I'm not talking about in the restroom. A day later, Smith admitted to being present during the Murdaugh shooting and disposing the firearm afterward. No mother, father, aunt, or uncle should ever have to see and do what I did that day, John Marvin Murdaugh, the defense teams final witness, told Colleton County jurors on Monday about his decision to clean his brothers hunting estate. Last week, Alex Murdaughs surviving son Buster, 26, testified in the double murder trial of his father. "When I came in, he was calling my wife's phone. Randy and John said they don't know who could have committed the gruesome crime. Also on Sept. 15, the sons of a former Murdaugh housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, filed a lawsuit against Alex Murdaugh, Corey Fleming and others for allegedly swindling them out of receiving settlement money. Murdaugh will return to rehab, according to his attorney, and will change to an out-of-state rehab facility afterwards. Prosecutors are expected to rest their case this week. The Murdaughs, a prominent Democratic family, had wielded enormous judicial and political power for over a century. I will continue to pursue my client's interests with the highest degree of honesty and integrity, as I always have," he said. In cross-examination, the defense reiterated that Alex Murdaugh said he checked Maggie and Paul both for pulses when he found their bodies. Murdaugh also took the stand on Thursday and Friday, revealing that he lied to law enforcement about his whereabouts the night of the murder and admitting to stealing from clients and his law firm for years. Harpootlian added even more gruesome details how the shotgun blast that killed Paul Murdaugh was so close to his head that his brain exploded from his skull and was found at his feet. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. "Now is the time to bring justice for Maggie and Paul. Murdaugh officially resigned from the law firm Peters,Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth, & Detrick based in Hampton, South Carolina, on Sept. 3 but publicly announced his resignation days later. In April 2019 Paul Murdaugh was charged with operating the boat while intoxicated. It was the start of what is expected to be a three-week trial at the Colleton County Courthouse. Alex Murdaugh cried when the autopsy photos, which have been sealed, were shown in court. John Marvin was the third member of the Murdaugh family to testify, after his nephew, Buster, and Murdaugh himself. And I just started cleaning, he said about his decision to clean the feed room, while Murdaugh looked down and began to cry several feet away at the defense table. Just days later, the family patriarch, Randolph Murdaugh III, died in a hospital at the age of 81. A place to talk about the Murdaugh family murders without censorship. Social distancing and masking will not be required. Smith was charged with assisted suicide, assault and battery of a high-aggravated nature, pointing and presenting a firearm, insurance fraud and conspiracy to commit insurance fraud. Data includes speeds and other information about the vehicles movements on the night of the double homicide. The defense in the Alex Murdaugh double murder trial rested their case Monday. Both shots to her head would have been immediately fatal, so the final one, which Riemer testified was to the back of Maggies head, was fired after an already-fatal shot. There are three alternate jurors left. Will of Alex Murdaugh's wife reveals he inherited all her property, accusations that he misused money from his law firm. We see it on the news. Randy, who lives in the nearby town of Hampton, said he arrived at Alex's property about 15 minutes after the telephone call. She took the stand to explain graphic photographs from her investigation to the jury and said the gunman was likely within three feet of Paul Murdaugh. The defense, however, has argued that Murdaugh had no motivation to murder his wife and son that several witnesses have described as his top priority. Buster, Murdaughs only surviving son, briefly took the stand last week about his nuclear family dynamics, noting that while the four of them were close there were tensions surrounding his fathers decades-long addiction to opioids. His mom and his brother were just killed.". He later stepped away from the double homicide investigation in August 2021, citing an undisclosed conflict. via Associated Press. State investigators allege that about $3.4 million was stolen after legal fees were paid. ", Oct. 15: Lawyer said Murdaugh had drugs in his system day he was shot. It changes you as a family," Randy told ABC News. Alex Murdaugh started crying when his lawyer discussed the detail. "I love my law firm family and also love Alex as my brother. ET to report that he had returned to his family's estate in Islandton, a rural community in South Carolina's Colleton County, to find the bullet-ridden bodies of his 52-year-old wife, Margaret "Maggie" Branstetter Murdaugh, and his 22-year-old son, Paul Terry Murdaugh. The 14th Circuit Solicitors Office also confirms to CNN that Murdaugh has been stripped of his privilege of prosecuting cases as a volunteer. "But we're just regular people that are working hard and trying to do right. A camouflage Benelli 12-gauge shotgun from the Moselle Road property that was swabbed showed DNA contributed by two people: Maggie and Alex Murdaugh. Due to stippling on her body, Riemer said two of the gunshot wounds were fired by someone within three feet of Maggie Murdaugh. Press J to jump to the feed. Its the hardest thing Ive ever been through in my life, John Marvin Murdaugh said through tears on the stand. "I don't know of anybody that would truly be an enemy or truly want to hurt them," Randy noted. The family's spokesperson later offered a clarification regarding the shooting, saying, "Alex had an entry and exit wound, his skull was fractured and it was not a self-inflicted bullet wound. The He was only able to tell me it was very, very bad. ", "I missed some phone calls from him. Randolph "Randy" Murdaugh IV and John Marvin Murdaugh speak with ABC News for an interview that aired on "Good Morning America" on June 17, 2021. Four generations served as the local prosecutor, "Alex intends to fully cooperate with this investigation, as he has with the investigation into the murder of his wife and son," his lawyers said in a statement. ", "Alex holds every member of the Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth, Detrick law firm in very high esteem," Griffin said on Twitter. Rowe, who worked at the property. "The murders of my wife and son have caused an incredibly difficult time in my life. He was being held in jail without bail on those counts before he was charged with murder. "We are part of the community. It made me want to do it longer. Alex Murdaugh's attorneys said in October that authorities were looking at him as a person of interest in the deaths of his wife and their son. Evidence was laid out Wednesday against the disgraced South Carolina attorney, accused of shooting his wife and son at the familys hunting property in 2021. Alex Murdaugh's attorneys didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Most of the testimony was focused on detailed forensic evidence in the investigation into the deaths of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh. At the time, the couple's sons were children. Buster and I, along with Maggie's mother, father and our entire family, ask that anyone with helpful information should immediately call the SLED tip line or Crime Stoppers. Zapata testified that no useful DNA was found on the blue raincoat discovered at the home of Alex Murdaughs mother during the investigation. If he leaves the rehab facility, there will be a bench warrant issued for his arrest, Judge Tonja Alexander said. Marian was like, No, John, I want you to handle it. So Im going to do whatever the court asked me to do, and Im also going to do what I think is best for Maggie," John Marvin Murdaugh said. WebThe Murdaugh family (/ m r d k / MUR-dok) is an American legal family in the Low Country region of South Carolina.From 1920 to 2006, three members of the family consecutively served as solicitor (i.e., district attorney), in charge of prosecuting all criminal cases in the state's 14th circuit district, leading locals to call the five-county district, WebAsked about the photos this month, John Marvin Murdaugh said they show him and the investigators trying to find Maggie Murdaughs cell phone using an app on Maggies His mother Maggie, they said, was a "classy person" with a "very dynamic personality" and was the "rock of their family." "We need help finding who did this," Randy told ABC News. "I can assure you that SLED agents will continue working to bring justice to anyone involved with any criminal act associated with these ongoing investigations," said SLED Chief Mark Keel. Judge Clifton Newman announced at the start of court on Monday that two jurors, 220 and 528, were released from their service because they tested positive for COVID-19. On Thursday, Murdaugh briefly described the roadside shooting, saying that he intended to die that day. The photographs were taken when he and the investigators were looking at Busters phone and began walking toward where Maggies phone was located, he said. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. He doesnt know why, Harpootlian said, gesturing toward the prosecutor. Duffie Stone, the 14th circuit solicitor appointed in 2006, the first non-Murdaugh to hold the position since 1920, recused himself from the case because of personal connections. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division said it continues to pursue all leads in the ongoing investigation and that anyone with information should call 803-896-2605, a 24-hour dedicated tip line for the case. Jailed in Richland County and facing more than 90 criminal charges and 11 lawsuits, Murdaugh has had his assets placed under the control of court-appointed The wreck led to some questioning whether his family's ties to the legal system in the area affected the investigation, local newspaper The Island Packet reported at the time. The Murdaughs are a prominent legal family in the Palmetto State, with three generations serving as the elected solicitor in the 14th Judicial Circuit for 87 consecutive years. A string of bloody killings and mysteries involving a prominent South Carolina family has sent investigators on a wild chase full of twists and turns. No arrests have been made and no suspects have been named. Witnesses said Paul Murdaugh was driving it and that he was extremely drunk and acting belligerently. Today, he knows that's not true. Griffin asks about Alexs demeanor after the murders. 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