Judge says Murdaugh’s trial was “one of the most troubling cases” he’s seen
After hearing testimony from witnesses for weeks, jurors — after deliberating less than three hours — convicted Alex Murdo of two counts of murder and two weapons charges in the deaths of his wife and son.
Murdaugh, a one-time prominent attorney in the Lowcountry, South Carolina, fatally shot his wife, Margaret “Maggie” Murdoff, and son, Paul Murdoff, on June 7, 2021, at the family’s sprawling hunting property.
Legal experts say that the main points of this case are as follows:
Murdaugh’s lie to investigators: In his two-day testimony last week, Murdaugh admitted he lied to investigators when he told them he had not gone to the dog kennel on his property on the evening of the murders until he had been informed of finding the bodies there. . The confession came after several prosecution witnesses identified his voice in a video taken on Paul’s phone at or near 8:44 p.m.—shortly before, prosecutors claimed, the murders took place.
Prosecutors portrayed Murdaugh as an unscrupulous and disgraced attorney who killed his wife and son in order to divert attention from an investigation into allegations of financial misconduct against him. In his testimony, Murdaugh repeatedly denied carrying out the murders but admitted to stealing millions of dollars from his former clients and law firm.
Murdaugh said he had a decades-long addiction to painkillers, and this contributed to the “paranoid thinking” that led him to lie to investigators. He testified that he had taken more than 2,000 milligrams of oxycodone a day in the months before Maggie and Paul died.
The kennel video was a key piece of evidence: Prosecutors tried to overcome a lack of direct evidence – such as eyewitnesses – linking Murdaugh to the murders. He extensively built his case, using video, photos, and cell phone and location data to convince the jury that Murdoff was lying about his actions that night. Prosecutors hinged their case on video recorded on Paul’s phone from around the kennel.
Murdaugh claimed that Maggie and Paul were alive when he left the kennel to return home, and that he eventually visited his mother in a nearby town. After returning he found the bodies near the kennel, he said; Authorities say he called 911 shortly after 10 p.m. However, prosecutors argue he committed the murders and then tried to make an excuse by leaving the property. They also pointed to videos that showed she had changed clothes when she was with Paul that day and when she called 911 – although the defense suggested the change was not unusual for her.
Excuse: The prosecution argued that Alex Murdoff was “creating an alibi” by calling and texting his wife and son, among others, after they were killed. The prosecutor also took note of the types of questions Murdo asked law enforcement after the killings. He said Murdoff first told police how many phone calls he made that night.
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