Alex Murdaugh trial - live: Defendant confronted about ‘missing’ $792k in law firm fees hours before murders

Prosecutors in Alex Murdaugh’s trial are building a case for a potential motive for the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul, via his alleged financial crimes.

Judge Clifton Newman is determining if such financial evidence can be admitted – with prosecutors stressing its importance in establishing motive, while the defence wants it thrown out. Some of the testimony was heard without the jury present to help make the determination.

Mr Murdaugh’s former law firm partner, Jeanne Seckinger, testified how he gave her a “dirty look” when she confronted him over missing payments on the day that his wife and son were murdered.

She went on to discover he was misappropriating millions of dollars from his legal clients by moving money into a fake business and into his own personal accounts.

This comes after stunning testimony on Wednesday in which video was shown which casts doubts on Mr Murdaugh’s alibi. Cellphone footage taken by Paul at the dog kennels just minutes before the murders revealed three voices – Paul, Maggie and, as two witnesses testified, Mr Murdaugh.

Another video, from Snapchat also shows Mr Murdaugh dressed differently from when police came to the house after the killings.

Alex Murdaugh murder trial

• Law firm CFO recalls Alex Murdaugh ‘dirty look’ as she confronted him over missing money on day of murders

• Murdaugh cries in court as Paul’s last video reveals three voices at dog kennels

• Snapchat shows Alex Murdaugh in different clothing one hour before murders

• Alex Murdaugh’s chilling final text to his wife after murders revealed

• Murdaugh had ‘clean’ shirt despite his claims he touched wife and son’s bloodied bodies

Who is Alex Murdaugh?

08:45 , Oliver O'Connell

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

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

Key revelations from the Alex Murdaugh murder trial

07:45 , 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.

Here are the key revelations from the trial so far:

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

Murdaugh’s voice heard in son Paul’s video minutes before murders

05:45 , Oliver O'Connell

A friend of Paul Murdaugh says he is “100 per cent sure” that Alex Murdaugh’s voice was featured in a video recorded just minutes before the brutal double murder.

Rogan Gibson, the friend whom Paul was texting around the time of the murders, gave bombshell testimony at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Wednesday afternoon.

He was asked about a video shown to the court earlier in the day, in which Paul is filming the tail of a dog he was looking after for a friend inside the kennels on the sprawling 1,700-acre Moselle estate in Islandton.

Three separate and distinct voices are heard in the footage – two male and one female.

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

Did Alex Murdaugh accidentally confess to murder?

03:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Murdaugh’s high-profile trial took a dramatic turn on Monday when jurors heard that the legal scion may have unwittingly slipped up and confessed to the murders of his wife and son.

Audio from Mr Murdaugh’s second interview with law enforcement was played in Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Monday, revealing the disgraced legal dynasty heir’s shocking five-word statement for the first time.

“I did him so bad,” he appeared to say about his son.

Whether he said it or not (and if it matters in the grand scheme of the trial) was one of the big questions of the week.

Did Alex Murdaugh accidentally confess to murder?

Murdaugh’s calls to wife mysteriously ‘deleted’ from his iPhone

02:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Calls Alex Murdaugh made to his wife on the night he allegedly murdered her and their son were mysteriously later deleted from his cellphone, according to dramatic courtroom testimony.

SLED Lt. Britt Dove, who works in the computer crimes centre at the state agency, testified in Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Wednesday that he had processed the three cellphones belonging to Mr Murdaugh, his wife Maggie and son Paul in the aftermath of the brutal murders.

Lt Dove told the court that a trove of phone calls Mr Murdaugh made to his wife’s cellphone after he allegedly shot her and Paul dead were missing from the suspect’s call log.

Rachel Sharp reports.

Alex Murdaugh’s calls to wife on night of murders were ‘deleted’ from cellphone

Murdaugh’s cousin testifies against him at murder trial

01:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Murdaugh’s second cousin testified how he built “Blackout” rifles worth more than $9,000 for Paul and Buster Murdaugh to hunt hogs with on their South Carolina estate.

John Bedingfield, a state Department of Natural Resources agent, says that he built two .300 Blackout rifles for Alex Murdaugh at a cost of $9,188 as Christmas gifts for his sons in 2016.

Mr Bedingfield, who has a federal firearms licence, told the court that he also built a third, more basic rifle for Maggie Murdaugh in April 2018 for $875.

Prosecutors say that Maggie Murdaugh was murdered with a similar weapon, one of which was seized by investigators from the family’s estate.

Graeme Massie has the details.

Alex Murdaugh’s cousin testifies against him at murder trial

Revealed: Murdaugh’s final text to wife after murder

00:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Cellphone data has revealed Alex Murdaugh called and texted his wife’s phone in the minutes after she was brutally shot dead – while ammunition matching that used to kill her and their son was located on the family’s property.

The trial of the heir to a powerful legal empire continued in Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Tuesday, with cyber experts and a Verizon employee delving into the final communications made on Maggie and Paul’s cellphones on the night they were killed.

Rachel Sharp reports.

Alex Murdaugh’s final text to wife Maggie after murder revealed

The story of Alex Murdaugh’s spectacular fall from grace

Thursday 2 February 2023 23:45 , 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 19 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.

Alex Murdaugh trial: Story of the legal scion’s spectacular fall from grace

Thursday 2 February 2023 22:48 , Oliver O'Connell

Judge Newman agrees to hear more financial crimes testimony without the jury.

Court is in recess and the trial will resume at 9.30am on Friday with the jury being brought in at 11.30am.

Thursday 2 February 2023 22:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Attorney Creighton Waters says that the Labor Day roadside shooting of Mr Murdaugh is part of a pattern in which the defendant tries to make himself a victim to cover up his own crimes.

“When the hounds are at the door … for Alex Murdaugh, violence happens.”

Attorney Jim Griffin argues: “It’s all just a theory. There’s no facts. Their theory is the best way out is for him to murder his wife and son” thereby putting himself at the centre of a murder investigation.

He adds that the prosecution wants to include the financial crime evidence as they have more of it than evidence regarding the murder.

Thursday 2 February 2023 22:36 , Oliver O'Connell

Judge Newman is now hearing arguments as to whether there should be more testimony relating to the financial crimes and how they relate to the murders.

Thursday 2 February 2023 22:25 , Oliver O'Connell

Later that day he got a call saying that Mr Murdaugh had been shot in the head.

He has not spoken to him since that Saturday morning. He received texts from Mr Murdaugh to which he replied with a generic message hoping his family was well.

Mr Murdaugh also sent him a letter which he turned over to his lawyers.

No further questions.

No questions from the defence team.

The witness is excused.

Thursday 2 February 2023 22:17 , Oliver O'Connell

On 3 September 2021, he received a call from Lee Cope informing him of their discovery of Mr Murdaugh’s theft from clients and the firm.

The next day Mr Wilson met with Mr Murdaugh at his parents’ house and asked him what was going on. He confessed he had stolen money from clients and the firm, and that he had been addicted to opioids for 20 years.

“I was so mad. I had loved the guy for so long, and I probably still loved him a little bit, but I was so mad.”

Thursday 2 February 2023 22:14 , Oliver O'Connell

In mid-July 2021, Mr Wilson says Murdaugh got in contact and said he had not been able to structure the fees how he had intended and was going to need to pay the trust account back and then have it paid to PMPED.

Mr Murdaugh only paid back $600,000 leaving a shortfall of $192,000, which Mr Murdaugh explained was due to it already being placed in the annuity and he wanted to try and get it back but there might be a penalty.

Mr Wilson covered the $192,000 shortfall personally, trusting that his friend would pay him back.

By August he had not and so Mr Wilson approached him and was told that money was tied up in the estate of his father and Maggie. Worried about his emotional state he didn’t push it.

Eventually, he had Mr Murdaugh sign a promissory note pledging to pay him. He was worried Mr Murdaugh might kill himself.

Thursday 2 February 2023 22:01 , Oliver O'Connell

There were more checks for expenses on the case which went to Mr Murdaugh’s firm.

It was then that an email came to Mr Wilson’s paralegal from Mr Murdaugh’s firm asking where the fees were for the case but saying they had received the expense reimbursement.

It was then that the earlier witness Jeanne Seckinger became involved prior to Memorial Day 2021.

Thursday 2 February 2023 21:52 , Oliver O'Connell

In early 2021, Mr Wilson asked Mr Murdaugh to help out in the case of Faris v Mack Trucks due to the specialised nature of the case and the speed with which they had to work.

The total settlement was $5.5m (for injuries to a husband and wife) and Mr Murdaugh’s share was $792,000 (split between $600,000 and $192,000 for each individual). Funds were received in late February 2021. Disbursement was in March.

Mr Murdaugh told Mr Wilson that he wanted to put his share into an annuity and that the checks should be made payable to him with the understanding that it had been cleared with his firm.

After an initial check for the husband’s case was voided at his request, Mr Wilson issued Mr Murdaugh two separate checks. A third check came from the share of the wife’s case.

Thursday 2 February 2023 21:47 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Wilson says there would be split fees when partnering with other firms and he worked on lots of cases with Mr Murdaugh.

The lawyer that receives the settlement checks makes the disbursements to the other firms. When the funds come in for the settlement, the client signs the check, the attorney endorses it, and deposits it in a trust account.

He will then sign the checks to make the necessary disbursements — i.e. fees and costs which come out in two separate checks from the settlement proceeds.

Mr Wilson says he is the only person able to sign checks at his firm.

New Witness: Chris Wilson, friend of Alex Murdaugh

Thursday 2 February 2023 21:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Chris Wilson is an attorney who worked on the case in which the $792,000 share of Mr Murdaugh’s legal fees went missing, which raised the alarm at PMPED.

Mr Wilson also testified that he had known the defendant since high school, they had attended law school together and even lived together.

“He was one of my best friends,” says Mr Wilson, his voice trembling.

Asked if they are still good friends now, he replied: “I don’t know how I feel now.”

Thursday 2 February 2023 21:36 , Oliver O'Connell

On cross-examination, Jim Griffin asks if Mr Gunn had ever seen Maggie or Paul’s name on any documents relating to the fake Forge account.

He did not

Mr Griffin asks if he ever sold Mr Murdaugh life insurance policies for his wife or son.

He did not.

Thursday 2 February 2023 21:33 , Oliver O'Connell

After the firm had confronted Mr Murdaugh after the discovery of the fake bank account, Mr Gunn received a call from law partner Lee Cope asking if Forge has any files on a list of their clients.

Forge did not.

He was also asked if Forge used Bank of America. They had not in three or four years.

The next day he was given another list of clients of which he also had no files on with the exception of Deon Martin, the case which was never completed.

A few days later he found out about the fake Forge account that Mr Murdaugh was running from Mr Cope.

He testifies that Forge Consulting had no connection with the account or the money.

Footnote, via Cathy Russon of Law & Crime: Forge is suing Alex Murdaugh for reputational damage.

Thursday 2 February 2023 21:28 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Gunn says he and Mr Murdaugh communicated about structuring a settlement for a person named Deon Martin, but the settlement never went further.

He is asked about his knowledge of the 2019 boat crash and responds similarly to others — he was aware of the “terrible accident”, Paul’s involvement, and that a girl had died. He was also aware of the charges and civil suit.

Mr Gunn says over the years he had general conversations with Mr Murdaugh about whether attorneys can structure their own fees through an annuity.

Thursday 2 February 2023 21:21 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Gunn recalls working with Mr Murdaugh on approximately five cases and they became friends through their work together.

As a principal and senior settlement consultant he explains what the firm does in terms of awards from insurance payouts and annuities to victims who have won settlements.

New Witness: Michael Gunn, Forge Consulting.

Thursday 2 February 2023 21:18 , Oliver O'Connell

After a short break, the shadow trial restarts with no jury present.

The first witness of this session is Michael Gunn of Forge Consulting.

Forge Consulting is the Atlanta-based firm that Alex Murdaugh was found to be impersonating with his fake bank accounts as discovered by the earlier witness Jeannie Seckinger, CFO of Murdaugh’s law firm.

Thursday 2 February 2023 21:03 , Oliver O'Connell

Judge Newman dismisses the jury for the day early and says they do not have to present until 11.30am tomorrow.

This is to allow for a further hearing on the admissibility of the financial crimes witness testimonies.

Thursday 2 February 2023 21:02 , Oliver O'Connell

In cross-examination, Mr Harpootlian jumps on the search of the bathrooms asking if Agent McAllister checked the drains for any signs of blood etc from someone who had washed off after committing a crime. She says she did not see anything and confirms that no one checked the drains forensically.

A similar question is asked about the bedrooms and the presence of any bloodstained clothes.

No further questions.

The witness is excused.

Thursday 2 February 2023 20:58 , Oliver O'Connell

Agent McAllister’s next job was to execute a search warrant of the Moselle Road house. They did not execute the search as they did not want to displace some 20-25 people gathered at the home, some of whom were very upset.

Having attained consent to search, she searched every room of the house, including bathrooms and attic spaces.

No further questions from the state.

New Witness: Katie McAllister, SLED

Thursday 2 February 2023 20:54 , Oliver O'Connell

Court resumes after the mid-afternoon break and the jury is brought back in.

The next witness is Special Agent Katie McAllister, a ten-year veteran of SLED.

She responded to the Moselle Road property on 8 June around lunchtime, the day after the murders. As she arrived on the scene, she became part of the group that retrieved Maggie Murdaugh’s phone.

There was a phone call to give the officers the passcode to the phone. Agent McAllister held the phone in gloved hands, it was photographed, put in airplane mode, and she entered the passcode to check it was Maggie’s phone. Once the passcode was accepted, she immediately locked the phone again and handed it back and it was bagged as evidence.

Thursday 2 February 2023 20:38 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Harpootlian argues that it would be hard to throw a phone from a driver’s window across a lane of roadway so it landed approximately 15-20 feet from the edge of the road — about 40 feet in total.

Mr Hightower says he could easily make that throw with his left hand. Asked whether he would throw it over or underarm, Mr Hightower says he would do neither and would flick it horizontally.

In earlier testimony, there was much discussion about the orientation of the phone per the event log data. If the phone were to have been flicked horizontally from a car window with the screen off there would have been no change in orientation as the data log shows.

Once the phone was found, Mr Hightower put it in airplane mode and handed it over to SLED in an evidence bag. He did not have the passcode for the phone and so could not have entered it.

It is possible to put a phone in airplane mode without unlocking it.

Thursday 2 February 2023 20:23 , Oliver O'Connell

In cross-examination, defence attorney Dick Harpootlian asks if police had put up roadblocks or had warned people of a possible active shooter and asks about a statement from Colleton County Sheriff’s Office saying there was no danger to the public.

Mr Hightower says he is not aware of such a statement (as others have testified).

Regarding the location of Maggie’s phone, Mr Harpootlian notes that no one measured the exact positioning of the phone. Mr Hightower says that he could find the location within a few feet based on the photos taken of its placement.

Thursday 2 February 2023 20:09 , Oliver O'Connell

As he compared the contents of Alex Murdaugh’s phone with call data from Verizon, he noticed on the date in question (7 June) there were just 2 FaceTime calls registered versus 73 calls on the Verizon records.

Earlier testimony noted that only a user can delete calls from the log. Calls started to be logged again on the morning of 8 June.

Thursday 2 February 2023 20:00 , Oliver O'Connell

On 10 June 2021, Mr Hightower visited John Marvin Murdaugh’s house to extract phone contents from the devices of Alex, Buster, and Randy while they were interviewed by SLED.

After those three extractions, the family received word that Randolph Murdaugh’s condition was worsening and they left for the hospital.

He conducted a basic surface extraction of the phones (call logs, messages, pictures, videos, not necessarily location information) which takes about 30 minutes. A full extraction takes much longer.

Thursday 2 February 2023 19:46 , Oliver O'Connell

On the morning after the murders, Mr Hightower went to the Murdaugh home after a briefing at SLED regional headquarters in Walterboro, Colleton County.

He testifies that it is not uncommon for him to respond to crime or murder scenes.

Mr Hightower toured the kennel area which had been handed over by SLED crime scene investigation unit. He took photos of the scene with a drone and then set about trying to locate Maggie’s phone, having established that Paul’s phone was found on his body.

Using a family phone (believed to have been Buster’s) Mr Hightower used “Find My iPhone” to search for the phone, eventually getting into his vehicle with John Marvin Murdaugh and two investigators and driving off the property when they realised how far away it the device was.

Eventually, they located the phone approximately half a mile from the property having exited the vehicles and proceeded on foot in their search.

He took photos of the phone laying about 15-20 feet away from Moselle Road in brush and leaves. He did not touch the phone and notified the team.

New Witness: Dylan Hightower, 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office

Thursday 2 February 2023 19:28 , Oliver O'Connell

The next witness is Dylan Hightower an investigator for the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.

He was responsible for downloading the contents of Alex Murdaugh’s phone a few days after the murders.

Mr Murdaugh is associated as a volunteer associate solicitor with the 14th Circuit. Mr Hightower has worked on a trial in which Mr Murdaugh and his father were prosecutors.

Court back in session

Thursday 2 February 2023 19:23 , Oliver O'Connell

Court has resumed after the lunch break and the jury is brought back in.

Judge Newman says there will be approximately two hours with the jury in the courtroom this afternoon for non-financial crimes witnesses and then proceedings will continue without them.

He also suggested potentially telling the jury to come in late tomorrow so that discussions regarding the financial crimes evidence and motive can continue.

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

Thursday 2 February 2023 18:55 , Oliver O'Connell

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

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

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

Rachel Sharp has the details.

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

Damning Snapchat video shows Murdaugh wearing different clothes before murders

Thursday 2 February 2023 18:35 , Oliver O'Connell

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

During his high-profile murder trial on Wednesday, jurors at Colleton County Courthouse in South Carolina were shown a Snapchat video taken by Mr Murdaugh’s son Paul at 7.56pm on the night of 7 June 2021.

The video, sent to Paul’s friend Will Loving, shows Mr Murdaugh on the grounds of the family estate looking at a small tree as it limply falls to the ground.

Rachel Sharp reports.

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

Court breaks for lunch

Thursday 2 February 2023 18:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Judge Newman asks prosecutor Creighton Waters what is next.

Mr Waters said he has further witnesses on the financial side of the motive argument — Mr Murdaugh’s paralegal, Michael Gunn, principal at Forge Consulting; and attorney and Murdaugh friend Chris Wilson — ready to testify without the jury present.

Defence attorney Jim Griffin argues that Ms Seckinger’s testimony shows that these financial crimes are not admissible in the murder case and says that admitting this line of evidence will add more than two weeks to the trial.

Mr Waters says he can streamline the state’s case regarding the financial crimes, saying: “The state’s intent is not to try one hundred white-collar cases in the context of this murder case.”

The state argues that it is important to establish what was going on in Mr Murdaugh’s life in the lead-up to 7 June 2021.

Saying that he does not want the jury to be idle, Judge Newman says the prosecution can call witnesses that do not have to do with the financial crimes in the afternoon with the jury present.

The hearing about financial crimes will continue later today or tomorrow without the jury.

Court breaks for lunch and will return at 2.15pm.

Thursday 2 February 2023 17:56 , Oliver O'Connell

There is a quick redirect from the prosecution in which Ms Seckinger confirms there is no reason or possible legitimate explanation for proceeds from client cases to have gone into the bank accounts in which they did.

Ms Seckinger says there had been no complaints about missing money and so nothing had been flagged to investigate.

In her cross-examination, referring to the clients, she said: We did interview the clients. Most of them we met. Most of them said they were surprised and shocked and stated that they had no idea they’d been stolen from.”

Redirect ends and the witness is excused.

Thursday 2 February 2023 17:46 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Griffin appears to be trying to make a point that the firm had all the information and documentation about the fraud dating back years but had overlooked it.

Ms Seckinger says: “They were. They didn’t catch our attention before that.”

The defence tactic appears to be to pick holes in how the firm — led by Ms Seckinger — went about investigating the fraud once discovered.

She answers firmly and cooly when challenged on the details of some of the specific cases. When asked whether that in all but one of the instances the proceeds of the cases should have gone to the client, Ms Seckinger replies: “Which your client stole, yes.”

Court resumes and cross examination begins

Thursday 2 February 2023 17:22 , Oliver O'Connell

Cross-examination of Ms Seckinger begins with defence attorney Jim Griffin questioning her.

His line of interrogation or clarification has so far elicited just confirmations from Ms Seckinger regarding answers in her earlier direct examination.

Thursday 2 February 2023 16:56 , Oliver O'Connell

After an extensive list of examples in which fraud occurred, the state completes its questioning of Ms Seckinger.

Before cross-examination by the defence, Judge Newman calls for a 10-minute break.

Reminder: The jury has not been present for this trove of detailed financial misdemeanours uncovered by Mr Murdaugh’s former employer.

Watch: Law firm CFO explains how she confronted Murdaugh about missing money on day of murders

Thursday 2 February 2023 16:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Thursday 2 February 2023 16:39 , Oliver O'Connell

This happened with multiple clients over years and the firm had to make good for the money that Mr Murdaugh funnelled to himself through the fake Forge account.

Thursday 2 February 2023 16:35 , Oliver O'Connell

More strange payments were found going to Palmetto State Bank in which funds for clients appeared to be being held. Those cheques were then transferred to Mr Murdaugh.

Former Palmetto State Bank CEO Russell Laffitte has since been found guilty of wire and bank fraud charges. Laffitte loaned Mr Murdaugh and himself money from those client settlements, diverting that money from personal injury or death cases, in several of which he was the court-appointed custodian for funds for underage clients.

Mr Murdaugh also reduced his fees so more money would to the client which he would then steal via the fake Forge account. By reducing his fee, less of a settlement would go to the firm and more would go the client and end up as his.

Thursday 2 February 2023 16:28 , Oliver O'Connell

Over time, concerns grew that Mr Murdaugh was both hiding money from the boat crash lawsuit and stealing from the firm via Forge.

Forge Consulting is a legitimate financial company that handles financial and fiduciary planning for attorneys and their clients. It transpired that Mr Murdaugh had set up an account using Forge’s name and money paid in went to him.

Further internal investigations followed, culminating in a partner meeting on 3 September 2021 in which they reviewed the evidence that had come to light including endorsed cheques and a false Bank of America account in Murdaugh and Forge’s name. It became apparent that he had been stealing.

The partners confronted Mr Murdaugh and he was made to resign.

It was the Friday of Labor Day weekend and a partner was getting married the next day. It was decided to wait until after the holiday to take further action. On the Saturday, Ms Seckinger says she learned Mr Murdaugh had been shot in the head in a roadside shooting.

Thursday 2 February 2023 16:03 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Murdaugh’s paralegal Annette Griswold brought up the issue of the fee structuring asking if it was proper as the money had been paid.

Ms Seckinger believed it had gone to Forge Consulting.

She testifies that she went to Mr Murdaugh in June about $792,000 in missing legal fees from a case he had worked on with his friend attorney Chris Wilson. The firm had received a cheque covering expenses but not the fees for the attorneys.

Ms Seckinger challenged Mr Murdaugh on the morning of the murders about where the $792,000 was and wanted proof that he or Mr Wilson had the money. She believed he had received the money directly.

While confronting him, Mr Murdaugh received a call about his father who was terminally ill, which ended the conversation. The murders later that day ended the probe into the whereabouts of the money.

Thursday 2 February 2023 15:54 , Oliver O'Connell

Ms Seckinger found that Mr Murdaugh had been sending his fees directly to a business called Forge Consulting.

She explained to him that this way of structuring fees did not give him any tax benefits.

Thursday 2 February 2023 15:51 , Oliver O'Connell

Ms Seckinger tells the court that in May 2021 she spoke with Mr Murdaugh about a structure he was trying to put in place for legal fees from a case. He told her that he was trying to put some money “in Maggie’s name” to shield it from the legal action against them from the 2019 boat crash.

She testifies that she did not believe he was trying to steal money, but simply hide it and she wondered how it could be reflected in the company’s accounts.

Ms Seckinger was aware of the circumstances of the boat crash and that he had been sued and that Paul had been criminally charged.

New Witness: Jeanne Seckinger, PMPED

Thursday 2 February 2023 15:36 , Oliver O'Connell

While Judge Newman determines the admissibility of the financial crimes testimony, the jury is sent out of the courtroom. They will return later.

The state calls Jeanne Seckinger to testify. She is the Chief Financial Officer at Mr Murdaugh’s former law firm: Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth & Detrick (PMPED). The law firm now operates under a different name.

On the day of the murders, Mr Murdaugh was confronted about missing money at the firm.

Ms Seckinger explains she balances and reconciles accounts, provides financial documentation, handles tax matters, and deals with human resources issues. People in her team handle day-to-day payroll and expenses.

Everyone in the firm receives a salary and partners would then receive a share of the fees and money generated by the firm each year as an annual bonus based on the percentage of revenue each attorney generated.

Lawyers were required to send all fees to the firm and would not be paid directly to lawyers.

Thursday 2 February 2023 15:29 , Oliver O'Connell

On cross-examination, the defence team asks about Metadata and whether the video could’ve been made earlier and only uploaded to the folder later. The metadata shows that the video was recorded at 7.38pm — one minute before upload to the “Memories” folder. It was then sent to friends at 7.56pm.

Asked about location data, Ms Galore says she is unsure if it was turned on on Paul’s phone and was not requested by the state in the subpoena.

Ms Galore is excused.

Thursday 2 February 2023 15:22 , Oliver O'Connell

The Snapchat video shown earlier in court in which Mr Murdaugh can be seen standing near a tree wearing different clothes to which he seen in later that night was saved in the account’s “memories” folder.

Ms Galore says the video was uploaded at 7.39pm on 7 June 2021. Viewing the video, Ms Galore confirms the identity of the footage as that which was requested from Snapchat.

Watch:

New Witness: Heidi Galore, Snapchat

Thursday 2 February 2023 15:16 , Oliver O'Connell

Court is back in session and the jury is present.

The state calls its first witness of the day, Heidi Galore, law enforcement operations lead at Snap Inc, the parent company of Snapchat. Her team responds to requests from law enforcement such as subpoenas, records, logs, subscriber information, geolocation, chat history etc.

She begins by briefly explaining what Snapchat is and how it is used. Ms Galore goes on to explain what records are kept.

Paul Murdaugh’s subscriber information file is submitted into evidence.

Thursday 2 February 2023 15:02 , Oliver O'Connell

Court takes a break before the jury is brought in so the prosecution can reorder their proposed witness list.

Thursday 2 February 2023 15:00 , Oliver O'Connell

There will be further discussion about what evidence the jury can hear before witnesses can testify regarding the defendant’s alleged financial crimes.

The state can proceed with another witness, a records custodian from Snapchat, before that is decided. However, prosecution attorney Creighton Waters also planned to call Jeanne Seckinger, CFO of Murdaugh’s former law firm. as a witness today. She would testify about the financial misdeeds.

Thursday 2 February 2023 14:55 , Oliver O'Connell

Today Judge Newman begins by ruling on the admission of other evidence that may indicate a motive for the killings including “character evidence”, the circumstances of Paul’s boating crash, and previous alleged crimes of the defendant.

He says that the defence team opened the door to character evidence by saying throughout that Mr Murdaugh has such good character he could not have committed the crimes. They asked Paul’s friends if they could imagine any scenario in which Mr Murdaugh would commit the murders of which he is accused.

The boat crash was also introduced by both defence and the defendant on the night of the murders (both to the 911 operator and in his initial police interview).

Judge Newman finds the previous alleged crimes are admissible provided there is clear and convincing evidence and a logical relationship between those crimes and the defendant’s state of mind leading up to the murders.

Court resumes

Thursday 2 February 2023 14:38 , Oliver O'Connell

Judge Clifton Newman is back on the bench in front of a packed courtroom.

What to expect in court on Thursday:

Thursday 2 February 2023 14:20 , Rachel Sharp

Alex Murdaugh’s trial will resume at 9.30am ET in Colleton County Courthouse in South Carolina.

Judge Newman is expected to address the issue of prosecutors introducing evidence of Mr Murdaugh’s alleged financial crimes.

Prosecutors say this is crucial to establishing a motive for the murders.

The defence is asking the judge to deny the admission of such evidence.

Damning Snapchat video shows Alex Murdaugh wearing different clothes one hour before murders of wife and son

Thursday 2 February 2023 14:05 , Rachel Sharp

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

During his high-profile murder trial on Wednesday, jurors at Colleton County Courthouse in South Carolina were shown a Snapchat video taken by Mr Murdaugh’s son Paul at 7.56pm on the night of 7 June 2021.

The video, sent to Paul’s friend Will Loving, shows Mr Murdaugh on the grounds of the family estate looking at a small tree as it limply falls to the ground.

Paul is heard laughing behind the camera as his father makes an inaudible comment.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:

Snapchat video shows Alex Murdaugh in different clothes on night of murders

RECAP: Murdaugh’s voice heard in son Paul’s video minutes before murders, two friends tell trial

Thursday 2 February 2023 13:50 , Rachel Sharp

Two friends of Paul Murdaugh say they are “100 per cent sure” that Alex Murdaugh’s voice was featured in a video recorded just minutes before the brutal double murder.

Rogan Gibson, the friend whom Paul was texting around the time of the murders, gave bombshell testimony at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Wednesday afternoon.

His testimony was mirrored by that of Will Loving, another of Paul’s friends, who also had a close connection with the family.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:

Alex Murdaugh’s voice heard in son Paul’s video before murders, friend tells trial

What happened in court on Wednesday?

Thursday 2 February 2023 13:30 , Rachel Sharp

Witnesses say voice in murder scene video is Alex Murdaugh

Jurors were shown cellphone footage taken by Paul at the dog kennels of the sprawling family estate in Islandton just minutes before he and Maggie were shot dead.

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

In dramatic testimony, two friends of Paul with close ties to the family told jurors that they are “100 per cent sure” that the voice belongs to Mr Murdaugh. The disbarred attorney has claimed he was napping at the family home at that time.

Snapchat shows Alex Murdaugh in different clothing one hour before murders

Jurors were shown a Snapchat video Paul sent to his friend Will Loving less than one hour before he and Maggie were murdered.

The video, sent at 7.56pm on 7 June 2021, shows Alex Murdaugh on the grounds of the family estate.

He is dressed in trousers, loafers and a blue button-down shirt – different clothing to which he is seen wearing in police bodycam footage after the murders. In the bodycam, Mr Murdaugh is dressed in a white short-sleeved t-shirt and shorts.

Murder timeframe narrowed down to eight-second window

Prosecutors claim that Paul was shot dead first at around 8.50pm, followed by Maggie – with cellphone data being used to narrow down the murders to a precise eight-second window.

SLED Lt. Britt Dove testified that Paul’s last phone activity was at 8.48.59pm and Maggie’s was at 8.49.27pm.

Eight seconds later at 8.49.35pm, Paul received a text message but it went unread.

Neither Maggie nor Paul used their phones after that.

Calls Murdaugh made to wife on night of murders ‘deleted’

In dramatic courtroom testimony, jurors heard that calls Mr Murdaugh made to his wife on the night of the murders were mysteriously later “deleted” from his call log.

In court on Tuesday, Lt Dove testified that Mr Murdaugh had called Maggie five times between 9.04pm and 10.03pm on the night of 7 June 2021 after he had allegedly killed her and Paul. None of the calls were answered.

Lt Dove, who processed the three cellphones belonging to Mr Murdaugh, Maggie and Paul, testified that the trove of phone calls Mr Murdaugh made to his wife’s cellphone after he allegedly shot the victims dead was missing from his call log. The only explanation for the missing data is that the call logs were manually and intentionally deleted by someone, he said.

Defence casts doubt on theory Murdaugh took Maggie’s phone

Under cross-examination, the defence casted doubt on the theory that it could have been Mr Murdaugh who threw Maggie’s phone along the side of Moselle Road.

Lt Dove admitted that cellphone data suggested Maggie and Mr Murdaugh’s phones were not in the same place at the same time at 9.06pm.

This was important because 9.06pm is when the final orientation change – or movement – was recorded on Maggie’s phone.

Lt Dove testified that this movement could have been as it was being thrown from a vehicle to where it was discovered the next day, with the defence pointing out Mr Murdaugh was walking with his cellphone at that time.

However, under redirect, prosecutors cast doubt on the defence’s timeframe for when the phone was tossed from a car down Moselle Lane, as Lt Dove testified that an orientation change can only take place when the phone screen is on.

The SLED agent testified that the screen on Maggie’s phone was off between 9.07pm and 9.31pm so if the phone was thrown from a car during that time, there would have been no orientation change.

Alex Murdaugh’s many alleged scandals

Thursday 2 February 2023 13:10 , Rachel Sharp

The murder charges are far from Alex Murdaugh’s only legal troubles.

Prosecutors claim he shot dead his family members in an attempt to distract from a string of other scandals and crimes encircling him.

At the time of the murders, Mr Murdaugh was believed to be facing financial ruin from a 20-year opioid addiction and – one day earlier – had been confronted by his law firm PMPED over an alleged multi-million-dollar fraud scheme.

Now, Mr Murdaugh is charged with more than 100 counts from multiple indictments alleging he stole nearly $8.5m from clients at his law firm in fraud schemes going back a decade.

The attorney, who has since been disbarred, allegedly represented the clients in wrongful death settlements before pocketing the money for himself.

Alleged victims include family members of Gloria Satterfield family, the Murdaugh’s longtime housekeeper who died in a mysterious trip and fall accident at the family home in 2018.

At the time, her death was regarded as an accidental fall – though the investigation was reopened after Maggie and Paul’s murders.

Three months on from the murders – on 4 September 2021 – Mr Murdaugh allegedly conspired to pay a hitman to shoot him dead so that Buster would inherit a $10m life insurance windfall.

The now-disbarred attorney initially claimed he was ambushed in a drive-by shooting while changing a tyre on his vehicle, but his story quickly unravelled and he confessed to orchestrating the plot with alleged co-conspirator Curtis Smith.

Satterfield’s death is only one mysterious death surrounding the Murdaugh family.

At the time of the murders, Paul was awaiting trial over a fatal 2019 boat crash where 19-year-old Mallory Beach died.

Questions have also surfaced about the 2015 death of Stephen Smith, 19, who was found dead in the middle of the road in Hampton County, South Carolina.

Murdaugh’s calls to wife on night of murders mysteriously ‘deleted’ from his iPhone

Thursday 2 February 2023 12:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Calls Alex Murdaugh made to his wife on the night he allegedly murdered her and their son were mysteriously later deleted from his cellphone, according to dramatic courtroom testimony.

SLED Lt. Britt Dove, who works in the computer crimes centre at the state agency, testified in Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Wednesday that he had processed the three cellphones belonging to Mr Murdaugh, his wife Maggie and son Paul in the aftermath of the brutal murders.

Lt Dove told the court that a trove of phone calls Mr Murdaugh made to his wife’s cellphone after he allegedly shot her and Paul dead were missing from the suspect’s call log.

Rachel Sharp reports.

Alex Murdaugh’s calls to wife on night of murders were ‘deleted’ from cellphone

Crime scene photos from the murders

Thursday 2 February 2023 12:15 , Rachel Sharp

Jury contends with trove of cellphone data at Murdaugh trial

Thursday 2 February 2023 11:45 , Oliver O'Connell

A state agent testifying Wednesday in Alex Murdaugh‘s double murder trial meticulously reconstructed activity from his iPhone and the cellphones of his son and wife the night they were killed to try to link the disgraced South Carolina attorney to the shooting deaths

Read on:

Both sides use trove of cell data at Alex Murdaugh trial

WATCH: The video that casts doubt on Alex Murdaugh’s alibi

Thursday 2 February 2023 11:15 , Rachel Sharp

In a stunning day at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, prosecutors cast doubts on Alex Murdaugh’s alibi for the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul.

Jurors were shown cellphone footage taken by Paul at the dog kennels of the sprawling family estate in Islandton just minutes before he and Maggie were shot dead.

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

In dramatic testimony, two friends of Paul with close ties to the family told jurors that they are “100 per cent sure” that the voice belongs to Mr Murdaugh. The disbarred attorney has claimed he was napping at the family home at that time.

Key revelations from the Alex Murdaugh murder trial, so far

Thursday 2 February 2023 10:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Rachel Sharp catalogues the more important revelations to come to light at the trial.

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

Snapchat shows Alex Murdaugh in different clothing one hour before murders

Thursday 2 February 2023 10:14 , Rachel Sharp

In court on Wednesday, jurors were shown a Snapchat video Paul sent to his friend Will Loving less than one hour before he and Maggie were murdered.

The video, sent at 7.56pm on 7 June 2021, shows Alex Murdaugh on the grounds of the family estate.

He is dressed in trousers, loafers and a blue button-down shirt – different clothing to which he is seen wearing in police bodycam footage after the murders.

In the bodycam, Mr Murdaugh is dressed in a white short-sleeved t-shirt and shorts.

Murdaugh’s cousin testifies he spent over $9,000 on three guns

Thursday 2 February 2023 09:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Murdaugh’s second cousin testified how he built “Blackout” rifles worth more than $9,000 for Paul and Buster Murdaugh to hunt hogs with on their South Carolina estate.

John Bedingfield, a state Department of Natural Resources agent, says that he built two .300 Blackout rifles for Alex Murdaugh at a cost of $9,188 as Christmas gifts for his sons in 2016.

Mr Bedingfield, who has a federal firearms licence, told the court that he also built a third, more basic rifle for Maggie Murdaugh in April 2018 for $875.

Graeme Massie has the details.

Alex Murdaugh’s cousin testifies against him at murder trial

Murdaugh trial told ‘it’s possible’ two shooters killed his wife and son

Thursday 2 February 2023 08:45 , Oliver O'Connell

An investigator has admitted “it’s possible” that two shooters killed Alex Murdaugh’s wife and son as the legal scion’s attorneys sought to pick holes in the evidence gathered from the bloody crime scene.

SLED special agent Melinda Worley returned to the stand in Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Monday morning as Mr Murdaugh’s high-profile murder trial entered its second week.

Rachel Sharp reports on the defence team’s version of events.

Alex Murdaugh lawyers tell trial ‘it’s possible’ two shooters killed wife and son

Murders, million-dollar fraud and mystery deaths — Everything you need to know about the Alex Murdaugh story

Thursday 2 February 2023 07:45 , 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 19 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.

Read on:

Alex Murdaugh trial: Story of the legal scion’s spectacular fall from grace

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

Thursday 2 February 2023 06:45 , Oliver O'Connell

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

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

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

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

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

When was Alex Murdaugh arrested? A timeline of murders and fraud

Who is Alex Murdaugh?

Thursday 2 February 2023 04:45 , Oliver O'Connell

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

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

Watch: Paul Murdaugh filming friend’s puppy minutes before he and his mother were murdered

Thursday 2 February 2023 03:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Murdaugh’s voice heard in son Paul’s video minutes before murders, two friends tell trial

Thursday 2 February 2023 02:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Two friends of Paul Murdaugh say they are “100 per cent sure” that Alex Murdaugh’s voice was featured in a video recorded just minutes before the brutal double murder.

Rogan Gibson, the friend whom Paul was texting around the time of the murders, gave bombshell testimony at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Wednesday afternoon.

His testimony was mirrored by that of Will Loving, another of Paul’s friends, who also had a close connection with the family.

Read on:

Alex Murdaugh’s voice heard in son Paul’s video before murders, friend tells trial

Did Murdaugh accidentally confess to murder?

Thursday 2 February 2023 01:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Murdaugh’s high-profile trial took a dramatic turn on Monday when jurors heard that the legal scion may have unwittingly slipped up and confessed to the murders of his wife and son.

Rachel Sharp investigates.

Did Alex Murdaugh accidentally confess to murder?

Murdaugh’s calls to wife before murders mysteriously ‘deleted’ from his iPhone

Thursday 2 February 2023 00:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Calls Alex Murdaugh made to his wife on the night he allegedly murdered her and their son were mysteriously later “deleted” from his cellphone, according to dramatic courtroom testimony.

SLED Lt. Britt Dove, who works in the computer crimes centre at the state agency, testified in Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Wednesday that he had processed the three cellphones belonging to Mr Murdaugh, his wife Maggie and son Paul in the aftermath of the brutal murders.

Lt Dove told the court that a trove of phone calls Mr Murdaugh made to his wife’s cellphone after he allegedly shot her and Paul dead were missing from the suspect’s call log.

Rachel Sharp reports.

Alex Murdaugh’s calls to wife on night of murders were ‘deleted’ from cellphone

Trove of cell data presented at Murdaugh trial

Wednesday 1 February 2023 23:45 , Oliver O'Connell

A state agent testifying Wednesday in Alex Murdaugh‘s double murder trial meticulously reconstructed activity from his iPhone and the cellphones of his son and wife the night they were killed to try to link the disgraced South Carolina attorney to the shooting deaths.

The key evidence for prosecutors is a video from the son’s phone of a dog at the kennels near where Murdaugh’s son Paul was killed with a shotgun and wife Maggie was shot several times with a rifle at the family’s Colleton County hunting lodge on June 7, 2021.

The timeline from prosecutors said the video was taken about five minutes before the killings. There appear to be three voices on the video and prosecutors have said it is Alex Murdaugh and his family, although they didn’t offer that evidence Wednesday. In interviews with police, Alex Murdaugh said he was never at the kennels that night.

Read on:

Both sides use trove of cell data at Alex Murdaugh trial

Wednesday 1 February 2023 22:47 , Oliver O'Connell

The jury is excused.

Tomorrow morning Judge Newman will address the issue of the potential financial motives for the murders. He says he trusts that the state will be ready with evidence to show the connection.

Court is in recess until 9.30am on Thursday.

Wednesday 1 February 2023 22:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Redirect questioning begins.

Attorney Creighton Waters brings up the birthday video and points out Chris Wilson is present at the end — he is identified as Alex’s best friend.

Referring to the night of the murders, Mr Water brings up Mr Loving’s reaction of getting out of his house and driving to Charleston in the middle of the night when he became fearful for his own life having spoken with friends.

Next Mr Waters plays the Snapchat video Mr Loving was sent by Paul on the afternoon of 7 June 2021. He asked Mr Loving to identify Paul’s clothing and asks if he watched the video in real time that evening.

Mr Waters (jumping around again) asks about the family’s relationships and then quickly switches to asking multiple questions of Mr Loving about what he knows about the family’s finances, Alex’s debts, financial misdeeds including stolen client fees, and related topics.

Mr Loving says he does not know anything about those topics. Importantly the prosecution now has that on the record in front of the jury.

No further questions and the witness is excused.

Wednesday 1 February 2023 22:38 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Loving recalls a visit to Moselle Road after the murders in which Alex Murdaugh was so emotional he couldn’t speak.

There were lots of friends of Paul’s present and a lot of crying — particularly from Alex who pulled him into a group hug.

Defence has no further questions.

Wednesday 1 February 2023 22:36 , Oliver O'Connell

Defence submits a video into evidence from Memorial Day Weekend that shows a birthday celebration for Alex.

We cannot see the footage but the audio is of people singing “Happy Birthday” to Alex and him saying thank you generally and specifically: “Thank you, baby.”

Wednesday 1 February 2023 22:33 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Loving says he last saw Paul on Memorial Day Weekend 2021, about two weeks before the murders.

They were at the Edisto beach house with Alex and Maggie and some other friends.

He says that Alex and Paul had a great relationship, as did Alex and Maggie.

Wednesday 1 February 2023 22:29 , Oliver O'Connell

Cross-examination begins with defence attorney Jim Griffin questioning.

Mr Loving is asked about Snapchat and what Paul sent him and who could see it.

He says he could tell Paul was at Moselle in the Snapchat Paul posted as he knew the property.

Turning to firearms, Mr Loving confirms that Paul left a Blackout rifle at his home in Columbia and left a deer hunting gun at another friend’s place.

Mr Loving is asked about Paul leaving guns around the Moselle property and then the purchase of the scope for the 300BLK that did not have the optic attached.

He is unclear of exactly when the red-dot scope was bought or when they next used it after setting it up.

The defence produces a receipt from Ace Hardware for the scope, purchased on Saturday 6 March 2021. He had earlier said he believed the purchase was in later in March or early in April.

Mr Loving says if that was a Saturday, then they would have sighted it in that day and then used it on the first day of turkey season, some three weeks later.

Wednesday 1 February 2023 22:20 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Loving is played the video of Cash the dog.

He says he can identify the voices of Paul, Maggie, and Alex Murdaugh on the video and, as with Mr Gibson, he is 100 per cent certain.

Mr Loving identifies Alex Murdaugh in the courtroom.

Direct examination concludes.

Wednesday 1 February 2023 22:18 , Oliver O'Connell

The prosecution skips around across various topics in this examination including how much Paul used his phone (a lot, and was a fast responder to texts); how he found out about the murders (from a cousin of Paul); and who did most of the shooting when they went out.

Wednesday 1 February 2023 22:16 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Loving says he didn’t bring up the boat crash case and lawsuit with Paul.

He knew the house in Hampton had been sold and speculates it was to deal with legal bills from the cases.

Wednesday 1 February 2023 22:13 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Loving is asked to identify various guns from the Moselle Road property, he is specifically asked about which ones are Paul’s and how he recognises them.

He is also asked if guns were kept around the kennels and he said that sometimes there were guns there but not often.

Mr Loving is asked if he spoke with Paul that day. He says Paul called him around dinner time and talked about wanting a hot tub for the place they were going to move into. Paul also sent him a Snapchat of him and Alex riding around the property at 7.56pm. The video of Cash sent to Mr Gibson was texted at 8.44pm.

He testifies that he got to know the family well and talks about Maggie’s love of her dogs, how she would walk, bike, or take a buggy down to the kennels and would walk them around the property.

New Witness: Will Loving, friend of Paul’s

Wednesday 1 February 2023 21:53 , Oliver O'Connell

Will Loving was a friend of Paul’s whom he met at Edisto where the family beach house was. They met as young teenagers and become closer friends as time went on. They would hunt and fish, visit Charleston, and lived together for a short period of time in Columbia prior to the murders.

They were going to move into a new house together with another friend that summer.

At the Moselle Road property, they would hunt a lot, and when they did so at night they would use a buggy to get around.

Mr Loving said they would hunt with 300 Blackout rifles of which he knew the family had two. One with an optic on it and one without. The one without he did not see leave the gun room. He was aware of the previous rifle that had been stolen from Paul’s truck at a party.

In late March or early April 2021, the two of them bought a red-dot sight for the 300 BLK rifle that had no optic on it.

Court resumes

Wednesday 1 February 2023 21:44 , Oliver O'Connell

Before the jury is brought back in, lead prosecutor Creighton Waters argues that the defence has opened the door for discussions about motive — they have been fighting to have Alex Murdaugh’s financial misdeeds allowed as a factor in the trial.

Defence attorney Dick Harpootlian pushes back.

Mr Waters says there was a specific confrontation on the day of the murders relating to the financial crimes the defendant committed.

The next witness he says can shed some light on the financial pressures the family was under which he argues is connected to a wider discussion about the misdeeds.

Judge Newman decides to proceed and rule on any objections he hears.

The jury is brought back in.

Wednesday 1 February 2023 21:29 , Oliver O'Connell

In redirect from the prosecution, Mr Gibson says that he did not know of any time in which things had been stolen from the sheds on the property.

You could see the lights around the shed from the house and vice versa.

Mr Gibson also says was aware of the charges against Paul from the boat crash and the lawsuit against Alex.

He agrees that he knew Alex was a wealthy man.

An attempt to end on a high note by prosecutor Creighton Waters falls flat when Mr Gibson says he has known Alex Murdaugh his whole life.

Mr Waters asks whether sitting here today he really knows him and Mr Gibson replies yes, he does.

Court is on a 10-minute break.

Wednesday 1 February 2023 21:23 , Oliver O'Connell

Cross-examination concludes with Mr Gibson saying that Alex was affectionate and he can’t imagine him murdering his wife and son the way that has been described.

Wednesday 1 February 2023 21:21 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Gibson clarifies some of what was said in the video.

He says the voice calling for Bubba is Alex calling the family’s yellow labrador who inhabited the first kennel.

Bubba was out running around and had a chicken in his mouth that Maggie could be heard calling a guinea.

Wednesday 1 February 2023 21:19 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Gibson says he never saw Paul using a .300 Blackout rifle without a thermal scope — indicating it was Buster’s he would use and not the replacement one. The thermal scope is important for hunting hogs at night to pick up on their body heat. During the day they remain in the swamp.

Wednesday 1 February 2023 21:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Gibson says Paul was always on his phone and it was not unusual for his battery to get very low or die. He says he had seen Paul limit his use of his phone in moments like that.

He is also asked about the distance between the kennels and the house and says you could drive it in under a minute if going quickly, or two minutes otherwise.

Mr Gibson also clarifies that cellphone service at the property was very spotty.

Wednesday 1 February 2023 21:10 , Oliver O'Connell

There is an extensive discussion about the many trucks on the Moselle farm and how Paul would leave firearms in them as well as in the workshop.

Mr Griffin is asking about security arrangements (or lack of) at the Moselle property. Things would often be left unlocked and there were no security cameras. It would be easy for someone to steal things that were left lying around.

Wednesday 1 February 2023 21:06 , Oliver O'Connell

Defence attorney Jim Griffin begins cross-examination emphasising the closeness of Mr Gibson to the family. He was allowed to hunt the property and use the vehicles.

He says that Alex was like a second father to him and that Alex and Paul’s relationship was great.

He asks about the threats to Paul after the 2019 boating accident. Mr Gibson said there were but indicates that they were not too serious.

Wednesday 1 February 2023 20:54 , Oliver O'Connell

Before the video is shown again to the court, Lead prosecutor Creighton Waters asks if either Paul or Maggie had sounded stressed or like they might be in danger, or as if someone they didn’t know was there.

Mr Gibson says they did not.

He also says that the family usually drove down to the kennels, but Maggie would sometimes walk or bike. They would use an ATV or golf cart, whatever was available.

Maggie liked to go to the kennels and let the dogs out to run — which we also heard in Alex Murdaugh’s interviews.

Mr Gibson says there were sometimes guns left at the kennels.

The video of Cash is shown again to the court.

Mr Gibson reiterates he recognises Alex’s voice and identifies him in the courtroom.

No further questions.

Wednesday 1 February 2023 20:51 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Gibson says in the days after he saw many family members and told Maggie’s mother “Grandmar” that he had spoken with Paul about the dog that night and had heard Maggie in the background and a male voice that he thought was Alex.

Eventually, investigators showed him the video of Cash that Paul was supposed to send to him.

He tells the court that he is now 100 per cent sure that the voices on the video are Paul, Maggie, and Alex — his “second family”.

Wednesday 1 February 2023 20:46 , Oliver O'Connell

Screenshots are shown to Mr Gibson from this own phone showing the log off his 4-minute call with Paul at 8.40pm.

There is then the failed FaceTime call at 8.44pm that lasted just 11 seconds.

There are then a series of unanswered texts in which Mr Gibson is asking him to take video or pictures of the dog’s tail.

At 9.58pm there is still no video and Mr Gibson sends Paul the text reading: “Yo.”

On the call log there are unanswered calls to Paul through until 10.08pm

He is also shown the unanswered text to Maggie asking her to tell Paul to call him.

Later there are texts and calls from Alex Murdaugh but he was asleep when those came through.

Mr Gibson told investigators he was “99 per cent” sure he heard Alex Murdaugh on the phone when he spoke with Paul.

Wednesday 1 February 2023 20:37 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Gibson explains that Maggie was fond of staying at a different property as she didn’t like the yellow flies at Moselle Road.

While he was staying with his girlfriend. Mr Gibson’s brown labrador puppy, named Cash, would stay with the Murdaughs at their dog kennels.

He says Paul would always have his phone with him and would answer messages quickly.

On the day of the murders, Paul asked if there was a problem with Cash’s tail. Mr Gibson asked him to FaceTime him so he could see. They spoke on the phone and Mr Gibson says he could also hear Maggie and Alex in the background.

It was agreed that due to bad reception Paul would send a video rather than FaceTime. The video never came. He tried to contact Paul and Maggie and no one replied.

In the morning he woke up around 5/5.30am to the news that Paul and Maggie were dead.

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