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WALTERBORO, S.C. (WIS) - As the end of the Alex Murdaugh murder trial draws near, the former Lowcountry attorney is testifying in his own defense.
The 54-year-old is charged with the June 7, 2021, murders of his wife Maggie, and his son Paul Murdaugh at their hunting property in rural Colleton County.
Thursday morning opened with Murdaugh telling the court, “I am going to testify.” He was sworn in and read his fifth amendment right against self-incrimination.
The defense began with direct questions on whether Murdaugh had shot his wife and son Paul. He denied it.
He admitted on the stand to lying to SLED agents in the investigation, “On June 7, I wasn’t thinking clearly. I don’t think I was capable of using and I lied about being down there. and I’m so sorry that I did. I’m sorry to my son Buster. I’m sorry grandma and papa. I’m sorry to both of our families. Most of all I’m sorry to Mags and Paul, Paul. I would never intentionally do anything to hurt either one of them. Ever. Ever.”
He explained, “As my addiction evolved over time I would get into situations and circumstances where I would get paranoid.”
Waters shows #Murdaugh a photo of his flashing his solicitors badge at the hospital after the boat crash involving his son Paul… implying he attempted to wield influence over the investigation. Murdaugh called it an “obnoxious” look. @wis10
— Greg Adaline (@GregWISTV) February 23, 2023
Griffin asks whether Murdaugh believed that his financial house of cards was about to crumble on June 7, 2021?
“Absolutely not,” Murdaugh says. @wis10
— Nick Neville (@NickNeville_) February 23, 2023
Murdaugh says he took a golf cart down to the kennels.
Bubba, the family dog, had caught a chicken.
Murdaugh says once he got the chicken out of Bubba’s mouth, he immediately left kennels and went back to main house.
“I got out of there,” he said. @wis10
— Nick Neville (@NickNeville_) February 23, 2023
Griffin asks if Alex was close with his son Paul.
Murdaugh is very emotional, he’s crying and has his body turned directly toward the jurors.
He pauses.
“You couldn’t be any closer than Paul Paul and I.” @wis10
— Nick Neville (@NickNeville_) February 23, 2023
Griffin asks Murdaugh why he continued to lie about never being at the kennels.
“What a tangled web we weave,” Murdaugh said.
He said once he told everyone he wasn’t there, including his family, he had to keep lying. @wis10
— Nick Neville (@NickNeville_) February 23, 2023
Alex Murdaugh takes the stand: “Mr. Griffin, I didn’t shoot my wife or my son, any time, ever.”
He said he lied about being at the kennels at 8:44 PM night of murders.
Blames his opioid addiction, distrust of SLED, says he was “paranoid.” @wis10
— Nick Neville (@NickNeville_) February 23, 2023
Nolan Tuten says he hears Alex #Murdaugh’s voice at the kennels on Paul’s cell phone - at 8:44 June 7th, 2021. He is now at least the 10th person to confirm Alex’s voice on that recording. @wis10
— Greg Adaline (@GregWISTV) February 23, 2023
Day 23 of the Alex Murdaugh double murder trial:
Murdaugh is currently being sworn in, read his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.
Over the advice of his lawyers, he says, “I am going to testify.” 🚨🚨
📸: POOL pic.twitter.com/tQhOf049iH
— Nick Neville (@NickNeville_) February 23, 2023
Court resumes at 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 23. You can stream below or watch on our YouTube channel.
As the end of the Alex Murdaugh murder trial draws near, the former Lowcountry attorney could possibly testify in his own defense.
Previous coverage:
The question of whether Alex Murdaugh will testify in the double murder case against him looms large over the closely-watched trial.
Murdaugh’s defense team is still mulling over that prospect as it continues presenting its case.
The disgraced Lowcountry attorney is accused of brutally murdering his wife Maggie and son Paul on the family’s hunting property on June 7, 2021.
The defense has already called Murdaugh’s surviving son Buster to the stand, but calling Alex opens him up to questioning from the state.
As court wrapped for the day Wednesday, WIS asked Murdaugh’s defense attorney Dick Harpootlian whether his client will take the stand.
Harpootlian said he knows the answer, but would not comment further.
A final decision is expected to come as soon as Thursday morning.
Wednesday morning, without the jury present, defense attorney Jim Griffin asked presiding Judge Clifton Newman to limit the scope of the cross-examination should Murdaugh testify.
Griffin said he is concerned about potential questions regarding Murdaugh’s dozens of alleged financial crimes, which Newman has previously ruled to admit as evidence in the murder trial.
He specifically asked whether Murdaugh would be allowed to take the Fifth Amendment in these matters.
Lead prosecutor Creighton Waters, in response, argued that if the defendant were to testify, the cross-examination would be “wide open.”
Newman said he would not issue such an order.
“For the court to issue some blanket order limiting the scope of cross-examination, that’s unheard of to me,” he said.
Legal analyst and attorney Joe McCulloch represents the Cook family in their lawsuit against Murdaugh in the 2019 boat crash that killed Mallory Beach.
He told WIS Wednesday that he believes Murdaugh wants to testify, but there are risks involved for the defense, as Murdaugh’s testimony could unravel any of the defense’s hopes for a mistrial.
However, McCulloch also said Murdaugh may also prove to be the only person who can explain to the jury why he was at the kennels at 8:44 P.M. on the night of the murders, and why he told so many people he was never down there after dinner on June 7.
Murdaugh’s former law partner Mark Ball also took the stand Wednesday as the defense’s fifth witness, offering compelling testimony for both sides.
Ball showed up to Moselle at about 10:50 P.M. the night of the murders.
He said the crime scene was sloppy, not secure, and no one was blocking traffic in and out of the property.
“Did that entrance get blocked off?” Griffin asked.
“No,” Ball said.
“What happened?” Griffin asked.
“People just kept piling in, I mean it just, I mean it was a, just more and more people kept showing up,” Ball said.
Ball noticed water around Paul’s body from the rain that night, which bothered him.
“It’s a crime scene, you don’t want just water dripping all over the place, but more importantly, I thought it was pretty disrespectful,” he said. “I mean Paul was a good young man and quite frankly it just pissed me off.”
Ball also said it didn’t appear the main house had been searched or secured. He felt there was lots of uncollected evidence, which he said made him angry.
He said Murdaugh kept saying, “look at what they did,” referring to the crime scene that night.
The defense then played a clip for Ball of Murdaugh’s interview with SLED on June 10, 2021, and Ball said it sounded like Murdaugh said, “They did him so bad,” in reference to Paul.
While being questioned by Griffin about Murdaugh’s relationship with his family, Ball, who has known the defendant for more than 30 years, had a stunning response.
“The person I thought I knew loved his family, or appeared to love his family, very much,” he said. “He’d take their calls, he’d do all of those things. After September the 3rd, I’m not sure I know that person.”
Ball is referencing September 3, 2021, when Murdaugh was fired from his law firm for stealing.
As much as Ball helped the defense by showing an incomplete, or sloppy investigation, he ended up being an effective witness for the prosecution as well.
On cross-examination, Ball offered damaging testimony to Murdaugh’s character in a way few prosecution witnesses have been able to do thus far.
He testified that Murdaugh lied to him repeatedly, including about stealing millions from clients, and about where he was minutes before the murders.
Ball became the 9th witness to identify Murdaugh’s voice in a video taken by Paul at the kennels minutes before prosecutors say the murders happened.
“He denied to you three times that he ever went to those kennels, did he not?” Waters asked Ball.
“He did,” Ball replied.
“His buddy, his friend, and his law partner of 34 years told you three times ‘I was never there?’” Waters said.
“That’s correct,” Ball said.
“And you know now that’s a lie?” Waters asked.
“When I saw the video a month or so ago,” Ball said.
Ball also said Murdaugh did not appear to be concerned about Buster’s safety the night of the killings, despite circumstances that appeared to indicate the family was potentially being targeted.
According to Ball, when speaking about Buster that night, Murdaugh told him, “He’ll be fine.”
Ball also said he felt betrayed when he learned Murdaugh had stolen from the law firm, and he never believed Murdaugh’s roadside shooting story a few months later.
Upon hearing that Alex Murdaugh had been shot on the side of the road on September 4, 2021, in what turned out to be a hoax, Ball testified he said, “Don’t tell me that jackass killed himself.”
Ball said his friend and colleague was good at hiding who he really was, and most everything he thought he knew about the defendant turned out to be a lie.
Wednesday afternoon, Kenneth Zercie, an expert witness for the defense, testified that SLED did not do an adequate job examining the crime scene.
He testified that “much more could’ve been done.”
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Day 23: Prosecution questions Alex Murdaugh in cross-examination - WIS News 10
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