Alex Murdaugh trial — live: Defence rests case after brother John Marvin describes aftermath of murders

Alex Murdaugh’s defence has rested its case after calling a total of 14 witnesses to try to convince jurors he is innocent of the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul.

The high-profile murder trial resumed Monday in Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, with the judge agreeing to allow jurors to visit the scene of the murders at the Murdaugh family’s Moselle property.

The first two witnesses of the day were experts who disputed Maggie and Paul’s autopsies as the court was shown grisly photos of their bodies.

Murdaugh’s brother John Marvin then testified about the night of the murders, and the days and months afterward. He spoke of interviews with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) and a key blue raincoat in the case before the defence rested.

Over two dramatic days last week, Murdaugh took the stand and confessed he had lied for the past 20 months about his alibi for the night of the murders - while prosecutors fought to refute his excuse for doing so.

Murdaugh was then hit with a new misdemeanour charge.

Alex Murdaugh murder trial

• Alex Murdaugh defence rests case

• Alex Murdaugh’s brother Marvin takes the stand

• Jury to visit scene of murders at Murdaugh family property

• Two defence experts refute autopsy findings

• Murdaugh confronted about changing story on murders

• Where was Buster Murdaugh during the murders?

• Key revelations from the Alex Murdaugh murder trial

• Alex Murdaugh faces new charge as trial for his wife and son’s murders continues

WATCH: John Marvin Murdaugh breaks down describing murder scene

22:40 , Megan Sheets

FULL STORY: Defence rests case after testimony from 14 witnesses

22:18 , Megan Sheets

Alex Murdaugh’s defence has rested its case in his trial for the double murder of his wife Maggie and son Paul.

The disgraced attorney’s legal team wrapped up its case on Monday afternoon, after spending a week bringing 14 witnesses to the stand in an effort to convince jurors of his innocence in the 7 June 2021 shootings.

The final defence witness was Mr Murdaugh’s younger brother John Marvin Murdaugh who took the stand in Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, and described his brother’s “great relationship” with his wife and son, criticised key components of the investigation and insisted that he still does not know who killed his nephew and sister-in-law 20 months on.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has more:

Alex Murdaugh’s defence rests case in disgraced attorney’s double murder trial

Prosecutors plan to call four or five more witnesses

21:59 , Megan Sheets

Prosecutor Creighton Waters has said the state is planning to call four or five witnesses in its rebuttal case, beginning tomorrow.

He said he expected the rebuttal to take one day.

Mr Harpootlian replied by saying Mr Waters’ past predictions on how long things would take have been “mushy”.

The plan is now for closing arguments to take place on Wednesday.

Defence rests

21:57 , Megan Sheets

The defence has rested its case in support of Alex Murdaugh’s innocence.

John Marvin marked the 14th and final witness for the defence team.

Judge Newman dismissed the jury for the day before defence attorney Dick Harpootlian re-upped a motion for a direct verdict - meaning the case wouldn’t be sent to the jury.

That motion was denied.

Confusion over mention of blue raincoat during SLED interview

21:51 , Megan Sheets

Asked about his earlier testimony that police chief Greg Alexander had picked him up on the night of the murders, John Marvin testified that he was unaware Mr Alexander had loaned Alex money.

He also said that Alex was functioning normally on a daily basis despite his opioid addiction.

Mr Conrad went on to probe John Marvin about how he sat in on SLED interviews with Buster and his wife on 12 October 2021.

He said he does not recall SLED bringing up the blue raincoat on that date. According to Mr Conrad, it did come up during an interview with Buster that day.

As Mr Conrad continued to push, John Marvin insisted that he doesn’t remember discussions of the jacket in that interview.

John Marvin acknowledges Alex’s lies about night of murders

21:40 , Megan Sheets

Jim Griffin concluded his questioning of John Marvin by asking about what he was thinking when he cleaned up remnants of Paul’s body at the scene on 8 June 2021.

He said he promised Paul he would find out who killed him and Maggie.

“Have you found out?” Mr Griffin probed.

John Marvin replied: “I have not.”

Prosecutor John Conrad then stepped up to begin cross-examination.

John Marvin affirmed that he, Alex and everyone in their family have provided full cooperation to SLED.

Mr Conrad went on to ask about how Alex lied for 20 months - until his testimony last week - about being at the kennels minutes before the murders.

John Marvin conceded that Alex lied and that did not constitute “full cooperation”.

Testimony resumes

21:33 , Megan Sheets

John Marvin is continuing his testimony after Judge Newman overruled an objection from the state.

He is now describing a conversation with a SLED agent regarding “blood spatter” on Alex’s shirt.

Where was Buster Murdaugh during the murders?

21:25 , Megan Sheets

Buster Murdaugh’s constant presence in the Colleton County Court has led to many viewers asking where he was during the murders.

During his own testimony last week, Buster said he was at the home he shared with his girlfriend Brooklynn White when his father called to give him the horrifying news.

"He asked me if I was sitting down, and I was like, yeah, then he sounded odd, then he told me that my mom and brother had been shot,” Buster said of his father.

He continued: "Brooklynn, my girlfriend, was with me ... she could hear my conversation over the phone, and she started packing stuff.

“I kinda just sat there for a minute, I was in shock. But, eventually, we got our stuff together and drove down to Moselle."

Here, The Independent’s Rachel Sharp recaps Buster’s full testimony:

Alex Murdaugh’s surviving son Buster gives stoic testimony in murder trial

Judge allows John Marvin to speak about ‘blood spatter'

21:16 , Megan Sheets

The prosecution has raised an objection to John Marvin’s descriptions of conversations with law enforcement - claiming hearsay and lack of relevance.

Prosecutors accused the defence of trying to open a “back door” surrounding Alex Murdaugh’s clothing.

The objection arose after Jim Griffin asked John Marvin if SLED ever gave him information that turned out to be false.

John Marvin said yes, and began talking about blood spatter.

He was understood to be launching into an explanation of early reports that there was blood spatter on the shirt Alex was wearing when police arrived at the scene of the murders.

Final testing later found there was no blood on the shirt in question.

Judge Newman denied the state’s objection before calling a 10-minute break.

After that break, defence attorneys will have a chance to reintroduce their narrative of investigators botching the case and unfairly targeting Alex.

RECAP: John Marvin breaks down describing how he cleaned crime scene

21:11 , Megan Sheets

Alex Murdaugh’s younger brother broke down in tears on the witness stand as he revealed how he cleaned up “what was left” of his nephew Paul the morning after the gruesome murders.

John Marvin Murdaugh, the youngest of the Murdaugh siblings, took the witness stand in Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Monday afternoon where his older brother is standing trial for murdering his wife Maggie and son Paul.

John Marvin told jurors how he cleaned up his nephew’s “blood, brain matter and skull fragments” from the crime scene after law enforcement officials left behind parts of the 22-year-old on the Murdaugh’s Moselle family estate.

“It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever been through in my life,” he said.

John Marvin said he had gone down to the dog kennels on the family’s sprawling Moselle estate on 8 June 2021 – the morning after the murders – and came across a horrific scene.

“I just felt like I needed to go down, I needed to see for myself what had gone on and just kind of take it in,” he said.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has more:

Alex Murdaugh’s brother testifies that he ‘cleaned up’ what was left of nephew Paul

Mystery blue raincoat makes a new appearance

21:09 , Megan Sheets

John Marvin’s testimony transitioned to address the blue raincoat found at his parents’ house - which prosecutors allege Alex used to hide the guns that killed Maggie and Paul.

He said the closet where the raincoat was found was mainly used for “junk” storage, not for everyday items, and that he told investigators he believed it belonged to his father.

As for why there would be gunshot residue on the raincoat, John Marvin explained that he “never” saw his father clean his gun - a shotgun named “Bo-Whoop”.

John Marvin also accused investigators of telling the family two different stories about where they found the raincoat.

Judge Newman then sent the jury out for a brief recess, while John Marvin is still on the stand.

John Marvin addresses botched hitman plot

21:03 , Megan Sheets

John Marvin has moved on to talk about the day Alex Murdaugh was shot in the head in a botched hitman plot.

Alex had been shot in the head on the side of the road in September 2021 while he claimed to be changing a tire.

Days after the shooting, Alex confessed that he had hired a hitman - Curtis “Cousin Eddie” Smith - to shoot and kill him so Buster would get his life insurance windfall.

It’s since been alleged that Alex staged the shooting for other reasons - perhaps to make it look like whoever killed Maggie and Paul had come back to kill him.

John Marvin testified about how he drove his brother to a detox centre in Atlanta to get treatment for opioid withdrawal following the shooting.

On that car ride, he said of Alex: “I’d never seen anything like it. I’ve seen television shows talking about the leg twitching and the squirminess. You could just tell, he was sweating. He was thrashing about.”

In an increasingly graphic description, he said: “He messed himself. He had diarrhea. He just couldn’t control it. I’m not talking about in the restroom. I mean, in his pants.”

Alex Murdaugh told John Marvin of potential link between murders and 2019 boat crash

20:54 , Megan Sheets

John Marvin was also asked about the deadly 2019 boat accident for which Paul was facing charges at the time of his death.

He confirmed that Alex had mentioned a potential link between the crash and the murders.

He said the media was deeply unfair to both Paul and Alex in coverage of the crash that killed Paul’s friend Mallory Beach. Paul was allegedly driving drunk behind the wheel when the boat crashed, throwing his group of friends overboard. Beach’s body washed up days later.

John Marvin stopped short of suggesting a direct link between the crash and the murders.

John Marvin recounts the days after the murders

20:49 , Megan Sheets

Asked about a news release from authorities in the days after the murders declaring that there was no threat to the public, John Marvin said he found it “quite baffling”.

“It still is,” he said. “Two people have been killed, and you’re telling me that everybody’s safe. That tells me that whoever’s done this is in jail, and they are 100 per cent positive.”

He then described how he helped SLED Agent Katie McCallister perform a search of the Moselle house by walking her through each room.

Ms McCallister told him they were searching for a 12-gauge shotgun and a .300 Blackout rifle.

But, John Marvin said he could tell that wasn’t all she was looking for, as she also checked small cabinets that couldn’t fit a gun.

To his knowledge after years of hunting trips, John Marvin said he didn’t think Alex had a “go-to gun”.

John Marvin said he became somewhat of a conduit between SLED and the family, working closely with Agent David Owen.

He said Alex gave police “carte blanche” to search anywhere they wanted, and that he himself consented whenever investigators asked.

On 10 June 2021, the family met with investigators at the family’s Greenfield property - where everyone gave concurrent interviews with police inside law enforcement vehicles.

John Marvin confirmed he has seen the video of Alex’s interview at that time - and insisted that he said “they did him so bad” in reference to Paul.

That video has been central to the trial, as prosecutors contend that he in fact said: “I did him so bad.”

John Marvin said he knows Alex’s voice well and knows he said “they” - and that he’d made the same remark in many other instances.

He struggled to describe his brother’s demeanour in the immediate aftermath of the murders, saying he would have to create a new word to capture Alex’s devastation.

“There are no words,” he said.

John Marvin tells how he helped find Maggie’s phone

20:37 , Megan Sheets

John Marvin went on to describe learning that Maggie’s phone was missing, and how he asked Buster to check for it on Apple’s “Find My” app.

The app showed Maggie’s phone near the edge of the property.

He said he immediately contacted SLED agents, saying: “Let’s go get it.”

An agent brushed him off, he said, saying they would handle it themselves.

John Marvin expressed surprise, and then went with a SLED agent to where the app showed Maggie’s phone. “We found it in a matter of minutes,” he said.

He said agents took photos of the phone before picking it up with gloves and taking it to the car.

He then called Alex to get the passcode for the phone.

John Marvin describes cleaning the crime scene

20:32 , Megan Sheets

Oh his way over to Moselle after the murders, John Marvin’s truck broke down. He was driving Paul’s “farm truck” after trading cars with him earlier in the day.

He was picked up by Yemassee Police Chief Greg Alexander, who drive him the rest of the way to Moselle, he said.

When they arrived, John Marvin said he immediately jumped out of the car and ran to hug his brother.

“He was just broken, distraught. Everybody was,” he said. “All we did was hug and cried. I don’t even know that we talked.”

At some point after investigators left Moselle, John Marvin said he went down to the kennels to see the scene of the murders.

He said he had been unsure whether he was allowed to go since it was a crime scene, but he was ultimately granted permission.

John Marvin struggled to describe the state of the scene, telling how he saw skull fragments and where Maggie’s body had been.

He said he took it upon himself to clean up the scene because he “owed it to Paul”.

“No mother, father, aunt or uncle should ever have to see and do what I did that day,” he said through tears. “I’m not blaming anybody. But I was just so overwhelmed.”

John Marvin said he spoke to Randy, who told him to stop cleaning, but he couldn’t bring himself to stop.

“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” he said.

John Marvin recalls learning about murders

20:19 , Megan Sheets

John Marvin went on to describe how he, Alex and Randy texted family members with an update on their father’s condition after a doctor’s appointment on the day of the murders.

He choked back tears recounting how Randy called him to say that their father would be entering hospice care. He died three days later on 10 June 2021.

John Marvin also gave a lengthy explanation of how the brothers worked together to get their father medical care in his final days.

He said the last time he saw Paul was at his home on the day of the murders, where he picked up a truck that had been swapped during collaboration over his father’s care.

At that time, John Marvin said Paul didn’t seem any different from usual.

He then described how Alex called him on his way to see his mother on the night of the murders - minutes after prosecutors say Maggie and Paul were killed.

At that point, Alex’s demeanour was normal, he said.

Things changed dramatically when Alex called again after having reported the killings to 911.

John Marvin said Alex told him his wife and son had been hurt badly. He said he immediately jumped in the car to go to Moselle.

Alex Murdaugh becomes emotional as John Marvin describes family bonds

20:07 , Megan Sheets

Alex Murdaugh is also becoming emotional during John Marvin’s testimony.

The father nodded emphatically as his brother described Paul as an “excellent worker” and said Alex had a great relationship with his sons.

He said whenever he and Alex went hunting, Paul and Buster were there. If the boys weren’t coming, Alex didn’t come either, John Marvin said.

Of Alex’s relationship with Maggie, he said: “It was a good marriage.”

He described a double date he and his wife went on to a Darius Rucker concert, where Alex and Maggie held hands and “swayed” together.

“They had a great relationship, that’s just one of many [examples],” he said.

John Marvin also smiled as he confirmed prior testimony about how Paul was “notorious” for leaving guns around everywhere.

John Marvin becomes emotional speaking about nephew Paul

20:00 , Megan Sheets

Asked to describe his family, John Marvin said they are “very close” and “a normal family doing normal family things”.

He confirmed that his father died in the days after Maggie and Paul were murdered, but their mother “Miss Libby” is still alive.

In fact, he said, he and his children went to visit their grandmother yesterday for her birthday.

While his father was sick and in the hospital prior to the murders, John Marvin said he frequently stopped in to check on his mom. He said it was “routine” for his brothers to do that as well.

He said his brothers visited more often than he did because they live closer to their parents.

John Marvin became emotional when asked to talk about his relationship with his nephew Paul - who went by the nicknames “Lil Rooster” and “PawPaw”.

What John Marvin said about his brother days after the murders

19:54 , Megan Sheets

In the days after the 7 June 2021 murders, John Marvin and Randy gave an appearance on Good Morning America insisting their brother’s innocence.

“My brother loved Maggie and loved Paul like nothing else on this earth, just like he loves Buster,” Randy said in the 17 June interview. “So there’s no possible way he could have anything to do with this, I can assure you.”

John added: “I can tell you he was willing and still is willing to do anything that’s asked of him. He wants this solved.”

But, some cracks started to show as Mr Murdaugh’s string of alleged crimes came to light.

After Mr Murdaugh was charged with stealing millions of dollars from his law firm, John Marvin gave an interview to local paper The Island Packet saying that he was “embarrassed” by what his brother had done.

Then, in July 2022, when Mr Murdaugh was charged with Maggie and Paul’s murders, he released a statement saying: “The entire family has been consistent that regardless of what goes on, we want the truth.”

New witness: John Marvin Murdaugh, defendant’s brother

19:53 , Megan Sheets

The next witness for the defence is John Marvin Murdaugh, the defendant’s youngest brother.

John Marvin has joined his family members including brother Randy, sister Lynne and Mr Murdaugh’s son Buster in putting on a united front at Mr Murdaugh’s double murder trial.

Every single day of the weeks-long trial, the family have sat together in the courtroom in a show of support for the disgraced attorney.

Court back in session

19:51 , Megan Sheets

The jury is now being brought into the courtroom to hear continued defence testimony.

Watch The Independent’s trial live stream

19:40 , Megan Sheets

The Independent is livestreaming day 23 of the trial on YouTube.

Watch here:

When will jurors visit the scene of the shootings?

19:25 , Megan Sheets

On Monday morning, Judge Clifton Newman agreed to allow jurors to visit the Murdaugh family’s Moselle property, where Maggie and Paul with brutally murdered on 7 June 2021.

The ruling marked a significant win for the defence, which had requested for jurors for have the option to see the scene so they can understand better how the killings unfolded.

Judge Clifton indicated that the visit would likely take place this week, however the specific timing will depend on when closing arguments conclude.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp reports:

Alex Murdaugh trial jury to visit scene of wife and son’s murders

RECAP: Two defence experts say Paul was shot in back of head at point blank range

19:05 , Megan Sheets

Two defence experts gave gruesome testimony on Monday detailing how his son Paul was shot in the back of the head at point blank range.

Forensic pathologist Dr Jonathan Eisenstat and crime scene analyst Tim Palmbach were called as witnesses for Mr Murdaugh’s defence team on Monday morning, where they both cast doubts on the prosecution’s theory of how the murders unfolded.

Both experts testified that the killer held a shotgun to the back of Paul’s head and pulled the trigger, with the force causing the 22-year-old’s brain to “explode” out of his skull.

“This explosive nature… you never see that unless you have a high-energy source contact wound,” testified Mr Palmbach.

The crime scene analyst and expert in blood spatter analysis said that “seeing that head in the position it was, that is a contact wound from a high energy source weapon” like a shotgun.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp recaps testimony from both experts:

Alex Murdaugh sobs as experts say son was shot in back of head at point blank range

Palmbach testified in infamous Staircase Murder trial

18:45 , Megan Sheets

At the beginning of his testimony, Mr Palmbach confirmed that he once served as a witness for the defence of Michael Peterson in what’s been dubbed the Staircase Murder trial.

Peterson was convicted of killing his wife Kathleen in North Carolina court in 2003.

Kathleen was found dying at the bottom of a staircase in the couple’s home in Durham on 9 December 2001. An autopsy showed that Kathleen suffered injuries consistent with being repeatedly struck by a blunt object - while Peterson has maintained she merely tripped down the stairs.

He was granted a new trial eight years later after a judge determined that a prosecution witness in his original trial gave misleading testimony. At the second trial, Peterson submitted an Alford plea to a manslaughter charge.

The bombshell case was dramatised in the 2022 miniseries The Staircase, starring Colin Firth as Peterson and Toni Collette as Kathleen.

Court TV’s Julie Grant tweeted a photo comparing Mr Palmbach’s testimony in both cases:

Lunch break called

18:25 , Megan Sheets

The court is now in recess for lunch.

The defence is expected to call one additional witness after the break.

Testimony will resume at 2.45pm.

Palmbach cross-examined about theories on Paul’s fatal shot

18:24 , Megan Sheets

Prosecutor Savanna Goude is now cross-examining Mr Palmbach - beginning by clarifying that he is not a doctor.

Ms Goude established that Mr Palmbach reviewed only what was given to him by the defence, not the case file as a whole.

Citing Mr Palmbach’s testimony at the shooter would have been covered in blood, she pointed out that there is no indication of bloody footprints near the feed room.

Ms Goude then asked why Paul’s head wasn’t entirely exploded by the “gas” that Mr Palmbach said blew out the back of his skull.

Mr Palmbach explained that Paul’s face wasn’t disfigured because the pressure took the path of least resistance, through the back of the skull.

With that, Ms Goude ended her questioning.

Palmbach bolsters ‘two shooter’ theory

18:16 , Megan Sheets

Mr Palmbach has now bolstered the defence’s “two shooter” theory.

He explained that there is a significant chance that the person who killed Paul could have been injured by debris, such as skull fragments.

Moreover, he said that the blowback from the shotgun blast would have “stunned” the shooter to the point that they wouldn’t immediately grab the second gun that killed Maggie.

He conceded that the shooter may have had the second .300 Blackout gun slung on their shoulder, but said that is unlikely because it would be “awkward”, bulky and heavy.

Because of this, he said there is a substantial probability that one person shot Paul and another shot Maggie.

Mr Palmbach noted that investigators did not appear to look for the possibility of two sets of footprints that could belong to two shooters.

He also said there was no record of investigators looking for fingerprints in the feed room.

Palmbach examines photos of Maggie’s body at the crime scene

18:08 , Megan Sheets

Mr Palmbach has now shifted to observations on the murder of Maggie Murdaugh.

He said it stood out to him that all of Maggie’s five gunshot wounds are in the direction of the shooter, even though she was moving, which shows that she was facing her killer.

Mr Palmbach was presented with two new photos as Mr Murdaugh looked on shaking his head, biting his lip and still crying.

One photo shows Maggie’s body covered by a sheet at the crime scene, as well as police placards marking .300 Blackout casings and brain matter.

Mr Palmbach said the image gives a general idea of where the killer was standing when the final shots were taken.

The second image shows the area where Maggie was shot, including the spot where her earring was found.

The earring is believed to have been ripped out by one of the bullets that struck Maggie.

Mr Palmbach said he examined the photos to determine whether Maggie’s body had been moved after the shooting - either by the killer or by investigators. He said the photos indicate she was indeed in the same resting place.

He said “it’s possible” that the shooter would have been struck by Maggie’s biological matter.

Palmbach disputes testimony from two prosecution witnesses

17:55 , Megan Sheets

Mr Palmbach has directly refuted testimony from two prosecution witnesses about the second shot that killed Paul.

“I don’t think it is at all possible that the second, fatal shotgun blast hit Paul from the angle Dr Riemer and Kenneth Kinsey described in earlier testimony,” he said.

Dr Riemer conducted autopsies on Maggie and Paul, and Dr Kinsey is a crime scene analyst who testified as an expert for the state. They both concluded that the wound at the top of Paul’s head was an exit wound rather than an entry wound.

Mr Palmbach came to his conclusion based on both Paul’s wounds and blood spatter at the scene.

Several viewers sounding off on Twitter have noted that the conclusions reached by Mr Palmbach and Dr Eisenbach do not prove that Mr Murdaugh was not the shooter.

They do, however, work toward the broader defence argument that the investigation as a whole was improperly handled.

New crime scene photos shown to jury

17:41 , Megan Sheets

Mr Palmbach is now reviewing photos from the autopsies and crime scene. As with Dr Eisenstat’s testimony, these images are being shielded from public view.

The first photo shows injuries on Paul’s shoulder and neck. The shoulder wound is much larger than the neck wound, Mr Palmbach said.

A second image shows Paul’s final resting position after both gunshots. Mr Palmbach explained that Paul’s brain is located to his left by his leg, and that his feet are toward the right side of the doorway to the feed room.

In his opinion, Mr Palmbach said this image and others show roughly where Paul was standing when he was shot.

Several people seated in the gallery looked visibly shaken as the photos were shown.

Mr Murdaugh has been crying constantly since the first photos were shown during Dr Eisenstat’s testimony.

Shooter would have been covered with blood and brains, expert says

17:30 , Megan Sheets

Mr Palmbach is explaining how the person who killed Paul would have been covered with biological matter given the proximity of the fatal shot.

He said whoever pulled the trigger would be “totally covered” by blood, brains, hair and potentially pellets.

Asked how much biological matter, he said: “A lot, on the upper body and head.”

The defence is seeking to show that Mr Murdaugh could not have been as clean as he was when police arrived if he had been the shooter.

The prosecution has contended that Mr Murdaugh took a shower after the killings.

Mr Palmbach reaffirms details of Paul’s fatal shot

17:22 , Megan Sheets

Mr Palmbach says he has reviewed a substantial amount of evidence in Mr Murdaugh’s case, including crime scene photos and forensic reports.

He said “very concerned right away” with Paul’s autopsy. In his assessment, it was immediately clear that the gunshot to Paul’s head was a contact wound - but the official report didn’t state that.

Mr Palmbach confirmed that he has never talked to Dr Eisenstat, establishing that their similar conclusions about Paul’s wounds were formed separately.

He said that the fact two shotgun casings were found in the feed room indicates that both shots were fired from near the doorway.

Mr Palmbach also said there was no indication that Paul took defensive actions, suggesting that he was ambushed and didn’t know of the shooting threat before the first shot was fired.

New witness: Tim Palmbach, crime scene analyst

17:07 , Megan Sheets

The next witness for the defence is Tim Palmbach, a crime scene analyst.

Mr Murdaugh was seen choking with sobs as Mr Palmbach made his way to the stand at the conclusion of Dr Eisenstat’s testimony.

Mr Palmbach is now explaining his work with the Connecticut Department of Public Safety, where he was a Major in charge of the Division of Scientific Sciences.

He has since retired from that role, and now does consulting while teaching part-time at the University of New Haven’s College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences.

He is an expert in crime scene reconstruction, blood stain analysis and shooting incident reconstruction. He also holds a law degree.

Mr Palmbach notes that he was an expert witness in the infamous Michael Peterson “staircase murder” trial.

Defence attorney Jim Griffin enters Mr Palmbach as an expert witness.

Court shown photo of Paul’s brain exploded from his skull

17:00 , Megan Sheets

Prosecutor Savanna Goude began cross-examination of Dr Eisenstat by noting that he was also paid $5,500 for being in court on Friday even though there was not time for him to take the stand. As such, he will be paid $11,000 just for being in the courtroom for two days.

Ms Goude is seeking to poke holes in Dr Eisenstat’s comments on determining time of death, as well as his conclusions about Maggie and Paul’s wounds that differed from Dr Riemer’s official autopsy.

In confronting his findings about Paul’s gunshot to the head, Ms Goude presented a photo of the 22-year-old’s brain on the ground at the scene.

Dr Eisenstat concedes that the brain was not “macerated”.

It will be interesting to hear from reporters in the courtroom how the jurors are reacting to this extremely graphic testimony - as neither the defence nor prosecution have held back in their descriptions.

Cross-examination of Dr Eisenstat begins

16:52 , Megan Sheets

Mr Harpootlian’s direct examination of Dr Eisenstat ends with his conclusion that Dr Riemer’s autopsy on Paul was incorrect on the fatal shot to the head.

He adds that “biologic material” - including brains and skull - would have been “jammed” into the weapon given the proximity of the shot.

Mr Harpootlian then passes the baton over to the prosecution for cross-examination.

Cross-examination of Dr Eisenstat begins

16:52 , Megan Sheets

Mr Harpootlian’s direct examination of Dr Eisenstat ends with his conclusion that Dr Riemer’s autopsy on Paul was incorrect on the fatal shot to the head.

He adds that “biologic material” - including brains and skull - would have been “jammed” into the weapon given the proximity of the shot.

Mr Harpootlian then passes the baton over to the prosecution for cross-examination.

Dr Eisenstat sketches shotgun bullet wounds

16:43 , Megan Sheets

Dr Eisenstat drew a perfect circle that he said a bullet would create if the gun was pressed directly against a person.

He said that circle would remain perfect if the wound was sustained by flesh. With a hard surface such as the skull, he said that the circle would still be created but would be changed by pressure in the brain as a result of the gunshot.

He then drew two different types of “cloud-like” circles, explaining that the broader they are, the further the gun is.

He compared it to playing pool, with pellets from the shotgun spreading out like a cue ball hitting the pyramid of other balls. The further the gun is from the entry site, the wider the pellets are dispersed, Dr Eisenstat explained.

He said that such a pattern can be applied to Paul’s head wound to show the direction in which he was shot and from what distance.

Asked why Paul’s brain exploded from his skull instead of being “macerated” by shotgun pellets, Dr Eisenstat explained that the bullet moved through as one entity before pressure caused brain matter to exit from the back.

Jury returns as testimony resumes

16:33 , Megan Sheets

After a 15-minute break, the jury is returning to the courtroom for Dr Eisenstat to resume his testimony.

Judge Newman did not rule on whether the book page can be presented as evidence because the defence withdrew the exhibit for unknown reasons.

Instead, Mr Harpootlian is asking Dr Eisenstat to sketch something out for the jury.

Murdaugh rocks and sobs as pathologist describes Paul’s injuries

16:31 , Megan Sheets

Mr Murdaugh has sobbed and rocked back and forth Dr Eisenstat details how Paul was shot in the back of the head at point blank range.

The forensic pathologist testified that the killer held a 12-gauge shotgun to the back of Paul’s head and pulled the trigger, with the force pushing the 22-year-old’s brain out of his skull.

The person pulling the trigger would have been covered in the victim’s blood and other bodily substances, he said.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has more:

Alex Murdaugh sobs as expert says son was shot in back of head at point blank range

Testimony paused as defence and prosecution spar over evidence

16:16 , Megan Sheets

Judge Newman has sent the jury out after the prosecution objected to the state’s move to introduce a book on gunshot wounds into evidence.

The page in question shows wounds what a range of fires would look like.

Prosecutors objected on hearsay grounds.

The defence said that entering the page would save time, because otherwise they will ask Dr Eisenstat to draw the illustrations it features.

Judge Newman called a 15-minute break before ruling on the matter.

Autopsy images blocked from public view

16:09 , Megan Sheets

The autopsy photos that Dr Eisenstat is explaining in unsettling detail to the jury are not being shown to the public watching live stream video from the courtroom.

While the images are viewable by everyone inside the court, including Mr Murdaugh’s family members, the defence asked that they not be broadcasted due to their graphic nature.

This has been the policy with many other graphic images entered into evidence throughout the trial, including those of the bodies at the crime scene.

Murdaugh sobs as gruesome photos shown

15:56 , Megan Sheets

Alex Murdaugh is clearly struggling during Dr Eisenstat’s testimony.

The defendant is crying and keeping his head down as Dr Eisenstat goes into grisly detail about the wounds suffered by his wife and son - accompanied by photos from their autopsies.

Dr Eisenstat says Paul shot in the head at point blank range

15:49 , Megan Sheets

Dr Eisenstat is now explaining a diagram of the two gunshot wounds suffered by Paul Murdaugh.

He said he agreed with Dr Riemer’s findings on Paul’s chest wound, saying the bullet was shot at a range of about three feet.

As for the bullet to Paul’s head, he determined that it caused extreme pressure which prompted his skull to “explode”.

He said that the gun would have been pressed directly against the top back of Paul’s head.

Dr Eisenstat said he disagreed with Dr Riemer’s conclusion about the directionality of the shot to the head - but noted that he cannot give specifics about where exactly the bullet entered because Paul’s head was not shaved.

Dr Eisenstat calls wound ‘beautiful'

15:42 , Megan Sheets

As he continued explaining a photo of Maggie on the autopsy table, Dr Eisenstat slipped up and called one of her wounds “beautiful”.

He quickly took back the inappropriate description, clarifying that he meant it was a “textbook” case of the kind of wound he was trying to explain in contrast to Dr Riemer’s assessment.

He contends that “skin tags” indicate that the wounds to Maggie’s jaw and breast came from a bullet that grazed the former before the latter.

Dr Eisenstat added that when asked to review the case, he did not set out to disprove Dr Riemer’s findings but rather to reach his own conclusions.

He reiterated that he disagreed with her on the specifics of just one out of five total gunshots.

Court shown image of Maggie’s body on the autopsy table

15:34 , Megan Sheets

Dr Eisenstat is now explaining his assessment of autopsies performed by Dr Ellen Riemer.

The court is shown a female body diagram displaying Maggie Murdaugh’s injuries.

He says the wounds indicate Maggie was shot in the thigh at a range of one to three feet - which matches Dr Riemer’s conclusion. He also agreed with her conclusions on three other wounds to the torso, wrist and back of the head.

Dr Eisenstat said he disagrees with Dr Riemer’s conclusions about superficial gunshot wounds on Maggie’s left breast and jaw.

He said he came to a different conclusion in terms of the direction in which the shot was fired - finding that the bullet hit the jaw before the breast.

He said he believes that shot was fired as Maggie was leaning over in pain.

Dr Eisenstat was then shown a graphic image of Maggie’s body on the autopsy table - as Mr Murdaugh rocked back and began to cry.

Defence seeks to undermine prosecutions estimated times of death

15:17 , Megan Sheets

Dr Eisenstat is explaining how time of death is determined upon arrival at a crime scene.

He says that a coroner should take both the deceased person’s core temperature and the ambient temperature at the scene, as well as checking the person’s rigidity.

Citing how Maggie and Paul’s times of death were determined by the Colleton County coroner Richard Harvey, Mr Harpootlian asks: “Tell me what you would learn by sticking your hand under the armpit of the deceased.”

Dr Eisenstat replies: “You wouldn’t learn anything.”

Post and Courier reporter Avery Wilks notes that the prosecution’s timeline of the murders does not rely on Mr Harvey’s assessment to determine time of death, but rather relies on cell phone data.

Defence seeks to undermine prosecutions estimated times of death

15:17 , Megan Sheets

Dr Eisenstat is explaining how time of death is determined upon arrival at a crime scene.

He says that a coroner should take both the deceased person’s core temperature and the ambient temperature at the scene, as well as checking the person’s rigidity.

Citing how Maggie and Paul’s times of death were determined by the Colleton County coroner Richard Harvey, Mr Harpootlian asks: “Tell me what you would learn by sticking your hand under the armpit of the deceased.”

Dr Eisenstat replies: “You wouldn’t learn anything.”

Post and Courier reporter Avery Wilks notes that the prosecution’s timeline of the murders does not rely on Mr Harvey’s assessment to determine time of death, but rather relies on cell phone data.

Alex Murdaugh trial jury to visit scene of wife and son’s murders

15:09 , Megan Sheets

The jury in Alex Murdaugh’s high-profile murder trial will visit the scene where his wife Maggie and son Paul were killed sometime this week.

Judge Clifton Newman agreed on Monday to send the panel on a jury visit to the Murdaugh family’s sprawling 1,700 Moselle estate, before they decide the fate of the disgraced legal scion and accused killer.

As part of the visit, jurors will tour the dog kennels and the feed room where Mr Murdaugh is accused of shooting dead his wife and son back on 7 June 2021.

Paul was shot twice with a shotgun as he stood in the feed room of the kennels, with the second bullet blowing his brain from its skull.

Maggie was shot four to five times with an AR-15-style rifle a few yard from her son, as she backed into an ATV parked under a hangar.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has more:

Alex Murdaugh trial jury to visit scene of wife and son’s murders

Dr Eisenstat qualified as an expert witness

15:06 , Megan Sheets

Dr Eisenstat begins by rattling off his qualifications, including the fact that he went to the same medical school as Dr Ellen Riemer, the pathologist who performed autopsies on Maggie and Paul Murdaugh.

Dr Eisenstat began his career in New York before moving south to work for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, where he did 250-350 autopsies per year and testified in court.

In 2014, Dr Eisenstat was promoted to deputy chief medical examiner for the GBI. He became chief medical examiner in 2015, which brought with it more administrative duties and fewer autopsies he conducted personally. He left that role in January 2022 and now runs a forensic pathology consulting firm that conducts private autopsies at the request of families.

Judge Newman agrees to qualify Dr Eisenstat as an expert witness in the area of forensic pathology in this case.

Dr Eisenstat confirms that he has been paid $600/hour to work on Mr Murdaugh’s case and $5,500 to testify today.

New witness: Dr Jonathan Eisenstat

14:50 , Megan Sheets

The defence has called Dr Jonathan Eisenstat, a forensic pathologist, to the stand.

As Dr Eisenstat made his way to the stand, Mr Harpootlian cautioned that his testimony will include graphic images.

Judge Newman agreed that members of Mr Murdaugh’s family be allowed to leave the courtroom if they become overwhelmed.

Judge to allow jurors to visit Moselle property

14:48 , Megan Sheets

Mr Harpootlian argued that jurors need to be able to see the property to understand how the night of the murders unfolded, as they’ve been told extensive detail about Mr Murdaugh’s movement between the kennels and the house.

Mr Waters countered that the property has changed since 7 June 2021, and that inviting jurors to request to see Moselle will spur confusion.

Judge Newman sided with the prosecution, saying that such an invitation could prompt premature deliberation by the jury.

He did, however, say that the court will arrange for the jurors to see the property if the defence makes a formal request.

Judge Newman ensured that no one will be at the property when the jury visits, after Mr Harpootlian raised concern that “paparazzi” could be out there.

Altogether, the exchange appeared to be a win for the defence.

Court is now in session

14:42 , Megan Sheets

Judge Clifton Newman has now called the court into session.

He began the day by reminding members of the gallery not to speak or react during testimony. Judge Newman offered a similar warning last week while Mr Murdaugh was on the stand.

Asked to raise any urgent matters prior to the jury coming in, Mr Murdaugh’s attorney Dick Harpootlian noted that the defence does intend to rest its case today.

Mr Harpootlian also asked that jurors be able to visit the Murdaugh family’s Moselle property, where the murders took place, should they ask to.

Prosector Creighton Waters opposed giving the jury that option.

John Marvin Murdaugh agrees ‘justice coming soon'

14:37 , Megan Sheets

Alex Murdaugh’s brother John Marvin Murdaugh reacted to a sign outside the courthouse as he arrived on Monday morning.

A man standing on a street corner with a sign proclaiming “Justice Coming Soon” in bold red letters approached the Murdaugh family as they walked up to the court.

John Marvin was heard telling him: “Yes sir, justice is coming.”

Live 5 News journalist Emilie Zuhowski captured video of the interaction:

Alex Murdaugh arrives in court

14:17 , Megan Sheets

Alex Murdaugh has arrived at the Colleton County Courthouse for the 23rd day of his trial.

The embattled legal scion stepped out of a corrections’ van dressed in a plaid shirt and khaki pants with a jacket draped over his handcuffed wrists just after 9am Monday.

Meanwhile, a long line of people are waiting in line to enter the court.

The trial will get underway in about 10 minutes.

What to expect in court today:

14:00 , Rachel Sharp

Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial will resume at 9.30am ET on Monday in Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina.

The defence is expected to rest its case today, with attorney Dick Harpootlian telling the court on Friday that the team plans to call four more witnesses to the stand including a crime-scene analyst.

Mr Harpootlian said that he expects the final witness testimony to wrap up by the early afternoon.

Then, the prosecution will begin its rebuttal case.

Prosecutor Creighton Waters told the court that he had one or two rebuttal witnesses planned on Friday but it is possible he may call more to the stand.

Based on the comments from both sides, Judge Clifton Newman said closing arguments could get under way on Wednesday. Then the case will be handed to the jury to deliberate.

It is possible that, by the end of the week, the disgraced attorney and accused killer will know his fate.

RECAP Day 24: Moment Alex Murdaugh is accused of lying on the stand – about his pivotal lie on night of murders

13:40 , Rachel Sharp

A bombshell moment unfolded at Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial when he was accused of lying on the stand – about why he had lied over his alibi on the night of the murders.

At the end of an intense and lengthy cross-examination on Friday, the disgraced legal scion was confronted over what prosecutor Creighton Waters claimed was his latest lies to the court.

“All those reasons you just gave this jury about the most important part of your testimony was a lie, too, wasn’t it?” the prosecutor said.

Mr Murdaugh was confronted about his “new story” about the night of 7 June 2021 after he made the dramatic confession on the stand on Thursday to having lied for the past 20 months to law enforcement, his friends and law firm partners, and even his own family.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:

Moment Alex Murdaugh is accused of lying on the stand

A ‘confession’, bloody dog kennels and ‘clean’ shirt: Key revelations from the Alex Murdaugh murder trial

13:20 , Rachel Sharp

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.

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

Here are the key revelations from the trial so far:

Key revelations and updates from the Alex Murdaugh murder trial

Alex Murdaugh hit with new misdemeanour charge

13:00 , Rachel Sharp

Alex Murdaugh has been hit with a new misdemeanour charge – adding to the more than 100 charges he will still face once his murder trial is over.

On Friday, SLED charged the accused killer and disgraced attorney with a new charge for a misdemeanour but gave no details about the alleged crime.

The Independent has reached out to SLED for further information.

FITS News reported that the charge is in connection to a family member passing Mr Murdaugh contraband in the courtroom during his trial – which could also mean charges against the family member in question.

Earlier in the trial, sources also told the local outlet that Mr Murdaugh’s sister Lynn passed the disgraced attorney an undisclosed item.

When she was told to stop, Lynn allegedly didn’t take it well, becoming “demonstrative” with court staff.

The incident is said to have prompted the court to order a drug test for Mr Murdaugh, who has previously revealed he has been addicted to opioids for the last two decades.

Rumours of Murdaugh having stroke in prison debunked

12:40 , Rachel Sharp

Rumours have been swirling on social media that Alex Murdaugh had a stroke or a medical emergency over the weekend while behind bars.

Local outlet FITS News reported that there was a “lot of buzz” about the accused killer being taken to hospital on Sunday.

Sources – both close to Mr Murdaugh and Colleton County detention center – dismissed the rumours as false.

Who shot Alex Murdaugh in the head?

12:20 , Rachel Sharp

During Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial, jurors have heard testimony about the bizarre “side of the road” incident in September 2021.

The saga unfolded on 4 September 2021 – three months on from Maggie and Paul’s murders and one day after Mr Murdaugh’s law firm PMPED accused him of stealing millions of dollars from clients, forcing him to resign.

Mr Murdaugh called 911 to say he had been shot in a drive-by shooting while changing a tire on his vehicle along a road in Hampton County.

He was treated at a hospital for what police called a “superficial gunshot wound to the head,” but his story quickly unravelled.

Mr Murdaugh confessed to orchestrating the entire incident in a wild botched hitman plot with alleged co-conspirator Curtis “Cousin Eddie” Smith.

Mr Smith, a 62-year-old trucker, former legal client, distant cousin and alleged drug dealer of Mr Murdaugh, was allegedly paid by Mr Murdaugh to shoot him dead so that Buster could get a $12m life insurance windfall.

Both Mr Murdaugh and Mr Smith has been charged over the incident.

Mr Smith was also later hit with charges of helping Mr Murdaugh with a drug and money laundering ring, with authorities alleging he receieved $2.4m in stolen checks from Mr Murdaugh – some of it used to to buy Mr Murdaugh opiates to feed his addiction.

Moment Murdaugh accused of lying on the stand – about his own big lie

11:30 , Rachel Sharp

A bombshell moment unfolded at Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial when he was accused of lying on the stand – about why he had lied over his alibi on the night of the murders.

At the end of an intense and lengthy cross-examination on Friday, the disgraced legal scion was confronted over what prosecutor Creighton Waters claimed was his latest lies to the court.

“All those reasons you just gave this jury about the most important part of your testimony was a lie, too, wasn’t it?” the prosecutor said.

Rachel Sharp reports on how prosecutors wrapped up their cross-examination.

Moment Alex Murdaugh is accused of lying on the stand

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

01:45 , 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.

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.

The prosecution has now wrapped up its case with the defence beginning its own case on 17 February – where Mr Murdaugh is expected to take the stand.

Here are the key revelations from the trial so far:

Key moments from Alex Murdaugh murder trial