Disturbing New Allegations Against Alex Murdaugh | #alexmurdaugh #murdaughtrial
Jan 23, 2023, 09:29 PM
Jury selection begins Monday in the murder trial of disbarred attorney Alex Murdaugh, in Walterboro, South Carolina. He faces double murder charges in the 2021 deaths of his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, 52, and their son Paul Murdaugh, 22.
He has been charged with two counts of murder and two counts of possessing a handgun during the commission of a violent crime. According to the indictments, he reportedly used a shotgun on his son and a rifle on his wife.
He dialed 911 that evening and informed dispatchers that he had arrived at the family's hunting property in Islandton, a small town in Colleton County, and found the bodies of his wife and son.
The prosecutor in the murder case offered a potential explanation for the killings during a pretrial hearing in December. She claimed that Murdaugh had been planning and defrauding more than a dozen victims for years through his family's business and from clients, and that he was so desperate to "escape the accountability" that he killed his wife and son before covering it up to win sympathy.
The prosecution has not provided direct evidence connecting Murdaugh to the deaths. They have not yet submitted any witness or confession testimonies to the court regarding the killings.
There was DNA found on a shirt Murdaugh was wearing the night of the killings. His defense team claims that the DNA was from him searching for signs of life after discovering the victims' bodies.
If Murdaugh is found guilty of murder, prosecutors will want life in prison without the possibility of parole rather than the death penalty. The mandatory minimum term is 30 years.
The murder weapons have not yet been found.
As the trial approaches, some details are being released about the case. Court documents reveal that Paul Murdaugh sent a Snapchat video to his friend at 7:56 pm the night he was murdered. Deputy Attorney General Creighton Waters described the video as "critical to the case" and added, "the contents of this video are important to proving the State's case."
Before the disgraced attorney's double murder trial begins, Murdaugh's defense team included gory crime scene details in a legal document in an effort to get evidence thrown out.
According to a report by forensics expert Kenneth Kinsey, Maggie, 52, was found face down after being shot five times with a rifle, with three blasts occurring while she was standing. Two rounds hit her in the brain and would have been fatal.
One shot appeared to be fired while she was “holding herself up on her knees and … her right hand with her shoulders and head down.”
Paul Murdaugh was shot twice with a different firearm from his mother. The first round hit him in the chest from "several feet away.” The second hit him in the neck and shoulder,
"Brain was severed and excited through the anatomical right side of (his) brain... brain was completely detached from his head," said Kinsey.
The defense team for Murdaugh is seeking to bar a blood spatter expert from testifying. Tom Bevel, a forensic specialist based in Oklahoma, was hired by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) to examine a white t-shirt that Murdaugh wore the night of the killings.
According to defense attorneys Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian, any blood on the clothing was transferred when Murdaugh discovered the victims and "frantically checked them for signs of life."
Murdaugh pled not guilty in June, and the trial is anticipated to last several weeks. It will be closely watched around the country due to the outrageous allegations of family secrets, financial collapse, embezzlement, and drug addiction.
His lawyers, Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin released a statement saying, “Our team will not be providing any further statements or responses to anything that occurs at trial. Alex looks forward to this opportunity to clear his name of these heinous charges so that the Attorney General can finally begin looking for the actual killer or killers of Alex’s beloved wife and son.”
Jury selection is expected to last about a week, and the trial could last several weeks. All juror’s identities will be protected. It is not known if they will be sequestered.
The trial is disrupting the normal quiet pace of life in Walterboro, a city of about 5,400, They are expected up to 1,500 people to the area, and hotels have been booked for weeks. People are renting out their homes to media and court staff or anyone wanting to attend the trial. Food trucks will be outside to keep those attending the trial fed.
Outside of this trial, Alex Murdaugh is also involved in a dozen other lawsuits. He faces nearly 100 other charges including financial crimes, drug trafficking, money laundering, computer crimes, breach of trust, tax evasion, and stealing more than $8.7 million from clients and other attorneys. In addition, he is also being sued by survivors of the 2019 boat crash involving his son.
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He has been charged with two counts of murder and two counts of possessing a handgun during the commission of a violent crime. According to the indictments, he reportedly used a shotgun on his son and a rifle on his wife.
He dialed 911 that evening and informed dispatchers that he had arrived at the family's hunting property in Islandton, a small town in Colleton County, and found the bodies of his wife and son.
The prosecutor in the murder case offered a potential explanation for the killings during a pretrial hearing in December. She claimed that Murdaugh had been planning and defrauding more than a dozen victims for years through his family's business and from clients, and that he was so desperate to "escape the accountability" that he killed his wife and son before covering it up to win sympathy.
The prosecution has not provided direct evidence connecting Murdaugh to the deaths. They have not yet submitted any witness or confession testimonies to the court regarding the killings.
There was DNA found on a shirt Murdaugh was wearing the night of the killings. His defense team claims that the DNA was from him searching for signs of life after discovering the victims' bodies.
If Murdaugh is found guilty of murder, prosecutors will want life in prison without the possibility of parole rather than the death penalty. The mandatory minimum term is 30 years.
The murder weapons have not yet been found.
As the trial approaches, some details are being released about the case. Court documents reveal that Paul Murdaugh sent a Snapchat video to his friend at 7:56 pm the night he was murdered. Deputy Attorney General Creighton Waters described the video as "critical to the case" and added, "the contents of this video are important to proving the State's case."
Before the disgraced attorney's double murder trial begins, Murdaugh's defense team included gory crime scene details in a legal document in an effort to get evidence thrown out.
According to a report by forensics expert Kenneth Kinsey, Maggie, 52, was found face down after being shot five times with a rifle, with three blasts occurring while she was standing. Two rounds hit her in the brain and would have been fatal.
One shot appeared to be fired while she was “holding herself up on her knees and … her right hand with her shoulders and head down.”
Paul Murdaugh was shot twice with a different firearm from his mother. The first round hit him in the chest from "several feet away.” The second hit him in the neck and shoulder,
"Brain was severed and excited through the anatomical right side of (his) brain... brain was completely detached from his head," said Kinsey.
The defense team for Murdaugh is seeking to bar a blood spatter expert from testifying. Tom Bevel, a forensic specialist based in Oklahoma, was hired by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) to examine a white t-shirt that Murdaugh wore the night of the killings.
According to defense attorneys Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian, any blood on the clothing was transferred when Murdaugh discovered the victims and "frantically checked them for signs of life."
Murdaugh pled not guilty in June, and the trial is anticipated to last several weeks. It will be closely watched around the country due to the outrageous allegations of family secrets, financial collapse, embezzlement, and drug addiction.
His lawyers, Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin released a statement saying, “Our team will not be providing any further statements or responses to anything that occurs at trial. Alex looks forward to this opportunity to clear his name of these heinous charges so that the Attorney General can finally begin looking for the actual killer or killers of Alex’s beloved wife and son.”
Jury selection is expected to last about a week, and the trial could last several weeks. All juror’s identities will be protected. It is not known if they will be sequestered.
The trial is disrupting the normal quiet pace of life in Walterboro, a city of about 5,400, They are expected up to 1,500 people to the area, and hotels have been booked for weeks. People are renting out their homes to media and court staff or anyone wanting to attend the trial. Food trucks will be outside to keep those attending the trial fed.
Outside of this trial, Alex Murdaugh is also involved in a dozen other lawsuits. He faces nearly 100 other charges including financial crimes, drug trafficking, money laundering, computer crimes, breach of trust, tax evasion, and stealing more than $8.7 million from clients and other attorneys. In addition, he is also being sued by survivors of the 2019 boat crash involving his son.
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