Alex Murdaugh has taken over the courtroom: Phil Holloway
Criminal defense attorney Phil Holloway says the prosecution is conducting ‘a master class’ on how ‘not to conduct a cross-examination.’
Alex Murdaugh's five-week double murder trial has been filled with hours of emotional testimony, shocking evidence and jaw-dropping moments.
The disgraced South Carolina legal scion is charged with murdering his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, near dog kennels on their family hunting estate called Moselle June 7, 2021, in what prosecutors allege was an effort to distract from the 99 financial crimes totaling an estimated $9 million Murdaugh, 54, is accused of.
The prosecution rested its case Feb. 17, and Murdaugh took the witness stand Thursday for cross-examination in the Walterboro, South Carolina, Colleton County Courthouse. Here are five highlights of the trial so far:
ALEX MURDAUGH: TIMELINE OF ONCE-POWERFUL SOUTH CAROLINA LAWYER'S SPECTACULAR DOWNFALL
Murdaugh admits he lied
The former lawyer admitted on direct examination Thursday he repeatedly lied to investigators, friends and family, claiming he was never at the Moselle dog kennels June 7, 2021, the night of the slayings.
Alex Murdaugh is on trial for two counts of murder in the shootings of his wife and son at their Colleton County, S.C., home and hunting lodge June 7, 2021. (Grace Beahm Alford/The Post And Courier via AP, Pool)
However, a cellphone video later recovered from Paul Murdaugh's phone captured Alex's voice at the kennels at 8:44 p.m., contradicting Murdaugh's alibi and placing him at the murder scene minutes before Paul, 22, and Maggie, 52, were shot to death.
ALEX MURDAUGH TRIAL: CHARGES AGAISNT THE DISGRACED SOUTH CAROLINA LEGAL SCION
Various witnesses during the trial have confirmed hearing Murdaugh's voice in the video. On Thursday, Murdaugh confirmed it is his voice, contradicting his prior statements.
"Other than lying to them about going to the kennel, I was cooperative in every aspect of this investigation," Murdaugh insisted.
Investigators ask Murdaugh point blank if he killed wife in video
On Feb. 15, prosecutors played an Aug. 11, 2021, video in the Colleton County courtroom showing South Carolina Law Enforcement Division agents David Owen and Jeff Croft interviewing Murdaugh for the third time since his wife and son's murders.
As the interrogation wound down, Owen calmly asked, "Did you kill Maggie?"
"Did I kill my wife? No," Murdaugh answered incredulously.
A photo of the Murdaugh family taken days before Paul and Maggie Murdaugh were shot to death. From left, Buster, Paul, Maggie and Alex Murdaugh. (Defense exhibit)
"Do you know who did?" Owen continued, staring directly at Murdaugh, who was seated opposite him in a chair.
"No, I do not know who did it," Murdaugh replied.
In an earlier interview with investigators, the disgraced lawyer implicated his groundskeeper.
Buster Murdaugh testifies
Buster Murdaugh testified Thursday in the Colleton County Courthouse that his father called him June 7, the night of the murders, and told him his mom and brother had been shot to death near their family's dog kennels.
"He was destroyed, heartbroken," Buster said.
Buster Murdaugh, left, the son of Alex Murdaugh, listens to instruction from Judge Clifton Newman before a break during his father's trial at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, S.C., Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. (Jeff Blake/The State via AP, Pool)
He described his father as a doting and devoted parent who "coached every Little League team I played on." He also described a close-knit family, saying he spoke with his mom "every day" and frequently spoke with his dad and brother, too.
ALEX MURDAUGH'S SON, PAUL, CONFRONTED HIM ABOUT ‘BAGS OF PILLS’ BEFORE DOUBLE SLAYING
Buster has appeared at his father's trial every day with his girlfriend, Brooklynn White, since jury selection began Jan. 25.
Murdaugh's attorney points gun at prosecution
Dick Harpootlian, Murdaugh's defense attorney, playfully aimed a rifle, a piece of evidence in the double murder trial, at the prosecution table Tuesday.
"Tempting," the lawyer said as he pointed the firearm during a courtroom demonstration.
Defense attorney Dick Harpootlian holds Buster Murdaugh's .300 Blackout rifle, similar to the one used to kill Buster Murdaugh's mother, during Alex Murdaugh's double murder trial at the Colleton County Courthouse Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023, in Walterboro, S.C. (Jeff Blake/The State via AP, Pool)
The stunt prompted South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, who was seated at the prosecution table, to break into a broad smile, as the gallery erupted in laughter.
Forensic engineer Mike Sutton, a defense expert, was on the stand explaining the trajectory of the shots that killed Maggie Murdaugh on June 7, 2021.
With Sutton's guidance, Harpootlian was trying to show Colleton County jurors the shooter's stance when the .300 Blackout rifle was fired on the night of the murders. Investigators say Maggie Murdaugh was shot five times, including once in her head, with the Blackout rifle.
Bomb threat forces courthouse evacuation
On Feb. 8, during the third week of the murder trial, a bomb threat forced the Colleton County Courthouse to evacuate. The trial was interrupted that Wednesday at about 12:30 p.m., prompting an evacuation and extended lunch break as authorities responded to the threat.
The Colleton County Courthouse is evacuated in response to a bomb threat during Alex Murdaugh’s double murder trial in Walterboro, S.C., Feb. 8, 2023. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital)
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division dispatched a bomb squad to sweep the building, and the trial resumed at about 3:10 p.m. The judge did not address the bizarre incident in open court.
"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," attorney Justin Bamberg of Bamberg Legal told Fox News Digital.
"My gut instinct would be that it’s not someone tied to the case just because that would be astronomically stupid."
Alex maintains that he was napping at the time of his wife and son's murders around 8:50 p.m. He says he then drove to check in on his mother, who has Alzheimer's, at her home before returning to Moselle around 10 p.m., which is when he discovered his wife and son's bodies on the ground near the family's dog kennels.
Alex is also facing 99 counts of financial crimes stemming from 19 separate indictments.
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Prosecutors say Alex shot his wife and son in a scheme to distract from his alleged financial crimes, totaling an estimated $9 million. He is accused of embezzling funds from clients at his family's personal injury law firm founded in 1910 by Randolph Murdaugh to pay off personal debts.
Embezzlement allegations against Alex began mounting in the spring and summer of 2021.
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