Alex Murdo: Who is the disgraced lawyer and why is he in court?
The high-profile murder trial of Alex Murdo is now moving forward, with prosecutors expected to call more witnesses Monday in Colleton County Court in Walterboro, South Carolina.
The disgraced 54-year-old is accused of murdering his wife Maggie, 52, and son Paul, 22, at their family home in Islandton on June 7, 2021. He denies these accusations.
Last week, jurors were shown dramatic footage of the body from the scene of the gruesome murders, where he “immediately” told officers the killing was linked to the 2019 boat crash.
Mr Murdoch’s first police interview has also been revealed for the first time, showing how he described trying to move the bloodied bodies of the victims – an account contradicted by law enforcement testimony and images of his “clean” hands and clothes. Crime scene photos from the kennels and the 911 call made by Mr. Murdog were also shown in court.
On Monday, jurors heard the latest text messages and phone calls received by Maggie and Paul, who released new crime scene photos.
The trial is just one of Mr. Murdog’s challenges in a story that involves a murderous fraud scheme, multi-million dollar fraud schemes and an unexplained death.
Who is Alex Murdaugh?
Rachel Sharp presented this profile of an eminent lawyer.
Oliver O’ConnellJanuary 31, 2023 03:45
The dead man cries as body camera video is shown at the trial
Bodycam footage was released Thursday morning at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina during the high-profile double murder trial.
Oliver O’ConnellJanuary 31, 2023 02:45
Murdog broke down while describing the brutal “marriage” of a woman and a boy
Disgraced lawyer Alex Murdo broke down in tears as his lawyer described how his son and wife were “killed” on a South Carolina hunting property.
Mr Murdog wiped tears from his eyes as his lawyer described the scene which his client claims took place near the kennels on the property and denied he had anything to do with it.
Dick Harputlian told the jury that the prosecution’s explanation for the murders was just “theories” and “speculation” and that Mr Murdog was a “loving” husband and father.
Oliver O’ConnellJanuary 31, 2023 01:45
Alex Murdo’s spectacular fall from grace
He was a prominent attorney who both ran his own law firm and worked for the local prosecutor’s office.
He was the son of a powerful legal dynasty that dominated South Carolina society for nearly a century.
And he was a family man who lived with his wife and two adult sons in their sprawling village estate.
Rachel Sharp made the case for follow-up The Independent.
Murders, Scams and a Murderous Plot: Alex Murdo’s Amazing Fall from Grace
The “trial of the century” is currently underway in a South Carolina courtroom, in which prominent legal scholar Alex Murdog is accused of the brutal double murder of his wife and son. But that’s far from the only twist in a strange and sprawling tale of unexplained deaths, murderous plots and multi-million dollar fraud schemes, writes Rachel Sharp
Oliver O’ConnellJanuary 31, 2023 00:45
ICYMI: Prosecutors paint gruesome portrait of Alex Murdog who killed wife and son
Prosecutors have explained how disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdo allegedly killed his defenseless wife and son in a 2021 family manhunt.
Mr Murdoch is accused of brutally murdering his wife Margaret, known as Maggie, and their young son, 22-year-old son Paul, outside the kennels on the estate on June 7, 2021.
Prosecutors said at the opening of his trial on Wednesday that Mr. Murdog first shot his son with a shotgun and then killed his wife with an AR rifle.
Oliver O’ConnellJanuary 30, 2023 23:45
Watch: Police body cam shows guns inside family’s manhunt
Alex Murdo: Police camera shows guns inside family hunt
Oliver O’ConnellJanuary 30, 2023 10:45 p.m
Watch: Murdog was expelled from the court
Oliver O’Connell30 January 2023 22:16
Judge Clifton Newman adjourned the court for the day after Murdo’s DNA swab was entered into evidence.
The trial will resume at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday.
Oliver O’Connell30 January 2023 22:08
Murdo was asked how he tried to check Paul’s pulse and how he tried to roll him over. He says he tried to take her away from the kennels.
Friday’s testimony was serious about the cleanliness of Murdog’s clothes at the very bloody scene.
When Paul’s phone fell, Murdog says he didn’t want to “disrupt anything” by trying to unlock it. In the first interview, he said that he started to do something with the phone, but put it down.
At one point, he says about his son: “It’s very bad. I hurt him very badly.”
Oliver O’ConnellJanuary 30, 2023 21:58
In one of the more interesting exchanges, the SLED agent asks about CB Rowe, who works on the property. Murdog says he’s keeping him on the job for now.
The agent then explains that due to the remote nature of Murdog’s Moselle Road estate, it is unlikely that anyone would have randomly gone there to commit murder.
He assumes that the killer will have some knowledge of the property and that they will look from the inside out.
To exclude Murdog they say they will take a DNA sample from him.
Oliver O’ConnellJanuary 30, 2023 21:46
