Three weeks into disgraced South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh’s double homicide trial, prosecutors have known as dozens of witnesses providing wide-ranging — and typically disjointed — testimony.
Jurors have heard from the investigators who discovered the our bodies of Murdaugh’s spouse and son, and technicians who discovered gunshot residue, cracked open cellphones to get movies and examined dozens of ammunition casings.
They’ve heard from betrayed regulation agency workers, heartbroken buddies of Murdaugh and his household, and a person whose insurance coverage settlement was stolen after his mom, the Murdaughs’ housekeeper, died in a fall at their dwelling.
However witnesses have been known as in disorganized teams and tantalizing scraps of proof have been launched however not defined. The protection hopes to begin its case in center of subsequent week and had deliberate per week of testimony however is rethinking that due to the trial’s size.
Listed below are some key takeaways from the trial to date.
Round 100 Fees In Play
Murdaugh, 54, is charged with homicide within the deaths of 52-year-old Maggie, shot a number of instances with a rifle, and their 22-year-old son, Paul, shot twice with a shotgun at kennels close to their Colleton County dwelling on June 7, 2021. He faces 30 years to life in jail if convicted.
The disbarred lawyer additionally faces about 100 different costs starting from stealing cash from shoppers to working a drug and cash laundering ring.
A lot of the week’s testimony centered on whether or not Murdaugh stole cash from his household’s regulation agency and shoppers. Prosecutors contend Murdaugh thought he was about to get caught stealing and killed his spouse and son to purchase time to cowl up the cash path.
The workplace supervisor from the household regulation agency mentioned Murdaugh stole hundreds of thousands in charges and consumer settlements. A regulation faculty buddy mentioned Murdaugh took benefit of his belief and left him to pay $192,000 to maintain his consumer belief fund balanced. The son of the Murdaughs’ housekeeper and nanny who died in a fall testified Murdaugh promised to get them a hefty insurance coverage settlement for the dying however saved greater than $4 million collected for himself.
The protection objected to every witness, saying there was no proof linking the killings to monetary misdeeds.
“That is piling on. That is extra attempting to prejudice the jury into believing one way or the other somebody who steals a bunch of cash in any means no matter would commit a homicide,” Murdaugh lawyer Dick Harpootlian mentioned.
Prosecutors Current A Disjointed Case
Prosecutors have known as 47 witnesses in 12 days of testimony, however at instances there was little rhythm to the order.
This week, the caretaker of Murdaugh’s mom testified a couple of blue jacket Murdaugh might need held when he visited however then different witnesses testified about monetary crimes earlier than the state forensic scientist who examined the jacket for blood and gunshot residue took the stand.
Lengthy, tedious testimony has centered on cellphone knowledge between Paul Murdaugh’s buddies.
Some intriguing proof has been launched however by no means defined to jurors, who wouldn't have notebooks to maintain observe of testimony.
Against the law scene technician put into proof a receipt with a $1,021.10 merchandise from Gucci circled, but it surely hasn’t been introduced up since. An FBI technician gave the instances Murdaugh’s SUV was shifted into and out of park the night time of the killings with out interpretation.
Murdaugh Showing Each Emotional, Stoic
A courtroom digital camera is skilled on Alex Murdaugh each second he's in courtroom. A number of cameras watch for him as he will get out and in of a jail van every day.
At first of the trial, Murdaugh cried and rocked in his chair a number of instances as crime scene images of his spouse and son have been proven and described. Prosecutors and protection have mentioned the aftermath of the taking pictures was ugly. Brokers testified Paul Murdaugh’s mind was indifferent from his cranium with an in depth vary shotgun blast.
Murdaugh has adamantly denied killing his spouse and son. His attorneys mentioned he was visiting his ailing mom the night time of the murders and police wrongly centered on him from the beginning.
Murdaugh cried Thursday because the protection confirmed video of a household celebration weeks earlier than the killings.
However throughout the monetary crimes testimony, Murdaugh has been far more stoic, listening and infrequently chatting with his attorneys.
Tech Developments Helped Crack Telephone
Inside weeks of the killings, state brokers wished knowledge from the SUV Alex Murdaugh drove to go to his mom the night time of the killings and from Paul Murdaugh’s cellphone.
However each units have been encrypted and not possible to crack in 2021.
Developments in hacking allowed brokers to get into Paul Murdaugh’s iPhone knowledge final 12 months and so they discovered one of many key items of proof to date — a video he took of a canine on the household’s kennels about 5 minutes earlier than investigators mentioned the killings passed off. A number of witnesses have mentioned all three Murdaughs might be heard within the video taken close to the place the our bodies have been discovered.
Alex Murdaugh instructed police each proper after the our bodies have been discovered and once more just a few days later he was by no means on the kennels.
A FBI agent testified he labored for a 12 months to crack the encrypted knowledge from the pc leisure and knowledge console on the SUV the household regulation agency supplied Murdaugh.
Together with different info, he extracted the instances the car was shifted into and out of park, though he couldn’t inform if the car was in movement or somebody had their foot on the brake. The agent mentioned he additionally might inform when the home windows have been raised or lowered, however by no means mentioned if that occurred throughout Murdaugh’s 20-minute journey to his mom’s dwelling the night time of the killings.
Maggie Murdaugh’s cellphone was recovered from the aspect of a street the day after the killings.
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