A prominent US Attorney General is indicted for having killed his wife and one of his sons, as well as attempting to stage a murder on himself.
In the next couple of weeks, a jury will decide whether 54-year-old Alex Murdaugh is guilty or not.
Murdaugh denies having anything to do with the murders. He claims he had a wonderful marriage and a good relationship with his son.
THE MURDAUGH FAMILY: Buster, Maggie, Paul and Alex Murdaugh. Photo: Facebook
It was late in the evening on June 7, 2021 that Murdaugh found his wife, Maggie (52), and son Paul (22) shot dead at the family’s hunting lodge in South Carolina. He claims he called 911 almost immediately.
Shortly afterwards, the police arrived on the scene.
Murdagh’s first statement was made in the police car a couple of hours after the murders. This video became central to the court on Friday, according to Reuters.
See the clip at the top of the story.
Stunned the police
– When I came in, I could see that he had been shot in the head. I saw his brain, says Murdaugh, breaking down.
He says that he tried to take the pulse of both. There was a lot of blood.
QUESTIONED: On the left in the picture, Alex Murdaugh sits and explains himself to the police shortly after the murders. Photo: Police via Reuters
He breaks down in tears in the police car, while he tells what he has experienced. A policeman puts a comforting hand on his shoulder.
– Then I ran over to Maggie. Or, I think I tried to turn on Paul first.
But one thing stumped the police. Despite the fact that Murdaugh is said to have tried to take the pulse, and turn over two bloody bodies, his clothes are completely clean.
Police believe Murdough shot his son and wife, then washed his own clothes for traces of blood before calling the police.
Detective Laura Rutland of the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office testified in the case Friday.
TRIAL: Prosecutor John Meadors in conversation with homicide detective Laura Rutland in court on Friday. (Joshua Boucher/The State via AP, Pool) Photo: Joshua Boucher
– Did you see blood on his shoes?
– No, I didn’t see that
– Was there blood on his hands, or on his clothes?
– No, I didn’t see that.
– Why do you think he washed his clothes?
– Because he was sweating and his clothes were dry, replies Rutland.
Murdough’s defense counsel turned the information to his client’s advantage:
– He had no blood on his shoes, shirt or shorts. Did he look like someone who had just blown his own son’s brains out?
– I cannot answer that with certainty, replies the investigator.
REACTING: Alex Murdaugh wipes away the tears that came when he saw his family in the courtroom on January 25. Photo: Grace Beahm Alford/The State via AP
Abnormally interested
Police Officer Daniel Greene was the first to arrive at the hunting lodge. He explains that the lawyer was upset, but did not have tears in his eyes and seemed abnormally interested in seeing what the police did at the scene.
The last thing son Paul did on his phone was shoot a snapchat video. On this video, the prosecution claims that you can hear the father’s voice. Five minutes later, there is no activity on either the son’s or the wife’s phones.
Murdaugh explains in the police car that there are around 20 firearms of every imaginable type on the property.
PROMINENT FAMILY: The gate outside Alex Murdaugh’s home in Islandton photographed on September 20, 2021. The Murdaugh family has been prominent in the local community for three generations. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins) Photo: Jeffrey Collins
The police also believe that the ammunition used in the murders can be linked to ammunition that the police have found elsewhere in and around the hunting lodge.
The prosecution also claims that Murdaugh lied about visiting his demented mother on the night of the murder.
– Tunnel vision
For its part, the defense believes that the police and prosecutors have had tunnel vision when they have investigated the case.
There are no witnesses, fingerprints or traces of blood linking Murdaugh to the case.
They are also critical of the fact that thorough investigations of Murdough’s house were not carried out until three months after the double murder. A pair of trainers with blood stains on them was then found.
When the trial continues on Monday, questions will probably be asked as to whether the police have done a good enough job.
Fraud and staging murder
The police had no breakthrough in the case for a long time, but a few months later, Alex Murdaugh was arrested for attempting to stage a murder of himself.
He is said to have paid an assassin to kill him, so that his surviving son, Buster, could collect the life insurance of around NOK 100 million.
SON: Buster Murdaugh is Alex Murdaugh’s only surviving son. He follows the trial against his father. Photo: Grace Beahm Alford/The Post/AP
The alleged plan was unsuccessful.
The New York Times quickly discovers that the attempt to arrange his own murder occurred the day after he lost his job at the law firm his great-grandfather had founded more than a hundred years earlier.
The management of the law firm had discovered that Murdaugh had stole several million dollars. He also has several drug charges pending against him.
Reason
The prosecution believes the motive for killing his wife and son may have been to create sympathy and distract public opinion from the financial offences.
In October 2021, Alex Murdaugh was arrested at a rehab clinic in Florida.
Alex Murdaugh is led out of the trial that started last week. Photo: MCKENZIE LANGE/USA TODAY NETWORK
It is expected that the trial will last until at least 10 February. The jury consists of eight women and four men.
The Murdaugh family have been high-ranking lawyers for several generations and have had considerable power in the small town of Walterboro where the trial is taking place. The case is receiving massive attention in the United States.
Murdaugh risks having to serve 30 years in prison if he is found guilty.
