Alex Murdaugh trial - live: Defence seeks mistrial as housekeeper recalls ‘unusual’ cleaning after murders

Alex Murdaugh’s housekeeper gave emotional testimony at his murder trial on Friday – revealing that she cleaned what she described as “unusual” items found around the family home on the morning after the killings.

Blanca Simpson, who was the Murdaugh family housekeeper for several years, testified that Mr Murdaugh asked her to come to the house on 8 June 2021 – hours after the murders – to make the house “the way Maggie liked”.

When she went to the house, she noticed several “very unusual” things including pots being in the fridge instead of on the stove or sink and Maggie’s pyjamas lying “neatly in the middle of the doorway” of the laundry room.

In the shower room, she found a pair of khaki pants which she then put in the wash.

On the morning of 7 June, she had seen Mr Murdaugh wearing a pair of pair of khaki pants, she testified.

The defence briefly asked for a mistrial, objecting to what it said was hearsay. The judge denied it.

This comes at the end of a chaotic week which included a bomb threat, a controversial GoFundMe account – and the Murdaugh family’s bad behaviour in court.

Alex Murdaugh murder trial

• Murdaugh asked housekeeper to clean home morning after murders

• SUV data offers timeline of Murdaugh’s movements

• Bomb threat causes emergency evacuation of court

• Gunshot residue found all over blue raincoat Murdaugh allegedly hid in parents’ home

• How Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial became a circus

Murdaugh’s chilling text message to wife after murders revealed

03:30 , Oliver O'Connell

On Alex Murdaugh’s chilling final text to his wife moments after he allegedly killed her and their son was revealed in court during his murder trial on Tuesday.

Jurors were shown data from the cellphones of Maggie, Paul and Mr Murdaugh on the night of the murders.

Prosecutors say that Mr Murdaugh shot Paul first at 8.50pm and Maggie after.

Almost immediately after, cellphone data shows Mr Murdaugh made several calls to Maggie and other family members.

Mr Murdaugh first called Maggie at 9.04pm – minutes after he allegedly shot her dead – and the call went to voicemail.

He then texted her phone at 9.08pm, claiming he was going to visit his mother: “Going to check on M. Be right back.” The text was never read.

In total, Mr Murdaugh called his wife five times between 9.04pm and 10.03pm after allegedly killing her. None of the calls were answered.

His last text message to his wife came at 9.47pm, writing: “Call me babe.”

As well as calling Maggie, Mr Murdaugh’s cellphone records show he also made several calls to other numbers in the hour between the time prosecutors say the murder took place and he called 911. Prosecutors allege that Mr Murdaugh was seeking to build an alibi for that night.

Minutes after the final call, Mr Murdaugh called 911 at 10.07pm claiming to have found Maggie and Paul’s bodies.

Witnesses say voice in murder scene video is Alex Murdaugh

02:30 , Oliver O'Connell

In a dramatic day on 1 February, jurors were shown cellphone footage taken by Paul at the dog kennels just minutes before he and Maggie were shot dead which casts doubts on Mr Murdaugh’s alibi.

Off-camera, three voices are heard – Paul, Maggie and a man prosecutors say is Mr Murdaugh.

In dramatic testimony, two friends of Paul with close ties to the family told jurors that they are “100 per cent sure” that the voice belongs to Mr Murdaugh.

Cellphone data shows that the video was recorded for 58 seconds from 8.44.49pm to 8.45.47pm – less than five minutes before the murders. The disbarred attorney has claimed he was napping at the family home at that time.

Rogan Gibson, who had known Paul since they were young and described the Murdaughs as his “second family”, testified that he was “100 per cent sure” Mr Murdaugh is the voice in the footage. A second friend Will Loving echoed this.

As the footage was played in court, Mr Murdaugh appeared to rock his head up and down and cry.

Murdaugh’s cousin testifies he sold him guns – matching one used to kill Maggie

01:30 , Oliver O'Connell

On 31 January, Mr Murdaugh’s cousin John Bedingfield testified against him, revealing how the 54-year-old bought several firearms from him in the years prior to the murders – ones that match the type used to kill Maggie.

Mr Bedingfield, who works for the Department of Natural Resources but has a side business making and selling firearms under a federal licence, told the court that Mr Murdaugh approached him before Christmas 2016 wanting to buy both Paul and his surviving son rifles as presents.

He purchased two subsonic 300 BlackOut rifles – one black, one tan colour – for $9,188 so his sons could hunt hogs, he testified.

Two years later in April 2018, he said that Mr Murdaugh bought a third rifle from him for $875 because he said that Paul had lost his other one.

Doubts cast on preservation of crime scene

00:30 , Oliver O'Connell

During much of his cross-examination of SLED Special Agent Worley, Mr Harpootlian sought to pick holes in the evidence gathered from the bloody crime scene.

He raised doubts about a mark or potential footprint spotted on Maggie’s calf on the night of the murders.

While Mr Harpootlian suggested it was a “footwear impression”, Agent Worley said she “couldn’t say” that was what the mark was but that it “could be”.

The mark was not examined on the scene and no impression of the imprint was taken, she testified.

She also confirmed that a bloody footprint found in the feeding room was later determined to be that of a law enforcement officer – something that supported the defence’s line of questioning that some evidence was not preserved correctly and was even “destroyed”.

“Do you know what other evidence they may have destroyed?” asked Mr Harpootlian.

“I have no idea,” the agent said, to which he responded: “That’s right you don’t.”

Victims’ last texts and calls revealed

Sunday 12 February 2023 22:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Jurors learned about the final text messages and phone calls made by Paul and Maggie before their brutal murders.

On the night of 7 June 2021, Paul placed a call on his cellphone to friend Rogan Gibson at 8.40pm, lasting four minutes, followed by a second call at 8.44pm. The second was the last incoming communication Mr Gibson received from Paul’s cellphone.

Five minutes later, at 8.49pm, Mr Gibson sent Paul a text message: “See if you can get a good picture of it. Marion wants to send it to a girl we know that’s a vet. Get him to sit and stay. He shouldn’t move around too much.”

The message – believed to be about a dog Paul was taking care of for him – went unanswered.

From that point onward, neither Paul nor his mother Maggie responded to any messages or calls on their cellphones.

Prosecutors said in opening statements that Paul was shot dead first at 8.50pm and Maggie minutes later. Their cellphones had no activity from 8.49pm onward.

After sending the text message at 8.49pm and receiving no response from his friend, Mr Gibson sent a follow-up text at 9.58pm, which simply read: “Yo.”

Mr Gibson also tried calling Paul multiple times at 9.10pm, 9.29pm, 9.42pm, 9.57pm and 10.08pm.

Getting no response from his friend, jurors heard that he also texted Paul’s mother Maggie at 9.34pm, saying: “Tell Paul to call me.”

Shortly after, Mr Gibson had four missed calls from Alex Murdaugh at 10.21pm, 10.24pm, 10.25pm and 10.30pm.

Defence’s two shooters’ theory

Sunday 12 February 2023 20:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Murdaugh’s legal team sought to push its theory that there could have been two shooters separately responsible for killing the mother and son.

Jurors were shown photos and diagrams of the crime scene from both the night of the murders and more than one month later on 16 July, with defence attorney Dick Harpootlian honing in on two bullet projectiles in particular – one that travelled through the dog house and one through the quail pen.

Under cross-examination of SLED special agent Melinda Worley, Mr Harpootlian pushed the idea that, because the bullet projectiles were shot at different angles, it was a “reasonable” possibility that there was two killers.

“One reasonable explanation is there are two people there: one with a shotgun, one with an AR. Could someone have been a lookout, they went there to kill Paul and Maggie surprised them?” Mr Harpootlian pressed.

Agent Worley admitted that the theory is “possible” but said that it is only one “one explanation” as to what may have taken place that fateful night. She added that the angles could also be explained as one single shooter moving around.

Guns and ammo at Murdaugh home match crime scene

Sunday 12 February 2023 18:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Bodycam footage released by the court on 30 January revealed a huge stash of firearms inside the Murdaugh family home in the days after the murders.

SLED Special Agent Jeff Croft told jurors how he seized firearms and ammunition from the Murdaugh home – including weapons and ammo that matched the type of gun and bullets used to kill Maggie and Paul.

A .300 Blackout semiautomatic rifle, 12-gauge Browning shotgun, Benelli shotgun and 12-gauge pump shotgun which were seized from the family home were all brought into the courtroom and shown to jurors.

The agent testified that several empty boxes of ammunition were also found during searches of the Murdaugh home on 8 June and 13 June.

Inside the .300 Blackout rifle was Sellier & Bellot .300 AAC BLK ammo – the same type of ammo that was used to kill Maggie.

Also seized as evidence was a credit card receipt for an $1,021.10 item from Gucci – the item had been circled.

On 31 January, Agent Croft also testified that ammunition – steel shot ammo specifically Winchester DryLok – matching the fatal shot fired through Paul’s brain had been located on the Murdaugh family property.

Two separate guns – a rifle and shotgun – were used to kill Maggie and Paul. They have never been found.

Speculation over whether Murdaugh accidentally confessed

Sunday 12 February 2023 16:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Audio from Alex Murdaugh’s second interview with law enforcement was played in court on 30 January, revealing that the disgraced legal dynasty heir may have unwittingly slipped up and confessed to the murders of his wife and son.

“I did him so bad,” a sobbing Mr Murdaugh appeared to say about his son in a police interview on 10 June 2021.

SLED Special Agent Jeff Croft was asked by prosecutor Creighton Waters to clarify what he heard Mr Murdaugh saying.

“It’s just so bad. I did him so bad,” he responded.

While prosecutors sought to suggest that the 54-year-old father and husband slipped up during the police interview, Mr Murdaugh was seen shaking his head and appearing to mouth “I did not say that” to his attorneys in court.

However, the audio of the interview has also raised doubts, being somewhat unclear as to whether Mr Murdaugh says “I” or “they”, with some inside and outside court believing he actually says: “They did him so bad.”

During cross-examination on Tuesday, Mr Griffin grilled Agent Croft as to why – if Mr Murdaugh’s statement raised alarm bells – he didn’t follow up on it.

The special agent testified that he “made a mental note” about Mr Murdaugh’s comment but said it was early in the investigation when officials were in more of an “information gathering” stage.

The audio was played again in court – twice in real time and once at one-third speed.

When asked by Mr Griffin if he heard “they” not “I” when the recording was slowed down, Agent Croft testified that he still heard “I”.

Murdaugh tells wild story about Black Panthers

Sunday 12 February 2023 14:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Murdaugh recounted a wild story about a farmhand claiming to “kill radical Black Panthers” when he was interviewed by law enforcement on the night of the double murder of his wife and son.

In footage of the interview, Mr Murdaugh says he can’t think of anyone “overly suspicious” who could be responsible for the murders but suggests law enforcement speak to a farmhand he had recently hired to work at the 1,700-acre estate.

Mr Murdaugh claims that the man had told Paul a “really weird” story just one week before the murders.

“He told Paul a story the other day of how when he was in high school he got in a fight with some Black guys and an FBI undercover teams observed him fighting those guys,” he says. “And they put him on an undercover team with three Navy Seals and their job was to kill radical Black Panthers.”

He adds: “Paul was so taken aback by it that he recorded it on his phone”.

Mr Murdaugh tells the officers that Paul had “been working with him a lot” and the story was “really weird”.

However, he adds that he doesn’t believe the man could be behind the murders, saying that it’s “such a stupid” that he was “embarrassed” to even bring it up.

911 call played at trial

Sunday 12 February 2023 12:30 , Oliver O'Connell

The unredacted 911 call placed by Mr Murdaugh on the night of the murders.

In the dramatic audio, Mr Murdaugh cries and and sobs down the phone as he tells the dispatcher “it’s bad” and “my wife and child have been shot badly”.

He also the dispatcher about the 2019 boat crash involving Paul, saying that the 22-year-old had been getting threats “for months and months and months”.

The attorney then says he is going back to his house to get a gun “just in case”. When officers arrived on the scene, Mr Murdaugh had a shotgun which he handed over.

Bodycam shows Murdaugh’s ‘clean’ shirt after claiming to touch bloody bodies

Sunday 12 February 2023 11:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Bodycam footage from the night of the murders revealed Mr Murdaugh wearing a “clean” white shirt after he claimed he touched his wife and son’s bloodied bodies on finding them shot dead.

In the footage, Mr Murdaugh is dressed in a white T-shirt and dark shorts with no obvious signs of blood.

During courtroom testimony, multiple law enforcement officials described how Mr Murdaugh was “clean” and did not appear to have any blood on him when they arrived on the scene of the murders.

Yet, according to the 911 call made by Mr Murdaugh and bodycam footage from his first police interview on the night of the murders, Mr Murdaugh claims he touched his wife and son’s bodies when he found them by the kennels.

In the interview footage, he is heard telling law enforcement twice that he “tried to turn over” his son’s bloodied body and that he had checked him and his wife for pulses.

“I could see his brain ... I ran over to Maggie, actually I think I tried to turn Paul over first... um... you know, I tried to turn him over, I dunno, I figured it out,” he is heard saying.

Mr Murdaugh said that his son’s cellphone fell from his pocket when he tried to move him and that he handled it briefly.

“His cell phone popped out of his pocket, I started trying to do something with it but I put it back down really quickly, and then I went to my wife,” he says.

Detective Laura Rutland of Colleton County Sheriff’s Office contradicted his version of events as she said that Mr Murdaugh was “clean from head to toe” with no signs of blood on his body, shirt, shorts or shoes.

She said she didn’t say where he checked for a pulse but, in a gripping reenactment, agreed that if Mr Murdaugh had touched pulse points on Paul’s neck or wrists he would have been covered in blood.

As jurors have previously heard, the crime scene was especially violent and bloody, with Paul’s brain shot out of his skull and both he and Maggie lying in pools of their own blood.

Suspect shed ‘no tears’ after finding wife and son’s bodies

Sunday 12 February 2023 09:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Colleton County Sheriff’s Office Sgt Daniel Greene testified that Mr Murdaugh appeared to shed “no tears” after he claimed to have found his wife and son’s bodies.

Sgt Greene told the court that Mr Murdaugh seemed “upset” and repeatedly asked if his wife and son were dead but did not appear to have any physical tears in his eyes.

“Did you ever see any physical tears?” the prosecutor asked.

“I did not,” the officer said.

As bodycam footage from the night of the murders was played in court, Mr Murdaugh was seen breaking down in tears.

Murdaugh ‘immediately’ told police murders were tied to 2019 boat crash

Sunday 12 February 2023 07:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Murdaugh “immediately” suggested that his wife and son had been murdered because of a 2019 fatal boat crash as soon as the first law enforcement officer arrived on the scene of the grisly slayings, bodycam footage played in court revealed.

In the footage, taken from the bodyworn camera of Colleton County Sheriff’s Sgt Daniel Greene when he was the first officer to respond to the scene, Mr Murdaugh says he believes the murders are connected to the boating incident.

“This is a long story. My son was in a boat wreck,” Mr Murdaugh says. “I know that’s what this is.”

At the time of Paul’s death, he was awaiting trial over the death of 19-year-old Mallory Beach.

Paul was allegedly drunk driving a boat of his friends including Beach in 2019 when it crashed and they were thrown overboard. The rest of the group survived but Beach’s body washed up days later.

Paul was charged with boating under the influence and faced up to 25 years in prison.

Mr Murdaugh is also heard mentioning the boat crash in the 911 call alerting law enforcement to the scene and in his first interview with law enforcement on the night of the murders.

Defence details horrorific injuries of victims in opening statement

Sunday 12 February 2023 04:30 , Oliver O'Connell

In the defence’s opening statement, Mr Murdaugh was seen breaking down in tears as his attorney Dick Harpootlian described the fatal shot which killed his son Paul, saying it “exploded his brain, like a watermelon”.

Mr Murdaugh then arrived home and found his son’s brains by his feet, he said.

Mr Harpootlian insisted Mr Murdaugh is an innocent man, saying that jurors will see a Snapchat of him and Paul happily spending father-and-son time together less than two hours before the murders.

“Paul, the apple of his eye. You are going to see a video from the night of the murders of Paul and Alex riding around looking at trees they planted, a Snapchat sent to other people. They were laughing, having a good time,” he said.

He also argued that cellphone records from that night are “incomplete” and that Maggie’s phone was thrown on the side of a road halfa mile from the family estate at the same time that Mr Murdaugh was at the property.

The suspect would “have to be Houdini to be in both places”, he said.

Cellphone video key to trial

Sunday 12 February 2023 02:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Opening arguments kicked off the trial on 25 January, with the prosecution telling jurors that cellphone records and a video taken by Paul minutes before he died are “critical” in proving Mr Murdaugh’s guilt.

Attorney Creighton Waters gave a timeline for the murders, saying that Paul was shot at the dog kennels first at 8.50pm and Maggie minutes later.

Cellphone records allegedly place Mr Murdaugh at the dog kennels minutes earlier – when the suspect had “told everyone he was never there”.

Mr Waters also described a video Paul made at the kennels minutes before his murder as he was filming a dog to send to a friend. According to the prosecution, three voices – Paul, Maggie and Mr Murdaugh – can be heard.

Other evidence the prosecution promised to show jurors included gunshot residue found in both Mr Murdaugh’s car, on him and on a raincoat that he allegedly left at his parents’ home a week after the murders.

Key revelations from the Alex Murdaugh murder trial, so far...

Sunday 12 February 2023 00:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Legal dynasty heir Alex Murdaugh is currently on trial in a South Carolina courtroom for the brutal double murder of his wife and adult son.

Maggie, 52, and Paul, 22, were both shot dead at the family’s sprawling 1,700-acre property in Islandton, South Carolina, on the night of 7 June 2021.

Mr Murdaugh, 54, claimed that he returned home from visiting his elderly mother to find the victims’ bodies at the dog kennels on the land.

No arrests were made for more than a year, until – in July 2022 – Mr Murdaugh was charged with their murders.

Prosecutors allege that Mr Murdaugh killed his wife and son to distract from the growing number of scandals and crimes swirling around him.

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

The now-disbarred attorney denies the allegations and has pleaded not guilty.

Mr Murdaugh’s trial 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

‘Fidgety’ Murdaugh visited mother on night of murders

Saturday 11 February 2023 22:30 , 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.

Ms Smith told jurors about Mr Murdaugh’s unusual behaviour both on the night of the murders and in the days that followed, revealing that he made the uncharacteristic move to visit his sick mother late at night on 7 June 2021.

Read on:

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

Gunshot residue found all over blue raincoat allegedly hidden at Murdaugh parents’ home

Saturday 11 February 2023 20:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Gunshot residue was found all over the mystery blue raincoat that Alex Murdaugh allegedly hid in his parents’ home in the days after his wife and son were shot dead, according to bombshell courtroom testimony.

SLED forensic scientist Megan Fletcher testified in Colleton County Courthouse in South Carolina that at least 38 gunshot residue (GSR) particles were found on the inside of the jacket which was seized from Mr Murdaugh’s parents’ home.

Agent Fletcher said that this “significant” number of GSR particles would be consistent with a recently-fired gun being wrapped up inside the jacket.

Rachel Sharp has the details.

Gunshot residue found all over blue raincoat in Alex Murdaugh case

ICYMI: Murdaugh murder trial suddenly evacuated due to bomb threat

Saturday 11 February 2023 18:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Murdaugh’s high-profile murder trial was dramatically evacuated over a bomb threat received at the courthouse.

The bomb threat came in to staff at Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, just before 12.30pm ET on Wednesday, prompting a sudden evacuation of the entire building.

Rachel Sharp reported on the drama as it unfolded.

Alex Murdaugh murder trial suddenly evacuated due to bomb threat

Who is Alex Murdaugh?

Saturday 11 February 2023 16:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Who is the man now on trial for the murders of his wife and son, facing more than 100 other criminal charges over an alleged white-collar fraud spree, and subject of a botched hitman plot?

Who is Alex Murdaugh? The legal scion on trial for the murders of his wife and son

Attorney friend trusted Murdaugh despite odd fee payments

Saturday 11 February 2023 14:30 , Oliver O'Connell

A lawyer testifying in Alex Murdaugh‘s double murder trial in South Carolina said he trusted Murdaugh even though the disgraced lawyer suggested an unusual way to split fees from a case the two had worked on together.

Attorney Chris Wilson said he had no reason to be suspicious when Murdaugh asked to have the $792,000 fee deposited directly into his account, rather than paying it directly to the Murdaugh family law firm. At the time, Murdaugh said his intention was to protect money because his son, Paul, was involved in a wrongful death lawsuit - even though the direct payment was a violation of the firm’s rules.

“I’d known him for 30-plus years. I didn’t have any reason not to trust him,” Wilson told the jury.

Attorney: I trusted Alex Murdaugh despite odd fee payments

Murdaugh’s longtime friend barred from testifying about botched hitman plot

Saturday 11 February 2023 12:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Murdaugh’s longtime friend has been barred from testifying about his botched hitman plot – a bizarre incident that dramatically unravelled and culminated in the disgraced attorney entering rehab and being hit with another string of charges.

Judge Clifton Newman ruled on Thursday that Chris Wilson cannot testify about the September 2021 incident, which has been dubbed “the side of the road”, in Mr Murdaugh’s trial for the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul.

Rachel Sharp reports.

Alex Murdaugh’s longtime friend barred from testifying about botched hitman plot

GoFundMe launched for Murdaugh trial witness for ‘bravery’

Saturday 11 February 2023 10:30 , Oliver O'Connell

A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to raise money for Alex Murdaugh’s mother’s caregiver “for her bravery” in testifying at his murder trial.

But the campaign caused something of a problem in court shortly after it was launched.

Rachel Sharp explains.

GoFundMe launched for Alex Murdaugh trial witness for ‘bravery’ of testifying

Data from Murdaugh’s car suggests holes in his alibi for murders

Saturday 11 February 2023 08:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Data taken from Alex Murdaugh’s car has offered a potential timeline for his movements on the night of the murders – and suggests holes in the alibi he gave to his mother’s caregiver.

FBI electronics engineer Dwight Falkofske took the witness stand on Wednesday afternoon, topping off a dramatic day in Mr Murdaugh’s murder trial where Colleton County Courthouse was plunged into an emergency evacuation because of a bomb threat.

Data from Alex Murdaugh’s car suggests holes in his alibi on night of murders

How Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial became a circus

Saturday 11 February 2023 05:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Murder. A botched hitman plot. Mystery deaths. Millions of dollars of stolen money. Opioid addiction.

The case involving Alex Murdaugh appears to have it all when it comes to drama and plot twists.

It’s then little surprise that his murder trial now going on in Walterboro, South Carolina, has captivated the public all across America.

But it should then also come as little surprise to see the high-profile case spilling out into a spectacle far beyond the testimony jurors are hearing in the courtroom.

In a single dramatic week this week, the trial has been rocked by a bomb threat, apparently obscene gestures and bad behaviour from the Murdaugh family members and a controversial GoFundMe account.

Read on...

Bomb threat, outbursts and GoFundMe: How Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial became a circus

Murdaugh family warned they will be thrown out of murder trial

Saturday 11 February 2023 03:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Murdaugh’s family members have been warned that they will be thrown out of his murder trial after his surviving son Buster appeared to “flip the bird” at a witness.

Judge Clifton Newman has reportedly issued multiple warnings to several members of the disgraced attorney’s family about their behaviour in court, where they have put on a united front since the start of his trial for the murders of wife Maggie and son Paul.

The family members have already been moved to the back of the courtroom in Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina – and are now only one wrong move away from being booted out altogether.

Rachel Sharp has the details.

Alex Murdaugh family warned they will be thrown out of murder trial

Housekeeper never saw Murdaugh clothes after killings

Saturday 11 February 2023 01:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Murdaugh‘s housekeeper testified Friday at his double murder trial that she never saw the shirt and shoes the disgraced attorney was wearing in a video hours before his son and wife were killed after their deaths.

Prosecutors were trying to explain why certain expected things — like bloody clothes — have still not been put into evidence after three weeks of trial.

Housekeeper never saw Alex Murdaugh clothes after killings

Murdaugh asked housekeeper to clean home morning after murders

Friday 10 February 2023 23:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Murdaugh asked his housekeeper to clean the family home on the morning after the murders of his wife and son – and then tried to get their stories straight about what clothes he was wearing before the killings.

Blanca Simpson, who worked as the Murdaugh family housekeeper for several years, gave dramatic courtroom testimony in Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Friday morning.

Rachel Sharp reports.

Alex Murdaugh asked housekeeper to clean home morning after murders

Friday 10 February 2023 21:59 , Oliver O'Connell

Court adjourns for the weekend.

The trial will resume at 9.30am on Monday morning.

Friday 10 February 2023 21:55 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Tuten says he was not aware that Paul’s replacement 300 Blackout rifle was missing and was the alleged murder weapon until the trial.

He had assumed that Buster’s rifle was Paul’s as he used it so often (it was different in that it had a thermal scope on it which the replacement for Paul did not).

Mr Tuten says that after the boat crash, Paul got threats on social media. Asked if Maggie did, he says he does not know.

We also learn that when he was working outside with his hands he would often put his phone in his back pocket.

When he was killed, his phone was found resting on his back by that pocket.

Friday 10 February 2023 21:52 , Oliver O'Connell

During cross-examination, Mr Tuten is asked about the people in Mr Murdaugh’s office when he would drop off the cash he had brought from Palmetto State Bank.

Defence: “Are you suggesting he was giving [police chief] Greg Alexander money?”

Mr Tuten: “I’m not suggesting anything.”

Friday 10 February 2023 21:45 , Oliver O'Connell

After the murders, Mr Tuten drove Mr Murdaugh to the airport to visit Maggie’s family in Florida.

Mr Murdaugh told him he wanted to clear Paul’s name in the boat crash case.

Friday 10 February 2023 21:43 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Tuten also testifies that he assisted Jeanne Seckinger in her investigation into Mr Murdaugh’s thefts from the firm and its clients.

Friday 10 February 2023 21:41 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Tuten is asked if people would be in Mr Murdaugh’s office when he brought the cash back from Palmetto State Bank.

He identifies local police chief Greg Alexander as being there as well as Mr Murdaugh’s friends Cory Fleming and Chris Wilson.

A few weeks before the murders he was no longer asked to cash any more checks.

Friday 10 February 2023 21:39 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Tuten also worked as a runner for Mr Murdaugh’s law firm, PMPED from 2019 until May 2022. He was there throughout the murders and in the aftermath of Mr Murdaugh’s termination from the firm when his theft from clients was discovered.

We learn that one of Mr Tuten’s duties was to deliver court documents and cash checks for Mr Murdaugh on a regular basis and bring the cash back to his office from Palmetto State Bank.

Friday 10 February 2023 21:34 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Tuten testifies that the property used to have one entrance, but a second one was created.

Maggie and Alex would use the new main entrance more and Paul and his friends would use the entrance nearer the kennels and sheds.

He says that Maggie and Alex would drive by the kennels and say hi to them when they were hanging out down there.

Mr Tuten is asked to identify the voices in the kennel video and — as with those before him — names Paul, Maggie, and Alex.

He also describes the Murdaughs’ yellow labrador Bubba and how he would chase chickens that got loose (or anything else) — which can be heard happening in the video.

Friday 10 February 2023 21:28 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Tuten lived in a cabin on the Moselle Road property with Paul for a few months before college.

He is asked to identify Paul’s firearms and appears very knowledgeable about guns, giving specific details to delineate the different makes and models.

Mr Tuten also identifies Buster’s gun.

He tells the story of the tan 300 Blackout weapon being stolen from the car outside a party in early 2018.

New witness: Nathan Tuten, police officer and friend of Paul Murdaugh

Friday 10 February 2023 21:19 , Oliver O'Connell

The next witness is Paul Murdaugh’s friend Nathan Tuten, now an officer with the Walterboro Police Department.

Like several witnesses before, he testifies that Paul was a good friend who was always on his phone. He speaks fondly of Alex and Maggie.

Friday 10 February 2023 21:17 , Oliver O'Connell

On cross-examination, we discover that Mr Wilde also pulled data for the phone of Curtis Smith (Cousin Eddie).

He says he does not have the data with him.

Friday 10 February 2023 20:49 , Oliver O'Connell

It is established that CB Rowe, the Moselle Road property groundskeeper, was not in the area at the time of the murders.

Friday 10 February 2023 20:41 , Oliver O'Connell

From 9.20pm to 9.46pm there are several calls made near Almeda (when he is at or near his parents’ house). The phone then moves toward the town of Varnville.

At 10.06pm, when the 911 call is made the phone signal goes to a tower in Varnville at a low frequency indicating it is far away. This may explain why the 911 call was routed through neighbouring Hampton County and not Colleton County.

Between 10.19pm and 11.18pm the phone begins to ping off a tower nearer the Moselle Road property.

Friday 10 February 2023 20:33 , Oliver O'Connell

Data from the phones confirms Paul’s presence on the Moselle Road property. Just after 8pm he is at the house before moving to the kennels at 8.38pm. There is a signal linked to a video at 8.44pm (the famous kennel video) and then nothing showing it moving away from the kennels after that time.

Maggie’s phone shows her driving from Charleston arriving at the Moselle Road property at approximately 7.50pm. There are no more signals tracked after that.

Alex’s phone shows him leaving the PMPED offices before leaving at 6.25pm.

Between 6.40pm and 9.10pm there are signal hits around the Moselle Road property.

From 9.12pm to 9.18pm he is south of Moselle travelling toward his parents’ house in Almeda.

Friday 10 February 2023 20:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Agent Wilde has given a very detailed explanation to the jury of how he does his job.

He is now explaining how this applies to this case and the locations of Paul, Maggie, and Alex.

Unfortunately, we cannot see what he is showing them on the court’s live stream.

Friday 10 February 2023 19:46 , Oliver O'Connell

Agent Wilde has been qualified as an expert in court approximately 130 times before and is once more placed in that role in this trial.

His initial role was to establish why the 911 call was patched through a tower in Hampton County and not Colleton County.

New Witness: Agent Matthew Wilde, FBI

Friday 10 February 2023 19:41 , Oliver O'Connell

FBI supervisory special agent Matthew Wilde is now on the stand.

He and his team analyse historical cellphone records and the location data associated with them.

Agent Wilde explains the data he looks at is much like an old phone bill, but also includes cell tower location and direction data.

He is able to map data based on this.

Friday 10 February 2023 19:38 , Oliver O'Connell

After a brief cross-examination further establishing Libby Murdaugh’s declining mental and physical health, the witness steps down.

New Witness: Belinda Rast, home carer for Libby Murdaugh

Friday 10 February 2023 19:32 , Oliver O'Connell

The next witness is Belinda Rast, Alex Murdaugh’s mother’s home carer. She would look after Libby Murdaugh overnight from 8pm to 8am.

She did not know Maggie Murdaugh very well but got to know Paul as he would visit more than the other grandchildren and would help out.

In the five years she worked at the house, Alex Murdaugh visited at night during her shift approximately six or seven times.

She recalls the night before the murders, both Alex and Maggie visited his parents and brought Krispy Kreme donuts.

Randolph Murdaugh was asleep when they came. Ms Rast recalls him being very sick but mentally aware at the time (he passed away four days later).

Court resumes

Friday 10 February 2023 19:21 , Oliver O'Connell

Court resumes after lunch with Judge Clifton Newman presiding.

The jury is brought back in.

Watch: Blanca Simpson recalls Murdaugh asking her to straighten up house

Friday 10 February 2023 18:55 , Oliver O'Connell

Murdaugh asked housekeeper to clean home morning after murders

Friday 10 February 2023 18:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Murdaugh asked his housekeeper to clean the family home on the morning after the murders of his wife and son – and then tried to get their stories straight about what clothes he was wearing before the killings.

Blanca Simpson, who worked as the Murdaugh family housekeeper for several years, gave dramatic courtroom testimony in Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Friday morning.

Rachel Sharp reports on the morning in court.

Alex Murdaugh asked housekeeper to clean home morning after murders

Bomb threat, obscene gestures and a controversial GoFundMe: How Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial became a circus

Friday 10 February 2023 18:15 , Rachel Sharp

Murder. A botched hitman plot. Mystery deaths. Millions of dollars of stolen money. Opioid addiction.

The case involving Alex Murdaugh appears to have it all when it comes to drama and plot twists.

It’s then little surprise that his murder trial now going on in Walterboro, South Carolina has captivated the public all across America.

But it should then also come as little surprise to see the high-profile case spilling out into a circus far beyond the testimony jurors are hearing in the courtroom.

In a single dramatic week this week, the trial has been rocked by a bomb threat, apparently obscene gestures and bad behaviour from the Murdaugh family members and a controversial GoFundMe account.

Here’s how Mr Murdaugh’s murder trial has descended into a circus:

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:

Bomb threat, outbursts and GoFundMe: How Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial became a circus

Court breaks for lunch

Friday 10 February 2023 18:02 , Rachel Sharp

Ms Simpson has stepped down from the witness stand.

The court is now on break for lunch with testimony resuming at 2.15pm ET.

Khakis were seen after murders

Friday 10 February 2023 18:01 , Rachel Sharp

Following a brief redirect, Mr Harpootlian asked Ms Simpson about the khakis.

Ms Simpson had testified about the full outfit she saw Mr Murdaugh wearing on the morning of the murders – the khaki pants, a seafoam polo shirt, a blue sports coat and some house shoes.

As the person who cleaned all the Murdaugh family’s clothing and the house, she revealed that she “never” saw the seafoam coloured shirt or the house shoes again after that day.

Under cross-examination, she confirmed that she did see a pair of khakis matching those she saw him wearing – on the floor near the shower on the morning of 8 June.

However she said that he did have more than one pair like it.

Back to the blue rainjacket

Friday 10 February 2023 17:47 , Rachel Sharp

Ms Simpson was asked if she had ever seen the blue rainjacket before.

She confirmed she had not.

She also said that Mr Murdaugh wore clothes size 2XL.

NOTE: The rainjacket covered in gunshot residue is a size L.

Court is back in session

Friday 10 February 2023 17:39 , Rachel Sharp

Cross-examination of Ms Simpson continued with Mr Harpootlian asking if she saw Paul with guns.

She said yes.

WATCH: Moment Buster Murdaugh appears to flip the bird

Friday 10 February 2023 17:35 , Rachel Sharp

Alex Murdaugh’s family members have been warned that they will be thrown out of his murder trial after his surviving son Buster appeared to “flip the bird” at a witness.

Judge Clifton Newman has reportedly issued multiple warnings to several members of the disgraced attorney’s family about their behaviour in court, where they have put on a united front since the start of his trial for the murders of wife Maggie and son Paul.

The family members have already been moved to the back of the courtroom in Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina – and are now only one wrong move away from being booted out altogether.

Maggie and Mr Murdaugh’s surviving son Buster was caught appearing to make a rude gesture to Mark Tinsley as he took the witness stand on Thursday about a lawsuit he brought against the accused killer.

Footage from the courtroom shows Buster apparently flipping the bird as he stared down the witness:

Judge orders a break

Friday 10 February 2023 17:12 , Rachel Sharp

Judge Newman has ordered a break after the prosecution and the defence became increasingly irate with each other.

Jury is sent to jury room

Friday 10 February 2023 17:09 , Rachel Sharp

The jury has been sent to the jury room once again as the prosecution repeatedly objected to the defence’s questioning.

Mr Harpootlian asked about the August conversation between Mr Murdaugh and Ms Simpson where he brought up what shirt he was wearing.

When Mr Harpootlian suggested he had “inquired” about the shirt, Ms Simpson said she didn’t feel it was like that.

Housekeeper confirms she saw no bloodstains

Friday 10 February 2023 17:06 , Rachel Sharp

The housekeeper confirmed that she saw no bloodstains in the home after the murders – or on the khaki pants that she found on the morning of 8 June 2021.

She said she saw no bloodstains on the pants or on towels, no bloody footprints and no other signs of blood inside the home as she cleaned it.

Cross-examination continues:

Friday 10 February 2023 17:01 , Rachel Sharp

Under cross-examination, Mr Harpootlian raised doubts about the “unusual” things she noticed in the home on the morning after the murders.

He pointed out that there were multiple people at the house on the night of 7 June 2021 and the early morning hours as the Murdaugh’s family and friends rushed to the scene.

Ms Simpson was also asked about SLED agents arriving at the house on 8 June 2021.

She said that she was not sure what the agents did or what they took, only what she saw.

She said that it was after the agents arrived that she saw the clothing including the khaki pants – and washed them.

She also agreed it was not unusual for towels and clothes to sometimes be left on the floor in the home.

Mr Harpootlian appears to be seeking to pick holes in the evidence-gathering by law enforcement and cast doubt on the significance of the clothes left around the home.

Cross-examination:

Friday 10 February 2023 16:52 , Rachel Sharp

Under cross-examination, attorney Dick Harpootlian asked Ms Simpson about Mr Murdaugh and Maggie’s relationship.

She said that she got the impression Mr Murdaugh “adored” his wife.

“He adored her. He loved her. He adored her,” she said.

She said she “never saw them have arguments” only “some minor disagreements” which were about the remodelling of the Edisto beach house.

There was a brief moment where Mr Harpootlian forgot he had met Ms Simpson before – at Maggie’s funeral.

Fourth witness identifies Mr Murdaugh in kennel video

Friday 10 February 2023 16:45 , Rachel Sharp

Ms Simpson became the fourth witness to identify Mr Murdaugh as the third voice in the kennel video.

Paul made a video at the kennels minutes before the murders as he was filming a dog to send to a friend.

Three voices can be heard in it.

Three witnesses have already said the voices are Paul, Maggie and Mr Murdaugh.

The footage was played again. Ms Simpson testified: “It’s Paul, Maggie and Alex.”

Ms Simpson said that she previously thought she heard a fourth voice “at a distance” but after hearing it multiple times insisted she is now sure “there’s only three voices”.

She also said that Maggie would not go down the kennels alone at night because she “was scared” and “it was dark”.

Jury hears Maggie’s concerns about money

Friday 10 February 2023 16:41 , Rachel Sharp

The jury is back in the courtroom.

Ms Simpson was asked if Maggie was worried about anything before the murders.

“She was concerned about the amount of money they were requesing on the lawsuit – $30m is what she told me,” she said.

Maggie told her that she felt “Alex was not being truthful to her about the lawsuit... she said ‘he doesn’t tell me everything’,” she testified.

Judge denies motion

Friday 10 February 2023 16:36 , Rachel Sharp

Without jurors present, Ms Simpson continued with her testimony about the conversation.

“She was worried because a lawsuit had been [brought] saying ‘they want $31m, she was crying, she said we don’t have that kind of money’,” she said.

“’If I could give them everything I’ve got and make this go away I’d do it in a heartbeat. I’d start over, we’s start over. I just want this gone’.”

The judge denied the defence’s motion and ruled that the testimony could be heard – given that the defence has presented other evidence seeking to show the happy family dynamic of the Murdaughs before the murders.

Defence asks for mistrial

Friday 10 February 2023 16:33 , Rachel Sharp

The defence is asking the judge for a mistrial.

Jurors were excused from the courtroom after Mr Murdaugh’s attorneys objected to the prosecutor’s questioning calling it hearsay.

The objection came as Ms Simpson was asked whether Maggie had been worried about money.

She told the court that she cleaned Maggie’s car sometime after the murders and found her wedding ring.

Ms Simpson was then asked about a conversation Maggie had with her a few months before the murders.

She said Maggie said she needed to speak to her and they made coffee and went into a room.

Mr Murdaugh asked her for insurance cards

Friday 10 February 2023 16:29 , Rachel Sharp

On 4 September 2021, Ms Simpson said that Mr Murdaugh called her and asked her for his insurance cards and for a copy of his medical card.

NOTE: Hours later, Mr Murdaugh was shot in the head in a botched hitman plot on the side of a road in Hampton County.

He survived and called 911, claiming he was ambushed in a drive-by shooting while he was changing a tire on his vehicle.

He was taken to hospital where he was treated for what police called a “superficial gunshot wound to the head”.

But, Mr Murdaugh’s story about the incident quickly unravelled and he confessed that he had orchestrated the whole saga, paying an alleged hitman to shoot and kill him in an assisted suicide plot so that his surviving son Buster could get a $10m life insurance windfall. He told investigators that he had paid Curtis “Eddie” Smith – a former law firm client, distant cousin and allegedly his drug dealer – to carry out the shooting.

Both he and Mr Smith were arrested and charged over the incident.

Murdaugh brought up shirt to housekeeper months after murders

Friday 10 February 2023 16:24 , Rachel Sharp

Two months after the murders – in August 2021 – Mr Murdaugh brought up what shirt he was wearing on 7 June 2021, she said.

They were at one of the Murdaugh properties and he said to her: “I need to talk to you, come here sit down.”

She did and Mr Murdaugh, while pacing, said: “I got a bad feeling ... something’s not right.”

Mr Murdaugh mentioned to her that “there’s a video” and said “you remember the Vinnie Vine shirt... I was wearing that shirt that day”, she testified.

“I don’t remember him wearing that shirt that day. I remember the shirt as I fixed the shirt he was wearing,” she said, about the seaform shirt.

“I was confused at first but I know what he was wearing the day he left the house... I was confused... if he was tryig to get me to say that if I was asked that that was the shirt he was wearing that day.”

Prosecutor asks about Bubba the dog

Friday 10 February 2023 16:18 , Rachel Sharp

After the murders, Ms Simpson said Mr Murdaugh asked her to stay at the family estate – as he and Buster did not want to stay there.

She said she did and she now still looks after the Murdaugh dog Bubba.

She would take Mr Murdaugh’s clothes to another property for him.

The prosecutor asked her about Bubba the dog and whether he would often get chickens in his mouth.

She said the dog did and that it would take time to get it out of the dog’s mouth.

NOTE: In Paul’s video at the dog kennels – taken minutes before the murders – voices are heard shouting at Bubba and talking about a chicken in his mouth. Three witnesses have already said the three voices are Maggie, Paul and Mr Murdaugh.

Housekeeper says she ‘never’ saw Murdaugh’s 7 June outfit again

Friday 10 February 2023 16:13 , Rachel Sharp

Ms Simpson testified that she “never” again saw the clothes and shoes that Mr Murdaugh was wearing on the morning of 7 June 2021.

On the morning of the murders, she said she saw him wearing khaki pants, a seafoam colour polo shirt, a blue sports coat and a pair of loafers/house shoes.

As she cleaned the home and did the family’s laundry, she said she knew where all the items would usually be.

After that day, she testified that she never saw the seafoam shirt or the shoes again.

Testimony resumes

Friday 10 February 2023 16:07 , Rachel Sharp

Ms Simpson was asked about the pair of khaki trousers and a shirt.

She always did the laundry for the Murdaugh family.

She was shown an image taken from bodycam footage of Mr Murdaugh on the night of the murders.

He is wearing a white t-shirt in the footage.

When asked if she had cleaned the shirt prior to that day, she said she “probably did”.

Court is taking a 10 minute break

Friday 10 February 2023 15:47 , Rachel Sharp

‘Unusual’ findings in the house

Friday 10 February 2023 15:47 , Rachel Sharp

Ms Simpson testifies that Mr Murdaugh asked her to sort the house that day.

He told her that he wanted the home to be the way Maggie liked it as people would be coming by.

Breaking down in tears, she said “it felt cold” going to the home knowing Maggie and Paul were dead.

When she went to the house, she noticed several unusual things in the house.

The pots were not in the sink or stove as normal but had instead been placed in the fridge.

In the laundry, room, she found Maggie’s pyjamas “lay neatly in the middle of the doorway”: her pyjama pants, a pair of underwear and her pyjama top.

She said it was “very unusual”, saying: “It just didnt look right to me.”

It didn’t look right because Maggie “didn’t wear underwear with her pyjamas” and the “underwear appeared to be clean not dirty”, she said.

In the shower room, she said she noticed a light puddle of water, a towel and a pair of khaki pants.

In the closet, there was a white damp towel on the floor and a t-shirt that appeared to have fallen off a stack of t-shirts.

She said she put the khaki pants in the wash.

NOTE: Earlier Ms Simpson testified that she saw Mr Murdaugh in a pair of khaki pants on the morning of 7 June.

Mr Murdaugh called her about murders

Friday 10 February 2023 15:39 , Rachel Sharp

Ms Simpson testified that Mr Murdaugh called her to tell her about the murders on the morning of 8 June 2021.

She said he sounded shaky as he said: “B, they’re gone. They’re gone.”

At first, she said she thought he meant that they had gone to Edisto but he told her: “No, B, they’re dead.”

What she saw Mr Murdaugh wearing:

Friday 10 February 2023 15:35 , Rachel Sharp

She didn’t see Maggie and Paul that ay but she saw Mr Murdaugh that morning before he went to work.

Ms Simpson testified to what she saw Mr Murdaugh wearing on the morning of 7 June: a pair of khaki pants, seafoam colour polo shirt and blue sports coat.

Alex Murdaugh had asked Maggie and Paul to come home on day of murders

Friday 10 February 2023 15:32 , Rachel Sharp

Alex Murdaugh had asked Maggie and Paul to come home on the day of the murders, Ms Simpson testified.

She said that Maggie texted her saying: “Alex wants me to come home.”

Maggie liked being at the family beach house in Edisto and had been preparing to host a big July 4 gathering there, she said.

In a phone conversation, Maggie seemed a bit “disappointed” that Mr Murdaugh wanted her to come to Moselle, she said.

Ms Simpson said Maggie asked her to cook some food for them and told her “Alex wants me to come home”.

“She sounded like she didn’t want to come home... she sounded like she was a little disappointed,” she said.

Mr Murdaugh had also asked Paul to come home too because he wanted his son to “fix” something on the property, Ms Simpson said Mr Murdaugh told her.

June 7: The day of the murders

Friday 10 February 2023 15:27 , Rachel Sharp

Ms Simpson testified about the day of the murders – 7 June 2021.

She said she was supposed to work at the Murdaugh estate in Moselle that day.

Maggie texted her asking her to get some Capri Sun for Alex.

Ms Simpson testifies about last time she saw Paul

Friday 10 February 2023 15:24 , Rachel Sharp

Ms Simpson testified about the last time she saw Paul alive.

She said it was the Friday before the murders and she was almost finishing her shift.

Paul came in the kitchen with a laundry basket full of clothes, she said, and asked her “what’s up Ms B?”

She said she hoped he didn’t want her to do laundry as she was finishing up for the day.

He asked her if she would, saying he needed it for the weekend.

She stayed late to do it for him.

“Did you ever see him again?” the prosecutor asked.

She replied: “No sir.”

More background:

Friday 10 February 2023 15:19 , Rachel Sharp

Ms Simpson said she worked at one of the family homes – in Hampton – every two to three days for several years.

At one point, she was there more often – because “someone tried to burn the house”.

We haven’t heard about this incident in the trial before and the prosecutor did not dwell on that comment.

Ms Simpson stopped working for the Murdaughs when she had a stroke in 2015.

Four years later, she contacted the Murdaughs again in February 2019.

She said it was shortly after the fatal boat crash and “she reached out to Maggie and Mr Murdaugh to ask if they needed anything”.

Maggie asked her to come back to work for them and she did.

“Was like I actually never left,” she said.

Initially she worked across two of the family homes – the hunting estate in Moselle where the murders took place and the home in Hampton.

The family then sold the Hampton home and moved to Moselle full time, she said.

Meeting the Murdaughs:

Friday 10 February 2023 15:08 , Rachel Sharp

She met Mr Murdaugh when she became friends with another Hispanic woman whose son had been injured in an accident. The woman spoke broken English and was struggling with her current attorney so Ms Simpson helped the woman – reaching out to Mr Murdaugh who agreed to take the woman’s case so long as Ms Simpson translated for them.

She said she then often helped Mr Murdaugh translate in several other cases.

Then, Mr Murdaugh told her that his wife Maggie was looking for a housekeeper. She took up the job in 2007.

Next witness: Murdaugh family housekeeper Blanca Simpson

Friday 10 February 2023 15:01 , Rachel Sharp

The next witness – the Murdaugh family housekeeper Blanca Simpson – has been called to the stand.

“Is this difficult for you to be here today?” the prosecutor asked her.

“Yes it is,” she responded.

No mention of GoFundMe?

Friday 10 February 2023 14:58 , Rachel Sharp

After a brief redirect, the defence declined to ask further questions.

Surprisingly, the defence did not bring up the controversy around the GoFundMe account.

A GoFundMe campaign was set up this week for Mr Murdaugh’s mother’s caregiver Mushell “Shelly” Smith “for her bravery” in testifying at his murder trial.

Mr Tinsley donated $1,000 to the campaign.

In a dramatic moment in court on Thursday, the defence raised the donation and asked the judge to strike his testimony as a result.

Judge Clifton Newman denied the motion, but said the issue is “good fodder for cross-examination”.

Read more on that here:

GoFundMe launched for Alex Murdaugh trial witness for ‘bravery’ of testifying

Cross-examination:

Friday 10 February 2023 14:56 , Rachel Sharp

In a very brief cross-examination, defence attorney Phillip Barber asked Mr Tinsley whether any life insurance policies were in place for Maggie and Paul.

“I don’t believe there was any for anyone including Alex,” he replied.

After a brief tussle over not being able to hear one another, the cross ended – with no mention of the GoFundMe.

Case ‘was over against Alex Murdaugh’ after murders

Friday 10 February 2023 14:53 , Rachel Sharp

Mr Tinsley said that the boat crash lawsuit “was over against Alex” after the murders of his wife and son.

The witness told jurors that the court how the murders changed the lawsuit – as it made Mr Murdaugh a potential victim of “a vigilante”.

“Nice people get good verdicts,” he said.

“If you compare Atilla the hun and a sweet grandmother” then the grandmother gets the better outcome, he said.

“If Alex is a victim of a vigilante no one is going to hold him accountable... the case could be over against Alex... it was clear it was going to be over against Alex.”

Murders caused boat crash hearing to be cancelled

Friday 10 February 2023 14:49 , Rachel Sharp

The hearing on 10 June was the next step in the boat crash lawsuit.

Mr Tinsley testified how he learned about the murders of Maggie and Paul.

He said he got a phone call in the middle of the night on 7 June 2021 telling him what had happened.

He said he was “in shock” and “horror”.

The murders caused the 10 June boat crash hearing to be cancelled.

Mark Tinsley reveals he filed motion to get access to Murdaugh’s finances

Friday 10 February 2023 14:46 , Rachel Sharp

In October 2020, Mr Tinsley filed a motion to compel in the boat crash lawsuit, jurors heard.

This would have required Mr Murdaugh to disclose his true finances – potentially uncovering his alleged financial crimes.

Context:

Friday 10 February 2023 14:37 , Rachel Sharp

Mark Tinsley is an attorney who brought a lawsuit against Alex Murdaugh on behalf of the family of Mallory Beach.

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

Paul was allegedly drunk driving the boat at the time it crashed, throwing Beach overboard. Her body washed ashore a week later. Paul was charged with multiple felonies over the boat wreck and was facing 25 years in prison at the time of his murder.

The Beach family filed a lawsuit against Mr Murdaugh and some other parties over her death – a lawsuit that was placing the now-disbarred attorney’s finances under increased scrutiny.

A hearing for the suit had been scheduled to take place on 10 June 2021 – three days after Maggie and Paul were shot dead at the Murdaugh family’s estate in Islandton.

Mark Tinsley returns to stand

Friday 10 February 2023 14:33 , Rachel Sharp

The jury has been seated and day 15 of the trial is about to get under way.

Mark Tinsley is back on the witness stand.

What to expect in court today:

Friday 10 February 2023 14:25 , Rachel Sharp

Day 15 of Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial will resume in Colleton County Courthouse at 9.30am ET.

First up, attorney Mark Tinsley will return to the witness stand for cross-examination by Mr Murdaugh’s defence.

It is expected to be a contentious affair – based on both the sparring between Mr Tinsley and defence attorney Phillip Barber during the shadow trial and the revelation that Mr Tinsley donated to a GoFundMe for another witness.

A GoFundMe campaign was set up this week for Mr Murdaugh’s mother’s caregiver Mushell “Shelly” Smith “for her bravery” in testifying at his murder trial.

Mr Tinsley donated $1,000 to the campaign.

In a dramatic moment in court on Thursday, the defence raised the donation and asked the judge to strike his testimony as a result.

Judge Clifton Newman denied the motion, but said the issue is “good fodder for cross-examination”.

Outside the courtroom: GoFundMe launched for trial witness

Friday 10 February 2023 14:15 , Rachel Sharp

Outside of the courtroom proceedings, a GoFundMe campaign was launched to raise money for Alex Murdaugh’s mother’s caregiver “for her bravery” in testifying at his murder trial.

Mushell “Shelly” Smith gave emotional testimony in Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, where she cast doubts on part of Mr Murdaugh’s alibi on the night of the murders – revealing he lied about how long he had spent at his sick mother’s house.

Now, Ms Smith’s daughter Rachelle Buckner has launched a GoFundMe campaign to “reward her for her bravery and her honesty as it was one of the hardest things she had to do”.

Read more here:

GoFundMe launched for Alex Murdaugh trial witness for ‘bravery’ of testifying

RECAP Day 14: Boat crash attorney says Murdaugh finances were under scrutiny at time of murders

Friday 10 February 2023 13:55 , Rachel Sharp

Attorney Mark Tinsley took the witness stand 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.

Paul was allegedly drunk driving the boat at the time it crashed, throwing Beach overboard. Her body washed ashore a week later. Paul was charged with multiple felonies over the boat wreck and was facing 25 years in prison at the time of his murder.

The Beach family filed a lawsuit against Mr Murdaugh and some other parties over her death – a lawsuit that was placing the now-disbarred attorney’s finances under increased scrutiny.

A hearing for the suit had been scheduled to take place on 10 June 2021 – three days after Maggie and Paul were shot dead at the Murdaugh family’s estate in Islandton.

Mr Tinsley told the court that Mr Murdaugh claimed he had no money to pay the Beach family – something he knew couldn’t be true.

In October 2020, Mr Tinsley filed a motion to compel – which would have required Mr Murdaugh to disclose his true finances.

The hearing on 10 June was the next step in the lawsuit.

RECAP Day 14: Longtime friend testifies about financial crimes

Friday 10 February 2023 13:40 , Rachel Sharp

Alex Murdaugh’s longtime friend Chris Wilson gave emotional testimony where he described learning that his “best friend” had stolen millions of dollars from clients at his law firm PMPED – and $192,000 from Mr Wilson himself.

Professionally, the two men also had a close working relationship, with Mr Wilson telling the court about one particular personal injury case they worked on together in January 2021.

In total, the clients won $5.5m from two verdicts in the case, with Mr Murdaugh’s firm making a $792,000 cut.

Mr Wilson testified how his friend asked him to make the $792,000 check payable directly to him instead of PMPED so that he could structure them through an annuity.

In July 2021 – one month on from the murders – Mr Wilson said that his friend got in touch saying he had been unable to structure the fees as planned and needed to pay the money back and have it paid directly to PMPED.

At that time, PMPED had discovered that the $792,000 was missing and had asked Mr Murdaugh about it.

Mr Murdaugh only had $600,000 to pay it back, with Mr Wilson saying that he covered the additional $192,000, on the basis that Mr Murdaugh would pay him back.

That September, he said he learned his friend had been scamming him and many others. He was “floored” and felt “betrayed”.

Mr Wilson told the court that he had spoken with Mr Murdaugh on the night of Maggie and Paul’s murders and how was among the friends and family members who had rushed to the Murdaugh home when he had heard the news.

The judge also ruled that Mr Wilson could not speak about the botched hitman plot involving Mr Murdaugh.

RECAP Day 14: Car data testimony casts doubt on alibi

Friday 10 February 2023 13:28 , Rachel Sharp

On Thursday morning, FBI electronics engineer Dwight Falkofske returned to the witness stand to be cross-examined by the defence.

He had testified about the data taken from Alex Murdaugh’s car, offering a potential timeline for his movements on the night of the murders – and suggesting holes in the alibi he gave to his mother’s caregiver.

Mr Falkofske testified that he extracted data from the onboard computer system of Mr Murdaugh’s 2021 Chevrolet Suburban, including call logs, contact lists, some location data and the “state” of the vehicle in terms of when it was turned on, when it was in and out of park mode, and when the doors were opened.

The data offers jurors a timeline for the vehicle’s movements – and therefore its driver Mr Murdaugh’s movements – on the night of 7 June 2021 when his wife Maggie and son Paul were shot dead on the family’s 1,700-acre estate in Islandton.

The data indicates that Mr Murdaugh did leave his family home and drove to visit his sick mother at around 9pm.

However, it also indicates that he only stayed at his parents’ home for around 20 minutes – and not the 30 to 40 minutes his mother’s carer Shelly Smith testified that he had told her to tell authorities after the killings.

Under cross-examination on Thursday morning, the defence sought to pick holes in the theory that Mr Murdaugh tossed Maggie’s phone along Moselle Road.

Mr Falkofske confirmed that Maggie’s phone did not connect to Mr Murdaugh’s SUV that night.

If a phone has previously connected to the vehicle’s system, it will automatically connect, he said.

Maggie’s phone was found along the side of Moselle Road on 8 June 2021 with the state suggesting that Mr Murdaugh tossed it out of his vehicle.

Controversial GoFundMe tops $24,000

Friday 10 February 2023 13:05 , Rachel Sharp

The controversial GoFundMe campaign set up for Alex Murdaugh’s mother’s caregiver “for her bravery” in testifying at his murder trial has now topped $24,000.

Mushell “Shelly” Smith gave emotional testimony on Monday, where she cast doubts on part of Mr Murdaugh’s alibi on the night of the murders – revealing he lied about how long he had spent at his sick mother’s house.

Breaking down in tears at points, she described how a “fidgety” Mr Murdaugh showed up at the house for a brief 20-minute visit on 7 June 2021 but later asked her to tell authorities he had been there double the length of time.

In the aftermath of the killings, he then offered to help Ms Smith both financially and with her other job and brought a mystery blue item to leave at his parents’ home, she told jurors.

On Wednesday, Ms Smith’s daughter Rachelle Buckner launched a GoFundMe campaign to “reward her for her bravery and her honesty as it was one of the hardest things she had to do”.

As of Friday morning, the GoFundMe had raised more than $24,000 for Ms Smith.

But the campaign has sparked controversy and raised an opportunity for the defence.

In a dramatic moment in court on Thursday, the defence moved to strike the testimony of attorney Mark Tinsley after it emerged he had donated $1,000 to the campaign.

Mr Tinsley filed a lawsuit against the Murdaughs on behalf of the family of Mallory Beach, the 19-year-old killed in a boat crash where Paul was allegedly drunk behind the wheel in 2019. He testified how the lawsuit was putting Mr Murdaugh’s finances under increased scrutiny at the time of the murders.

Defence attorney Phil Barber asked to strike Mr Tinsley’s testimony due to the fact that he “made a financial payment to a witness in the middle of a trial ... as a reward for her honesty”.

Judge Clifton Newman denied the motion, calling the issue “good fodder for cross-examination” – paving the way for a contentious sparring match between Mr Tinsley and the defence attorneys Friday.

Data from Murdaugh’s car suggests holes in his alibi

Friday 10 February 2023 12:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Data taken from Alex Murdaugh’s car has offered a potential timeline for his movements on the night of the murders – and suggests holes in the alibi he gave to his mother’s caregiver.

FBI electronics engineer Dwight Falkofske took the witness stand on Wednesday afternoon, topping off a dramatic day in Mr Murdaugh’s murder trial where Colleton County Courthouse was plunged into an emergency evacuation because of a bomb threat.

Data from Alex Murdaugh’s car suggests holes in his alibi on night of murders

Alex Murdaugh family warned they will be thrown out of murder trial after son ‘flipped bird’ at witness

Friday 10 February 2023 12:29 , Rachel Sharp

Alex Murdaugh’s family members have been warned that they will be thrown out of his murder trial after his surviving son Buster appeared to “flip the bird” at a witness.

Judge Clifton Newman has reportedly issued multiple warnings to several members of the disgraced attorney’s family, who have been putting on a united show of support since the start of his trial for the murders of wife Maggie and son Paul.

The family members have already been moved to the back of the courtroom in Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina – and are now a few wrong moves away from being booted out altogether.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:

Alex Murdaugh family warned they will be thrown out of murder trial

Murdaugh’s longtime friend barred from testifying about botched hitman plot

Friday 10 February 2023 11:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Murdaugh’s longtime friend has been barred from testifying about his botched hitman plot – a bizarre incident that dramatically unravelled and culminated in the disgraced attorney entering rehab and being hit with another string of charges.

Judge Clifton Newman ruled on Thursday that Chris Wilson cannot testify about the September 2021 incident, which has been dubbed “the side of the road”, in Mr Murdaugh’s trial for the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul.

Alex Murdaugh’s longtime friend barred from testifying about botched hitman plot

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

Friday 10 February 2023 10:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Here’s our reporting on attorney Mark Tinsley’s testimony in which he explains how the wrongful death suit brought by Mallory Beach’s family after the boat crash caused by Paul Murdaugh would’ve exposed Alex Murdaugh’s financial crimes.

Judge Newman would not strike Mr Tinsley’s testimony after it was revealed he donated to a GoFundMe for caretaker Shelly Smith who also testified this week.

Rachel Sharp reports.

Boat crash attorney speaks on Alex Murdaugh’s financial crimes

Profile: Alex Murdaugh

Friday 10 February 2023 08:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Who is the man now on trial for the murders of his wife and son, facing more than 100 other criminal charges over an alleged white-collar fraud spree, and the apparent target of a botched hitman plot?

Who is Alex Murdaugh? The legal scion on trial for the murders of his wife and son

Paralegal angered by Murdaugh theft testified against him

Friday 10 February 2023 06:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Murdaugh‘s paralegal testified Wednesday at his double murder trial about the betrayal she felt when she discovered he lied and manipulated to steal millions of dollars from clients.

But Annette Griswold also told jurors Murdaugh was a dedicated family man so distraught after his wife and son were killed he could no longer stay at the home where the killings took place and texted a lengthy apology for his misdeeds to his paralegals while in rehab.

Read on:

Paralegal angry by Alex Murdaugh theft, knew he loved family

Chris Wilson testifies he trusted Murdaugh despite odd fee payments

Friday 10 February 2023 04:40 , Oliver O'Connell

A lawyer testifying in Alex Murdaugh‘s double murder trial in South Carolina said he trusted Murdaugh even though the disgraced lawyer suggested an unusual way to split fees from a case the two had worked on together.

Attorney Chris Wilson said he had no reason to be suspicious when Murdaugh asked to have the $792,000 fee deposited directly into his account, rather than paying it directly to the Murdaugh family law firm. At the time, Murdaugh said his intention was to protect money because his son, Paul, was involved in a wrongful death lawsuit - even though the direct payment was a violation of the firm’s rules.

“I’d known him for 30-plus years. I didn’t have any reason not to trust him,” Wilson told the jury.

Read on:

Attorney: I trusted Alex Murdaugh despite odd fee payments

Click here to read the full blog on The Independent's website