legal dynasty, is on trial for the slayings of his wife and son.Prosecutors say Alex gunned down 52-year-old Maggie Murdaugh and their troubled 22-year-old son, Paul, on June 7, 2021.
The Murdaughs, a prominent Democratic family, wielded enormous judicial and political power for nearly a century.
A comprehensive timeline details the events that contributed to Alex's downfall and the progress of his murder trial.
The family’s dominance began to wane after Paul was criminally charged for a deadly 2019 boat wreck that triggered a series of lawsuits and threatened to expose his father’s financial schemes.
The accident set in motion a spiral of destruction that has stained the family’s legacy.
For 87 years, three generations of Murdaughs served as the top prosecutor overseeing five counties in South Carolina's Lowcountry.
That reign ended in 2005 when Alex's father, Randolph Murdaugh III, stepped down from the 14th Circuit Solicitor's Office -- the chief prosecuting agency for Colleton, Hampton, Allendale, Beaufort and Jasper counties.
At the time of the murders, Alex was a volunteer prosecutors in the 14th Circuit Solicitor's Office.
Paul Murdaugh's booking photo after his arrest for the 2019 boat crash that killed Mallory Beach. (South Carolina Attorney General's Office/WTAT-TV/DT)
Paul Murdaugh was 22 when he and his mother, Maggie Murdaugh, were shot to death near the dog kennels on the family's sprawling hunting estate in Islantdon, South Carolina.
His father, Alex Murdaugh, is on trial for their murders accused of executing his wife with a rifle and gunning down his son with a shotgun.
Paul was at the helm of his father’s boat in February 2019 when he crashed into a bridge, killing 19-year-old Mallory Beach and injuring four others.
He was charged with three felony counts of boating under the influence. Paul had used his mother’s credit card and his older brother Buster Murdaugh’s ID to buy alcohol for the excursion.
The Murdaugh family was hit with a wrongful death suit that threatened to expose Alex’s decade-long schemes to steal from his law firm and clients.
Three days after Paul’s murder, a hearing in the boat wreck case to determine whether Alex would have to disclose his financial records was canceled.
Several witnesses have described Paul as an outdoorsman who loved hunting, fishing and roaming the family’s 1,700 acre property.
"Paul’s just a really fun guy," his friend, William McElveen, testified. "The life of the party kind of guy. Everybody that really knew him loved him. Just a great guy."
Financial transactions are seen during Alex Murdaugh’s trial for murder at the Colleton County Courthouse on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023. (Joshua Boucher/The State/Pool)
Prosecutors have argued that Alex Murdaugh was "burning through cash like crazy" and "extremely leveraged,” which they allege was part of his motive in the murders of his son, Paul Murdaugh, and wife, Maggie Murdaugh.
Alex is charged with fatally shooting Paul and Maggie on the evening of June 7, 2021, though he claims he was never at the scene of the crime when it occurred.
Prosecutors say he shot his wife and son in an effort to distract from his financial wrongdoings dating back more than a decade.
He has been charged with 99 financial crimes alleging he stole more than $9 million.
Palmetto State Bank CEO and President Jan Malinowski testified last week that Alex owed the bank $4.2 million as of August 2021.
Parker Law Group CFO Jeanne Seckinger testified Tuesday that the law firm, which has been in the Murdaugh family since 1910, had to repay its clients about $5 million as a result of Alex's theft.
While Judge Clifton Newman ruled that evidence of Alex's alleged financial crimes can be admitted at his trial, he also noted on Tuesday that his apparent financial wrongdoings do not indicate guilt for his two murder charges.
His financial charges do, however, indicate potential motive for the shootings.
Warning: Graphic Content
Alex Murdaugh is accused of blasting his 22-year-old son Paul Murdaugh twice with a shotgun at the family's sprawling South Carolina estate, leaving horrific injuries.
The second shot entered Paul Murdaugh's left shoulder traveling into his neck and brain, wrote state forensic expert Dr. Kenneth Kinsey in an affidavit.
"Brain was completely detached from head," which would have caused immediate death, Kinsey stated in the report.
Paul was first struck in the chest as he stood in the feed room connected to the property's dog kennels, an outbuilding on the family's property in Islandton, South Carolina.
“The gases from that shot literally exploded his head like a watermelon hit by a sledgehammer,” Alex’s defense lawyer Dick Harpootlian said in opening statements. “All that was left was the front of his face. Everything else was gone. His brain exploded out of his head, hit the ceiling in the shed and dropped to his feet. Horrendous. Horrible. Butchering.”
Paul’s mother, Maggie Murdaugh, was shot at least five times – including in the back of the head – with a semiautomatic rifle and died about 30 yards from her son.
Will Loving testified last week that his friend, Paul Murdaugh, sent him a Snapchat video at 7:56 p.m., about an hour before he was killed.Alex Murdaugh is seen wearing a blue shirt and long khaki pants. He and his son, Paul, can be heard laughing about a poorly planted tree in the clip played for jurors.
Lead prosecutor Creighton Waters asked Loving to describe Alex's clothes in the footage -- including his shoes.
Prosecutors say an hour later, Alex gunned down Paul and his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, to prevent his alleged financial crimes from coming to light.
Two hours after the Snapchat recording, Alex called 911 at 10:07 p.m. to report that his wife and son were "badly shot."
In his videotaped interview with investigators, Alex is wearing a white T-shirt and shorts, indicating he had changed his clothes since the 7:56 p.m. Snapchat video.
At one point during cross-examination, Loving glowingly described the father and son's relationship. "It kind of seemed like he was the apple of his eye,” Loving said.
In addition to the Snapchat video, Paul also recorded a cellphone video that prosecutors say places Alex at the scene three minutes before the murders.
(Mark Sims for Fox News Digital)
Spectators are lining up this morning outside the Colleton County courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina.
The hopefuls are seeking a seat inside the courtroom to witness the trial of Alex Murdaugh.
Former Palmetto State Bank CEO Russell Laffitte exits federal court in Charleston, South Carolina, on Sept. 6. (John Monk/The State/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Russell Laffitte, the former CEO of a local South Carolina bank, was convicted in November on six financial crimes charges related to disbarred attorney Alex Murdaugh's decade-long corruption schemes.
The Laffitte and Murdaugh families rose to South Carolina prominence around the same time in the early 20th century, when the Lafittes founded Palmetto State Bank and the Murdaugh family began a personal injury law firm.
Three generations of the Murdaugh family served as the top prosecutor in the Lowcountry of South Carolina for 86 years.
Laffitte helped Murdaugh steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from six of the former lawyer's clients, according to federal prosecutors.
While the initial indictment did not mention Murdaugh by name, it said Laffitte collected nearly $392,000 in fees for serving as a personal representative for the six clients of a "personal injury attorney at a law firm in Hampton, South Carolina," according to a July press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of South Carolina.
The clients included two sisters, Alania Spohn and Hannah Plyler, who were injured in a 2005 car accident that killed their mother and brother when they were children.
Laffitte transferred personal loans to himself and Murdaugh from the six conservator accounts, and they used the funds for personal expenses, prosecutors said during his trial last year.
Warning: Graphic content
A video from 3D imaging company FARO depicts a visual representation of dog kennels on Alex Murdaugh's 1,700-acre hunting estate known as Moselle in Islandton, South Carolina, where his wife and son were murdered on June 7, 2021.
The 3D property representation was presented in court last week to depict the scene of the double murder.
Alex is accused of shooting his son, Paul, and his wife, Maggie, that evening using two different firearms. Alex claims he was never at the family's dog kennels that evening and was napping during the time of the murders.
Maggie Murdaugh's body was found near a single dog house on the property and Paul Murdaugh's body was found next to a row of dog kennels nearby, where he had recorded a video of a chocolate lab just minutes before his death, according to prosecutors.
While Alex claims he was never at the crime scene when the murders occurred, three witnesses have identified his voice in a video Paul took at the family’s dog kennels about 10 minutes prior to his death.
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