Prosecutors allege that Murdaugh, who has pleaded not guilty to four charges, murdered his family in a deranged scheme to garner sympathy and halt questions about his years-long scheme of stealing money from his law firm and clients. The residue came when Murdaugh picked up a shotgun after checking his wife and son for signs of life and calling 911 in case their killers were still on his property, Harpootlian said. "The arrests in this case are only the first step in that process.". Sept. 7: Law firm says Murdaugh left due to money misuse, Alex Murdaugh's former law firm, PetersMurdaugh Parker Eltzroth & Detrick, released a statement saying Murdaugh formally resigned Sept. 3 and that "he is no longer associated with PMPED in any manner. Published: Feb. 13, 2023 at 2:47 PM PST WALTERBORO, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - The fourth week of the murder trial of Alex Murdaugh began on Monday. John Marvin Murdaugh said he does not believe Alex Murdaugh killed his wife and son, but acknowledged that police may know more than he does. You can share rumors, but they must be clearly labeled as rumors. Wake up to the day's most important news. The law firm said later that he Asked about the photos this month, John Marvin Murdaugh said they show him and the investigators trying to find Maggie Murdaughs cell phone using an app on Maggies remaining son Buster Murdaughs phone. 3:34 p.m. John Marvin cleaned crime scene the day after murders. The defense, however, has argued that Murdaugh had no motivation to murder his wife and son that several witnesses have described as his top priority. A camouflage Benelli 12-gauge shotgun from the Moselle Road property that was swabbed showed DNA contributed by two people: Maggie and Alex Murdaugh. "I still couldn't believe it could be them or that it could be true.". He also enlisted a hit man to kill him so his surviving son, Buster, could cash in on his $10 million life insurance policy, one of his attorneys said. "I love my law firm family and also love Alex as my brother. One possibility is that Paul and Maggie Murdaughs killings were in some way an effort on Alex Murdaughs part to prevent authorities who were looking into the boat crash from discovering his elaborate web of other alleged criminal behavior. Though the most significant aspect is that Johns connection with his loved ones ostensibly Rowe, who worked at the property. WALTERBORO, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - The fourth week of the murder trial of Alex Murdaugh began on Monday. Murdaugh will return to rehab, according to his attorney, and will change to an out-of-state rehab facility afterwards. Defense attorney Phillip Barber asked if the DNA was submitted to CODIS, the FBIs DNA database, but Zapata said it did not meet the requirements for CODIS because the sample contained only three alleles. "I know he's struggling with it, and I just can't imagine what's going through his mind. Alex Murdaugh's attorneys didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. What Was Alex Murdaugh's Motive For Killing His Wife And Son? We had great opportunities.". Buster Murdaugh and John Marvin Murdaugh//Image Credit: WCBD NEWS 2. The family's spokesperson later offered a clarification regarding the shooting, saying, "Alex had an entry and exit wound, his skull was fractured and it was not a self-inflicted bullet wound. In this booking photo released on Sept. 16, 2021, by the Hampton County Detention Center, Alex Murdaugh is shown. He was also the second family member to testify on behalf of Murdaugh. He is the 14th defense witness called overall during the six-week trial. Alex murdaugh shot Paul through the open door, while he was sitting on that 4wheeler, that he decided to ride down to the kennels, then, he shot Maggie, they said her leg had a smear from a 4wheeler tire, not forgetting he lured Maggie and Paul to be home on the same day, and to be at the kennels at the exact time, and he lifted Paul body and tried to open his phone, but he couldn't, so he placed his phone in his back pocket, the clothes, he had clean clothes on that 4wheeler with him, he had no blood on him because he shot Paul through the open door, that would have made him 5'2-5'4 sitting down on it. Randy and John said they don't know who could have committed the gruesome crime. She testified that she did not find any defensive wounds on Maggie either. And I just started cleaning, he said about his decision to clean the feed room, while Murdaugh looked down and began to cry several feet away at the defense table. I ask for prayers as I rehabilitate myself and my relationships," he said. He is accused of killing his wife Maggie and 22-year-old son Paul in June 2021, Slate reports. "He would try to talk and then he would break down," Randy added. Buster, Murdaughs only surviving son, briefly took the stand last week about his nuclear family dynamics, noting that while the four of them were close there were tensions surrounding his fathers decades-long addiction to opioids. Her sons claim that they received none of the proceeds from a $4.3 million settlement that was orchestrated secretly by Alex Murdaugh, according to a lawsuit filed against their mothers employer and others. Since then, there have been curveballs in the investigation including Alex Murdaugh's alleged money misuse that led to the suspension of his law license, and other allegations of an opioid addiction, an assisted-suicide attempt and a $10 million insurance fraud scheme. Randolph Murdaugh III died three days after Maggie and Paul Murdaughs deaths after he fell ill, his law firm announced at the time. "And I can't imagine the horror that my brother's experiencing.". By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. ", "Avarice and betrayal of trust are at the heart of this matter," the families said in a statement through their lawyers. ", June 22: Authorities reopen probe into 2015 death of Stephen Smith. This is not the first time John Marvin has spoken out in defense of his older brother. Opiates gave me energy, Murdaugh said. Police still have not said whether any new evidence was uncovered from Maggies phone. The evidence has not yet been released, but the state disclosed they will be calling an additional witness in connection with the data. The prosecution said ammunition cartridges found around Maggie Murdaughs body had markings that matched other cartridges fired at a range on the property and other locations. State law enforcement officials also announced, none of the proceeds from a $4.3 million settlement. His mom and his brother were just killed.". State investigators allege that about $3.4 million was stolen after legal fees were paid. Sept. 13: SLED investigates missing money from law firm. Barber had Zapata count 74 cuttings taken from Alex Murdaughs shirt, all of which tested negative for human blood. Maggie Murdaugh, the wife of embattled South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh, left her property to him in her will before she and their son were mysteriously killed in June, according to a copy of her last will and testament. I just dont know.". ", Sept. 6: Murdaugh announces resignation, enters rehab. Alex Murdaugh publicly announced that he resigned from his law firm and will enter rehab. He is accused of killing his wife Maggie and 22-year-old son Paul in June 2021, NCJA | 700 K St. NW, Washington, DC 20001 | 202-628-8550 |. Their brother, Richard Alexander "Alex" Murdaugh, had called 911 just after 10 p.m. I was outside with the dogs," Randy recalled. Its the hardest thing Ive ever been through in my life., Prosecutors say that Paul Murdaugh was fatally shot outside the feed room near the dog kennels of the South Carolina property on June 7, 2021and that his mother, Maggie, was killed nearby. Maggie Murdaughs phone locks forever about 30 seconds later, Waters said. The two brothers recalled how "smitten" Alex was from the moment he met Maggie and how "he truly doted on her.". The phone, the Packet previously reported, was given to the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED). It made everything better. John Marvin was the third member of the Murdaugh family to testify, after his nephew, Buster, and Murdaugh himself. Alex Murdaughthe attorney from a prominent South Carolina family who is suspected of committing a staggering number of crimes that were revealed after of a fatal 2019 boat crashwas indicted Thursday for murder. Both Randy and Alex are lawyers at the firm, while Alex also works as a part time prosecutor for the 14th Judicial Circuit. Buster, he said, told SLED compared the sample to C.B. Buster and I, along with Maggie's mother, father and our entire family, ask that anyone with helpful information should immediately call the SLED tip line or Crime Stoppers. The newspaper was the first to report the document, which was later obtained by NBC News. We see it on the news. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. It made me want to do it longer. Zapata testified that no useful DNA was found on the blue raincoat discovered at the home of Alex Murdaughs mother during the investigation. I have made a lot of decisions that I truly regret. Duffie Stone, the 14th circuit solicitor appointed in 2006, the first non-Murdaugh to hold the position since 1920, recused himself from the case because of personal connections. Jailed in Richland County and facing more than 90 criminal charges and 11 lawsuits, Murdaugh has had his assets placed under the control of court-appointed John and Randy stayed there for hours, comforting their brother, until they finally convinced him to leave. Murdaugh, 54, is standing trial on two counts of murder. Alex Murdaugh's former law firm filed a lawsuit alleging that he funneled stolen money from clients and the law firm into a fake bank account for years. Both sides of the trial asked the judge to consider delaying the case due to the virus, expressing concerns that if more jurors become ill and have to be released, the case could end in a mistrial. If (Woodward) can explain why hes running again, Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Maggie Murdaugh signed the will in August 2005, according to a report Sunday in The Island Packet newspaper of Hilton Head. He has also since been charged with executing multiple fraud and embezzlement schemes that were ongoing at the time of the crash; these included an alleged attempt to commit insurance fraud in order to benefit from the 2018 death of a housekeeper at one of the Murdaugh familys properties. Due to stippling on her body, Riemer said two of the gunshot wounds were fired by someone within three feet of Maggie Murdaugh. I mean, in his pants.. Buster, he said, told him that he and his mother shared locations with each other and he could ping it. A major twist in the case came when Alex Murdaugh called authorities saying he was shot in the head in Hampton County on Sept. 4. He doesnt know why, Harpootlian said, gesturing toward the prosecutor. We dont know why. "These charges stem from a SLED investigation into misappropriated settlement funds in the death of Gloria Satterfield," SLED said in a statement. The Murdaughs are a prominent legal family in the Palmetto State, with three generations serving as the elected solicitor in the 14th Judicial Circuit for 87 consecutive years. "He said, 'Come as fast as you can. Proctor's name was crossed out in pen and Randolph Murdaugh III, Maggie Murdaughs father-in law, was handwritten above it. Alex is not without fault but he is just one of many whose life has been devastated by opioid addiction," the lawyers' statement continued. The next morning, John Marvin told jurors while several people were at the propertys main house, he felt the need to go down to the crime scene to see for himself what had gone on and just kind of take it in.. A defense lawyer said prosecutors incorrectly locked in on Murdaughs guilt from the start and have spent all that time trying to jam bits of evidence that can be explained away or leave an incomplete picture into a story that frames the wrong man. Randy and John said their father, whom they described as "a wonderful person," had been "sick" for a while and that they would have liked his death to be more a celebration of life, but their tight-knit family was reeling from the unsolved murders. Murdaugh is charged with killing his wife and son on their property in June 2021. They said he could not be visually excluded but it is 11 times more likely the sample was from someone else. The alleged conspiracy led to a $505,000 settlement, but Satterfield's sons claim they haven't gotten any of that settlement money, which was agreed upon in December 2018, the lawsuit claimed. She took the stand to explain graphic photographs from her investigation to the jury and said the gunman was likely within three feet of Paul Murdaugh. "Fortunately, Alex was not killed by the gunshot wound. The whole family is suffering," John told ABC News. He told authorities he had been out at the time of the shooting and found his wife and son dead when he arrived home, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) said in a later news release. In cross-examination, the defense reiterated that Alex Murdaugh said he checked Maggie and Paul both for pulses when he found their bodies. Tanner told FITSnews earlier this month, then he should be prepared to debate this time, where he can explain to people why he was caught hanging out at the Murdaugh murder scene.. Just days later, the family patriarch, Randolph Murdaugh III, died in a hospital at the age of 81. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. The law firm said later that he resigned only after it was discovered that he was alleged to have misappropriated funds from the firm. But like a lot of things that are complicated, we start to put them all together, piecing together like a puzzle all the sudden, a picture emerges.. Murdaugh turned himself in at the Hampton County Detention Center. Marian was like, No, John, I want you to handle it. So Im going to do whatever the court asked me to do, and Im also going to do what I think is best for Maggie," John Marvin Murdaugh said. Zapata said the DNA could have been transferred from her touching an object or person. Alex Murdaugh is in jail on a slew of charges, most of them financial counts. A day later, Smith admitted to being present during the Murdaugh shooting and disposing the firearm afterward. Murdaughs lawyer Dick Harpootlian said on Good Morning America Friday that health records show Murdaugh had drugs in his system when he was shot on Sept. 4. 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