In the gripping murder trial of disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh, prosecutors have presented their closing arguments, asserting that he killed his wife and son to conceal his escalating financial crimes. The prosecution argued that Murdaugh, facing imminent exposure of his multi-million dollar thefts, murdered Maggie and Paul Murdaugh to divert attention and buy himself time.
Prosecutor Creighton Waters told jurors that Murdaugh’s motive was rooted in fear – fear of his years-long deception and embezzlement from his law firm and clients being uncovered. He suggested Murdaugh believed that by portraying himself as a grieving victim, he could maintain his esteemed position in the community and deflect scrutiny from his financial wrongdoings. Waters detailed how Murdaugh, leveraging his legal expertise, meticulously orchestrated events to ensure his family was at their Colleton County estate on the fateful night of June 7, 2021.
“The pressures on this man were unbearable. And they were all reaching a crescendo the day his wife and son were murdered by him,” Waters stated, emphasizing the culmination of Murdaugh’s mounting troubles. The defense is scheduled to present their closing arguments subsequently.
Alex Murdaugh, 54, is facing severe penalties – 30 years to life in prison – if convicted on either murder charge. Investigations revealed that his 22-year-old son, Paul, was fatally shot twice with a shotgun, and his 52-year-old wife, Maggie, was shot four or five times with a rifle outside the dog kennels on their property.
Earlier in the day, jurors visited the crime scene, meticulously examining key areas, including the storage closet door frame where Paul Murdaugh was when he was killed, according to a pool reporter.
A pivotal piece of evidence linking Alex Murdaugh to the murders is a video Paul Murdaugh recorded at the kennels approximately five minutes before his last cell phone activity. This crucial video evidence was recovered after federal agents spent over a year hacking into Paul’s locked iPhone.
Initially, Alex Murdaugh consistently claimed he was not at the kennels that night, even to the first responding investigators. However, during his testimony, he admitted to lying and confessed to being present at the kennels.
“Why in the world would an innocent, reasonable father and husband lie about that? And lie about it so early?” Waters questioned, highlighting the implausibility of Murdaugh’s initial denials if he were innocent.
Although the murder weapons remain unrecovered, expert testimony confirmed that markings on bullet casings found near Maggie Murdaugh’s body matched casings from the family’s shooting range.
Notably, no blood spatter evidence directly connected Alex Murdaugh to the killings. The prosecution did not elaborate extensively on the specifics of how Murdaugh allegedly committed the murders, cleaned himself, disposed of weapons and clothing, and composed himself within a mere 15-minute timeframe before heading to his ailing mother’s residence, as indicated by GPS data.
The prosecution’s crime scene expert testified that the collected evidence was insufficient to definitively determine if there was one or two shooters at the kennels.
Nevertheless, Waters asserted that the available evidence sufficiently connects the double murder to Murdaugh’s financial crimes, emphasizing that Alex Murdaugh was the only individual with the motive, means, and opportunity to kill his wife and son.
“As all of these pressures were mounting, the defendant killed Maggie and Paul,” Waters declared, holding up his cellphone. “The forensic timeline puts him there. The use of the family weapons collaborates it. And his lies and his guilty actions afterward confirm that.”
Waters argued that Murdaugh’s pattern of deception, spanning years to conceal his opioid addiction and millions stolen, made it plausible he would lie about his presence at the kennels and his involvement in the murders, as well as during his trial testimony.
“Always having to stay one step ahead of the game. Always have to literally beg, borrow and steal for over a decade to have the truth from being exposed,” Waters explained, painting a picture of Murdaugh’s desperate attempts to maintain his facade.
The prosecutor suggested Murdaugh’s rehearsed testimony made him hesitant to deviate, hindering his ability to provide specific, memorable details, such as his last conversation with Maggie at the kennels.
“This defendant has fooled everyone — everyone who thought they were close to him,” Waters concluded powerfully. “He fooled Maggie and Paul, too, and they paid for it with their lives. Don’t let him fool you, too.”
Conversely, the defense contends that state investigators conducted a flawed investigation, prematurely focusing on Alex Murdaugh and overlooking crucial evidence like fingerprints and shoe prints that could point to other perpetrators.
The defense requested the jury to visit the property to appreciate the small size of the storage room where Paul Murdaugh was killed and the distance between the two bodies.
While prosecutors initially opposed the site visit due to changes in the property’s appearance since June 2021, Judge Clifton Newman permitted it, cautioning jurors about the altered landscape and potential hazards like snakes.
Following closing arguments, jurors will receive instructions and commence deliberations, reviewing extensive evidence from the six-week trial, including over 75 witness testimonies and approximately 800 documents, photographs, and videos, to reach a verdict in this highly publicized and closely watched case.
