SCROLL DOWN FOR UPDATES …
Odds of a hung jury in the double homicide trial of disbarred South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh increased exponentially on Wednesday when attorneys for the accused killer scored some major gains during a cross-examination of the lead investigator for the state.
Most significantly, Murdaugh attorney Jim Griffin delivered a masterful cross-examination of senior special agent David Owen of the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED), zeroing in on sworn statements Owen provided to grand jurors that certainly appear to have been based on inaccurate information.
Griffin also detailed disputed evidence – including the controversial blood spatter findings the state has abandoned in its attempts to build sufficient circumstantial evidence to warrant convictions against Murdaugh.
Murdaugh stands accused of killing his wife, 52-year-old Maggie Murdaugh, and youngest son, 22-year-old Paul Murdaugh, on his family’s hunting property in Colleton County, S.C. on June 7, 2021. He pleaded not guilty to those charges and is currently standing trial in Walterboro – part of the Lowcountry region of the Palmetto State which the Murdaugh family ruled like a fiefdom for more than a century.
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It wasn’t necessarily that Owen was bad during his testimony, it was that Griffin put multiple incisive interrogatories to him exposing key flaws in the state’s investigation – significantly elevating the level of reasonable doubt in this case.
As a result, on a day when the state desperately needed to tie its case together … things unraveled.
Prosecutors – already under pressure to deliver the goods in this case – now find their backs squarely up against the wall as time is running out for them to tie together their decidedly discombobulated, non-chronological narrative.
What a difference two weeks makes, right?
The unspooling could continue today (Thursday, February 16, 2023) as the state is expected to dive into the details of a bizarre September 4, 2021 roadside shooting incident involving Murdaugh that S.C. circuit court judge Clifton Newman originally ruled could not be brought into evidence.
Newman reversed his ruling late Wednesday and allowed the state to address the roadside shooting after Griffin opened the door to it (deliberately?) during his cross-examination of Owen.
To view yesterday’s feed detailing all of these developments, click here.
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THE POLLS …
At the opening gavel of each day of the trial, we will launch two new polls asking readers to weigh in on 1) whether they think Alex Murdaugh is guilty or not guilty of murdering his late wife, Maggie Murdaugh and, 2) whether they think he is guilty or not guilty of murdering his late son, Paul Murdaugh.
The goal of our daily polls is to track how perceptions of Murdaugh’s guilt or innocence related to the murders of his two alleged victims have evolved over the course of the trial.
As of late yesterday, 83 percent of respondents believed Murdaugh was guilty of killing his wife compared to seven percent who said he was not guilty and eight percent who said they were unsure. These percentages were identical to the responses received when our audience was asked about whether they believed Murdaugh killed his son.
Here are today’s polls …
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QUESTION ONE …
Based on the information you have now, is Alex Murdaugh guilty or not guilty of the murder of Maggie Murdaugh?
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QUESTION TWO …
Based on the information you have now, is Alex Murdaugh guilty or not guilty of the murder of Paul Murdaugh?
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THE FEED …
4:03 p.m. EST – Court has ended for the day.
4:02 p.m. EST – Shortly after turn onto old Salkehatchie – he pulled over and punctures his tire. Curtis drives past Alex and Alex turns back to Curtis. When Murdaugh is four or five feet away, Alex stood there waiting to be shot, Curtis fires once. Alex falls to the ground “still not positive about that part” Alex loses vision. “Why weren’t you truthful to us when this initially happened?” “I was in a bad bad bad place”
3:53 p.m. EST – Murdaugh says that Eddie Smith’s girlfriend did not help him get drugs. When they ask if Murdaugh owns property in Huger, SC and he confirms stating Eddie Smith had been digging ditches for him at this property. This is the property owned by the LLCs 0 United Drive and Redbeard.
3:43 p.m. EST – Murdaugh tells investigators in the call that he called Eddie Smith while staying in the hospital in Savannah on Monday night. Murdaugh stated he did not pay Eddie Smith any money to kill him.
3:42 p.m. EST – Murdaugh tells investigators that he got the .38 from his mom’s house and he does not know where the gun went after the shooting. When asked if Randy Murdaugh has knowledge of the attempted suicide, Murdaugh says he told his brothers, Buster and his attorneys the day prior.
3:38 p.m. EST – Murdaugh tells investigators that he paid Eddie primarily from his Bank of America accounts in his name and dba Forge. When asked who Eddie was getting drugs from, he says he didn’t know, but it was a black guy in Walterboro. He states he also gave money to Kenny Hughes to get him drugs. He states he paid Kenny in both check and cash. He states he didn’t pay anyone else. Griffin asks if he is sure about that and Murdaugh says in the past he had paid other people including Barbara Mixon.
3:33 p.m. EST – During the questioning by phone, Murdaugh tells his attorney that he met Smith down Salkehatchie Road and gave him the gun. The gun was a .38 revolver.
3:30 p.m. EST – Murdaugh’s voice seems shaky on the phone. He tells his attorney that he thought it would be better if he wasn’t here anymore. He explains that he decided to end his life to ensure his life insurance money went to his family. During questioning, Murdaugh says he gave Eddie Smith $40,000 to $50,000 a week for pills.
3:28 p.m. EST – Why is Jim Griffin asking all the questions during an interview for SLED?
3:23 p.m. EST – Kelly says that Blanca Simpson told him that just prior to the roadside shooting Murdaugh asked her for copies of his medical insurance cards. Investigators reached out to Dick Harpootlian on September 7, 2021 to obtain another interview. Harpootlian told them that he was in an out-of-state rehab facility in Atlanta. They tried unsuccessfully to go to Atlanta to interview him in person. They were able to obtain a telephone interview on September 13, 2021. This interview is being played for the jury.
3:18 p.m. EST – SLED went to Smith’s home and identified the truck seen in the video. Kelly states that a check ledger found in Smith’s house showed hundreds of thousands of dollars being deposited in an Enterprise Bank account by Smith. Given Smith lives in a modest home with a modest vehicle, this raised red flags.
3:12 p.m. EST – Kelly says SLED agents reviewed surveillance footage from the church down the road from the shooting site. Surveillance footage showed Smith’s truck driving by at 1:25 p.m. Murdaugh’s Mercedes followed about 20 seconds later. Smith’s truck was seen driving back the opposite direction from the opposite way that Murdaugh’s Mercedes had been at 1:30 p.m.
3:08 p.m. EST – Kelly testifies that on the evening of September 6, 2021, Randy Murdaugh called Special Agent Owen and told him that Murdaugh was making calls to unknown phone numbers. Randy provided those numbers to SLED agents. Randy also told SLED agents that Murdaugh was trying to convince medical center staff to allow him to use his phones. One nurse told them that Murdaugh was offering them money to use their phone. The name of Curtis Edward Smith was given to them and they traced the number back to him.
3:05 p.m. EST – Kelly states on September 6, 2021, he went back to the hospital in Savannah, Georgia with a sketch artist to create a sketch of the subject who Murdaugh claimed shot him. Kelly says during this interview, Murdaugh responded appropriately to the questions asked of him and that his story was consistent with the previous versions he had related to law enforcement. Murdaugh continued to claim the assailant was unknown and participated in the creation of a sketch of the suspect.
3:03 p.m. EST – Both Alex Murdaugh and Eddie Smith’s DNA was found on the knife. Kelly states that prior going to Salkehatchie Road, Murdaugh had met with Chris Wilson to discuss Murdaugh’s termination from the law firm and the missing $192,000 fees missing from the Farris case.
3:01 p.m. EST – Kelly testifies on September 5, 2021 SLED agents returned to the shooting scene and found a gray utility knife in the grass across the road from where the Mercedes stopped.
2:56 p.m. EST – Kelly states that the story Murdaugh gave him when he arrived at the hospital to interview him was consistent with what he told the first responding officers and the 9-1-1 operator. Kelly says Murdaugh described the driver as a very nice looking male between 35-40 years of age. Kelly says Murdaugh identified the weapon that shot him as a 22 caliber pistol. Murdaugh stated it was someone he did not know, but that he would be able to identify them if he saw them again.
2:53 p.m. EST – The BWC footage of the first responding officer is now being played. Murdaugh says all he heard was a gunshot, but that it sounded like a shotgun. He tells the officer he thinks the vehicle of the shooter was a GMC but is not totally positive. He told the officer that he lost his vision when it first happened.
2:48 p.m. EST – It appears the technical issues have been resolved. The jury is being brought back into court and the 9-1-1 call is being played. Kelly confirms that Murdaugh said someone had shot him, but did not identify the shooter.
2:35 p.m. EST – Waters plays the 9-1-1 call Murdaugh made on September 4, 2021 for the court. Disregard… They can’t get the call to play so the jury has been sent to the jury room.
2:30 p.m. EST – Kelly states that en route to the scene he received word that Murdaugh was being treated at a hospital in Savannah and responded to the hospital first. Kelly confirms the vehicle on the scene was Maggie Murdaugh’s Mercedes. Kelly says when he arrived on the scene he noticed the driver side rear flat tire. He noticed that the tire was a run flat. When they examined it, they saw a puncture wound on the sidewall of the tire.
2:27 p.m. EST – The State has called SLED Senior Special Agent Ryan Kelly. Kelly confirms his role in the Moselle homicide investigation was tangental. He was the lead agent of the roadside shooting incident on September 4, 2021. He states the shooting occurred around 1:26 p.m.
2:25 p.m. EST – Court has resumed. Judge Newman explains to the court that it is his practice to appoint a foreperson for the jury.
1:01 p.m. EST – Judge Newman has called for a lunch recess. He has appointed juror number 826 as the foreperson from this point forward. Court will resume at 2:15 p.m. EST.
12:57 p.m. EST – Waters asks Kinsey if he was told to make his own conclusions regarding the investigation. Kinsey confirms that all his conclusions were independent of prior reports. Kinsey says shooting events can be fluid situations meaning victims and shooters can move. Waters has completed re-direct. Harpootlian has another question.
12:55 p.m. EST – Kinsey asks if he can stand for a moment. Judge Newman tells everyone to stand. I feel Kinsey’s pain. No further questions from the defense. Waters begins his re-direct.
12:50 p.m. EST – Kinsey states there is no way to positively determine trajectory of Maggie’s wounds because both the victim and the shooter were likely moving.
12:43 p.m. EST – Kinsey tells Harpootlian that his only assertion about Paul’s phone being laid on his butt was that he couldn’t have possibly put it there.
12:41 p.m. EST – Kinsey says he is aware of the Bevel report, but did not rely on it to make his determinations.
12:38 p.m. EST – Kinsey says the first shot was fired parallel to the ground. The second was fired from around 135 degrees from the door frame. The entrance wound on Paul’s chest was 4’3″ or 4’4″. Harpootlian puts the gun away.
12:35 p.m. EST – Harpootlian asks if a shotgun is typically shot from the should and Kinsey confirms. He said he cannot testify to the mechanics of how the shooter was positioned for the second shot, just the angle.
12:32 p.m. EST – Kinsey confirms that the second shot to Paul Murdaugh could have been fired from outside the door frame of the feed room.
12:24 p.m. EST – Kinsey tells the court that since there is no shot damage to the door frame, it indicates the shotgun barrel was inside the doorway because the pellets spread out after being shot. Kinsey confirms that he believes whoever shot Paul did not shoot him from their shoulder. The angle of the trajectory indicated it was lower when it fired.
12:20 p.m. EST – Kinsey states that he reviewed Dr. Riemer’s measurements, but he relied on his own measurements to make his determination. Harpootlian also establishes that Chief Deputy Kinsey is not aware of any stippling on Paul’s shoulder. This would be expected for a close-range shotgun blast.
12:17 p.m. EST – Kinsey confirms that stippling does not wipe off. It’s basically tattooed onto the skin.
12:14 p.m. EST – Dick Harpootlian has broken out his protractor.
12:10 p.m. EST – When Kinsey asked Dr. Riemer to view the crime scene photos, she stated that she doesn’t have experience with crime scene analysis. Harpootlian asks Kinsey about Paul’s height discrepancy. He states that he split the difference under the assumption that Paul may have grown since his license was obtained and that Dr. Riemer’s measurements could not have been totally accurate due to his head wound.
12:05 p.m. EST – Dick Harpootlian has begun his cross-examination of Kinsey. Kinsey says the trail of blood was about five feet long.
11:43 a.m. EST – Judge Newman has just called for a brief break during Kinsey’s direct examination …
11:38 a.m. EST – Lead prosecutor Creighton Waters is now showing Kinsey an image of the iPhone 11 belonging to Paul Murdaugh which was discovered located on his backside. Waters is asking Kinsey whether or not it could have fallen there or if it had been placed there.
Kinsey says there is “no way” the phone could have landed where it did on Murdaugh’s backside.
11:34 a.m. EST – Kinsey attributes the markings on Maggie Murdaugh’s calf to mud on the vehicle’s tire.
“At some point in time she made contact with that tire,” Kinsey said.
11:30 a.m. EST – According to Kinsey, the impression on Maggie Murdaugh’s calf was determined to be a match for the tire on the ATV.
“That is a tire tread impression,” Kinsey said, showing jurors the matching markings and patterns.
11:25 a.m. EST – Kinsey is going into the science behind footprint and tire tread evidence, discussing the “unique random characteristics” which allow investigators to positively identify such markings and patterns.
11:22 a.m. EST – Orangeburg County chief deputy Kenneth Kinsey – the state’s crime scene expert – is now discussing the location of an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) near where Maggie Murdaugh‘s body was found. The conversation is in connection with an impression found on Murdaugh’s calf – which defense attorneys have argued was not properly noted/ investigated by law enforcement. Defense attorneys have also previously challenged whether the state properly tested blood that was visible on the ATV.
11:19 a.m. EST – Kinsey is now describing the motions of Maggie Murdaugh’s body after she was shot. Again, a key point here is that she was “found how she fell,” refuting reports from Alex Murdaugh that he touched her body in an attempt to see if she was still alive.
11:15 a.m. EST – Kinsey is standing over lead prosecutor Creighton Waters showing the position of the shooter at the moment the fatal shot was administered.
(Click to View)
11:11 a.m. EST – Kinsey is now describing the location of the shooter at the time the first two shots were fired at Maggie Murdaugh, saying they were “four or five feet” away from her. According to Kinsey, these wounds caused her to fall to the ground – which is when the fatal wounds were administered.
“She would have been on her knees and had at least one hand on the ground,” he testified.
11:10 a.m. EST – Kinsey is now describing the fatal wound that passed through Maggie Murdaugh’s breast and eventually entered her head – confirming previous testimony provided by forensic pathologist Ellen Riemer of the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). According to him, this shot killed her instantly.
“I saw no evidence that her body had been manipulated, moved or rolled over,” he testified.
(This is interesting considering Alex Murdaugh told police he checked his wife for a pulse after allegedly discovering the bodies shortly after 10:00 p.m. EDT on the evening of the murders).
11:10 a.m. EST – Orangeburg County chief deputy Kenneth Kinsey is now describing the non-fatal wounds sustained by Maggie Murdaugh. Described the first two wounds – both of which included stippling (or tattooing) – as being fired from close range and at a parallel trajectory.
11:08 a.m. EST – Alex Murdaugh sobbing as the wounds to his son are described.
11:05 a.m. EST – According to Kinsey, the first wound sustained by Paul Murdaugh caused him to favor his arm and slowed his movements. It showed evidence of stippling (or tattooing).
11:02 a.m. EST – According to Kinsey, the second (head wound) sustained by Paul Murdaugh was caused by “birdshot” (or “steel shot”) – a type of shotgun ammunition that has as many as 150 smaller-sized pellets.
10:58 a.m. EST – Kinsey is now describing the position of the shooter at the time the second shot was fired, debunking suggestions from the defense that Paul Murdaugh’s head would could have possibly been self-inflicted.
“I don’t know of anyway you could hold the shotgun out and shoot yourself at that angle and get that biologic material on the door,” Kinsey stated.
10:55 a.m. EST – Orangeburg County chief deputy Kenneth Kinsey is now describing in detail how he determined the precise location of Paul Murdaugh at the time he received the second gunshot wound.
“You don’t just look for the presence of biological material and blood, you look for the absence of biological material and blood,” he said, referring to “voids” on the feed room door frame which indicate Paul Murdaugh was “just outside the door frame with his feet probably still inside the door frame” at the time the fatal shot was fired.
10:52 a.m. EST – Kinsey is now describing in graphic detail the head wound sustained by Paul Murdaugh, which our readers have already heard a lot about. Here is a report we published back in December on this horrific crime scene.
10:50 a.m. EST – Kinsey is testifying as to the trajectory of the fatal shotgun blast that killed Paul Murdaugh based on “shot pellet defects” found on the door of the feed room.
(Click to View)
10:49 a.m. EST – Kinsey is now discussing the second, fatal head shot sustained by Paul Murdaugh and the motion of his body.
“Once Paul received that second shot he never walked again – any movement he made was involuntary, due to gravity pulling him down.”
10:45 a.m. EST – Waters is now asking Kinsey about the positioning of the shooter at the moment the first shot was fired at Paul Murdaugh’s chest.
“At a bare minimum, the breech of the shotgun was somewhere inside the door,” Kinsey testified.
He cited the location of the spent shells as his rationale.
10:42 a.m. EST – Lead prosecutor Creighton Waters is now asking Kinsey about what happened to the pellets after they passed through Paul Murdaugh’s body.
“They exited on through the back window,” he said, pointing to an image showing holes in the glass of the feed room.
10:39 a.m. EST – Waters is now asking Kinsey to position himself in front of a courtroom door to show where Paul Murdaugh was positioned in the feed room. Asked whether Paul Murdaugh’s arms were raised at the time he was hit with the first shot, Kinsey said they were not.
“I see no possible way his arms were raised,” Kinsey said.
10:36 a.m. EST – Kinsey describing “ninety degree droplets” of blood belonging to Paul Murdaugh showing up on the floor of the feed room – moving slowly from the center of the room to the door.
“I know he was moving slowly and I know he was standing in the middle of this room for some time after the first shot,” Kinsey testified.
10:33 a.m. EST – Kinsey has been handed images from the “floor of the feed room” and a dummy which was placed inside the room to show the location of Paul Murdaugh at the moment the first shot was fired – approximately five feet inside the feed room.
(Click to View)
10:31 a.m. EST – Kinsey testified that the first shotgun blast that hit Paul Murdaugh from behind as he stood in the feed room at Moselle and that all “nine pellets” traveled through his body.
10:29 a.m. EST – Kinsey detailing his examination of forensic reporters, photographs taken on the scene and measurements taken from the scene in 2022. Kinsey was asked “to take a look at all of the evidence … and use my own judgment.”
(Click to View)
10:28 a.m. EST – Waters now asks Kinsey if he has had an opportunity to review the Moselle crime scene.
10:26 a.m. EST – In a nifty move, defense attorney Dick Harpootlian interrupted Waters’ questioning of Kinsey related to his qualifications, saying the defense will stipulate he is an expert so that Waters can “move things along.” Waters fires back that he is not done detailing Kinsey’s qualifications and that the jury is “entitled” to hear more.
10:23 a.m. EST – Lead prosecutor Creighton Waters is questioning Kinsey regarding his experience – which includes working more than “800 death scenes” and “thousands” of pieces of homicide evidence – and his extensive qualifications.
10:17 a.m. EST – The state calls Kenneth Kinsey to the stand. Kinsey is a former agent of the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) and a current Orangeburg County chief deputy. His specialty is investigating “violent crime scenes.”
10:15 a.m. EST – The state just referenced its intention to call Kenneth Kinsey today. Here is a link to his report related to the June 7, 2021 murders of Maggie Murdaugh and Paul Murdaugh …
10:14 a.m. EST – Court is back in session …
10:07 a.m. EST – Not gonna lie … newfound respect for television reporters. This talking into a live camera thing is still so new to me. I’m used to being a hermit hovering over a keyboard – or in the friendly confines of the FITSNews studios back in northwest Columbia. Anyway, mad props to all the television reporters covering this story. (Will Folks).
9:53 a.m. EST – Harpootlian and Waters now going back or forth on how the roadside shooting will be raised by the prosecution. Judge Newman grants prosecutors and defense attorneys a ten minute recess to discuss how this process will work prior to proceeding …
9:49 a.m. EST – Murdaugh attorney Dick Harpootlian is now describing his client’s medical condition at the time he confessed to lying to police about the roadside shooting – arguing there are “competency issues” that must be addressed first. Harpootlian said he and lead prosecutor Creighton Waters have an agreement on admissibility, but that introduction of the confession must be preceded by a “competency hearing.”
9:43 a.m. EST – Judge Newman: “Mr. Griffin introduced the relationship between the defendant and Curtis “Eddie” Smith.” Newman added that he previously ruled the roadside shooting was “a bridge too far” – but that the defense “decided to build a road over that bridge … as if they could dance through fire without getting burned, scarred or anything.”
(Click to View)
9:41 a.m. EST – Again, here is a primer on all this “roadside shooting” conversation …
9:40 a.m. EST – Newman just indicated he has “already ruled” on the admissibility, he is merely “entertaining” a discussion of the defense’s objections for the record.
9:39 a.m. EST – Griffin says the state is preparing to present a “full panoply” of evidence related to the roadside shooting incident. He is objecting to the introduction of this evidence, which reportedly includes a hospital video and video/ audio statement from Murdaugh admitting he lied to police.
Griffin: “I don’t think I opened any door.”
Waters: “I think the door is wide open.”
9:37 a.m. EST – Griffin is now invoking a 2019 case – State v. Heyward – in which the S.C. supreme court reversed a conviction based on “thinly veiled attempts” to introduce unrelated evidence even after attorneys “opened the door” to such testimony.
9:35 a.m. EST – Murdaugh attorney Jim Griffin begins proceedings by reading from a YouTube transcript of his questioning of David Owen of the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED), seeking to prove to judge Newman that he did not raise the issue of the roadside shooting.
Griffin: “It was all about him stealing money from clients to support his drug addiction.”
9:33 a.m. EST – Court is IN SESSION …
9:24 a.m. EST – Something else worth recalling. S.C. circuit court judge Clifton Newman has indicated there will be a hard stop of 4:30 p.m. EST on today’s proceedings. State prosecutors have told this news outlet they could be finished with their case by then – but that they may not rest until Friday morning depending on the length of potential cross-examinations.
9:21 a.m. EST – Something to bear in mind in anticipation of a looming argument over whether Curtis “Eddie” Smith should be called: Judge Newman has seemed to indicate a preference for hearing his testimony in previous comments related to the admissibility of the roadside shooting.
8:35 a.m. EST – My prediction for today …
8:24 a.m. EST – More love for judge Newman …
8:09 a.m. EST – As of this writing, there has been no motion on Curtis “Eddie” Smith – Alex Murdaugh’s longtime friend and accused drug dealer/ check casher. He remains incarcerated at the Lexington County detention center. Significant speculation is swirling as to whether he will be called to testify now that the roadside shooting incident has been deemed admissible.
8:04 a.m. EST – This is a good question … they certainly seemed to think drugs had something to do with it yesterday …
8:00 a.m. EST – Defense attorneys Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin were smiling like cats that swallowed canaries when judge Newman ruled that prosecutors could introduce evidence related to the September 4, 2021 roadside shooting. On the surface, admitting this evidence does not seem to help their case … at all. What do they know that prosecutors don’t?
7:54 a.m. EST – The inimitable Jenn Wood will be back in the saddle on the live feed later today. For the first part of the morning’s proceedings, I hate to say but you’re stuck with me … (Will Folks).
7:45 a.m. EST – In case you missed it, here is the full video of Alex Murdaugh’s third interview with SLED – recorded on August 11, 2021 – as it was played for jurors on February 15, 2023.
(Click to View)
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21 comments
11% of people in the poll don’t think he’s guilty?! Damn! I bet you people don’t think he stole from his law firm either, do you? Amazing to me. All it takes is a couple of rabbit trails and some criticisms of the investigation to sway you?
None of that information changes the fact that Alex lied numerous times about being at the scene of the murders….5 minutes before they occurred. (And, he some how miraculously escaped the “real murderer(s)” and didn’t hear 7 gunshots on his property….at 9pm). None of that changes the fact that he attempted to bribe two witnesses as to his conduct on the night of the murders. None of that changes the fact that he lied about why Maggie came to the house that evening. And, none of that changes the fact that Paul’s AR .300 blackout rifle cannot be accounted for. You folks are a defense team’s dream. Gullible and simpleminded.
$50,000 per week? $50,000/$50 per pill (overestimate)=1000 pills. 1000/7 days or 1 week= 142.8 pills per day? Impossible. Someone better dig deeper.
I voted not guilty just to skew the poll and get a rise out of you.
Bastards!! ;)
The real killer was a hobbit.
I can’t think of two more disgusting human beings than the ones who sent in the above posts.
Why wasn’t it stated that the second shot to Paul could have come from the shooter having taken a knee and thus creating what would have been the somewhat odd angle had the killer been standing or stooped over?
precisely. why the prosecution allowed Dick to leave the jury with the lasting impression of an old, feeble, weak man holding a shotgun awkwardly and in a rather impossible position to shoot a shotgun, is beyond me.
Shooter was likely in a kneeling position for the second shot at Paul. Not in an awkward position
I’m SMH trying to understand why that was not brought up? The shooter took a knee for balance/stability to get off the second shot at close range.
Just listened to call from the rehab between special agent and Alex and his attorneys. I find it interesting that Eddie would shoot Alex without an exchange of money or that Eddie would.agree to shoot a client that he makes substantial money off of.NOT UNLESS that substantial money WASN’T for.pills but for murder for.hire payment. I.wish Agent Kelly would have asked how.many pills were purchased for that high amount! AND the ditch digging on the Redbeard property!?
Also interesting, if Alex had such a bad drug habit and was in withdrawals, why would he ask.Eddie to bring him some pills…certainly would have helped the injury. Alex was administratored fentynol and Zofran in the helicopter ride. That would explain the the positive test at hospital. But negative for amphetamines? Hmm. Plausible Eddie didn’t refuse Alex request to shoot him out of self preservation since by this point Alex CLEARLY knew he was the ONLY suspect/person of interest in the double homicide and I strongly believe Eddie was was implicated in this ambush. I think Alex killed Maggie and Eddie shot Paul.
Eddie was cleared by police in not being present during the crime.
The State really needs to call a DEA agent to explain to the jury just how much Oxy $40,000 to $50,000 per week actually is, that’s absurd, it would show to the jury that Murdaugh was STILL lying, even after he’d “came clean” about the roadside shooting (after being caught and confronted with the evidence), and while in rehab and no longer in the “bad, bad place.” That means Murdaugh is still lying about what happened.
All these kneeling shooter theories…. Ever thought maybe that he was shooting from the hip? Yeah, I know I’m shooting from the hip here, but the angles work out and shotguns don’t have to be fired from the shoulder at the range we’re talking about. In fact, that might explain his sloppy marksmanship.
The second shot was not from a “kneeling” person. There are no defensive wounds on Paul (arm raised in defense) because the person holding the gun, in the shed, is known to him so he has nothing to fear from the person holding a gun near him. The shooter then attempts to shoot Paul, once in the chest straight at the heart, to kill him in one shot. Paul slightly turns away when the shooter suddenly raised the gun directly at him and the shot rings out. It does not hit Paul straight on and into his heart, as the shooter intended, because he made a slight turn away a millisecond before the trigger is pulled. Paul doesn’t die and staggers forward “towards the door” where the shooter is standing (slightly inside the shed to hide the first shot from Maggie). The shooter never anticipates that Paul doesn’t drop and is shocked to actually see Paul staggering/walking towards him near the door. The shooter has to back up as Paul is quickly staggering towards him. While unexpectedly and quickly backing up, the shooter trips over the door sill and falls to the ground, thus requiring a 2nd shot to kill Paul and that shot now comes from a lower angle near the ground as the shooter has fallen down. This slight delay gives Maggie additional time to run away from the scene she just witnessed but not far enough away for the shooter to stand up, spin the rifle around from his backstrap, and shoot a rifle shot into Maggie’s leg and thus stopping her escape. The shooter now advances toward Maggie to kill her, Eventually, she is fatally shot in the head and drops dead. Not stopping there, the shooter fires one more headshot into an already dead woman. This 2nd headshot is the “rage shot”. The shooter who kills Maggies has to have a “rage” inside to shoot her unnecessarily a second time in the head. So Paul knows the shooter and the shooter has rage, inside them, against Maggie. Now we just have to find someone that fits that description!!
what do you mean the shot wasn’t from a kneeling position? the shot to the shoulder was the one that could have been from a kneeling position, which is the most likely position in order to get the angle trajectory and to shoot someone by surprise. I think you confused which shot was which. The first shot was to the shoulder, and kneeling behind the door frame to shoot someone by surprise would have been consistent with no defensive wounds in terms of raising arms and such.
If Maggie was running AWAY, then explain why her body was found head down in Paul’s direction. Scroll down halfway in the Fox link at the end of this below and you’ll see the map of positions of the bodies. Maggie’s body is literally around the corner with her head facing Paul’s direction, so she is headed TOWARD Paul, she is NOT running away. And c’mon, the short time between shootings–how in the world did AM do all this by himself, dual armed with two different types of heavy guns that take a lot of muscle to shoot, yet at point blank with no blood splatter, no fingerprints on any casings. Remember, Maggie had DNA under her fingernails from someone else. I highly doubt she was having an affair. And there was a set of tire tracks that did not match any family cars. It was sleeting that night and a gazillion number of officers and family members etc were walking all over the place, ruining the possibility of footprint recovery. And explain the tire track on Maggie’s body that was mentioned during the trial? And Alex’s defense has done a tremendous job of opening holes in the prosecution case, especially in gaining admissions that several key points of purported evidence needed for the murder indictments in reality did not exist. And the Court reversal of the roadside shooting of Alex opens the door to force Eddie/Curtis to testify which opens up the possible scenario below.
Alex is a 6’2 guy. IS IT POSSIBLE the shooter who shot Paul was a really short guy, and IS IT POSSIBLE what happened is a couple of bad guys shot Maggie first–not fatally–but the shot thru the kidney as described in the testimony–and then shot Paul– and then forced Alex to deliver the final blow to Maggie’s head, forcing him to do this by threatening to shoot him or his son Buster and extended family or something along those lines, and being the narcissistic weak sack of shi* he is, Alex weakly obliged, hysterical but in shock. IS IT POSSIBLE that after the murders of Paul and Maggie occurred Curtis/Eddie–who was NOT at present, according to LE, at the murders of Paul and Maggie, was later instructed by whoever really was directing all of this (someone who was blackmailing and punishing Alex, likely for failure to deliver even more money to whatever they were blackmailing him over) to finish Alex off. If this scenario has any merit, I could see a situation where Curtis/Eddie, due to his long friendship with Alex told Alex he was ordered to kill him and the two of them came up with the roadside shooting-which would explain why Eddie wasn’t paid anything. And, Eddie/Curtis simply missed–possibly on purpose because if Curtis had NOT missed he would be solely blamed for not only Alex’s death but those of Maggie and Paul as well, or possibly simply because he missed. And the reason this is plausible is because both Curtis and Alex’s DNA are on the knife used to slash the tire, and why Alex came up with the cockamamie story that he gave Eddie the gun that has never been found and why Eddie floated the false rumor that Maggie was having an affair with the groundskeeper.
There is no possible way Alex was spending $50k to $60k a week on oxycontin. In order for him to being spending that kind of money on oxy, he would have to be taking multiple pills of the most expensive street pill (80mg or 160mg) cannot ingest that level of oxy without it being fatal, even if your body develops tachyphylaxis (resistance to the effects of drugs, with more of the drug needed to achieve same buzz.) Even for a patient who has developed tachy that amount of ingesting would be fatal. Further, Alex shaved all his body hair off shortly arriving after jail because someone likely informed him that his hair might be sampled and that oxy has an extremely short half life (6 to 18 hours and is out of your blood within 2-3days) but lives in the hair a long time, for 90 days. In other words, your hair tells the truth about how long you have been on oxy, whereas popping a few pills immediately before rehab simply gets you a blood test showing positive on entrance to rehab. When an addicted person wants to use these to get “high” they compromise the delivery system (e.g. crush to snort, put in solution to inject, etc.). It is for this reason that the manufacturers are now required to make tamper-resistant pills for all new opioid medications to try and decrease and hopefully eliminate their abuse. An example of how much more valuable the immediate release is to the afflicted, OxyContin 80 milligram (mg) street price prior to January, 2010, was from $50 to $80 per tablet. In January, 2010, the pill was reformulated to turn to paste when crushed, foiling attempts to crush and snort or inject. Because of this the street value has dropped to $20 to $30 per pill from $80. Immediate release Roxicodone has supplanted OxyContin as the preferred drug for addicts and a 30 mg pill of Roxicodone goes for the same price as an 80 mg OxyContin. Alex’s attorneys are counting on the fact most jurors know nothing about pricing for street drugs. Therefore, you can do the math, it’s simply not possible to get to $50k-60k a week for pills sliding down Alex’s throat, as was mentioned in the testimony so far. And to add one more comment–oxy addicts at the level suggested start showing discoloration of skin and lips–to a bluish gray. They clinch their fists and mouths etc. Then-fat-slob Alex instead had rosy red cheeks and didn’t look like he was clenching his fists in the SLED interviews.
There is every possible way Alex was involved in organized crime or his version of it and the deaths of Maggie and Paul were a signal to ALL involved in that ruckus to play ball. Eddie digging ditches? And you are in back country where victims are fed to alligators. And after this trial is over and Alex is locked away for at least the financial crimes, then life over in that part of our vast country is going to be back to crime as usual if I am guessing correctly.
I think Alex Murdaugh is a scumbag. He might have pushed his housekeeper down the stairs. But did he pull the triggers against his wife and son? I do not see how prosecution can get to a murder conviction of him based on the evidence presented I have watched and read so far.
Check out Behavioral Panel on YouTube regarding Murdaugh’s first police interview that night at the crime scene. If I were on the jury all it would take was that he repeatedly lied about being at the kennel at the time the murders were committed.
Our of curiosity, do we know what Randolph Mutdaugh’s will said? If I’ve listened to all these pieces correctly, Alex was counting on money from his father. However, he didn’t really feel the need to visit. Meanwhile, Paul regularly visited his grandfather. Maybe Paul became the heir for that branch of the family? Did something change if Paul died before Randolph?
It’s all about money with this guy. It feels like there has to be a mattress full of cash somewhere.
So agree with the above narrative. I had already come to believe that it was drug related and two people or just one at the scene threatening to kill Murdaugh’s son Buster if this son and wife weren’t killed.