Alex Murdaugh trial - live: Disgraced lawyer’s alleged financial crimes allowed as evidence in murder case

Oliver O'Connell and Rachel Sharp

Disgraced legal dynasty heir Alex Murdaugh’s financial crimes came under the spotlight in his trial for the double murders of his wife and son in court on Monday.

Judge Clifton Newman ruled that the evidence of Murdaugh’s alleged fraud is germane to the murder case and therefore can be considered by the jury with regards to its role in establishing a motive.

Mr Murdaugh is accused of shooting dead Maggie and Paul at the kennels of the family’s vast hunting estate in Islandton, South Carolina, on 7 June 2021.

Separately, he is facing around 100 charges for allegedly stealing more than $8m in settlement money from clients at his law firm.

Until now, testimony about his alleged financial crimes has so far been heard without the jury present.

Last week, this included testimony from the sons of the Murdaugh’s late housekeeper Gloria Satterfield – whose death is now being reinvestigated – who say he stole a $4m settlement from them.

There was also emotional testimony on Monday from the caretaker of Murdaugh’s mother who said the defendant had told her if anyone asked that he was at his mother’s house for longer than he was on the night of the murders.

Alex Murdaugh murder trial

CFO explains pay system at PMPED

15:45 , Rachel Sharp

Ms Seckinger explained that when the attorneys at PMPED won a case they would receive a proportion as fees.

Attorneys can get the fees in a lump sum at the time or in an annuity where they can get the money over time, she said.

Forge Consulting is a legitimate company which PMPED used to set up annuities to structure the attorneys’ fees.

As part of Mr Murdaugh’s alleged financial fraud scheme, Mr Murdaugh was allegedly sending checks to an account under the name of Forge Consulting. It was actually a “fake” Forge account that was in reality his own personal Bank of America account.

Forge Consulting is a real business which had no part in the scheme. It is now suing Mr Murdaugh for reputational damage.

Murdaugh’s behaviour changed in late 2020, CFO says

15:35 , Rachel Sharp

Mr Murdaugh’s behaviour started to change in late 2020, Ms Seckinger testified.

“I didn’t notice at the time but looking back I can see now... the things I noticed are more in hindsight,” she said.

CFO testifies about time Murdaugh accepted wrong check

15:28 , Rachel Sharp

Ms Seckinger testified about one time where Mr Murdaugh accepted a check that was given to him by mistake.

His brother Randy Murdaugh also worked at the firm and a check for $121,000 was mistakenly paid to Mr Murdaugh instead of Randy.

The law firm partners then realised the mistake and that Mr Murdaugh had accepted it.

When asked about the check, she said he paid it back and his colleagues “trusted” it was a genuine mistake.

“These attorneys work as a brotherhood. … They trusted him and accepted the explanation,” she said.

CFO describes Murdaugh’s attorney style: ‘The art of bulls***'

15:20 , Rachel Sharp

Jeanne Seckinger, the CFO and COO at Alex Murdaugh’s former law firm PMPED, described Mr Murdaugh’s style as an attorney as “the art of bulls***”.

Ms Seckinger told the court that she had known Mr Murdaugh for around 40 years and had worked with him for around two decades at the law firm PMPED.

When asked about how Mr Murdaugh was as a lawyer, she said: “He was successful not from his work ethic, but his ability to establish relationships and to manipulate people into settlements and clients into liking him.

“The art of bulls***, basically.”

Here’s our story from her testimony at the shadow trial

15:10 , Rachel Sharp

Jeanne Seckinger, the CFO and COO at Alex Murdaugh’s former law firm PMPED, testified last week in the absence of the jury before the judge determined that evidence of Mr Murdaugh’s alleged financial crimes are allowed to be presented at his murder trial.

Here’s our story from her testimony at the shadow trial:

Alex Murdaugh confronted by law firm over missing $792,000 hours before murders

First witness to the stand: Jeanne Seckinger

15:00 , Rachel Sharp

Jeanne Seckinger, the CFO and COO at Alex Murdaugh’s former law firm PMPED, has taken the stand.

Ms Seckinger testified last week in the absence of the jury before the judge determined that evidence of Mr Murdaugh’s alleged financial crimes are allowed to be presented at his murder trial.

During that testimony, she told the court how she discovered the 54-year-old now-disbarred attorney was misappropriating millions of dollars from his legal clients – by moving money into a fake business and into his own personal accounts.

Ms Seckinger said that she had confronted Mr Murdaugh about $792,000 of missing funds on the morning of 7 June 2021.

He gave her a “dirty look” when she confronted him over the missing payments that day, she said.

Hours later, Maggie and Paul were shot dead at the Murdaugh family estate in Islandton.

We are likely to hear similar testimony today.

Judge rules blue raincoat is allowed as evidence – in another blow to defence

14:51 , Rachel Sharp

Before the jury entered the courtroom, the judge ruled that the blue rainjacket is allowed as evidence in the case – denying the defence’s motion to strike it.

“I find that it is relevant and that it creates, through inference, facts that are in dispute in this case. I deny the motion to strike her testimony, if that’s what the motion is. I deny the motion to declare her testimony as being irrelevant,” Judge Newman said.

Shelly Smith – Alex Murdaugh’s mother’s caregiver – testified on Monday that he had turned up at his parents’ home days after the murders with a “blue item” and left it there.

Prosecutors said that law enforcement found a blue tarp and a blue rainjacket in a search of the home.

The state says that gunshot residue was found on the jacket.

Mr Murdaugh’s defence attorney Jim Griffin objected to the admission of the raincoat as evidence.

He read out a transcript of Ms Smith’s testimony where she insisted that the item she saw him carrying was a “blue tarp” and not a blue rainjacket.

Prosecutor Creighton Waters responded by pointing out the part of the transcript where Ms Smith was shown a photo of a “bundled up blue item” and asked if that was what she had seen. She confirmed it was.

Mr Waters said that this was the rainjacket bundled up.

“Clearly she did not know what it was. It wasn’t opened up, and she could not clearly identify the item either as a tarp, as shown by Mr Griffin, or as a raincoat,” he said.

Court in session

14:41 , Rachel Sharp

Day 12 of Alex Murdaugh’s trial resumes.

What to expect from day 12: Blue tarp vs blue raincoat

14:30 , Rachel Sharp

The trial will resume at 9.30am ET.

Judge Newman is expected to rule over the inclusion of a blue rainjacket which prosecutors say Alex Murdaugh brought to his parents’ home after the murders.

The state says that gunshot residue was found on the jacket.

The defence has objected to the admission of the raincoat based on the testimony of Shelly Smith – Mr Murdaugh’s mother’s caregiver.

Ms Smith testified on Monday that Mr Murdaugh turned up at his parents’ home days after the murders with a “blue item” and left it there. She insisted that the item was a “blue tarp” and not a blue rainjacket.

Court adjourns. The trial will resume tomorrow at 930am.

Alex Murdaugh arrives in court for day 12 of murder trial

14:25 , Rachel Sharp

Alex Murdaugh has arrived in court for day 12 of his murder trial.

The disbarred attorney is on trial for the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul on 7 June 2021. He has pleaded not guilty.

What happened in court yesterday? Caretaker’s testimony about alibi

14:15 , Rachel Sharp

Muschelle “Shelly” Smith, who had been working as a caregiver to Mr Murdaugh’s mother Libby from October 2019, told jurors about Alex Murdaugh’s unusual behaviour both on the night of the murders and in the days that followed.

She testified that a “fidgety” Alex Murdaugh showed up at his sick mother’s house for a brief 20-minute visit on the night of his wife and son’s murders – before later claiming he was there double the length of time and offering to pay towards the wedding of the caretaker who could refute his alibi.

On the night of 7 June 2021, she said he made the uncharacteristic move to visit his sick mother late at night.

He stayed only 20 minutes before leaving,

In the aftermath of the killings, he then appeared to try to align her account about his visit with his – telling her to say he was there for 30 to 40 minutes.

He then offered to help Ms Smith both financially and with her other job.

Days after that encounter, he turned up at his parents’ home at 6.30am and brought a mystery blue tarp item and left it in the home.

What happened in court yesterday? Boat crash attorney speaks out

14:06 , Rachel Sharp

Attorney Mark Tinsley testified without the jury present about the lawsuit he brought against Mr Murdaugh on behalf of the family of Mallory Beach – the 19-year-old killed in a 2019 boat crash where Paul was allegedly drunk driving.

Mr Tinsley told the court the Mr Murdaugh claimed he was broke and wouldn’t pay up the settlement he was asking for his clients – so he filed a motion compelling him to reveal his finances.

This ramping up of scrutiny on his finances would have uncovered his alleged financial crimes, he said.

A hearing for the suit had been scheduled to take place on 10 June 2021 but was postponed by the murders.

He said that the “fuse had been lit” to expose Mr Murdaugh’s slew of alleged financial crimes – but that problems would likely “be over” if the family was the “victim of an unspeakable tragedy”.

“Pretty quickly, I recognised that the case against Alex, if he were in fact the victim of some vigilante, would be over,” he said.

He later testified: “There wouldn’t have been an explosion June 10. But the fuse was lit the moment that information became available in this case.”

He added that Mr Murdaugh “knew it was going to unravel” and that “the fuse was lit when he started stealing money”.

Under redirect, the witness testified that if the hearing had taken place on 10 June it would have set in motion the process that wouldn’t have stopped until Mr Murdaugh either settled the case or disclosed his finances.

What happened in court yesterday? Financial crimes ruling

13:55 , Rachel Sharp

The defence was dealt a major blow in the case on Monday morning when the judge ruled that Alex Murdaugh’s alleged financial crimes are allowed as evidence in his trial.

Judge Newman agreed with the prosecution that the vast financial fraud scheme – in which he allegedly stole over $8m from law firm clients – is relevant to their attempts to establishing a motive for the murders.

“I find that the jury is entitled to consider whether the apparent desperation of Mr Murdaugh because of his dire financial situation, the threat of being exposed for committing the crimes for which he was later charged, resulted in the commission of the alleged crimes,” Judge Newman said.

Over the course of the last week, the judge has heard hours of testimony without the jury present about the legal dynasty heir’s alleged financial crimes as he weighed what evidence could be admitted in court.

Prosecutors argued that details of Mr Murdaugh’s financial crimes are key to proving the motive in the murders of Maggie and Paul, claiming that he killed his wife and son to hide the string of other crimes and scandals which were catching up with him.

Meanwhile, the defence had asked the judge to throw the evidence out of the murder trial, arguing it is irrelevant and separate to the case.

Son’s friends ‘100%’ certain it is his voice in video minutes before murders

13:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Two friends of Paul Murdaugh have testified that they are “100 per cent sure” that it is Alex Murdaugh’s voice in a video recorded just minutes before the brutal double murder of his son and wife Maggie – in a dramatic moment that ripped open the disgraced legal scion’s alibi.

Read on:

Alex Murdaugh heard in son’s video minutes before murders, two friends testify

A timeline of murders, financial fraud, unexplained deaths and arrest

12:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Disgraced legal dynasty heir Alex Murdaugh is currently on trial in a South Carolina courthouse for the murders of his wife and son.

Mr Murdaugh, 54, is accused of shooting Paul, 22, twice with a shotgun and Maggie, 52, five times with a rifle on the family’s sprawling hunting lodge in Islandton on 7 June 2021.

He was arrested more than a year later in July 2022 and charged with their murders.

In the 19 months since the brutal double murders propelled the Murdaughs onto national headlines, a series of other scandals, allegations and alleged crimes have also come to light.

Here’s a timeline of the key moments in the case:

Alex Murdaugh: A timeline of murders, financial fraud, unexplained deaths and arrest

Snapchat video shows Alex Murdaugh wearing different clothes immediately before murders

11:30 , Oliver O'Connell

A damning Snapchat video has captured Alex Murdaugh wearing an entirely different set of clothes just one hour before he is accused of murdering his wife and son in a brutal and bloody double homicide.

Rachel Sharp has the story.

Snapchat video shows Alex Murdaugh in different clothes an hour before murders

Law firm CFO recalls Alex Murdaugh ‘dirty look’ as she confronted him over missing money

10:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Murdaugh’s former law firm partner has recalled how he gave her a “dirty look” when she confronted him over missing payments worth a staggering $792,000 on the day that his wife and son were murdered.

Jeanne Seckinger, the chief financial officer at Mr Murdaugh’s former law firm PMPED, testified in Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Thursday at his trial for the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul.

She told the court how she discovered the 54-year-old now-disbarred attorney was misappropriating millions of dollars from his legal clients – by moving money into a fake business and into his own personal accounts.

Ms Seckinger said that she had confronted Mr Murdaugh about thousands of dollars of missing funds on the morning of 7 June 2021.

Hours later, Maggie and Paul were shot dead at the Murdaugh family estate in Islandton.

Alex Murdaugh confronted by law firm over missing $792,000 hours before murders

Murdaugh’s best friend of 40 years breaks down in tears on witness stand

08:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Murdaugh’s former best friend of 40 years broke down in tears in court as he described the moment that he learned the disgraced attorney had stolen millions of dollars from his law firm clients – and $192,000 from himself.

Chris Wilson choked up with emotion as he said the betrayal “knocked me down” and revealed that “I don’t know how to think any more” about the man he had known and “loved” for most of his life.

Rachel Sharp reports.

Alex Murdaugh’s friend breaks down describing murder suspect’s financial crimes

Key revelations from the Alex Murdaugh murder trial so far

06:30 , Oliver O'Connell

It’s a dramatic saga that now includes murder, a botched hitman plot, multi-million-dollar fraud schemes and a series of unexplained deaths.

Alex Murdaugh attorney denies the allegations against him and has pleaded not guilty in the trial that got underway at Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro on 23 January.

Here are the key revelations from the trial so far:

‘Confession’, bloody scene and ‘clean’ shirt: Key moments from Alex Murdaugh trial

Murdaugh accused of stealing $4m payout from housekeeper’s family

04:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Murdaugh was accused of stealing a $4m settlement from his late housekeeper’s family at his murder trial on Friday, where prosecutors also raised questions about her mystery death.

Tony Satterfield, the son of Gloria Satterfield, took the witness stand in Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Friday where Mr Murdaugh is currently on trial for the June 2021 murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul.

Satterfield worked as the Murdaugh family’s housekeeper and nanny for more than 20 years, before she died in a mysterious trip and fall at the family home.

Rachel Sharp has the details.

Son of Alex Murdaugh’s housekeeper testifies that he stole $4m payout from family

Murdaugh’s alleged financial crimes can be given as evidence in murder trial

03:30 , Oliver O'Connell

A judge has ruled that Alex Murdaugh’s alleged financial crimes can be given as evidence in his trial for the murders of his wife and son.

“I find that the jury is entitled to consider whether the apparent desperation of Mr. Murdaugh because of his dire financial situation, the threat of being exposed for committing the crimes for which he was later charged, resulted in the commission of the alleged crimes,” Judge Newman ruled on Monday.

Over the course of the last week, the judge has heard testimony from multiple witnesses about the legal dynasty heir’s alleged financial crimes without the jury present as he weighed what evidence could be admitted in court.

Read on:

Alex Murdaugh’s financial crimes allowed as evidence in murder trial

‘Fidgety’ Alex Murdaugh visited mom on night of murders

02:30 , Oliver O'Connell

A “fidgety” Alex Murdaugh showed up at his sick mother’s house for a brief 20-minute visit on the night of his wife and son’s murders – before later claiming he was there double the length of time and offering to pay towards the wedding of the caretaker who could refute his alibi.

Muschelle “Shelly” Smith, who had been working as a caregiver to Mr Murdaugh’s mother Libby from October 2019, gave emotional and at-times damning testimony in Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Monday.

Rachel Sharp reports.

Alex Murdaugh was ‘fidgety’ when he visited sick mother’s home on night of murders

01:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Murdaugh murder jury to hear financial crimes evidence

00:30 , Oliver O'Connell

A judge ruled Monday he will allow jurors to hear evidence that disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh was stealing money from his law firm and clients and committing other financial crimes long before his wife and son were killed in 2021.

Read on:

Alex Murdaugh murder jury to hear financial crimes evidence

‘Fuse was lit’ to expose Alex Murdaugh’s financial crimes at time of murders, court hears

Monday 6 February 2023 23:30 , Oliver O'Connell

The “fuse had been lit” to expose Alex Murdaugh’s slew of alleged financial crimes at the time of his wife and son’s murders – but his problems would likely “be over” if the family was the “victim of an unspeakable tragedy”, according to dramatic courtroom testimony at his trial.

Attorney Mark Tinsley took the witness stand at Colleton County Courthouse in South Carolina on Monday morning to testify about the lawsuit he brought against Mr Murdaugh on behalf of the family of Mallory Beach.

Beach, 19, died in a February 2019 crash in the Murdaugh family boat.

Rachel Sharp has the story.

Boat crash attorney speaks on Alex Murdaugh’s financial crimes

Monday 6 February 2023 22:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Court adjourns

Monday 6 February 2023 22:24 , Oliver O'Connell

After Ms Hall’s explanation of the collection and testing of the materials, the jury is dismissed for the day.

Judge Newman addresses Mr Harpootlian’s objection to the inclusion of the blue rainjacket based on what Ms Smith testified earlier in the day.

There is a dispute as to whether she identified the jacket when she talked about the tarp that Mr Murdaugh brought to his mother’s house. The prosecution said she testified something was balled up as the jacket was.

It is suggested that Judge Newman examines the transcripts for the day and makes a decision.

Court adjourns. The trial will resume tomorrow at 930am.

Monday 6 February 2023 22:04 , Oliver O'Connell

While the shoes and clothes were tested the day after the shooting, the seatbelt was tested on 1 September 2021 and the rainjacket was tested on 5 October.

Monday 6 February 2023 22:02 , Oliver O'Connell

Ms Hall testifies about testing Mr Murdaugh’s shoes the day after the murders.

She did not notice any blood on either the top of bottom of the shoes.

Mr Murdaugh said in interviews with police that he checked the bodies of both his wife and son for pulses and tried to turn Paul over. Both were lying in pools of blood.

Monday 6 February 2023 21:52 , Oliver O'Connell

Small reddish-brown stains and the fresh smell of laundry detergent were noted on t-shirt which was odd given that most clothes are musty by the time they come in for testing.

Ms Hall also tested the seatbelt from Mr Murdaugh’s Chevy Suburban.

Monday 6 February 2023 21:46 , Oliver O'Connell

Ms Hall testifies the 7 June 2021 Gunshot Residue kit test of Alex Murdaugh’s hands was collected properly. She passed it along for analysis.

She also identifies the shorts and t-shirt that he was wearing when police arrived at the Moselle Road property.

New Witness: Jamie Hall, SLED trace evidence department

Monday 6 February 2023 21:33 , Oliver O'Connell

The next witness is Jamie Hall who was a forensic technician in the trace evidence department of SLED.

She left SLED in 2022 and now works for the West Columbia Police Department as the evidence custodian.

Monday 6 February 2023 21:26 , Oliver O'Connell

Judge Newman explains the rules about evidence from Mr Murdaugh’s alleged financial crimes to the jury.

He tells them they can’t consider this evidence in determining the defendant’s character or propensity to commit crimes.

It is only to considered as evidence of Mr Murdaugh’s possible motive for the murders.

New Witness: Natasha Moodie, Bank of America

Monday 6 February 2023 21:24 , Oliver O'Connell

The next prosecution witness is Natasha Moodie of Bank of America. She identifies various bank records including documents opening an account and statements.

The state moves to enter them into evidence.

Monday 6 February 2023 21:19 , Oliver O'Connell

Court is resuming.

Before the jury is brought in, defence attorney Dick Harpootlian raises the issue that no one has directly linked the rainjacket with the defendant and objects to testimony being presented to the jury that it was coated in gunshot residue.

The state responds that in her testimony Ms Smith said it was balled up and identified it in a photo on the inside of the second-floor closet.

Mr Harpootlian contends she did not identify it but said it was similar.

Judge Newman overrules the objection.

Monday 6 February 2023 20:46 , Oliver O'Connell

On cross-examination, he describes the Murdaughs as a loving family.

He went to visit Alex Murdaugh in the days after the murders and say he was upset and crying.

Court takes its mid-afternoon break.

Monday 6 February 2023 20:37 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr McElveen’s testimony is similar to that of Paul’s other friends including how he was always using his phone.

They had been out together in Charleston two days before he was murdered.

Monday 6 February 2023 20:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr McElveen estimates he visited Moselle some 30 to 40 times. They would hang out either at the house or around the kennels and sheds and would go hunting.

We learn that there were three pet labradors separate from the working dogs in the kennels.

New Witness: William McElveen, friend of Paul Murdaugh

Monday 6 February 2023 20:25 , Oliver O'Connell

The next witness is William McElveen, a friend of Paul Murdaugh from Edisto Beach.

They became friends at the beach, through a mutual love of fishing, and over the years he grew close to the Murdaugh family and would visit them at the Moselle Road property.

Monday 6 February 2023 20:18 , Oliver O'Connell

A bright blue, poncho-style rainjacket is finally revealed, but no labeled size is apparent.

Agent Moore holds it up for the jury to see and it appears quite a large garment.

Perhaps large enough to be mistaken for a tarp?

Monday 6 February 2023 20:15 , Oliver O'Connell

The raincoat was processed for blood several times and none was found.

Special Agent Moore does not know if any testing was done on the tarp.

Defence attorney Jim Griffin asks what size the rainjacket is and asks her to unpack it from its evidence pouch in order to check its size and whether it is stained from the testing.

There is laughter in the courtroom as layer after layer of packing is removed from the garment.

New Witness: Kristin Moore, SLED

Monday 6 February 2023 20:01 , Oliver O'Connell

The next witness is SLED Special Agent Kristin Moore, who led a search of Mr Murdaugh’s mother’s house.

She testifies that they found a blue tarp in a storage box in a bedroom wardrobe and a blue rainjacket in a coat closet, both on the second floor.

The rainjacket was balled up in the closet.

Monday 6 February 2023 20:00 , Oliver O'Connell

In cross-examination, Ms Smith testifies that she saw the blue tarp laid out over a rocking chair at Murdaugh’s mother’s home the next day.

She is asked if she saw a blue rainjacket and says she did not. Ms Smith is shown a photo of the blue rainjacket and confirms she has never seen it before.

Monday 6 February 2023 19:55 , Oliver O'Connell

Under redirect questioning by the prosecution, Ms Smith testifies that in the days after the murders Mr Murdaugh told her that if she is asked he was at the house with his mother for 30 to 40 minutes on the night of 7 June 2021.

Monday 6 February 2023 19:42 , Oliver O'Connell

The defence team moves to exclude any evidence about the blue raincoat mentioned in opening statements.

They argue that there is nothing linking Mr Murdaugh to the jacket as Ms Smith testified that she saw a blue tarp and not a jacket.

Judge Newman does not issue a ruling but instead calls the jury back in.

Ms Smith’s testimony continues.

Court resumes

Monday 6 February 2023 19:38 , Oliver O'Connell

Judge Clifton Newman tells the court that one of the jurors has raised concerns about the length of the trial as it is possible it may go beyond three weeks. That juror may have to be excused.

Caretaker breaks down in tears testifying about ‘fidgety’ Murdaugh visit

Monday 6 February 2023 19:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Murdaugh was “fidgety” when he turned up at his ailing mother’s house on the night of his wife and son’s murders and stayed just 20 minutes, according to emotional testimony from her caregiver.

Muschelle “Shelly” Smith, who had worked as a caregiver to Mr Murdaugh’s mother Libby from October 2019, testified in Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Monday that it was unusual for Mr Murdaugh to show up at his parents’ home late at night.

Alex Murdaugh was ‘fidgety’ when he visited sick mother’s home on night of murders

Judge rules Murdaugh’s alleged financial crimes can be given as evidence in murder trial

Monday 6 February 2023 18:35 , Oliver O'Connell

A South Carolina judge has ruled that Alex Murdaugh’s alleged financial crimes can be presented as evidence in his trial for the murders of his wife and son.

In a major blow to the disgraced legal scion’s defence, Judge Newman ruled on Monday that the jury should be allowed to hear about Mr Murdaugh’s alleged multi-million-dollar fraud schemes as they decide his fate on murder charges.

Rachel Sharp reports.

Alex Murdaugh’s financial crimes allowed as evidence in murder trial

Monday 6 February 2023 18:16 , Oliver O'Connell

Court breaks for lunch until 2.30pm.

Monday 6 February 2023 18:07 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Griffin asks if Mr Murdaugh’s offer to help pay for Ms Smith’s wedding was him “just being nice”. She replies he was.

On the night of the murders she testifies he came in and lay on the bed next to his mother. He did not have any sign of blood on him and left no blood on the bed.

Monday 6 February 2023 17:53 , Oliver O'Connell

Cross-examination begins with attorney Jim Griffin unfolding a large blue tarp in the courtroom. He asks if this is what Ms Smith saw Mr Murdaugh bring into the house. She says yes.

Asked if she might have confused a tarp and a raincoat, she says no.

Monday 6 February 2023 17:50 , Oliver O'Connell

Ms Smith says Mr Murdaugh also had some kind of small cut or bruise on his head.

Monday 6 February 2023 17:41 , Oliver O'Connell

A few days after the murders, Mr Murdaugh came to the house at 6.30am, Ms Smith says, adding that he had never come that early before in the two years she had worked there.

She recalls him cradling something blue in his arms that looked like a tarp.

Monday 6 February 2023 17:38 , Oliver O'Connell

In tearful testimony, Ms Smith recalls Mr Murdaugh telling her after the murders that he had been at the house for 30 to 40 minutes on the night of the murders. She was very disturbed by the conversation and told her brother about it.

He then appeared to offer to help her with money for her upcoming wedding — it was the first time they had ever spoken about her wedding. Mr Murdaugh says he also offered to help get her a better job at the school where she also worked.

Monday 6 February 2023 17:20 , Oliver O'Connell

Ms Smith says he was wearing shorts and t-shirt and cloth-like shoes similar to Sperry’s and no socks.

She describes him as “fidgety”.

He sat on the bed and held his mother’s hand and spoke to her but she was in and out of sleep. He stayed at the house for approximately 20 minutes.

Murdaugh said he was there to check on her because his father was in the hospital.

Ms Smith says in her opinion Miss Libby would not have been aware he was there.

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