Alex Murdaugh admits he lied about his alibi, but insists he did not kill his wife and son

Alex Murdaugh: “I saw what y’all seen pictures of” a 2021 murder trial with a fatal rifle shot and shotgun blast

Alex Murdaugh is testifying in his own defense in a murder trial in which he is accused of carrying out an execution-style killing of his wife and son in June of 2021.

The first questions from defense attorney Jim Griffin focused on the 2021 murders, as Griffin repeatedly asked Murdaugh whether he had taken a rifle or a shotgun and shot his wife and son.

Murdaugh also admitted that he lied to investigators about his alibi — he has repeatedly said he didn’t see his wife and son after they ate dinner at Moselle, their hunting estate. In his version of events, he said he napped in the house while Paul and Maggie visited the dog kennels.

The former lawyer acknowledged he is heard in a video filmed at the dog kennels where his wife and son were found. In contradiction to his statements to law enforcement, Murdaugh had been videotaped at the scene of the killings.

“As my addiction evolved over time,” Murdaugh said, he had incidents of great paranoia. He said he was worried as he was searched by the deputy sheriff and investigators inquired about his relationship with his wife and son.

“On June 7, I wasn’t thinking clearly,” Murdaugh said. I lied about being there and I don’t think I was capable of reason. And I’m sorry that I did.”

Telemetry data from Murdaugh’s car showed he stopped in his mother’s driveway for a period of time — sparking theories that he might have used that time to stash evidence nearby. Murdaugh said his phone fell between the seat and the console in court.

His driving speed has also attracted notice — the vehicle reach speeds up to 80 mph on the rural roads, far above the posted speed limits. When asked about that, Murdaugh said, “I was driving however I drive. That is the normal way I drive.

He drove the Suburban to the kennels. Asked what he saw there, he wept and replied that he “saw what y’all seen pictures of” — a bloody crime scene, with his wife and son fatally wounded by rifle shots and shotgun blasts. He said it was so bad.

Murdaugh said he called for help and went back and forth on the phone between Paul and Maggie. Paul’s injuries were particularly bad, Murdaugh said, and he recalled trying to check his son’s body for a pulse and trying to turn him over.

“I shouldn’t have known” was the statement in that call. Asked about that in court, Murdaugh said Paul had gotten “the most vile threats” on social media and elsewhere. The threats were so “over the top,” he added, that the family disregarded it.

When asked about the last time he spoke to his wife, Murdaugh said it was probably about two hours ago. In court, he acknowledged that the last time he saw them was when he took a chicken away from a dog, in a video that was timestamped at 8:44 p.m. It wasn’t immediately clear which part of the 911 conversations — which went past 10 p.m. — included that statement.

Shelley Smith said she saw Murdaugh carrying the blue tarp into his mother’s house days after the killings.

When he was on the stand, Murdaugh said he didn’t remember bringing a tarp, and thatShelley had something in her mind about that.

The blue rain jacket that was found in the closet at his mother’s house tested positive for gunpowder and caused speculation that it had been wrapped around a weapon.

Griffin later questioned Murdaugh closely about his movements after the killings, with Murdaugh saying that he stayed at several places, so he had clothes spread out among them.

He told the jury that he was overwhelmed by his mother’s illness and was distraught about going to a baseball game with his family at the University of South Carolina.

When Murdaugh and Paul were hunting doves, they used to check on the planted fields. He said that he was sweaty at work because he was heavier at the time and that taking opium also made him sweat.

Murdaugh stated that after getting back to the house he took a shower and was unwilling to go down to the dog shelter with his friends. He laid on the couch, he said, but then he opted to follow them, taking a golf cart down to the kennels.

There, Murdaugh said, the dogs were running around. He said one of his dogs, who was named Bubba, caught a chicken after chasing it. Murdaugh said he put the chicken on top of the dog crate at the kennel after taking the animal out of its mouth.

A South Carolina man charged with the murder of his wife and son confessed to taking money that wasn’t hiss, and that he didn’t shoot him

It’s the latest dramatic shift in a case that has drawn attention because of the Murdaughs’ status as a wealthy and prominent family — and also because the 2021 killings were bookended by two other violent actions: a fatal boating accident involving Paul, and Alex’s alleged attempt to have his cousin kill him in an apparent botched suicide.

Prosecutors accuse Murdaugh of killing his wife and son to distract them from his other alleged financial crimes, which include 99 additional charges.

As they considered letting their client testify, Murdaugh’s defense team has asked Newman about possible limits on what questions the prosecution could pose to him — hoping to restrict the topic to the financial allegations. But the judge has refused to set such limits on cross-examination.

Alex Murdaugh was finally heard in a South Carolina court on Thursday, where he is charged with murdering his wife and son.

The disgraced ex attorney was indicted for the murders of his wife and son at the family’s home in Islandton.

Still, Murdaugh was emphatic in his denial that he shot and killed his wife and son, insisting in response to Griffin’s questions, “I didn’t shoot my wife or my son, anytime, ever.”

Murdaugh admitted Thursday to stealing from his law firm and his clients, which ultimately led to his resignation from the firm, then known as PMPED and since renamed Parker Law Group.

During his cross-examination, Murdaugh admitted to taking money that wasn’t his and he shouldn’t have done it.

“I don’t know why I tried to turn him over,” an emotional Murdaugh said. My boy is laying face down. He’s done the way he’s done. His head was the way his head was. I could see his brain on the ground. I didn’t know what to do.”

Murdaugh rebutted earlier testimony about data collected from his cell phone, which showed he searched Google for a restaurant in Edisto Beach , and read a group text message soon after finding the bodies.

Murdaugh said that his addiction was caused by surgery he had for a college football injury. He said he needed a few surgeries, and he started getting addicted to hydrocodone around 2004 before moving on to oxycodone around 2008.

Murdaugh was shot in his head on a road in September of 2021. That same month, he turned himself in after admitting he asked a former client to kill him during a fake car breakdown so Murdaugh’s oldest son, Buster, could get an insurance payout, police said.