Alex Murdaugh’s only surviving son Buster to testify at double murder trial today

Alex Murdaugh’s only surviving son Buster is expected to testify on Tuesday at his father’s trial for the murders of the 26-year-old’s mother Maggie and brother Paul.

Buster – who has been inside the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, every day since the start of the high-profile trial in a show of support – will be the first witness called to the stand by the defence on Tuesday morning, a source told CNN.

This would mark the first time that he has ever spoken publicly about the murders of his mother and brother or about his father’s string of alleged crimes.

His testimony will be followed by an accident reconstructionist who is expected to be used to pick holes in evidence and the evidence-gathering process at the crime scene.

The defence strategy has so far focused on presenting Mr Murdaugh as a loving family man who could never have killed his wife and son in such a brutal fashion – which saw Paul’s brains shot outside of his skull.

Buster – the eldest and now only surviving son of Maggie and Mr Murdaugh – has stood by his father throughout the growing number of allegations against him.

During the weeks-long trial, he and several other family members have put on a united front, supporting his father in court every day.

However, Buster was also notably spotted hugging his aunt Marian Proctor – Maggie’s sister – in court after she testified against his father, including detailing his drug use, an alleged affair years before the murders, and his odd behaviour in the wake of the 7 June 2021 murders.

Buster’s own apparently bad behaviour has also been on display inside the courtroom.

Judge Clifton Newman is said to have issued multiple warnings to several members of the Murdaugh family about their behaviour in court and they were told to move to the back of the courtroom.

In court on the week of 6 February, Buster appeared to “flip the bird” at attorney Mark Tinsley as he took the witness stand about the boat crash lawsuit that he brought against Mr Murdaugh.

Sources told FITS News that when Buster was then asked to move to the back of the courtroom, he allegedly kicked over a water bottle in anger.

The judge has warned that he and other family members could be removed from court altogether if there are any further wrong moves.

Buster’s name has also cropped up in a series of other scandals surrounding the once-powerful family.

He is accused of buying alcohol for his younger brother Paul prior to the 2019 fatal boat crash.

On the night of 24 February 2019, Paul was allegedly drunk driving the Murdaugh family’s boat with several of his friends on board. The boat crashed into some rocks and threw the passengers overboard.

Everyone survived apart from Mallory Beach, 19, whose body washed up on shore around a week later.

In April 2019, Paul was charged with three felonies over Beach’s death including boating under the influence and was facing up to 25 years in prison. The charges were dropped after his murder.

Mr Murdaugh was also sued by the Beach family, with prosecutors saying that the lawsuit was picking up pace in the days before the murders, and that the disgraced attorney’s finances were about to be exposed because of it.

Buster’s name has also cropped up in connection with the mysterious death of Stephen Smith – a 19-year-old gay teenager who was found dead at the side of a road in Hampton County in 2015.

His testimony will mark the first major witness for the defence, which began its case on Friday afternoon with two short witnesses.

Mr Murdaugh’s attorneys pointed out that they did not to call any witnesses that day whose testimony could extend over the weekend.

Colleton County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Shalane Tyndall testifiied about the statement that the agency released the morning after the murders.

“At this time, there is no danger to the public,” the original statement to a local paper read. It was later amended.

Colleton County Coroner Richard Harvey also testified that he placed Maggie and Paul’s times of death to be around 9pm, after touching their bodies to check the temperatures.

Under questioning from defence attorney Dick Harpootlian, he said that the murders could have taken place anytime between 8pm and 10pm – seeking to cast doubts in the timeline laid out by the prosecution.

During the state’s case, jurors heard four weeks of dramatic testimony from 61 witnesses covering a trove of circumstantial evidence including cellphone and car data, a damning video allegedly placing Mr Murdaugh at the crime scene and apparent holes in his alibi for the time for the murders.

The final state witness SLED Agent Peter Rudofski laid out a detailed timeline of both the final movements of the two victims – and the movements of their accused killer.

Among the timeline was newly-obtained car data which placed Mr Murdaugh’s car at the spot where his wife’s phone was later found dumped – before he quickly sped away from the scene.

It also showed that he stayed just 21 minutes at his parents’ home that night – less than half the 45 minutes to an hour he claimed to police.

Bombshell testimony from his mother’s carer Muschelle “Shelly” Smith previously disputed Mr Murdaugh’s alibi, saying that he showed up at his sick mother’s house for only 20 minutes that night – before telling her to tell authorities he was there double the length of time.

A cellphone video captured by Paul minutes before the murders also appears to place Mr Murdaugh at the murder scene.

Prosecutors claim that Mr Murdaugh shot dead Maggie and Paul by the dog kennels of the family’s sprawling estate in Islandton, in order to distract from his string of alleged scandals and financial crimes.

During the state’s case, Mr Murdaugh’s attorneys have hinted at a range of theories they plan to present – including that there was two killers and that the murders were tied to a local drugs gang.

Mr Murdaugh, 54, is facing life in prison for the murders of his wife and son. He has pleaded not guilty.