8 Key Things We've Learned in the Murdaugh Murder Trial
Alex Murdaugh is currently on trial for the deaths of his son, Paul, and wife, Maggie.
The trial of Alex Murdaugh, charged with murdering his wife and son, is captivating the nation. Ever since the bodies of Maggie, 52, and Paul, 22, were found at their Colleton County home and hunting lodge on June 7, 2021, all eyes have been on the former South Carolina attorney, whose life has been surrounded by drama and scandal for years. If convicted, Murdaugh faces thirty years to life in prison. Here are eight key things we have learned so far in the trial, which started on January 25.
Maggie was shot multiple times with a rifle. Her body was found near her son Paul, who was shot twice with a shotgun. Both bodies were found near kennels on the family's massive property.
A South Carolina investigator testified on Monday that Murdaugh, while sobbing in a recorded interview three days after the murders when looking at photos of the body, said, "I did him so bad." However, the audio sounded more like "They did him so bad," when played in the courtroom.
During their opening statements, prosecutors revealed that the murder weapons, the guns that killed Paul and Maggie Murdaugh, have not been found. However, bullet casings found around other parts of the property match those found around Maggie's body, which suggests she was killed with "a family weapon."
The prosecution claims to have cellphone evidence in the form of a video taken less than five minutes before prosecutors believe the killings took place. Reportedly Paul sent a video to friends of his dog, and his father's voice can be heard in the background.
This contradicts Alex's claims he was not at the dog kennels that night. Five minutes after the video was taken, at 8:49 p.m., both Maggie and Paul's phones were locked and never used again.
Prosecutors also claim that just minutes after the murders, Alex called his wife twice and texted her, telling her to tell her he was going over to his mother's house 20 minutes away. Prosecutors believe he was trying to cover his tracks and "manufacture an alibi. He also made five additional calls to other people on the drive.
The defense maintains that if Alex had committed the crimes, his bloody clothes would have surfaced. "The cellphone records would indicate he would have had less than 10 minutes to kill them, get up to the house, get in the car and crank it up," they pointed out. "He'd be covered in blood." Instead, he was in a white t-shirt when prosecutors arrived. "Where are the bloody clothes?"
The prosecution asked the judge to summon a Snapchat representative to testify, likely regarding the video Paul sent to friends. "Amongst other things, critical to the case is a video sent out to several friends at approximately 7:56 p.m. on the night of the murders," Senior Assistant Deputy Attorney General Creighton Waters wrote. "The contents of this video is [sic] important to proving the State's case in chief."
Alex has maintained his innocence ever since the day of the murders, which he believes were linked to the fatal boating accident his son was involved in that took the life of a young girl. Throughout the trial, he has been sobbing and shaking his head every time he is accused of the crime.
