As he took the stand in his defense Thursday in his double murder trial, disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh denied killing his wife and son but admitted lying about when he last saw them.
Murdaugh, who is 54 years old, is accused of killing his 52-year-old wife Maggie and their 22-year-old son Paul with a gun on their property on June 7, 2021, near where they kept their dogs. If convicted, he faces 30 years to life in prison. Murdaugh continued to deny any involvement in the killings during his testimony.
“I would never do anything to intentionally hurt either of them,” Murdaugh said, tears streaming down his cheeks.
Five weeks into his trial, Murdaugh admitted on the stand that he lied to police about being at the kennels with his wife and son shortly before the killings. However, he blamed his opioid addiction for clouding his judgment and instilling distrust in state law enforcement agents.
“As my addiction progressed, I would find myself in situations, circumstances where I would have paranoid thoughts,” Murdaugh explained.
In the hours before the killings, the once-prominent attorney told police that he was visiting his ailing mother in another town, not near his Colleton County home. Several witnesses, though, said that they heard Murdaugh’s voice and those of his son and wife on cellphone video taken at the kennels about five minutes before the shootings.
He felt compelled to continue lying about being at the kennels once he began: “Oh, what a tangled web we weave. I had to keep lying after telling my family a lie.”
Murdaugh testified that on the evening of the killings, his wife asked him to go to the kennels
Murdaugh testified that on the evening of the killings, his wife asked him to go to the kennels, so he rode down in a golf cart and wrestled a chicken away from a dog before returning to the house and deciding to visit his ailing mother.
He claimed that neither his wife nor son were present when he returned home from visiting his mother. Murdaugh said he drove his SUV to the kennels, where he last saw them after a few minutes.
Murdaugh described arriving at the gruesome scene of the killings and crying for several seconds. “It was terrible,” he said.
Murdaugh stated that he briefly attempted to roll over his son lying face down to check on him but decided he couldn’t help.
“I noticed his brain on the sidewalk. “I had no idea what to do,” Murdaugh admitted.
He testified that he also checked on his wife before dialing 911 and then returned home to get a gun for protection.
Despite the gruesome crime scene, witnesses who saw Murdaugh in the minutes and hours after the shooting said they didn’t see any blood on him.
Several witnesses, including Maggie Murdaugh’s sister, testified that despite the brutality of the shootings and no apparent leads from police, Alex Murdaugh did not appear concerned for the safety of himself or his surviving son in the weeks following the killings.
Prosecutors claim Murdaugh murdered his wife and son to buy time to cover up his financial crimes, which were about to be discovered. He is also accused of stealing from clients and arranging his shooting on the side of a highway.
Murdaugh is being held without bail on the financial and other charges, so he will not be released even if he is found not guilty.
Murdaugh would likely spend decades in prison if convicted of most or all of the financial crimes.
SOURCE – (AP)
