Alex Murdaugh trial — live: Prosecutor tells jury not to be ‘fooled’ by defendant and to reach guilty verdict

Oliver O'Connell and Rachel Sharp

The state of South Carolina has concluded its closing argument in the double-murder trial of Alex Murdaugh. Lead prosecutor Creighton Waters spoke for three hours at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro on Wednesday.

He laid out the case against Murdaugh beginning with the “gathering storm” of financial problems that led up to the murders and concluding with a plea to jurors to give a voice to the victims — wife Maggie and son Paul Murdaugh — whom he said were fooled by the defendant like everyone else.

“Don’t let him fool you too,” Waters asked of the jury.

As the prosecution’s presentation went on longer than anticipated, the defence team will present their closing argument on Thursday morning before the jury begins deliberations to decide the fate of the once-powerful legal scion.

Earlier on Wednesday, jurors toured the crime scene where Maggie and Paul were brutally murdered on the ground of Moselle, the family home, on 7 June 2021.

Prosecutors rested their case on Tuesday after calling rebuttal witnesses to dispute the theories of defence experts and to show how Murdaugh continued his lies on the witness stand.

Alex Murdaugh murder trial

22:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Once the defence has presented their closing argument on Thursday, the prosecution will be given the right to respond.

The jury will then be given its instructions and any alternates will be excused.

Deliberations will then begin in what has been an extraordinarily complex case.

During his closing argument, Waters referred to Murdaugh as a “master liar”.

21:52 , Oliver O'Connell

Judge Newman excuses the jury for the day.

They will be back at 9.30am tomorrow to hear the closing argument from Murdaugh’s defence team presented by attorney Jim Griffin.

21:51 , Oliver O'Connell

In closing, he says to the jury that Murdaugh fooled everyone in his life including Maggie and Paul and they paid for it with their lives.

“Don’t let him fool you too.”

He asks the jury to find Murdaugh guilty.

21:49 , Oliver O'Connell

Addressing the jury, Waters says that Murdaugh lied to them, just like he lied to everyone in his life.

“And he was good at it.”

He adds that Murdaugh had the “motive, the means, the opportunity, and ample evidence of guilty conduct and a guilty conscience. All four factors are present.”

Waters reiterates that Maggie and Paul need a voice because they can no longer speak.

“This has been a tough job. But the system depends on people who take that oath as jurors, and they’re willing to honor that oath and make the tough decision to vindicate these victims, to vindicate Maggie and Paul, who were cut down in the prime of their lives.”

He shows a sealed exhibit to the jury.

“This is what he did. This is what he did right here.”

21:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Waters brings it back to the new lie and the old lie as captured on Deputy Daniel Greene’s body camera.

Moment Alex Murdaugh is accused of lying on the stand

21:43 , Oliver O'Connell

Waters accuses Murdaugh of doing everything he could to frustrate forensics by deleting phone logs, moving Maggie’s phone, changing clothes etc.

Murdaugh “controlled these crime scenes issues”, says Waters.

He says he agrees with Murdaugh that whoever did this had “anger in their heart” and had “planned this for a long time”.

Waters also agreed with Murdaugh when he said “he hurt the ones he loved”.

21:41 , Oliver O'Connell

Waters says there are no eye witnesses as they are dead.

No one can speak for Maggie and Paul.

But common sense and human nature can speak on behalf of them.

“They deserve a voice.”

21:39 , Oliver O'Connell

Waters comes full circle to the motives for Murdaugh’s descent into becoming a family annihilator.

“No one knew who he was. No one knew who this man was. He avoided accountability his whole life. He relied on his family name. He carried a badge and authority. He lived a wealthy life.”

He knew he was about to be exposed for all of his lies and schemes.

“His ego couldn’t stand that, and he became a family annihilator.”

21:37 , Oliver O'Connell

Waters moves on to incredulously describe the circumstances the jury would have to accept to believe Murdaugh’s version of events.

This involved 5’2” boat crash vigilantes arriving between 8.49pm and 9.02pm to ambush Maggie and Paul with family weapons they found on the property while locking up the dogs and rolling up the hose at the dog kennels.

“That’s if you believe every bit of AM’s new story, which was sprinkled in with lies as well.”

21:35 , Oliver O'Connell

Waters lists more of Murdaugh’s lies and rhetorically asks the jury why people lie — because they know they did something wrong.

He notes that Murdaugh also accused others of lying when he was caught out.

Waters hammers home that Murdaugh is a liar.

21:27 , Oliver O'Connell

Waters reminds the jury of some of the strange things that Murdaugh said.

That he “got outta there” when describing leaving the kennels that night.

“He didn’t say, ‘if only I had been there. If only I had gone to the kennels. If only I could have stopped it. If only I could have been there a little longer.’ He says, ‘I got out of there.’”

Court resumes after break

21:21 , Oliver O'Connell

The jury is brought back in after the 15-minute recess.

As the prosecution’s closing argument creeps toward three hours in length, reports from the courtroom suggest that some of the jurors are now struggling to stay attentive to Waters’ arguments.

Water promises Judge Newman he will be done in approximately 30 minutes.

It looks like the defence closing argument will now take place tomorrow.

21:01 , Oliver O'Connell

Waters says the difference between Dr Kinsey and the defence’s experts is: “Dr Kinsey isn’t going to get out over his skis and try to make assertions to you … that simply cannot be supported by the evidence.”

Waters is working his way through the defence theories regarding two shooters of a specific height, standing upright with low-slung weapons.

Before moving on to the gun shot residue, Judge Newman calls a 15-minute break.

Watch LIVE: Alex Murdaugh trial closing arguments

20:57 , Oliver O'Connell

20:52 , Oliver O'Connell

Waters now turns to the crime scene, which the jury visited earlier today, and the testimony of Dr Riemer that Paul’s face was intact and the biological material was concentrated at the top of the feed room door.

He begins to recount the autopsy evidence showing how Paul was attacked.

Waters pairs Dr Riemer’s testimony with that of Dr Kinsey whose examination of the scene and study of the autopsy notes reached largely the same conclusions.

Paul, Water says, could only have been shot the way in which the two doctors describe. He calls the defence theory a “red herring”.

20:43 , Oliver O'Connell

Waters plays more clips of Murdaugh in interviews as examples of him lying that he has now admitted to under oath during his defence testimony.

20:39 , Oliver O'Connell

Waters shows footage of the first interviews with Murdaugh under a slide that reads: “Consciousness of guilt.”

“Look how easily he did it,” says Waters as Murdaugh lies to investigators.

Murdaugh had claimed he was paranoid and distrustful of SLED.

Waters asks the jury about the footage he is showing: “Is that an aggressive interview? Is that something that would make somebody paranoid?”

20:35 , Oliver O'Connell

Waters returns to the line of questioning he had with Murdaugh during cross-examination when he explained when and why he decided to lie to investigators on the night of the murders.

The why was so important as it was so crucial in establishing that he was lying about not just his whereabouts on the night, but he was also lying about the new story and when and why he did so.

20:31 , Oliver O'Connell

Waters suggests that Murdaugh sometimes lets things slip in what he says.

“Whoever did this, thought about it for a really long time,” Waters reminds the jury Murdaugh told Maggie’s sister, Marian Procter.

“Why would he say that?” he asks.

20:28 , Oliver O'Connell

Waters says the jury must also ask why after calling his brothers he then repeatedly tried to call Rogan Gibson, even before calling his elder son Buster.

Murdaugh posits that this may have been because he was “worried about what Rogan may have known, may have heard”.

20:25 , Oliver O'Connell

Back at Moselle, Waters questions the 19 second gap between Murdaugh’s arrival at the kennels and the 911 call.

“19 seconds. Is that enough time for a surprised human being to come across that scene, process what they were seeing, get out of the car get over there, check both those bodies, and call 911?” says Waters.

“The reason why it was so quick is because he knew exactly what scene he was going to find.”

20:20 , Oliver O'Connell

“He’s manufacturing an alibi. He’s smart. He’s a good lawyer. His family has a history of prosecution. He understands these issues.” That’s why this case played out this way. “He knows what to do to try to prevent evidence from being gathered.”

Waters has repeated the phrase “he’s manufacturing an alibi” multiple times during this segment of the closing argument.

20:18 , Oliver O'Connell

Waters compares the testimony of caretaker Shelly Smith and housekeeper Blanca as to their conversations with Murdaugh after the murders as he continues to manufacture his alibi.

Waters also notes it is odd how Murdaugh cannot recall the last conversation with his wife and child or what he did between 9.02pm and 9.06pm but goes into detail about other incidents, including how he dropped his phone between the seats of his car. Why?

“Those are questions he doesn’t want to answer. But would a reasonable person remember those things?”

20:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Just a few moments later Maggie’s phone was thrown from the car as Murdaugh drove the road to Almeda, Waters says.

The phone did not light up or recognise an orientation change because that’s how iPhones work, says Creighton, acknowledging the extensive testimony the jury has heard about the technology surrounding the devices.

All along the way to Almeda, he makes calls and drives at speed (as he also does on the way back).

“What’s he in a hurry about?” Waters asked. “Why’s he in a hurry? Because he knows he has to compress that timeline.”

He is at Almeda for only a short period of time (21 minutes).

20:08 , Oliver O'Connell

After the murders — which occurred sometime between 8.49pm and 8.53pm — Waters says that Murdaugh stripped off, washed himself down with the hose, and then headed back to the house on the golf cart.

At 9.02pm, Murdaugh’s phone is suddenly moved for the first time in an hour, and between then and 9.06pm “he is as busy as he’s ever been”, moving more than 250 steps or approximately 200m.

During this period he is also making calls to Maggie and others and her phone registers an orientation change. Waters posits that this was Murdaugh manufacturing his alibi and checking the call was coming through.

Waters also asks why, if he was so concerned with contacting Maggie in those four minutes, did he not drive down the driveway next to the kennels on his way out to Almeda to say he was going to his parents’ house?

20:01 , Oliver O'Connell

Waters takes the jury through the harrowing details of Paul and Maggie’s murders. His volume increases as he proceeds through the prosecution’s version of events.

He says the neither Paul nor Maggie has defensive wounds as there was no indication that there was a threat.

“Why? Because it’s him,” says Waters referring to Murdaugh.

Explaining how Paul was shot in the chest once and then in the shoulder and head the second time “blowing his brains out”, Waters then says that Maggie ran toward “her baby” only for to be gunned down by her husband, shot five times, including a kill shot to the head.

19:54 , Oliver O'Connell

Waters says that when confronted with the video was the moment when Murdaugh had to come up with a new story that he told them from the witness stand.

He had otherwise told the story about not being at the kennels for the entire period after the murders.

“Why would he lie about that, ladies and gentlemen? Why would he even think to lie about that if he was an innocent man?”

Of the new story, he says: “It doesn’t make sense, ladies and gentlemen. It’s a new story to fit facts he can no longer deny.”

19:51 , Oliver O'Connell

Waters hammers home that the video on Paul’s phone that proved Murdaugh was at the kennels that night changed everything.

The defendant did not know the video was shot. Only Paul’s friend Rogan Gibson had placed him at the crime scene that night after hearing him in the background of their call. He was expecting to be sent the video of Cash the puppy’s tail. Phone activity ceases in the middle of their text conversation.

When Paul’s phone was unlocked long after the murders, the video showed the defendant was at the scene of the crime with the victims, minutes before they were shot.

19:42 , Oliver O'Connell

Waters says it’s normal for people to misremember times of when they did things but Murdaugh’s inconsistencies went beyond that.

“He almost never was right,” says Waters.

19:41 , Oliver O'Connell

Having covered motive (finance/opioids) and means (the guns), Waters moves on to opportunity, noting the extensive cell phone and GPS data presented to the jury.

Here’s the full timeline of that night as collated by Agent Rudofski:

Minute-by-minute timeline maps out the night Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were murdered

19:39 , Oliver O'Connell

Moving on to the shotgun that killed Paul, Waters explains that the defendant’s favourite shotgun was a Benelli Super Black Eagle 12-gauge shotgun.

It has never been found.

He says again: “Family weapons killed these victims.”

And adds: “The defendant had the means to commit these crimes.”

19:34 , Oliver O'Connell

Waters begins by reminding the jury that forensic evidence shows that the murders were committed with family-owned weapons.

He begins with the three Blackout rifles that the defendant purchased and how only one is accounted for now.

Waters notes that Murdaugh’s testimony has been uneven about the Blackout rifle — about whether he and Paul had it with them when riding the property and when one of the original pair went missing.

Forensic evidence shows that Paul’s friend Will Loving had shot the replacement Blackout from the steps of the gunroom in the months before the murders.

SLED found Blackout casings by the house that matched the casings found by Maggie’s body.

“A family Blackout killed Maggie. It was present just a couple of months prior to the murders, and it’s gone now. A family weapon the defendant cannot account for killed Maggie.”

Court resumes after lunch

19:27 , Oliver O'Connell

Court is back in session after the lunch break.

Judge Clifton Newman presiding.

Lead prosecutor Creighton Waters will resume his closing argument for the state.

The jury is brought back in.

Prosecution: Murdaugh’s ‘gathering storm’ of crimes turned him into a ‘family annihilator’

19:17 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Murdaugh’s “gathering storm” of financial crimes, opioid addiction and years of “living a lie” culminated in the moment that he murdered his wife Maggie and son Paul, according to the prosecution’s dramatic closing statement.

Rachel Sharp reports on what attorney Creighton Waters has said so far.

Alex Murdaugh prosecutor says storm of crimes made him a killer in closing argument

Inside Alex Murdaugh’s $4m Moselle estate

19:05 , Oliver O'Connell

It’s a case that has captured the nation’s attention over the past 21 months as South Carolina legal dynasty heir Alex Murdaugh stands trial for the brutal double murders of his wife and son.

Now, jurors are going back to the place where it all began.

On Wednesday, the jury is being taken to the family’s sprawling 1,700-acre Moselle estate in Islandton, South Carolina, to see for themselves the crime scene where Maggie and Paul were killed back on 7 June 2021.

Rachel Sharp reports.

Three bodies, 1,700 acres and a whole lot of hogs: Alex Murdaugh’s $4m Moselle estate

A minute-by-minute timeline of the night Maggie and Paul were murdered

18:45 , Oliver O'Connell

When the prosecution initially wrapped up its case some 20 days into the trial of Alex Murdaugh for the alleged double-murder of his wife Maggie and his son Paul, the jury was confronted with a myriad of data trying to establish the events of the night of 7 June 2021.

Thankfully, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Agent Peter Rudofski took to the stand and presented a 43-page report compiling GPS points, phone calls, text messages, and orientation data, detailing the movements of Alex, Maggie, and Paul on that terrible night.

Minute-by-minute timeline maps out the night Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were murdered

Is Alex Murdaugh guilty of murder? Here are the arguments

18:25 , Oliver O'Connell

Rachel Sharp looks at the opposing arguments after six weeks of testimony.

Alex Murdaugh: What the defence and prosecution argued over six weeks of trial

18:09 , Oliver O'Connell

Judge Newman calls a one hour and fifteen-minute lunch break.

Closing arguments will continue at 2.20pm.

18:08 , Oliver O'Connell

Waters notes that in his police interviews Murdaugh does not appear to be suffering from any drug-induced paranoia and is so focussed he can describe his imagined assailant to a forensic composite artist after the Labor Day Weekend shooting incident.

Waters brings up the May 2021 confrontation by “little detective” Paul and Maggie about his drug use.

“They were watching him like a hawk.”

Opiates have powerful withdrawals and Murdaugh testified that he would do “almost anything” to stop the withdrawals.

18:01 , Oliver O'Connell

Moving on to Murdaugh opioid addiction, Waters says that he claimed he was addicted for 20 years, that they made him paranoid, made him agitated, but gave him energy.

Murdaugh also said the withdrawals will make you do anything to get rid of them.

Waters asks if 1,000mg of opiates a day was survivable or whether you could continue a normal life. He asks the jury to consider whether that makes any common sense given everything we know about Murdaugh.

17:54 , Oliver O'Connell

The murders, Waters says, allowed him time to try to cover up the theft of the $792k in legal fees from PMPED.

Waters underlines it was the first thing he did, adding, it was “the main thing he did.”

“He has proven over and over again that he will do anything to keep that hamster wheel going and avoid accountability. He has been doing it for ten years.”

17:51 , Oliver O'Connell

“The pressures on this man were unbearable and they were all reaching a crescendo, on the day his wife and son were murdered by him. All on that one day.”

17:50 , Oliver O'Connell

Had the boat crash case hearing gone ahead on 10 June 2021 — three days after the murders — Waters says that all of his finances would have potentially been laid bare.

“He would lose his career, he would lose his livelihood, he would face investigations and consequences like he’s been able to avoid his entire life.”

“All these factors are converging,” Water says, “on one week, on one day.”

17:47 , Oliver O'Connell

Waters notes that when he was confronted with the names and details of each of his financial crime victims he had rehearsed his answer.

He likens Murdaugh’s crimes to a Ponzi scheme or a pyramid scheme — if there is new money coming in from investors, the scheme can keep going. If that stops, it “crashes and burns”.

17:42 , Oliver O'Connell

Waters says Murdaugh was about to lose his family legacy, his prominence in the community, his reputation as a wealthy and successful lawyer, and his role as a part-time prosecutor.

He was going to “face consequences like he’s never seen”.

Murdaugh was on a “constant hamster wheel” of debt and theft for over a decade.

“The stress and the pressure of that would have been extreme because it has been going on so long, always staying one step ahead.”

17:36 , Oliver O'Connell

“Y’all are the judge of the facts,” Waters tells the jury, adding that it is their job to determine each witness’ credibility.

“Is what somebody is telling you believable?”

He goes on to define reasonable doubt and the differences between direct and circumstantial evidence with an analogy about a rainstorm. Even if you have doubts about certain facts, Waters tells the jury, you can still be firmly convinced of the defendant’s guilt.

Waters defines murder, malice, and intent noting that drugs and voluntarily intoxication are not a defence against a murder charge.

17:32 , Oliver O'Connell

Waters goes on to explain that nevertheless, the unravelling of Murdaugh’s financial schemes went on at the law firm.

Murdaugh was fired and then confronted by his friend Chris Wilson. Just two hours later, he was shot by the side of the road and was a victim once again.

“When accountability was at his door, Alex was a victim again.”

The creation of an extremely detailed story pushed away any suspicions. Waters says the impending accountability disappeared again as it had just three months before.

However, this time his story fell apart quicker because his brother found out he was trying to buy drugs.

Waters says that this is the story of a middle-aged man from a prominent family with a reputation but “he was living a lie”.

He calls Murdaugh a “family annihilator”.

17:28 , Oliver O'Connell

By the spring of 2021, all these pressures were mounting and he was also under threat of being exposed at work. On the same day that he was confronted by PMPED CFO Jeanne Seckinger his father became gravely ill and the person he could always ask for money was likely to die.

“On June 7, when all those pressures were mounting, the defendant killed Maggie and Paul,” says Waters.

“The timeline puts him there. The forensic timeline puts him there.”

Water says he will return to the details of the murders but first wants to explain the aftermath and why that demonstrates the motive.

After the murders, “It’s a different world” and nobody asks about the missing fees anymore. The imminent boat crash hearing is canceled.

“Everyone immediately rallies around Alex Murdaugh.”

He is once again able to borrow money from Palmetto State Bank and got Chris Wilson to help him cover the missing fees and return the money to PMPED.

17:22 , Oliver O'Connell

Waters says Paul and Maggie Murdaugh were “brutally and maliciously murdered at the kennels by the defendant, Alex Murdaugh”.

“After an exhaustive investigation, there is only one person who had the motive, who had the means, who had the opportunity to commit these crimes, and also whose guilty conduct after these crimes betrays him.”

He moves on to note Murdaugh’s prominence in the community and his image of wealth despite mounting money problems even though he was paid well.

Waters says that Murdaugh began to “fast-talk” his law firm staff and personal injury clients and stole money via Palmetto State Bank.

“The client was also getting a big check, and they were walking out of there thinking everything had been fine. It was not fine.”

Waters contends the stealing got worse after the boat crash when he stole money from the Satterfield family.

The boat crash set off the criminal and civil cases that would threaten to expose his schemes.

17:14 , Oliver O'Connell

The jury has been brought back into the courtroom after their visit to the Moselle property

Judge Newman welcomes them back to court.

“You have heard all of the testimony, received all of the evidence, and visited the scene of the alleged crimes,” he says before introducing lead prosecutor Creighton Waters to give the state’s closing argument.

Watch LIVE: Alex Murdaugh trial closing arguments

17:10 , Oliver O'Connell

Court is back in session

17:06 , Oliver O'Connell

Court is back in session with Judge Clifton Newman presiding.

Attorneys for both the prosecution and defence are at the bench having a discussion with him as a packed courtroom looks on.

Alex Murdaugh is seated with the remainder of the defence team. South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson is seated with the prosecution team.

There is no sound available yet on the live feed from the courtroom.

Pool report: Media visit to Moselle

17:02 , Oliver O'Connell

Valerie Bauerlein, national reporter for The Wall Street Journal, sent a pool report of the media visit to the Moselle property, after the departure of the jurors.

It makes for eerie reading given all the testimony we have heard over the past five and half weeks.

At 10:31 am, Attorney General Alan Wilson left the property in an SUV driven by CCSO Sgt. Daniel Greene. At 10:32 am, a convoy of a dozen vehicles processed out of the driveway. The vans carrying the jury were in the middle of the group of vans and SUVs. The vehicles turned left out of the driveway, instead of turning right the way we came. It is not clear whether they were headed to a second location or back to the courthouse by a different route.

Pool was taken to the kennel at 10:34 a.m. John Marvin Murdaugh, personal representative of Maggie’s estate, had requested that the media not be granted access to the scene, or only abbreviated access, so the visit was fairly truncated.

We had roughly 14 minutes to view the kennels and shed. It is a heavy place to visit. The property has stood vacant for 20 months and the grass is high. Some items seem to be left where they fell, including a deflated football behind the kennels and a tube of sanitizing wipes in the shed. There is a yellow hose wrapped haphazardly in the spot described by Roger Dale Davis, the caretaker for the dogs. There are no animals in the kennels. There was no ATV visible and no significant remaining farming equipment.

The feed room feels like a haunted place. It is roughly 10’ deep and 6’ wide, according to measurements taken by Special Agent Melinda Worley. Crime scene expert Kenneth Kinsey described Paul as standing about 5’ into the feed room when he was hit by the first shotgun blast to the chest. The doorway is off center and on the right; there is a shelf on the left at waist high. Standing in the center of the small room, which is roughly 6’ wide, your pooler could not see to the left outside of the doorway where Mr. Kinsey said the shooter would have been.

The concrete pad where Paul fell is within sight of the corner of the shed, where Maggie’s body was found. Maggie fell roughly 12 steps from where Paul would have fallen (12 steps for me at 5’7” and also 12 steps for Steven Gresham at 6’1”). There was no visible sign that two people had died in a violent manner in such close proximity, no blood stain or anything similar to it, either in the feed room, on the concrete pad or at the corner of the shed.

The interior of the feed room appeared to be redone with newer plywood and parts had been painted. The back window remains and the bullet holes are large and cracked around the edges.

There was significant testimony about the bullet hole in the quail house. The hole is still visible and is in cardboard that appeared to be stapled to the side of the structure.

Murdaugh arrives at court

16:44 , Oliver O'Connell

What we know about the jury deliberations

16:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Citing Court TV, Avery Wilks of The Post and Courier reports that there has been no announcement about whether the jury will be sequestered during their deliberations.

They will also deliberate through the weekend if necessary, though plenty of notice will be given when a verdict is reached so that court staff and attorneys can return to Colleton County Courthouse ahead of any verdict.

Any questions and requests from the jury will be on the record. All the appropriate technology will be available for jurors to view all the evidence from the prosecution and defence cases.

Wilks notes that he has been told that Judge Clifton Newman is known for holding juries and will keep them deliberating for a long time if they struggle to reach a verdict.

A hung jury declaration will not come quickly.

Griffin to deliver defence closing arguments

16:18 , Oliver O'Connell

Attorney Jim Griffin will give the closing argument for the Alex Murdaugh defence team.

His colleagues Dick Harpootlian and Margaret Fox went to Moselle this morning as the jury visited.

Moselle: Three bodies, 1,700 acres and a whole lot of hogs

16:16 , Oliver O'Connell

Rachel Sharp reports on the property at the centre of this trial.

Three bodies, 1,700 acres and a whole lot of hogs: Alex Murdaugh’s $4m Moselle estate

When might there be a verdict?

15:57 , Oliver O'Connell

After five and half weeks of testimony, the jury in the double-murder trial of Alex Murdaugh is expected to begin deliberations, possibly as soon as Wednesday afternoon.

When will there be a verdict in the Alex Murdaugh murder trial?

Notes from the jury’s Moselle visit

15:46 , Oliver O'Connell

A pool report was sent out by The Wall Street Journal’s Valerie Bauerlein who was chosen to visit Moselle after the jurors.

Note via Law & Crime’s Cathy Russon:

At 9:41 a.m., we turned into the kennel entrance. There were at least 6 vehicles on the far side of Moselle Rd with journalists taking pics & video. The road is not blocked in the manner we had been told to expect though there are deputies guarding the entrance.

Media van pulled briefly up the short drive to the kennels and did a quick circle around the kennel area and shed before coming back to wait at the foot of the driveway on Moselle Road. The jury preceded us by several minutes.

We had a few seconds to view them as they walked the narrow path between the kennels and the shed. One juror was standing in the feed room door, glancing up at the doorway that has been the subject of so much wrenching testimony.

Whatever happened to the Gucci purchase on the credit card statement?

15:28 , Oliver O'Connell

Trial watchers may recall the prosecution bringing up a credit card statement with a transaction at the Gucci store in Charleston circled on it. The statement was found in the trash by SLED agents when they searched the property.

It is not clear why it was mentioned during the prosecution’s case and then never brought up again.

The Post and Courier’s Avery Wilks reports that the transaction was for a belt, but there is no clue as to why it was important enough to be included in the state’s case.

Will anything come to light in closing arguments?

Jurors arrive at Moselle

14:48 , Oliver O'Connell

The jury has arrived at Moselle to see the scene where the murders of Paul and Maggie took place. They arrived in two vans with tinted windows and were escorted by law enforcement.

Long line outside courthouse for closing arguments

14:35 , Oliver O'Connell

Even with the jury out visiting Moselle and no court until 11am at the earliest, the line to get into the courthouse is long as people clamour to watch closing arguments ahead of deliberations.

Alex Murdaugh jury to visit Moselle estate where wife and son were murdered as trial draws to close

14:10 , Rachel Sharp

The jury in Alex Murdaugh’s high-profile murder trial will visit the scene where his wife Maggie and son Paul were brutally murdered, before they decide the disgraced legal scion’s fate.

The panel – of 12 jurors and two remaining alternates – will be taken to the family’s sprawling 1,700-acre Moselle estate on Wednesday morning to see for themselves the dog kennels and feed room where Mr Murdaugh allegedly gunned down his loved ones 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 yards from her son, as she backed into an ATV parked under a hangar.

Read the full story here:

Alex Murdaugh jury to visit Moselle estate where wife and son were murdered

Day 27: What to expect today in Murdaugh’s trial

14:00 , Rachel Sharp

Today, the jury in Alex Murdaugh’s high-profile murder trial will be escorted to the Murdaugh family’s sprawling 1,700-acre Moselle estate to see the scene of the murders.

As part of the visit, jurors will tour the dog kennels and the feed room where Maggie and Paul were shot dead.

The visit will be carried out under tight security with no media allowed when jurors are present.

It will take place at the start of the day with Judge Clifton Newman saying that he expects court to resume at around 11am.

Then, the defence and prosecution will argue charges for how the jury will deliberate.

After that, the jury will be brought back in and closing arguments will take place.

The judge said that deliberations could begin by the end of the day.

RECAP Day 26: Alex Murdaugh prosecutors rest case

13:45 , Rachel Sharp

The prosecution has rested its case in Alex Murdaugh’s double murder trial, after calling multiple rebuttal witnesses to the stand to dispute the defence’s expert witnesses and show jurors that the disgraced attorney continued to lie on the witness stand.

The forensic pathologist who carried out the autopsies on Alex Murdaugh’s wife Maggie and son Paul returned to the witness stand in Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Tuesday where she pushed back against testimony from two defence witnesses who argued that Paul had been shot in the head at point blank range.

Dr Ellen Riemer stood by her conclusions about the victims’ brutal wounds – and told jurors that testimony from two expert witnesses for the defence was “wrong”.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:

Alex Murdaugh prosecutors wrap up case as pathologist stands by account of murders

RECAP Day 26: SC AG Alan Wilson points rifle at witness to prove defence theory wrong

13:30 , Rachel Sharp

South Carolina’s top prosecutor pointed a shotgun at a witness’s head during Alex Murdaugh’s double murder trial in a dramatic attempt to disprove the defence’s “unscientific” theories about the murders of Maggie and Paul.

Dr Kenny Kinsey, an Orangeburg County sheriff’s deputy and crime scene expert, returned to the witness stand at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Tuesday afternoon as the prosecution wrapped up its case against the disgraced attorney.

In a graphic demonstration in the courtroom, Dr Kinsey and South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson acted out the defence’s version of how Paul was murdered – with the killer shooting him in the back of the head at point-blank range.

Dr Kinsey rubbished what he described as a “preposterous” and “unscientific” theory from the defence as he went into gruesome detail about the extent of injuries he has seen on victims who have suffered a contact wound to the head with a shotgun.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp writes:

Alex Murdaugh prosecutor acts out shooting to prove defence is wrong about murders

RECAP Day 26: Defence attorney shouts at state witness Ronnie Crosby

13:15 , Rachel Sharp

Tensions erupted during Alex Murdaugh’s double murder trial on Tuesday morning when his defence attorney began shouting at his former friend of 25 years in the courtroom.

The disgraced legal dynasty heir’s attorney Dick Harpootlian lost his temper and grew increasingly fiery during his cross-examination of the state’s first rebuttal witness Ronnie Crosby.

Mr Crosby, Mr Murdaugh’s friend of 25 years and his law firm partner at PMPED, testified earlier in the trial about how the defendant lied to him about his alibi on the night that his wife Maggie and son Paul were murdered.

He had also testified about learning that his close friend and colleague had stolen millions of dollars from their law firm and its clients – and how the probe into the missing money was put on hold because of the murders.

During a heated cross-examination when Mr Crosby returned to the witness stand on Tuesday, Mr Harpootlian grilled him about how much of his personal money he has had to pay out to the victims of Mr Murdaugh’s fraud schemes.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:

Moment Alex Murdaugh defence attorney shouts at his friend of 25 years

When will be get a verdict?

13:00 , Rachel Sharp

The jury could begin deliberations to decide whether to find Alex Murdaugh guilty or not guilty of his wife and son’s murders by the end of Wednesday.

Day 27 will begin with the jury touring the Murdaugh family’s sprawling 1,700-acre Moselle estate to see the scene of the murders.

Then court will resume at around 11am with the defence and prosecution arguing charges for how the jury will deliberate.

Once the instructions are set by the court, the jury will hear closing arguments before beginning deliberations.

This means that the jury could be deliberating in the case by the end of the day – and that a verdict could be reached soon.

Jury to visit scene of murders today

12:45 , Rachel Sharp

Today, the jury in Alex Murdaugh’s high-profile murder trial will visit the scene where his wife Maggie and son Paul were brutally gunned down in the summer of 2021.

Judge Clifton Newman agreed on Monday to the defence’s request to send the panel on a jury visit to the Murdaugh family’s sprawling 1,700-acre 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.

The visit will be carried out under tight security with Judge Newman telling jurors that no questions can be asked and no talking will be allowed on the trip.

He also advised them that some things have changed on the property in the aftermath of the murders.

The media has been banned from accompanying the jurors on the visit, though a media pool will be allowed to visit the site once the jury has left.

VOICES: We knew the Alex Murdaugh case was complicated - but this is deeper than anyone could have expected

12:30 , Rachel Sharp

“When Paul and Maggie Murdaugh were gunned down at their family’s hunting estate in the summer of 2021, few people outside of their South Carolina community had heard their names before. Nationally, it was a shocking double murder of a mother and adult son who hailed from a wealthy family. But beyond that, the Murdaugh name held no significance.

“In fact, the name itself sparked much discussion as true crime enthusiasts, curious members of the public and journalists new to the family’s cases — myself included — toyed with the pronunciation. Is it Mur-doe? Or Mur-daw? I think it could be Mur-dock? Is the father and husband Alec or Alex? (It’s pronounced Alec Murdock for anyone still unsure.)

“But, as I began digging into the case in the days after the murders, it quickly became clear how much weight the name held in the local community.”

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp writes:

The Murdaugh case was complicated - but this is deeper than anyone expected | Voices

The story of Alex Murdaugh’s spectacular fall from grace

12:15 , Oliver O'Connell

On the surface, Alex Murdaugh had it all.

He was a high-powered attorney who ran both his own law firm and worked in the local prosecutor’s office.

He was the son of a powerful legal dynasty that dominated the local South Carolina community for almost a century.

And he was a family man who lived with his wife and two adult sons on their sprawling country estate.

But over the last 20 months, Mr Murdaugh has experienced a spectacular fall from grace, culminating in what has been described as the “trial of the century” now taking place in a courtroom in Walterboro, South Carolina.

The story of Alex Murdaugh’s spectacular fall from grace

ICYMI: Murdaugh’s younger brother breaks down telling jurors how he ‘cleaned up’ crime scene

11:30 , Oliver O'Connell

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.

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

ICYMI: Murdaugh rocks and sobs as defence experts say son was shot in back of head

10:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Murdaugh sobbed and rocked back and forth as two defence experts gave gruesome testimony 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, where they both cast doubts on the prosecution’s theory of how the murders unfolded.

Rachel Sharp has the details of the defence team’s theory on the murders.

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

How Alex Murdaugh’s defence team rested their case

09:30 , Oliver O'Connell

On Monday the defence rested its case in Alex Murdaugh’s high-profile trial for the double murder of his wife Maggie and son Paul, after hearing emotional testimony from the accused killer’s younger brother.

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

Rachel Sharp reports.

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

Watch: Murdaugh’s brother describes ‘cleaning up’ nephew’s murder scene

08:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Murdaugh’s brother tearfully describes ‘cleaning up’ nephew’s murder scene

Timeline of murders, financial fraud, unexplained deaths and arrest

06:30 , Oliver O'Connell

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

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

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

In the 20 months since the brutal double murders propelled the Murdaughs onto national headlines, a series of other scandals, allegations and alleged crimes have also come to light.

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

Alex Murdaugh: A timeline of murders, financial fraud, crime scene and arrest

Key revelations from the Murdaugh murder trial as prosecution rests case

04:30 , Oliver O'Connell

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

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.

Now, in its sixth week, the defence is now wrapping up its case with the jury on track to begin deliberations later this week.

Here are the key revelations from the trial so far:

Key revelations and updates from the Alex Murdaugh murder trial

Voices: We knew the Alex Murdaugh case was complicated - but no one expected this

03:30 , Oliver O'Connell

The Murdaugh case was complicated - but this is deeper than anyone expected | Voices

Murdaugh defence attorney shouts at his friend of 25 years during rebuttal case

02:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Tensions erupted during Alex Murdaugh’s double murder trial on Tuesday morning when his defence attorney began shouting at his former friend of 25 years in the courtroom.

The disgraced legal dynasty heir’s attorney Dick Harpootlian lost his temper and grew increasingly fiery during his cross-examination of the state’s first rebuttal witness Ronnie Crosby.

Rachel Sharp has the story.

Moment Alex Murdaugh defence attorney shouts at his friend of 25 years

Why do juries visit crime scenes like the Murdaugh estate?

01:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Jurors in Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial will get to see for themselves the rural hunting estate where his wife and son were killed, following in the footsteps of other juries that have viewed crime scenes in cases that captured the nation’s attention.

Crime scene visits by juries are relatively rare but have occurred in a number of other high-profile prosecutions, including the 1995 murder trial of OJ Simpson and last year’s trial of Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz.

Read on:

Why do juries view crime scenes like the Murdaugh estate?

Murdaugh prosecutors rest case after pathologist stands by brutal account of murders

00:30 , Oliver O'Connell

The prosecution has rested its case in Alex Murdaugh’s double murder trial, after calling multiple rebuttal witnesses to the stand to dispute the defence’s expert witnesses and show jurors that the disgraced attorney continued to lie on the witness stand.

The forensic pathologist who carried out the autopsies on Alex Murdaugh’s wife Maggie and son Paul returned to the witness stand in Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Tuesday where she pushed back against testimony from two defence witnesses who argued that Paul had been shot in the head at point blank range.

Dr Ellen Riemer stood by her conclusions about the victims’ brutal wounds – and told jurors that testimony from two expert witnesses for the defence was “wrong”.

Here what said in court today:

Alex Murdaugh prosecutors rest case as pathologist stands by account of murders

Murdaugh’s prosecutor holds rifle over witness’s head to prove defence is wrong

Tuesday 28 February 2023 23:30 , Oliver O'Connell

South Carolina’s top prosecutor pointed a shotgun at a witness’s head during Alex Murdaugh’s double murder trial in a dramatic attempt to disprove the defence’s “unscientific” theories about the murders of Maggie and Paul.

Dr Kenny Kinsey, an Orangeburg County sheriff’s deputy and crime scene expert, returned to the witness stand in Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Tuesday afternoon as the prosecution wrapped up its case in the disgraced attorney’s double murder trial.

Rachel Sharp reports.

Alex Murdaugh prosecutor acts out shooting to prove defence is wrong about murders

Tuesday 28 February 2023 22:28 , Oliver O'Connell

Judge Newman says that the jury will hear closing arguments tomorrow.

Jury deliberations might start as early as tomorrow, though that might possibly be delayed until Thursday morning, depending on the length of closing arguments.

Tuesday 28 February 2023 22:22 , Oliver O'Connell

The jury is brought back in and Judge Newman tells them that when they return in the morning they will be taken to visit the crime scene at Moselle.

He reminds them they cannot discuss the case when they visit nor ask any questions of anyone except him.

“It has been a year and a half or more since June 7, 2021, since the alleged crime occurred. Things have most likely changed. We’re in a different season of the year.”

Once the visit to Moselle is complete they will hear closing arguments and then Judge Newman will instruct them as to the law they should apply to the case.

They will then begin their deliberations.

The jury is dismissed for the day.

Tuesday 28 February 2023 21:52 , Oliver O'Connell

There will be no sur-rebuttal from the defence.

Both sides are now conferring with Judge Newman outside of the court room. The jury has been sent out on a break. It appears it is too late in the day for the visit to Moselle which will likely happen tomorrow morning.

Tuesday 28 February 2023 21:51 , Oliver O'Connell

AG Wilson says of the scene: “The shooter is running around, and so is the victim. It’s chaotic. It’s crazy.”

Dr Kinsey says: “There’s no way to know how the gun is being held, it’s shouldered, it’s angle.”

Wilson says that we can’t be sure of how exactly the shootings took place.

Dr Kinsey agrees and his testimony concludes.

The state rests its rebuttal case.

Tuesday 28 February 2023 21:48 , Oliver O'Connell

As cross-examination concludes, Griffin and Harpootlian demonstrate a version of the murder of Paul in which the shooter did not have to stand inside the feed room to fire into the back of his head.

Redirect begins with AG Wilson asking which pathologist opinion did he liked better, Dr Riemer who performed the autopsies, or the defence expert who did not.

Dr Kinsey says he doesn’t want to argue with a pathologist as it is not his area of expertise. He generally agrees with Dr Riemer but does disagree slightly with her evaluation of the distance of the second shot that killed Paul.

Tuesday 28 February 2023 21:33 , Oliver O'Connell

Griffin and Dr Kinsey spar over testimony regarding the shooting of Paul and the trajectory of the second shot.

Dr Kinsey appears at times incredulous at some of the questions he is being asked as to him the upward trajectory of the shot is a certainty.

Griffin is trying his hardest to pick holes in the positioning of blood spatter and shot pellets. Dr Kinsey calmly reiterates why Griffin’s theories do not add up.

Court resumes

Tuesday 28 February 2023 21:16 , Oliver O'Connell

Griffin continues his cross-examination of Dr Kinsey.

We learn that he is being compensated in the region of $7,500 to $10,000 for his work and testimony.

Tuesday 28 February 2023 20:49 , Oliver O'Connell

In cross-examination, Griffin tries to reassert some of the defence theories regarding angles and trajectories of the shots fired at Maggie.

Dr Kinsey stands by his testimony and Mr Sutton’s conclusions regarding the shootings.

He says he doesn’t disagree with what Mr Sutton tried to do. He does disagree with the degree of certainty with which he claimed the shooter couldn’t have been 6’4”.

The court takes a 15-minute break.

Tuesday 28 February 2023 20:33 , Oliver O'Connell

After referring back to John Marvin Murdaugh’s testimony that he cleaned up the crime scene, Dr Kinsey explains there are specialist companies to clean up crime scenes so the family does not have to. It is not a failure on the part of law enforcement.

In closing, Dr Kinsey says that I see “nothing that could exclude a 6’4” shooter”.

He is asked if in his expert opinion, he can exclude two shooters.

“I cannot include or exclude two shooters.”

Asked if the defence can definitively say there were two shooters, Dr Kinsey replies: “Absolutely not.”

Tuesday 28 February 2023 20:23 , Oliver O'Connell

He adds that it is impossible for pellets to be found in the door and frame if the shot was fired from behind Paul.

He says in the totality of the scene, it doesn’t make sense for someone to fire the first shot from outside the feed room and then to squeeze behind Paul to fire the second.

Tuesday 28 February 2023 20:20 , Oliver O'Connell

Dr Kinsey and AG Wilson act out the defence’s theory that Paul was shot in the back of the head.

The witness describes the theory as “preposterous” and that there is no evidence showing biological evidence consistent with such a shot. That evidence is on the door behind where the alleged shooter would be in the defence’s theory.

Tuesday 28 February 2023 20:14 , Oliver O'Connell

Dr Kinsey is asked about what happens to a person if they get shot at point-blank range. Again the jury hears about the horrifying impact of such a shot to a person.

He is asked if the wounds Paul suffered are consistent with a contact shot to the head. Dr Kinsey says they are not.

Tuesday 28 February 2023 20:08 , Oliver O'Connell

Moving on to the shotgun used to kill Paul and how buckshot from the first shot fired at him in the feed room went through the glass window and embedded into the tree outside, he explains that again there are too many variables that are unknown.

Again he arrives at the conclusion that there is no evidence to exclude a 6’4” person from being the shooter and that they could have been on their knees.

“There is so much we can’t know.”

Tuesday 28 February 2023 20:05 , Oliver O'Connell

Referring to the defence expert’s recreation of the crime scene, Dr Kinsey says this relies on the shooter remaining static and a lot of other variables are not considered.

Dr Kinsey says the rather than this being a static crime scene, there was lots of movement. You can therefore not use the position of the shell casings to determine exactly where the shooter was standing — the casings are spread of a relatively large area.

As the 300 Blackout rifle is missing it is impossible to test fire it to recreate where the casings would land.

Therefore, he testifies a 6’4” shooter (Murdaugh’s height) could have fired the shots that killed Maggie at the angles shown in the defence expert’s evidence, either by kneeling or firing from further back.

He notes that a 7’4” shooter could’ve done it.

Tuesday 28 February 2023 19:51 , Oliver O'Connell

Moving on to the angle in the bullethole in the doghouse, he notes it is made of wood about half an inch thick, so gives a much more reliable impression of the angle as well as the direction from which the bullet was fired.

He is more confident of the angle of the shot into the doghouse because of the material into which it was fired.

Tuesday 28 February 2023 19:49 , Oliver O'Connell

Looking at the bullethole in the carboard side of the quail cage at Moselle, Dr Kinsey says he is confident of the direction from which the bullet came, but not the angle.

The angle could be altered by the barrel of the gun or a similar firearm issue. He says an analogy would be throwing a football — it may go in the same direction, but it could spin in the air.

Dr Kinsey goes on to explain how using dowel rods to measure bullet trajectories in a material like cardboard also results in damage to the surface as the rod is inserted and pulled out.

He says he is confident in the direction of entry of the bullet into the cardboard side of the cage, but he has zero confidence in the angle.

Tuesday 28 February 2023 19:38 , Oliver O'Connell

Dr Kinsey will first look at the testimony given by bullet trajectory analyst Mike Sutton.

Last week, Mr Sutton testified Maggie’s killer was 5’2” to 5’4”, approximately 12 inches shorter than Murdaugh.

“I think his intentions were well, but I think his methods were flawed,” says Dr Kinsey.

Tuesday 28 February 2023 19:36 , Oliver O'Connell

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson is questioning Dr Kinsey.

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

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