Alex Murdaugh’s attorneys could be put on the stand in a double murder trial, as the state nears the end of the case

A witness stand for the trial of Alex Murdaugh in connection with the deaths of his two-year-old son, Paul, and his wife Margaret

The attorneys for Alex Murdaugh are considering putting the disgraced former lawyer on the witness stand in the trial for the deaths of his family, according to a source.

The defense is expected to make a decision in the next few days. The decision will be made late and possibly at the very last second, after the prosecution finishes presenting its case, according to a source. No final decision has been made, the source said.

He is accused of murdering his wife Margaret Murdaugh and his son Paul Murdaugh at the family’s home in Islandton.

Murdaugh stated in interviews that he was not at the scene of the killings when he found the bodies, but prosecutors tried to place him there using the video. Police said he called 911 at 10:07 p.m.

The woman said she didn’t think that Murdaugh was trying to clear Paul’s name. She thought his priority should have been finding the killer of the two people.

Proctor told the court that after the killings, Murdaugh talked about a 2019 boat crash case involving his son Paul. At the time of his death, Paul was facing charges including boating under the influence and causing the death of 19-year-old Mallory Beach in the crash.

“He said that his No. 1 goal was clearing Paul’s name, and I thought it was so strange because my No. 1 goal was to find out who killed my sister and Paul,” Proctor said, as her voice began to break.

“We never … talked about finding the person who could have done it. It was not normal. A horrible person was out there and we were afraid of him.

Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/14/us/alex-murdaugh-trial-tuesday/index.html

A Cross-examination of the Murdaugh Family in the Two-Tower Locking Cases of Martin and Paul on the Charged Shooting Scenes

He described the routine, noting that part of cleaning involved hosing the kennels down with a hose that he would then roll up in a coil and hang outside – carefully, so as to avoid kinks or breaks in the hose.

Under cross-examination, Davis acknowledged the hose could be seen on the floor of the kennels in the video Paul filmed the evening of the murders. Paul, Davis testified, was not as meticulous about properly rolling up the hose as he was.

Davis said that he made a special effort to roll that hose up, and that the photo showed it was not straight up. If you notice, there is pressure on that hose. Somebody used that hose after I did because it’s twisted.”

Davis is the latest witness to identify Alex Murdaugh’s voice in a cell phone video that was filmed by Paul just minutes before the murders occurred.

The defense team Tuesday questioned Davis about his perception of the Murdaugh family and Alex Murdaugh in particular. He acknowledged that he had made comments referring to Alex and his wife as lovey dovey, but he testified under oath that he’d never seen Alex Murdaugh voice his objection toMaggie.

Defense attorney Jim Griffin also asked Davis about an instance when one of the dogs was badly injured in the kennels. Davis agreed with the decision to put the dog down.

The court heard the cross-examination of Dr. Ellen Riemer on Tuesday, a day after she testified about the victims’ fatal injuries.

Margaret Murdaugh was shot at least four times with an “assault rifle,” Riemer said, while Paul Murdaugh was shot twice with a shotgun: The first shot went through part of the left side of his chest and left arm, while the second went through his left shoulder, entered the left side of his neck and head and came out the right side of the top of his head.

Paul’s hands were down when he was shot, Riemer testified, telling the court, “I don’t see anything on his hands that would indicate he had his hands up to his face in anticipation of the injury that was about to happen,” Riemer testified.

Riemer said the soot on Paul’s skin would have been expected from a shot fired from a barrel no longer than 6 inches from the wound. She did find stippling on the wound to Paul’s chest, she said, indicating a weapon fired at close range with the barrel up to 3 feet away. But the stippling was not present on his other wound.

“A lot of what was in that book when they were talking about contact wounds, they were exploring someone using a shotgun to commit suicide.”

The Murdaugh-Smith Problem: An Employee at a Colleton Law Firm and Its Attorney’s Angry Attorney Had a Plan for a Kill

Officers with the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office wrote in reports that they had discovered several shell casings and had called a tow truck company to the scene. Police reports do not say if they found any cameras from neighboring homes or businesses.

prosecutors say that an employee at the law firm founded by Mr Murdaughs great-grandnephew discovered a check that was intended for the firm but was instead made out to someone else. That finding led the firm to investigate further and, when they discovered evidence of financial wrongdoing, to ask for his resignation, which he gave.

Mr. Murdaugh soon admitted that he had asked Mr. Smith to shoot him in the head. Mr. Murdaugh’s lawyers said he had come up with a plan to make his suicide look like a murder because he believed it would help his older son, Buster Murdaugh, collect on his life insurance policy.

The incident ended in the arrest of both Mr. Murdaugh and his cousin. Mr. Smith was arrested for assault, suicide attempt, and insurance fraud. He told The New York Times that he did not shoot Mr. Murdaugh and that the gun had gone off as he grabbed Mr. Murdaugh’s arm to stop him from shooting himself.

Mr. Murdaugh was charged with multiple felonies, including insurance fraud, conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, and filing a false police report.