A homicide trial within the southern state of South Carolina has captured the eye of individuals throughout the United States, because the high-powered lawyer Alex Murdaugh, 54, stands accused of killing his spouse and son.
Appearing in courtroom on Friday, Murdaugh was questioned about inconsistencies in his story concerning the evening Maggie Murdaugh, 52, and their 22-year-old son Paul have been shot to demise.
The homicide case has garnered outsized nationwide consideration within the US, a rustic with a penchant for homicide mysteries. That the investigation centres on a suspect who belongs to a robust and well-connected household has made the case all of the extra carefully watched.
Who is Alex Murdaugh?
Hailing from the swampy, coastal low nation of South Carolina, Murdaugh is the scion of a outstanding household of legal professionals who’ve held sway within the area for nearly a century.
Three family members have held public workplace as solicitors for South Carolina’s 14th Circuit Court — together with Murdaugh’s father.
Murdaugh adopted in his father’s footsteps, additionally changing into a lawyer. In 1993, he married Maggie Branstetter and had two youngsters, Paul and Buster.
But the double murder has renewed scrutiny of the Murdaughs and the facility the household has wielded.
While Murdaugh has denied the homicide allegations, he has admitted to mendacity to investigators and funnelling giant sums of cash from shoppers and authorized companions to assist fund an opioid habit.
On prime of the alleged murders, Murdaugh is going through fees for greater than 100 different crimes, together with monetary crimes like tax evasion.
He was arrested in October 2021 on monetary fees, together with acquiring property beneath false pretences, after leaving a drug rehabilitation facility in Florida.
What do we all know concerning the murders?
Emergency providers operators acquired a 911 cellphone name from Murdaugh on the night of June 7, 2021, saying he had discovered the our bodies of his spouse and youngster outdoors their looking lodge in Colleton County, a rural a part of South Carolina.
Investigators mentioned Maggie Murdaugh was killed by 4 or 5 rifle pictures, whereas Paul was killed by two blasts from a shotgun. The our bodies of the mom and son have been found near the canine kennels on the household’s sprawling property.
Prosecutors have accused Murdaugh of finishing up the killings to generate sympathy as woes from his monetary crimes piled up.
But the precise circumstances main as much as the killings stay unclear. In the preliminary months following the deaths, Murdaugh indicated he was not near the canine kennels on the time of the taking pictures.
Prosecutors, nevertheless, have used video from his son’s iPhone to point out Murdaugh’s voice was recorded on the system 5 minutes earlier than the cellphone grew to become inactive — which they allege locations Murdaugh on the scene of the homicide.
Murdaugh has mentioned he left to go to his ailing mom and solely found the our bodies on his return.
Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal reveals the stunning true story of how the unintended demise of a teenage woman led to 2 extra murders and uncovered a century of corruption by considered one of South Carolina’s most outstanding households. Now on Netflix. pic.twitter.com/rU6QbeFrhY
— Netflix (@netflix) February 22, 2023
What has been the general public response?
The murders have fuelled intense public scrutiny, with reside information protection of the courtroom proceedings and a high-profile TV collection dedicated to unravelling the thriller.
The video streaming service Netflix launched a docuseries titled Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal on February 22, and HBO Max launched a mini-series on the murders in November 2022.
This style of tv appeals to a broad viewers throughout the US. According to a 2022 YouGov ballot, half of adults within the nation mentioned they loved true crime content material, with 13 p.c stating it was their favorite style.
One viewers member following the proceedings even crocheted dolls representing Clifton Newman, the choose on the case, and prosecutor Creighton Waters. Images of the dolls have since gone viral, in keeping with the South Carolina paper The State.
What have been the most recent developments?
In testimony this week, Murdaugh speculated that the shootings have been geared toward his son Paul, who had been drunk-driving a ship that crashed and killed a passenger.
Murdaugh additionally insisted he has tried to assist investigators clear up the homicide of his spouse and youngster.
“Other than lying to them about going to the kennels, I was cooperative in every aspect of this investigation,” Murdaugh mentioned.
“Very cooperative except maybe the most important fact of all, that you were at the murder scene with the victims just minutes before they died,” prosecutor Waters shot again.
On Friday, Murdaugh additionally mentioned he had been consuming greater than 2,000 milligrams of oxycodone throughout a few of the days main as much as the deaths.
“Opiates gave me energy. Whatever I was doing it made it more interesting. It made me want to do it longer,” he testified.
Murdaugh’s remaining son Buster Murdaugh additionally testified this week, defending his father. He described the elder Murdaugh as emotionally distraught within the days following the murders.
“He was destroyed. He was heartbroken,” Buster Murdaugh mentioned.