Alex Murdaugh trial verdict — live: Sentence to be given tomorrow after Murdaugh found guilty of murders

Alex Murdaugh has been found guilty by the jury in his double murder trial for the brutal slaying of his wife and son. It took jurors less than 3 hours to reach a verdict.

The 54-year-old disbarred attorney was convicted of two counts of murder and two weapons charges after a dramatic six-week “trial of the century” inside the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina. He faces life in prison on the charges.

After the verdict was read, Judge Clifton Newman said: “The evidence of guilt is overwhelming.”

In convicting Murdaugh, the jury determined beyond a reasonable doubt that he shot dead his wife Maggie, 52, and son Paul, 22, on the grounds of the wealthy family’s 1,700-acre Moselle hunting estate in Islandton, South Carolina, on 7 June 2021.

The jury reached its unanimous verdict after hearing almost six weeks of testimony in a case that has enthralled the country for almost two years.

Central to the trial was a damning cellphone video taken by Paul just minutes before he and his mother were killed that placed Murdaugh at the scene at the time of the murders.

Sentencing is scheduled for 9.30am on Friday.

Alex Murdaugh murder trial

• Alex Murdaugh found GUILTY of murders of son Paul and wife Maggie

• Buster Murdaugh stoic as father convicted of killing brother, mother

• Court rejects Alex Murdaugh’s bid for acquittal after murder verdict

• Alex Murdaugh prosecutors praise verdict: ‘No one is above the law’

• Alex Murdaugh to be sentenced on Friday after victim impact statements

• What’s next for Alex Murdaugh after guilty verdict?

How Alex Murdaugh’s son helped seal his father’s guilty verdict from beyond the grave

03:00 , Oliver O'Connell

In the end, Alex Murdaugh’s crimes caught up with him.

And it was his own son who unknowingly helped cement his downfall from beyond the grave with a damning 50-second cellphone video of a dog.

As prosecutor Creighton Waters said in his closing argument for the state, this video “changed everything”.

Rachel Sharp reports on the crucial piece of evidence that upended an alibi.

How a 50-second video of a dog brought down Alex Murdaugh

Murdaugh to be sentenced tomorrow after court hears victim statements

02:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Sentencing will take place Friday for Alex Murdaugh, the legal scion who was just convicted of murdering his wife and son in 2021.

The South Carolina man could face up to life in prison.

Proceedings will begin at 9.30am ET on Friday after the court hears victim impact statements.

It is unclear who will read victim statements ahead of sentencing, but recollections could come from family members of the disgraced heir to a legal dynasty.

Josh Marcus has the latest.

Alex Murdaugh to be sentenced tomorrow after court hears victim impact statements

What’s next for Alex Murdaugh after guilty verdict?

02:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Disgraced legal scion Alex Murdaugh has been found guilty of the brutal murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul.

The once-powerful attorney was convicted of two counts of murder and two weapons charges after a dramatic six-week “trial of the century” inside the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina.

Jurors took less than three hours to reach the verdict after hearing how he had gunned down his wife Maggie and son Paul on the family’s sprawling 1,700-acre Moselle estate in Islandton, South Carolina, back on 7 June 2021. He faces up to life in prison on the charges.

But this is far from the end of the scandals, criminal cases and unanswered questions surrounding Murdaugh.

Rachel Sharp reports on what the future holds for him.

What’s next for Alex Murdaugh?

Court rejects Alex Murdaugh’s last-minute bid for acquittal

02:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Moments after disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh was convicted on Thursday of murdering his wife and son, a South Carolina court rejected his attempts to seek an acquittal.

A lawyer for Murdaugh, who could face up to life in prison when he is sentenced on Friday morning, argued the state hadn’t provided enough evidence to prove he was responsible for the 2021 killings.

Josh Marcus has the latest.

Court rejects Alex Murdaugh’s last-minute bid for acquittal after murder verdict

Watch: Murdaugh shows no emotion as verdict read

02:00 , Oliver O'Connell

‘No one is above the law’: Prosecutors speak to cheering crowd after guilty trial verdict

01:50 , Oliver O'Connell

Prosecutors in South Carolina reacted with elation to the guilty verdict against Alex Murdaugh on Thursday night, telling a cheering crowd: “Justice has been done”.

At a jubilant press conference outside the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, state attorney general Alan Wilson hailed “a great day for the people of South Carolina”.

“Today’s verdict proves that no one – no one, no matter who you are in society – is above the law,” Mr Wilson said.

Io Dodds has the latest.

Elated Alex Murdaugh prosecutors hail guilty verdict: ‘No one is above the law’

Inside Alex Murdaugh’s $4m Moselle estate

01:40 , Oliver O'Connell

On Wednesday, the jury was 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.

They toured the dog kennels where Mr Murdaugh allegedly ambushed his son in the feed room, shooting him once in the chest and a second time in the head, neck and shoulder with a shotgun.

They saw where, moments after gunning down Paul, the husband and father allegedly turned on his wife Maggie.

They saw where she desperately tried to flee her killer, backing into an ATV under a hangar outside before being shot five times with a semiautomatic rifle.

But that’s not all jurors saw.

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

01:32 , Oliver O'Connell

Despite pleas to maintain the anonymity of the jurors in media coverage, it appears Court TV may have accidentally filmed them as Murdaugh was led out of the courtroom.

Reaction from inside the courtroom

01:23 , Oliver O'Connell

Avery Wilks of The Post and Courier shared some insight into courtroom reaction to the verdict via his colleague Thad Moore.

The jury wore serious faces as they entered the courtroom.

Murdaugh’s family did not appear to react to the decision. Buster, holding his girlfriend Brooklynn’s hand, looked down at the ground.

Only when Judge Newman told jurors their verdict was supported by the evidence did Murdaugh’s sister, Lynn, begin shaking her head. Alex did not appear to react when Hill announced the verdict.

After Newman said Murdaugh would be remanded to sheriff’s office custody, a deputy immediately whipped out handcuffs and placed them on Murdaugh’s wrists, the first time he has been handcuffed in the courtroom during the 28-day proceedings.

The Murdaugh family left quickly, escorted by deputies. The prosecution team and SLED agents hugged and patted each other on the back.

01:15 , Oliver O'Connell

“Justice was done today,” says Waters. “It doesn’t matter who your family is. It doesn’t matter how much money you have or people think you have. It doesn’t matter what you think how prominent you are. If you do wrong. If you break the law. If you murder, then justice will be done in South Carolina, and I think South Carolina has shown to the nation, and the world, how a process can work, and work well. Thank you.”

01:12 , Oliver O'Connell

Lead prosecutor Creighton Waters also thanks the jurors for their service.

“We had no doubt that we had a chance to present our case in a court of law that they would see through the one last con that Alec Murdaugh was trying to pull and they did and we’re so grateful for that.”

Watch: South Carolina AG Wilson gives jubilant speech after verdict

01:09 , Oliver O'Connell

Press conference underway

01:07 , Oliver O'Connell

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson begins the post-trial press conference.

“It was all worth it because we got to bring justice and be a voice for Maggie and Paul Murdoch and bring justice for the people of South Carolina.”

He thanks the entire legal team beginning with lead prosecutor Creighton Waters.

AG Wilson also says an emphatic thank you to South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, whose reputation was called into question by the defence team.

He also thanks their federal and local law enforcement partners and the community of Walterboro, where the trial took place.

Watch: Murdaugh escorted out of court after conviction

00:57 , Oliver O'Connell

Buster Murdaugh remains stoic as father Alex is convicted

00:50 , Oliver O'Connell

A stoic Buster Murdaugh kept his emotions close to his chest as he watched the moment his father Alex was convicted of killing his brother Paul and mother Maggie.

Buster, 26, looked on in Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Thursday evening as a jury handed down a verdict of guilty on all charges to his only living parent.

Rachel Sharp has the latest.

Buster Murdaugh stoic as father Alex is convicted of killing brother and mother

Watch: Judge Newman responds to defence motion for directed verdict

00:33 , Oliver O'Connell

Judge Newman thanks jurors

00:23 , Oliver O'Connell

Judge Clifton Newman thanks the 12 jurors and one remaining alternate for their service.

“You all responded and gave due consideration to the evidence. I will make no comment now as to the extent of the overwhelming nature of the evidence, but certainly, the verdict that you have reached is supported.”

He adds: “The circumstantial evidence, direct evidence, all of the evidence pointed to one conclusion, and that’s the conclusion that you all reached.”

“I applaud you all as a group, and as a unit and individually in evaluating the evidence and coming to a proper conclusion as you saw the law and saw the facts.”

Sentencing set for tomorrow morning

00:22 , Oliver O'Connell

All parties agree that sentencing can be handled at 9.30am tomorrow.

Alex Murdaugh is placed in handcuffs and escorted out of the courtroom in silence.

Full story: Murdaugh found guilty of all charges

00:17 , Oliver O'Connell

Shamed legal dynasty heir Alex Murdaugh has been found guilty of the brutal murders of his wife and adult son.

The 54-year-old disbarred attorney was convicted of two counts of murder and two weapons charges after a dramatic six-week “trial of the century” inside the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina.

He faces life in prison on the charges.

Rachel Sharp has the full story.

Alex Murdaugh is found guilty of brutal murders of wife and son

Murdaugh found GUILTY of both murders

00:07 , Oliver O'Connell

The jury has unanimously found Alex Murdaugh guilty of the murders of both his wife Maggie and son Paul.

Court back in session

00:03 , Oliver O'Connell

Court is back in session as we await the reading of the verdict.

Judge Clifton Newman asks for the jury to be brought in.

Jury reaches verdict in Alex Murdaugh’s trial for murders of wife and son

Thursday 2 March 2023 23:52 , Oliver O'Connell

A verdict has been reached in the double murder trial of disgraced legal dynasty heir Alex Murdaugh.

The jury told Judge Clifton Newman that the panel had reached a verdict on Thursday afternoon.

In total, the panel of 12 spent less than three hours deliberating over the mountain of evidence and testimony presented by the prosecution and the defence, as they weighed whether or not to convict Mr Murdaugh of the brutal murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul.

Now, Mr Murdaugh’s fate has been sealed and the verdict will be read out.

Rachel Sharp reports on the breaking news.

Jury reaches verdict in Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial

People are lining up to reenter courtroom

Thursday 2 March 2023 23:36 , Oliver O'Connell

Action in the courtroom

Thursday 2 March 2023 23:33 , Megan Sheets

Lawyers appear to have gathered in the courtroom.

There have been no official indications of what is happening - but it could be that the jury is about to go home for the night.

What are the charges against Alex Murdaugh?

Thursday 2 March 2023 23:30 , Oliver O'Connell

The jury is now deliberating after hearing six weeks of evidence and arguments in the double-murder trial of Alex Murdaugh.

Mr Murdaugh, the disbarred personal injury lawyer, is accused of brutally murdering his wife Maggie, 52, and his son, Paul, 22, at the family home in Colleton County, South Carolina, on 7 June 2021.

The 12 jurors are considering four charges against Mr Murdaugh. Here’s what they are:

What are the charges against Alex Murdaugh?

Murdaugh’s ‘gathering storm’ of crimes turned him into a ‘family annihilator’, says prosecutor

Thursday 2 March 2023 22:45 , Oliver O'Connell

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

In Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Wednesday, prosecutor Creighton Waters described how the once-powerful attorney spent years “on the hamster wheel” avoiding accountability as he stole millions of dollars from his law firm and its clients.

While keeping up the pretense of a respected attorney and carrying on his prominent family’s legacy, he had actually been “living a lie” for the last decade and the “pressure became overwhelming”.

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

No jury deliberations over weekend

Thursday 2 March 2023 22:28 , Oliver O'Connell

Law & Crime’s Cathy Russon has confirmed that there will be no jury deliberations over the weekend.

The jury can deliberate late tonight and up until the end of the day tomorrow. If they have not reached a verdict, they will return on Monday for further deliberations.

What did the defence are prosecution argue over the past six weeks?

Thursday 2 March 2023 22:22 , Oliver O'Connell

Over the past six weeks of Alex Murdaugh’s double murder trial, jurors have heard hours upon hours of gruesome testimony about how his wife Maggie and son Paul were gunned down at the dog kennels of the family’s sprawling 1,700-acre Moselle estate.

Two different guns were used in the 7 June 2021 attack – neither of which have ever been found.

Paul was ambushed by his attacker as he stood in the feed room of the kennels, being shot twice with a 12-gauge shotgun.

The first shot struck his chest, while a second fatal shot tore through his shoulder, neck and head, blowing his entire brain out of his skull.

Just yards away from Paul, Maggie was shot five times with a .300 Blackout semiautomatic rifle, as she tried to flee her killer.

Husband and father Mr Murdaugh is accused of their murders, with a jury set to decide his fate any day now.

But is he guilty?

Here’s what the prosecution and the defence say:

Is Alex Murdaugh guilty of murder? Here’s what the defence and prosecution argued

Update from court on deliberations

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

The jury can deliberate until 10pm his evening if they wish.

There is no plan currently to order dinner for the jury, but they have coffee, tea, water and snacks.

The official word from the court is that they do have the option to deliberate over the weekend, but we have not heard any indication of that yet.

According to reporters at the courthouse, the defence team has said there will be no deliberations over the weekend and tomorrow’s cutoff is 4pm.

Jury makes first request

Thursday 2 March 2023 22:04 , Oliver O'Connell

The jury has made its first request. They asked for a monitor to watch some of the video evidence.

OJ Simpson weighs in on the Murdaugh trial

Thursday 2 March 2023 21:54 , Oliver O'Connell

“It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if this guy beats this case,” says OJ Simpson. This is not the first time he’s commented on a major court case.

Watch:

The story of Alex Murdaugh’s spectacular fall from grace

Thursday 2 March 2023 21:35 , 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

Voices: Will Alex Murdaugh’s dodgy memory bring him down?

Thursday 2 March 2023 21:05 , Oliver O'Connell

Megan Sheets writes:

Alex Murdaugh’s fate is now in the hands of a jury that will determine his innocence or guilt in the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul. Needless to say, the panel of 12 jurors has a big job ahead following six weeks of astonishing testimony from 75 witnesses.

Having followed the courtroom circus in the most minute detail from our New York newsroom, there’s no doubt in my mind that the verdict will hinge on one witness: Murdaugh himself.

Read on:

Will Alex Murdaugh’s dodgy memory bring him down?

Thursday 2 March 2023 20:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Court goes into recess waiting for the verdict.

Murdaugh’s fate lies in hands of jury as they begin deliberations

Thursday 2 March 2023 20:40 , Oliver O'Connell

The fate of fallen legal scion Alex Murdaugh now rests in the hands of 12 jurors as they have begun deliberations in his double murder trial.

The jury began deliberating on Thursday afternoon after six weeks of testimony concluded with dramatic closing arguments at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina.

Rachel Sharp reports.

Jury begins deliberations in Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial

Thursday 2 March 2023 20:34 , Oliver O'Connell

Judge Newman tells the jury “you have no friends to reward or no enemies to punish”.

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

“Madam forelady and members of the jury, you have heard the testimony, received the evidence, and heard the arguments of the state and defendant,” says Judge Newman.

He explains that they will have to consider the law as he states it to them as they weigh Murdaugh’s culpability in his wife and son’s murders.

They are permitted to take into account a witness’ demeanour and bias and are also allowed to dismiss most of a witness’s testimony but include just one part.

He reminds them that the burden of proof is on the state.

Relating to Murdaugh’s other crimes, Judge Newman says they can only be considered in relation to their impact on the murders — not to prove the character of the defendant.

Judge Newman reminds them that a defendant is innocent until proven guilty and the jury’s function is to find them guilty or not guilty. They are not to factor in potential sentencing.

Murdaugh has pled not guilty but does not have to prove his innocence.

There are four indictments that are to be considered separately.

The murder of Maggie.

The murder of Paul.

Possession of a weapon during the murder of Maggie.

Possession of a weapon during the murder of Paul.

Watch LIVE: Alex Murdaugh jury receives instructions from judge

Thursday 2 March 2023 20:21 , Oliver O'Connell

Court resumes

Thursday 2 March 2023 20:05 , Oliver O'Connell

Judge Clifton Newman is now going to give the jury instructions before they go to deliberate about the evidence presented by the state and the defence.

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

Murdaugh prosecutor slams defence in rebuttal for ‘blaming’ investigation when ‘he lied about alibi’

Thursday 2 March 2023 19:52 , Oliver O'Connell

The prosecutor in Alex Murdaugh’s double murder trial slammed the defence for “blaming” law enforcement for the investigation when the disgraced attorney “obstructed” the case by repeatedly lying about his alibi for the night of the brutal slayings.

Prosecutor John Meadors hit out at Mr Murdaugh and his legal team as he delivered a high-octane rebuttal case in the high-profile double murder trial in Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina.

Rachel Sharp reports on what was said in court today.

Alex Murdaugh prosecutor slams defence for ‘blaming’ investigation in rebuttal

Murdaugh defence accuses police of ‘fabricating evidence’

Thursday 2 March 2023 19:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Murdaugh’s attorney accused law enforcement of “fabricating evidence” in order to tie the disgraced attorney to the murders of his wife and son, during the defence’s dramatic closing statement.

Defence attorney Jim Griffin told jurors in Colleton County Courthouse on Thursday morning that the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) “failed miserably” in its investigation into the 7 June 2021 murders and decided from the get-go to pin the crime on Mr Murdaugh.

Rachel Sharp has the details.

Alex Murdaugh defence accuses police of ‘fabricating evidence’ in closing statement

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

Thursday 2 March 2023 19:20 , 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 on Thursday.

Before they begin to consider a verdict, the 12 jurors and two alternates visited the scene of the crime — the dog kennels and feed room at the Murdaugh family’s 1,700-acre Moselle estate.

It was there that Mr Murdaugh is accused of brutally murdering his wife Maggie, 52, and younger son Paul, 22, were brutally murdered on 7 June 2021.

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

Murdaugh juror dismissed for misconduct sparks laughter by revealing she left ‘dozen eggs’ in jury room

Thursday 2 March 2023 19:00 , Oliver O'Connell

A juror in Alex Murdaugh’s double murder trial sparked laughter in the courtroom when she revealed she had left “a dozen eggs” in the jury room after being dismissed for misconduct.

Judge Clifton Newman announced in Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Thursday morning that a female juror – number 785 – was being removed from the panel for discussing the case with at least three other people.

Rachel Sharp reports on what went down in court this morning.

Alex Murdaugh juror dismissed for misconduct sparks laughter with egg concerns

Thursday 2 March 2023 18:41 , Oliver O'Connell

Meadors concludes by calling on the jury to use their power to find Murdaugh guilty of the murders of Paul and Maggie.

The jury is excused for lunch.

Judge Clifton Newman will give the jury their charges after lunch.

Court will resume at 2.50pm.

Thursday 2 March 2023 18:39 , Oliver O'Connell

“I think he loved Maggie. I think he loved Paul ... But you know who he loved more? Alex.”

Thursday 2 March 2023 18:37 , Oliver O'Connell

“Thank god for Bubba,” says Meadors, noting how the family dog attacking a chicken led to Murdaugh’s voice being heard on the kennel video that he did not know was being shot.

Thursday 2 March 2023 18:28 , Oliver O'Connell

Meadors reminds the jury that Murdaugh sat in the witness stand and under oath admitted to lying to everyone about whether he was at the kennels that night.

He wonders why Murdaugh would do that if he was trying to help the police investigation into the murder of his family.

Meadors asks the jury if they think he would’ve told the truth on the stand if Paul’s kennel video had never come to light.

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

Meadors turns to the testimony of Blanca, the Murdaugh’s housekeeper.

Blanca dropped the phone when she heard the news of the murders — “that’s real” says Meadors.

He pauses and returns to when Murdaugh was first confronted with the Snapchat of him at the tree wearing the blue shirt.

Meadors recalls how Blanca had remembered helping him with his collar. After the murders she says Murdaugh approached her about the shirt he was wearing that day and says he tried to tell her it was a different shirt.

Jumping back to Shelly, Meadors says she recalls Murdaugh wearing Sperry-type shoes on the night he came to visit, not the sneakers he was wearing when police arrived.

He had changed shoes.

Thursday 2 March 2023 18:09 , Oliver O'Connell

Meadors reminds the jury about Murdaugh’s return trip to Almeda days later early in the morning.

“Doesn’t call. He didn’t need a timeline to create for that visit. Didn’t want a timeline. Didn’t want a record of that.”

Shelly sees him come in and go upstairs with something blue. He is referring to the famous blue raincoat and emphasises how gunshot residue was found on the inside of it.

“That’s what he disposed of the guns with.”

Shelley also recalled that he drove two different trucks and an ATV around his parents’ property that morning. Meadors contends he was getting rid of the evidence.

Meadors says the blue raincoat is good circumstantial evidence.

“Is Shelley making that up? Did she make that up?”

He reminds the jury that Murdaugh offered to help Shelly with her wedding costs and with her job at the school.

Thursday 2 March 2023 18:02 , Oliver O'Connell

Meadors says of what reasonable doubt means in this case: “You can’t answer every question, and the law doesn’t require it.”

He returns to talking about Murdaugh’s mother’s house at Almeda which he alluded to earlier.

“We submit to you that’s when he went to hide the guns. That’s common sense.”

Meadors adds: “He wasn’t going to love his momma. He was going to be with her. He was going because he loves Alex.”

He repeats multiple times that Murdaugh was there hiding the guns and that the timeline is important as he was only in the house 15-20 minutes out of his time there.

Meadors brings up Murdaugh’s conversation in which he asked home carer Shelly Smith to say he was there for 35-40 minutes, upsetting her.

“That’s real,” says Meadors. “Shelly’s real.”

Thursday 2 March 2023 17:58 , Oliver O'Connell

“We don’t have to prove motive! I think it’s been proven. His world was collapsing.”

Referring to what constitutes murder, Meadors argues that malice has been established as Maggie and Paul were shot several times. This was not an accident.

Malice only needs to exist for the small amount of time it takes to pull the trigger.

Thursday 2 March 2023 17:53 , Oliver O'Connell

Meadors asks why Murdaugh didn’t call Buster for almost 40 minutes. Why not when he found the bodies if he was so worried about him and warn him that someone is trying to kill them all?

Why wasn’t he concerned for his mother at her house?

Meadors says that he couldn’t because he’d hidden the guns there.

Thursday 2 March 2023 17:49 , Oliver O'Connell

Meadors criticises the defence team’s arguments against SLED’s handling of the case and how they accused them of fabricating evidence.

He says he dubbed defence attorney Dick Harpootlian “a smokescreen machine”.

Meadors finds it offensive that law enforcement didn’t do their job while Murdaugh was withholding and obstructing justice by not admitting to being at the kennels.

He asks why Murdaugh didn’t say he was at the kennels.

“Why wouldn’t you tell them that?” Meadors asks. “Credibility. Believability.”

“This case is about the defendant never being real.”

Thursday 2 March 2023 17:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Meadors begins by thanking the jury for sitting through six weeks of the trial.

He tells the jury there is no book on how to be a juror, but says that they have been preparing for this moment their whole lives through their lived experiences and daily interactions.

They have to decide what is credible and believable as this is “a common sense case”.

Court resumes

Thursday 2 March 2023 17:41 , Oliver O'Connell

Court is back in session after a short break.

Prosecution attorney John Meadors will give the state’s closing rebuttal. Before the break he said that he estimates it will take no more than 40 minutes.

The jury is brought back in.

Thursday 2 March 2023 17:29 , Oliver O'Connell

Wrapping up, Griffin says that the law doesn’t require that you look at Murdaugh as a monster, but it requires you to view him as innocent.

“There are two words that justice demands in this case and those two words are Not Guilty.”

He chokes up mentioning the victims, Maggie and Paul.

The jury is excused and the court takes a five-minute break.

Thursday 2 March 2023 17:28 , Oliver O'Connell

Griffin says about the state’s alleged motive for the murders: “You’ve heard weeks of testimony about Alex’s financial crimes, drug addiction, and lies. But after all that, the state has failed to provide a satisfactory answer to this question: Why?”

He says the state cannot answer that because Murdaugh would not do it.

Thursday 2 March 2023 17:26 , Oliver O'Connell

Griffin says the state has shown the jury a number of guns, but none of them are the weapons that killed Maggie and Paul.

“They want you to think that because you own guns, that you should be viewed differently? I don’t know what else to make of that.”

Thursday 2 March 2023 17:25 , Oliver O'Connell

Returning to the question of Murdaugh’s lie, Griffin says: “We are back to the lie. Because that’s all they have in this case, is that Alex lied to them. And he shouldn’t have.”

He reiterates that Murdaugh has admitted to lying and that once he started he had to continue to lie and he should not have.

Griffin argues that it wasn’t rational, but he was in the throes of addiction, and he had just discovered his wife and son dead.

He adds that officers had also swiped Murdaugh’s hands for gunshot residue and he believed he was being questioned by the same SLED agent who investigated his friend.

As the jury has been shown, Murdaugh began lying before that moment in the night.

Thursday 2 March 2023 17:21 , Oliver O'Connell

Griffin also questions why it is such an issue about which body he checked first and when given he had just discovered his wife and son brutally murdered.

He says that the jury heard yesterday about how Maggie was “running to her baby”.

“Alex was running to his baby. And can you imagine what he saw?”

Griffin asks if Murdaugh can be blamed for not recalling the exact sequence of events.

“Is that evidence of guilt or is that evidence of trauma?”

Thursday 2 March 2023 17:17 , Oliver O'Connell

Regarding discrepancies in Murdaugh’s recollection of times from that day, in which he was caught lying about when he last saw Maggie and Paul, Griffin says Murdaugh’s statements about time were not lies but were misstatements.

Murdaugh has admitted to lying about when he last saw them.

Thursday 2 March 2023 17:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Griffin brings up the contention that Murdaugh was not concerned for his other son Buster’s safety in the aftermath of the murders.

Audio is played from Colleton County Deputy Daniel Greene’s body cam footage in which Murdaugh can be heard asking about whether a police officer can be sent to protect Buster up in Columbia.

Thursday 2 March 2023 17:13 , Oliver O'Connell

Regarding the state’s questioning of the 5’2” shooter theory, Griffin argues that they were using SLED’s measurements.

“The most common sense thing here is there were two shooters. There were two guns. One gun was high capacity. … If you’re going down there to execute somebody, one gun is enough,” Griffin argues.

Thursday 2 March 2023 17:09 , Oliver O'Connell

Griffin appears to be drawing to a conclusion.

If Paul and Maggie were killed and Murdaugh was at the house, he would not have heard the shots (as the audio expert witness testified).

However, Griffin then says that if the murders happened at 8.50pm and Murdaugh left the property at 9.07pm, then he had 17 minutes to clean up.

“He’d have to be a magician to make all that evidence disappear.”

Griffin says it is not enough time to clear up all the biological matter from the murders.

Instead, he says, Murdaugh got in his car, called his son, his brother, and his friend, and went to visit his mother.

“He’s got no blood on him. He’s acting normal as every day. He is the same old Alex. Yet their theory is he just blew the people he loved the most in the world, blew them away.”

Thursday 2 March 2023 17:03 , Oliver O'Connell

Griffin raises an interesting point regarding Maggie’s phone — that Murdaugh had the passcode.

Thursday 2 March 2023 17:02 , Oliver O'Connell

Griffin mimics slow steps when discussing Murdaugh’s step count as recorded by his phone when the prosecution says he was moving at his quickest.

“This is Alex scurrying around, according to the state’s case,” Griffin says.

He also notes that there is no evidence that Maggie’s phone never moved together with Murdaugh’s phone in the time after her death.

As to the idea that Murdaugh sped up after allegedly ditching the phone, Griffin says he did, but only from 42mph to 46mph. Griffin says that surely if Murdaugh wanted to establish more of an alibi he would’ve driven slower.

Thursday 2 March 2023 16:54 , Oliver O'Connell

Griffin is working his way through the phone data extracted from Maggie’s phone, occasionally suggesting alternative theories as to what happened and where the phone was — including that someone else had it and was around the side of the shed where footprints were seen.

Griffin only has to emphasise that there may be reasonable doubt in the case, so if his closing is somewhat unfocused, it could be to jumble the clear narrative laid out in the prosecution’s closing argument in the minds of the jury.

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

Griffin starts to play a video clip of Rogan Gibson’s testimony. There is an objection from the state which is sustained.

They are allowed to play the sound only which they do. Gibson’s clip is followed by one of Nolan Tuten, and both men say there were moments when Paul wouldn’t use his phone — for example when working on the farm or at the kennels.

Thursday 2 March 2023 16:41 , Oliver O'Connell

Griffin argues there is no direct evidence of Murdaugh doing anything other than being at the kennel at 8.44pm having a pleasant conversation with his family.

All other evidence is circumstantial, he says. He argues that the evidence can’t just be suspicious, it must point conclusively toward guilt.

He again says that cell phone usage is not an accurate indicator of time of death.

Thursday 2 March 2023 16:38 , Oliver O'Connell

Griffin is working his way through Waters’ closing argument for the state and picking out a selection of factors that he wants the jury to question, including whether Maggie’s phone was thrown from Murdaugh’s car window on the way to Almeda.

He takes offence to the mention of his participation in the HBO documentary on the case in November 2022 (arguing the interview took place months before). He says he was talking about the murder charges.

There is an objection from attorney John Meadors saying that he did talk about that.

Thursday 2 March 2023 16:25 , Oliver O'Connell

Griffin attacks the state’s scenario for how the murders occurred.

He refers to Paul by his mother’s nickname, “the little detective” and posits his own theory that Paul had found the source of his father’s pills and told them to stop.

There is an objection from the prosecution which is sustained.

Griffin turns to the state’s assertion that Murdaugh accused other witnesses of lying. He says the defendant did no such thing.

“I’ve been around long enough to know that witnesses can misremember things.”

He gives the example of Marian Proctor, Maggie’s sister, misremembering when calls happened just before the murders — this does not mean she lied.

Watch LIVE - Alex Murdaugh defence team presents closing argument

Thursday 2 March 2023 16:21 , Oliver O'Connell

Court resumes

Thursday 2 March 2023 16:19 , Oliver O'Connell

Court resumes after a short break.

Griffin begins by saying that prosecution attorney Creighton Waters said in his closing that Maggie and Paul were killed by family guns.

He says the evidence does not show that.

This is especially for the shotgun that killed Paul — it could’ve been bought that afternoon at Walmart he says.

For the Blackout rifle that killed Maggie, the state contends that the shell casings by her body match some near the house.

Griffin says those conclusions are “not gospel”.

He adds that the state says that the replacement Blackout for the one that Paul lost, was bought by the defendant when it was actually bought by Maggie. It was also not owned by the defendant, it was Paul’s.

Neither murder weapon has ever been found.

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

Griffin makes a direct attack on the prosecution saying some of the things they have said are not backed up by the evidence.

He says that “sometimes, folks get caught up in a case” because they want to win.

Court is now on a 10-minute break.

Thursday 2 March 2023 16:02 , Oliver O'Connell

Griffin also argues that when Murdaugh was fired from the law firm on Labor Day Weekend, he didn’t go and kill anyone else, he tried to have himself killed.

“When Alex is at financial collapse, he doesn’t go kill somebody else. He tries to end it himself.”

Thursday 2 March 2023 16:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Griffin says there was no great pressure on Murdaugh on 7 June 2021 regarding his financial crimes. It was a normal day in his “frenetic lifestyle”.

He contends that even if what the state says is the motive is valid, Murdaugh didn’t need to kill his son and wife to distract from his financial problems, because his gravely ill father was already creating a distraction.

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

Griffin plays clips of testimony from the housekeeper Blanca Turrubiate-Simpson and dog caretaker Dale Davis who both say what a loving relationship Murdaugh had with Maggie and the Paul was his best friend.

He builds to arguing that it makes no sense for Murdaugh to suddenly kill them just because his financial crimes were about to come to light.

“What kind of sense does that make?”

Raising his voice he adds: “That is their theory of the case. If you don’t accept that beyond a reasonable doubt, ladies and gentlemen, I submit the verdict has to be not guilty because there is no reason for him to do it, no reason whatsoever.”

Thursday 2 March 2023 15:47 , Oliver O'Connell

Griffin argues against the prosecution’s time of death calculation, calling out their theory that Paul and Maggie died when they did because they stopped using their phones.

He says they contend that if you don’t answer a text as soon as you receive it, you’re dead.

Numerous witnesses testified that Paul was constantly on his phone and was in the middle of a text conversation with Rogan Gibson about the video he filmed of Cash the puppy when suddenly he stopped replying.

Thursday 2 March 2023 15:44 , Oliver O'Connell

Griffin says that Murdaugh lied about his presence at the kennels because he is an addict and that is what addicts do.

He plays the kennel video.

“Four minutes later, the state would have you believe that Alex Murdaugh blew his son’s brains out of his head after having a conversation about Bubba”, the family dog who had attacked a chicken.

“There is nothing on that tape that indicates any strife, any conflict, any anger … anybody being afraid, anybody running, anybody scurrying. Nothing. It’s Maggie, Paul, and Alex down at the kennel. That’s it.”

Thursday 2 March 2023 15:39 , Oliver O'Connell

Regarding the infamous blue raincoat, Griffin notes that no one in the family recognised it as Murdaugh’s or anyone else’s.

He also says SLED misled Murdaugh’s brother John Marvin as to where it had been found.

Griffin says that pieces of evidence presented to the Colleton County grand jury to get the indictment “weren’t true” — GSR on the raincoat, the blood spatter, and how they said the shotguns were loaded.

Thursday 2 March 2023 15:35 , Oliver O'Connell

Griffin says that after the roadside shooting incident, Murdaugh was an “easy target” for SLED.

He then accuses them of “fabricating evidence against Alex”.

As a former state and federal prosecutor, Griffin says: “I don’t make that claim lightly.”

“They came up with a report that said Alex’s T-shirt had high-velocity blood spatter on it. … That means you’re within feet of a shooting.”

Griffin says when that was proven wrong the moved to their “Mr Clean theory” in which Murdaugh rinsed off with the hose after the murders.

Thursday 2 March 2023 15:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Continuing, he says that despite Murdaugh’s insistence that SLED should pull data from his SUV believing it would show he did not move anywhere with Maggie’s phone and ditch it by the road to Almeda.

SLED failed to do that he says and did not follow up. The data only came through when GM got in touch during the trial.

Regarding Maggie’s phone, he says they did not properly store it to prevent location data from being overwritten. Her phone was put in airplane mode. Griffin insists it should have been placed in a faraday bag.

Thursday 2 March 2023 15:23 , Oliver O'Connell

Griffin walks the jury through what he considers are SLED’s failures during the investigation.

What happened to the hairs found in Maggie’s hands?

Why didn’t SLED take footprint impressions from around the feed room?

Why wasn’t there a more professional search of the crime scene?

He returns to his argument that the “no danger to the public” statement shows they had already decided that Murdaugh was the killer.

Thursday 2 March 2023 15:19 , Oliver O'Connell

Turning to evidence heard during the trial, Griffin begins with the joint statement issues by the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office and SLED in which they said the day after the murders that there was “no danger to the public”.

He argues that Murdaugh was considered a prime suspect from day one.

“Does that tell you that on June 8, law enforcement had decided it had to be Alex Murdaugh? It’s a fair question for you to ask yourselves. It’s a question that has not been fairly answered in this trial.”

Griffin continues to say that from then Murdaugh was “at the mercy of SLED” to remove himself from the investigative circle.

He adds: “SLED failed miserably in investigating this case. And had they done a competent job, Alex would have been excluded from that circle a year ago, two years ago. But he would have been excluded.”

Thursday 2 March 2023 15:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Griffin also makes a point of explaining the legal system in Scotland in which there are three options: Guilty, Not Guilty, and Not Proven.

In the US, he says, Not Proven is lumped in with Not Guilty.

He is indicating that finding Murdaugh “Not Guilty” does not mean he is innocent.

Murdaugh defence begins closing argument

Thursday 2 March 2023 15:06 , Oliver O'Connell

Attorney Jim Griffin is presenting the closing argument for defendant Alex Murdaugh.

He begins by praising the jury system in this country but wishes there could be some interaction between the jury and lawyers so that he could answer their questions.

Griffin plans to try and answer questions he believes they may have after hearing all the evidence.

He makes a big point of reminding the jury that Murdaugh is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Griffin compares what they are doing to instant replay in sports. The referee’s decision stands unless the instant replay definitively shows the call was wrong.

The decision here is that Murdaugh is innocent and the evidence must definitively prove he is not.

When they cast their jury ballots, Griffin says “if there is any reasonable cause for you to hesitate when you write ‘guilty,’ then the law requires you to write ‘not guilty.’”

Thursday 2 March 2023 14:57 , Oliver O'Connell

The jury is brought in.

Juror 254 is upgraded from an alternate to the main jury panel.

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

No one was eggspecting this development:

Thursday 2 March 2023 14:54 , Oliver O'Connell

Juror 785 is brought into court and Judge Newman informs her of his decision.

“It’s going to require me to remove you from the jury. You have been, by all accounts, a great juror.”

He says she has been attentive and performed well, always smiling.

“With all the time you’ve invested in the case, you probably hate not to continue, or maybe you want to go,” says Judge Newman.

“I’m not suggesting you intentionally did anything wrong.”

Asked if she has left anything behind in the jury room, there is a comical moment when she says she has left her purse and a dozen eggs.

They are retrieved and she is sent on her way with her eggs and an instruction to wait until after the trial to speak about the case if she so wishes, otherwise, her identity will remain confidential.

Thursday 2 March 2023 14:49 , Oliver O'Connell

Lead defence attorney Dick Harpootlian voices an objection about the juror issue and how it was investigated.

He argues that SLED handled the investigation and one agent handling it was a witness in the trial and another was an investigator in the Murdaugh murders.

“It is muddled. But we would defer to your judgment,” he tells Judge Newman.

Harpootlian adds: “SLED has made another bad judgment in this case. This is just a continuum of a calamity of errors.”

Court resumes - a juror will be removed

Thursday 2 March 2023 14:44 , Oliver O'Connell

Court resumes, Judge Clifton Newman presiding.

The first order of business is the removal of a juror.

Judge Newman says he received an email accusing a juror of engaging in conversation about the trial.

Having met with the juror in question, she denied the story. They contacted the person she allegedly had the conversation and two other people were interviewed in an in-chambers on-the-record hearing about their contact with the juror.

“The juror has had contact or discussions concerning the case with at least three individuals, though it does not appear the discussion was that extensive.”

However, the juror did offer her opinion on evidence at the trial.

She will be removed from the panel.

We are now down to 12 jurors with only one alternate remaining.

Watch LIVE - Alex Murdaugh defence team presents closing argument

Thursday 2 March 2023 14:32 , Oliver O'Connell

Day 28 of Murdaugh trial: What to expect today

Thursday 2 March 2023 14:15 , Rachel Sharp

On Thursday morning, the defence will deliver its closing argument as it seeks to convince the jury that Alex Murdaugh is innocent of the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul.

Once closing arguments are complete, the jury will be given its instructions from Judge Clifton Newman.

Jury deliberations will begin – where the panel of 12 will decide Mr Murdaugh’s fate.

It could then be a matter of hours or days before there will be a verdict in the case.

Moselle: The jury visit in pictures

Thursday 2 March 2023 14:00 , Rachel Sharp

On Wednesday, jurors were taken on a tour of the Moselle property where Maggie and Paul were brutally shot dead on 7 June 2021.

After, a media pool visited the site capturing the scene.

Here’s what they saw.

Day 27 in a nutshell:

Thursday 2 March 2023 13:40 , Rachel Sharp

Moselle visit – The jury was escorted to Moselle to see for themselves the dog kennels and grounds of the Murdaugh’s family home where Maggie and Paul were shot dead.

Prosecutor’s closing argument – Creighton Waters delivered his closing argument for the state urging jurors “don’t be fooled” by Alex Murdaugh’s lies.

“Gathering storm” – Mr Waters said that the disgraced attorney’s “gathering storm” of financial crimes, opioid addiction and years of “living a lie” culminated with him becoming a “family annihilator”.

Means, motive, opportunity – The prosecutor told jurors how “family guns” were used in the attack and how Paul’s cellphone video placed Mr Murdaugh at the scene of the murders.

Lying about his alibi – Mr Waters said the kennel video “changed everything” by not only placing Mr Murdaugh at the scene but also showing that he lied to investigators trying to catch his family’s killer. “Why would he even think to lie about that if he was an innocent man?”

Lying on the stand – Mr Waters went on to accuse Mr Murdaugh of continuing his web of lies on the witness stand, including the very reasons he gave for lying to investigators about his alibi for the night of the murders.

RECAP Day 27: Prosecutor’s closing argument describes Murdaugh’s ‘gathering storm’ into ‘family annihilator’

Thursday 2 March 2023 13:20 , Rachel Sharp

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

In Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Wednesday, prosecutor Creighton Waters described how the once-powerful attorney had spent years “on the hamster wheel” avoiding accountabilty as he stole millions of dollars from his law firm and its clients.

While keeping up the pretence of a respected attorney and carrying on his prominent family’s legacy, he had actually been “living a lie” for the last decade and the “pressure became overwhelming”.

The storm then “crescendoed” to that “day of reckoning” on 7 June 2021 when Mr Murdaugh turned into a “family annihilator”, shooting his wife and son dead on the grounds of the wealthy family’s sprawling 1,700-acre Moselle estate.

“After an exhaustive investigation, there is only one person that had the motive, that had the means, that had the opportunity to commit these crimes,” he said.

“And whose guilty conduct after these crimes betrays him.

“The defendant is the one person who was living a lie. The one person who a storm was descending on. And the one person whose own storm would mean consequences for Maggie and Paul. And that person is the defendant Richard Alexander Murdaugh.”

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:

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

RECAP Day 27: Jury visits Moselle estate where murders took place

Thursday 2 March 2023 13:00 , Rachel Sharp

The jury in Alex Murdaugh’s high-profile murder trial is visiting 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 – were 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.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp reports:

Alex Murdaugh jury visits Moselle estate where wife and son were murdered

Minute-by-minute timeline maps out the night of Murdaugh murders

Thursday 2 March 2023 12:40 , Rachel Sharp

What happened at Moselle on the night of 7 June 2021?

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

When will there be a verdict?

Thursday 2 March 2023 12:20 , Rachel Sharp

After five and half weeks of testimony, the jury in the double-murder trial of Alex Murdaugh is expected to begin deliberations on Thursday.

Before they begin to consider a verdict, the 12 jurors and two alternates visited the scene of the crime — the dog kennels and feed room at the Murdaugh family’s 1,700-acre Moselle estate.

It was there that Mr Murdaugh is accused of brutally murdering his wife Maggie, 52, and younger son Paul, 22, were brutally murdered on 7 June 2021.

Mr Murdaugh has pleaded not guilty.

The Independent’s Oliver O’Connell reports on when we can expect a verdict in the case:

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

WATCH: Prosecutor delivers dramatic closing argument

Thursday 2 March 2023 12:00 , Rachel Sharp

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