Alex Murdaugh trial coverage: Investigators testify in South Carolina lawyer's double-murder trial

Alex Murdaugh exits the third day of his double murder trial in South Carolina, January 27, 2023 (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital)

The trial of disbarred South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh broke for the weekend after jurors heard from three investigators, testifying on behalf of the state.

Murdaugh's son, Buster Murdaugh, his girlfriend, Brooklynn White, and his brother John Marvin Murdaugh, have appeared in the courtroom every day since the trial began.

The family members have often reacted in the gallery with emotion to the graphic testimony and images.

State prosecutors say that Alex Murdaugh fatally shot his wife, Maggie, and his son, Paul, to prevent authorities from uncovering his financial misdeeds and other illicit activity.

Agent Melinda Worley holds up the sneakers Paul Murdaugh was wearing when he was fatally shot.

Agent Melinda Worley, of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, processed the evidence at the crime scene after Paul and Maggie were shot to death on the family's hunting estate.

At one point, she removed Paul's gray New Balance sneakers from a box and displayed them to the courtroom.

Her hours-long and often tedious testimony has featured her documenting each piece of evidence she collected at the property.

She said she processed the clothing Alex Murdaugh was wearing when first responders arrived.

In the lab, she sprayed his white T-shirt and shorts with LCV (liquid crystal violet) which tests for hemoglobin or blood.

The chemical turns purple if blood is present but can also react with bleach and rust, she added.

 “There were several areas of staining that we had presumptive positive results. Several on the front and a few on the back of the T-shirt," she said. "The shorts, there were a few on the front and the back.”

In pretrial motions, the defense aggressively challenged the accuracy of these tests and argued that there was no blood on the white T-shirt.

SLED Agent Melinda Worley testifies Friday in Alex Murdaugh's double murder trial. (Joshua Boucher/The State/Pool))

South Carolina Law Enforcement Division agent Melinda Worley, who was with the crime scene unit at the time, said Alex Murdaugh's SUV tested positive for blood.

Worley, who is an expert in foot and tire impressions, processed the crime scene after Maggie, 52, and Paul, 22, were shot to death near the dog kennels on the family's hunting estate in Colleton County.

She said she processed Murdaugh's black Chevy Suburban, swabbing 10 areas of the vehicle.

"Were those swabs presumptive for blood?" asked state prosecutor Savanna Goude.

"Yes, they were," she replied. She did specify which swabs tested positive, or whose blood was present. Worley said she also recovered a 16-gauge shotgun shell.

She said she later collected the car's seatbelt for further testing.

In earlier testimony, she told jurors she found Maggie's body with her legs straight out and lying on top of a shell casing fired from a .300 Blackout rifle.

In the feed room, where Paul was shot, she described the blood, brain matter and hair found on the door.

Murdaugh bowed his head and wept during graphic portions of the testimony.

Evidence photos showing foot imprint in sand and Maggie Murdaugh's sandals. (Joshua Boucher/The State/Pool)

New evidence photos from Alex Murdaugh's double murder trial were released Friday -- including images of footprints near the crime scene and the bottom of a pair of shoes.

The photos were shown to jurors but not displayed to the gallery during testimony.

One image shows a set of foot imprints in the sand near where Maggie, 52, and Paul, 22, were shot to death near the dog kennels at the family's hunting estate known as Moselle.

A second image, shows the soles of the sandals Maggie was wearing when she was executed.

It was unclear if the footprints in the photo belong to Maggie or Paul.

On Thursday, Colleton County Maj. Jason Chapman testified that he had identified foot prints that looked like they were made by Maggie's shoes.

The impressions appeared to go from one end of the hangar near the kennels then turn around and go back, he said.

Another expert, Melinda Worley, a forensic scientist who is currently on the stand, testified earlier Friday that she had matched footprints from the scene to the shoes Paul and Maggie were wearing when they were murdered.

Alex Murdaugh in court Jan. 27, 2023, on the third day of his double murder trial in Colleton County. (Grace Beahm Alford/The Post and Courier/Pool)

During the lunch break, Alex Murdaugh, 54, ate a personal Domino's Pizza in his Colleton County holding cell.

He and two other inmates in separate cells dined on their own personal pizzas, according to a source.

During the trial, Murdaugh is held on in a holding cell under the courthouse, which has a long concrete bench.

When trial wraps for the day, he returns to the Colleton County Jail.

A source said that Murdaugh ate most of his pizza, even dipping each slice in a sauce that came with the order.

He was careful to keep his white button-down shirt from staining, the source said.

Court resumed at about 2:20 p.m. and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division agent Melinda Worley returned to the stand.

She's a forensic scientist with an expertise in footprints.

Worley compared photos of footprints from the scene to the shoes Paul and Maggie were wearing at the time they were murdered.

Alex Murdaugh arrives at the third day of his murder trial, January 27, 2023 (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital)

Alex Murdaugh, 56, is the fallen scion of a local legal dynasty in South Carolina . He is accused in the double slaying of his youngest son Paul, 22, and his wife, Maggie, 52, in June 2021. 

Since their deaths, he has been disbarred and disgraced as he has been linked to several other deaths in the community, and an alleged failed attempt to take his own life with a gun in September, 2021. Prosecutors allege he tried to secure a $10 million payout for his eldest and only living son, Buster with the attempted suicide.

State prosecutors suggested that Murdaugh shot his son and wife over mounting debts and fear his decades-long corruption schemes would be exposed.

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced in December a fresh indictment accusing Murdaugh of nine counts of tax evasion for failing to report $6,954,639 of illegally earned income between 2011 and 2019.

Murdaugh remains jailed on a $7 million bond and his financial assets have been frozen.

The hunting estate, known as Moselle, in Colleton County, where Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were shot to death June 7, 2021. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital)

In earlier testimony Friday, jurors were played a 30-minute audio recording of authorities interviewing Alex Murdaugh after the double homicide.

The interview was conducted in a car at 12:57 a.m. about three hours after Murdaugh said he found his wife and son shot to death on the family’s hunting estate June 7, 2021.

An agent with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division asked Murdaugh if there was anyone he was “suspicious” of.

He said he’d recently hired a groundskeeper, C.B. Rowe, who’d been working with his son, Paul, on the 1,700 acre property a lot. 

Rowe, he said, told Paul a far-fetched story about getting "into a fight with some Black guys” in high school and some FBI agents witnessed it.

Rowe said he was put on an "undercover FBI team.“

Their job was to "kill radical Black Panthers and they did that from Myrtle Beach to Savannah,” Murdaugh said of the bizarre tale. 

Murdaugh added that he thought it was unlikely Rowe was involved. 

Alex, Maggie, Paul and Buster Murdaugh in a family photo. Alex is accused of murdering Paul and Maggie. (Facebook)

On cross-examination, defense lawyer Jim Griffin established that Alex Murdaugh gave authorities full permission to search the family's hunting estate, Moselle, after the double murder.

Det. Laura Rutland also said that Murdaugh, his son, Buster, and his brothers, gave officials permission to search their phones and were cooperative.

Griffin pressed Rutland on how Murdaugh could have shot his son, Paul, and wife, Maggie, yet have no visible blood on him.

"Did he look like someone who blew his son's head off?" asked Griffin. Paul's blood, brain and tissue splattered all over the shed where he was shot, according to trial testimony.

Rutland said that many factors, including distance, would determine whether Murdaugh had blood on him.

On redirect, state prosecutor John Meadors, in a southern drawl, asked Rutland if Murdaugh looked like "somebody who just changed his clothes?"

"Yes," she replied.

Meadows showed her a picture of Murdaugh from the night of slayings and asked whether his clothes looked freshly washed.

"He's sweating, and they're dry so I'd say yes," she replied

The detective also said she helped SLED's dive team search ponds, waterways, and the Salkehatchie River for evidence.

She prepared the search warrant for Moselle and said investigators canvassed the entire 1,700-acre property using ATVs.

Eleven seconds of drone footage was released to the public on Friday, one day after it was shown to a South Carolina jury during Alex Murdaugh’s double-murder trial in Colleton County court.

The footage shows the Murdaugh family’s sprawling Moselle estate, where Alex’s wife, 52-year-old Maggie, and their 22-year-old son, Paul, were executed in June 2021.

Murdaugh is accused of gunning down his troubled son and his wife on June 7, 2021, near the dog kennels on their sprawling 1,700-acre hunting estate known as Moselle in Islandton, South Carolina. Prosecutors say he used a shotgun to blow off his son's head, which was "severed" from his body, according to court papers.

Maggie was shot with a semiautomatic rifle five times — including in the back of the head — and died about 30 yards from her son, court papers allege.

Since their deaths, Murdaugh, 54, has been disbarred and disgraced as he has been linked to several other deaths in the community, and an alleged failed attempt to take his own life. 

Alex Murdaugh is led into Colleton County courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina on Friday, January 23, 2023. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital)

Alex Murdaugh told South Carolina police his son's phone "popped out of his pocket" when he tried to turn him over to check his pulse, Rutland testifies.

"Did the defendant ever tell you he'd been down to the kennels that night in his interview?"

Rutland responds: "No."

Prosecutor John Meadors then show crime scene photos of Paul Murdaugh.

"Can you describe what's around Paul Murdaugh?"

Rutland: "Blood, brain matter."

Meadors then focuses on how Alex Murdaugh would have needed to check the pulse on Paul's neck or hands, compared to the positioning of Paul's body in crime scene images.

"When you first saw Alex Murdaugh ... did you observe him?"

Rutland: "I did, just to make mental notes." She said she observed "that he was clean." She said she saw his hands and other body parts, his clothing and his shoes, with no signs of blood. She also said she did not see any footprints or knee prints in the blood.

"Anywhere around the body?" Meadors asks. She says no.

"How long was this after the 911 call?"

Rutland: "Two hours, two to three hours."

"They were clean," Rutland says, describing Murdaughs clothing and shoes.

His shirt, shoes and pants were collected on the night of the murders, the law enforcement officer confirmed.

Under cross-examination, Rutland clarifies that Murdaugh told her he tried to turn Paul's body over once, not twice as had previously been stated.

Defense attorney Jim Griffin asks: "And he didn't look like someone who had just been within feet of blowing Paul's head off, right?"

Rutland responds: "I can't say that. There are so many factors that you would have to take into account.

Prosecutors played an audio recording of Alex Murdaugh talking to investigators after the double murder of his son, Paul, and wife, Maggie, at the crime scene.

His lawyer was present for the interview. Murdaugh, 54, wept as he described finding his slain loved ones.

After he found them, he admitted he touched them both and even picked up Paul's cellphone.

He said he drove to the kennels after he tried to call and text Maggie but couldn't reach her.

He told the investigator from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division that he had a "wonderful" relationship with Maggie and Paul.

Alex Murdaugh arrives to the Colleton County Courthouse Jan. 27, 2023, for the third day of his double murder trial. (Mark SIms for Fox News Digital)

Colleton County Det. Laura Rutland was called as the state's first witness Friday and the seventh witness in the prosecution's case against Alex Murdaugh.

She said she was one of the last first responders on the scene and her job was to prepare the search warrant for Moselle, the hunting property where Maggie and Paul were murdered.

She said she first noticed an "overwhelming smell" then saw Paul's body under a sheet.

"There was brain, blood, hair, skull matter all within the feed room," she said of the gruesome scene.

She next approached Maggie's body 30 feet away.

Rutland noticed some foot prints on the sandy side of the shed in between some tractors that went one direction then turned around and came back toward where the bodies were found.

She said the foot impressions were similar to the shoes Maggie had on.

Alex Murdaugh is led into Colleton County courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina on Tuesday, January 24, 2023 (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital)

Alex Murdaugh is accused of gunning down his son, Paul, and his wife, Maggie, on June 7, 2021, near the dog kennels on their sprawling 1,700-acre hunting estate known as Moselle in Islandton, South Carolina.   

Prosecutors say he used a shotgun to blow off his son's head, which was "severed" from his body, according to court papers.  

Maggie was shot with a semiautomatic rifle five times — including in the back of the head — and died about 30 yards from her son, according to police and court papers.   

Prosecutors have suggested that the family patriarch murdered Paul and Maggie over mounting debts and fear that his decadeslong schemes to embezzle money from his clients would be exposed.  

Murdaugh has denied involvement. He alleges that he found his wife and son's lifeless bodies at 10:06 p.m. when he placed a hysterical 911 call to police. He has one surviving son, Richard "Buster" Murdaugh.

The third day of testimony in the double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh will be livestreamed on FoxNews.com

Testimony is scheduled to begin again around 9:30 a.m. ET.

Fox News’ Correspondent Jonathan Serrie reports that prosecutors have said they will be able use cell phone data and gunshot residue to prove Alex Murdaugh was at the crime scene at the time the shootings took place. 

Defense attorney Dick Harpootlian told the court Thursday “there is no eyewitness, there is no camera, there is no fingerprints, there is no forensics tying him to the crime, none.” 

South Carolina Attorney Lori Murray told Fox News' "America Reports" Thursday that the double-murder trial is “the state’s to lose.” 

She made the remark after Sgt. Daniel Greene admitted on cross-examination with Defense attorney Dick Harpootlian that first responders to the double homicide did not wear protective gowns or booties to preserve evidence. 

“Colleton County wasn’t prepared for anything like this at all. So they weren’t prepared for it... this crime scene is going to get contaminated anyway and I hope that the state will make that argument,” she said. “It’s going to get contaminated just from the fact that it is outdoors.” 

“We don’t know now which footprints belong to the killer, which ones belong to the police department,” she continued. “That is going to be what Dick Harpootlian hammers down on.”

“I have said all along that this case is the state’s to lose,” Murray also said. “There were some mistakes made – Dick Harpootlian you can bet is going to make sure he points out every single one of them and that‘s the first he has pointed out.” 

Chief prosecuting attorney Creighton Waters, left, asks Daniel Greene, a sergeant with the Colleton County Sheriff's Office to identify the 12-gauge shotgun, presented as evidence in Alex Murdaugh's double murder trial at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Thursday, Jan. 26. (Grace Beahm Alford/The State via AP)

The third day of testimony in Alex Murdaugh's double murder trial is set to begin at 9:30 a.m. ET.

During the second day of the trial on Thursday, prosecutors played Alex Murdaugh's disturbing 911 calls after he allegedly shot his wife and son.

Sgt. Daniel Greene admitted on cross-examination that first responders to the double homicide did not wear protective gowns or booties to preserve evidence.

Prosecutor Creighton Waters also showed jurors the shotgun that Murdaugh had on him when Greene arrived on the night of the murders.

The second day of the testimony portion of Murdaugh's double murder trial wrapped up Thursday at about 5:30 p.m. after six witnesses took the stand.

Murdaugh has been indicted on murder charges of the shooting deaths of his wife Maggie Murdaugh and youngest son Paul Murdaugh.

He faces up to life without parole and a minimum of 30 years in prison, if convicted.

Fox News' Rebecca Rosenberg contributed to this report.