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Prosecutors performed footage at Alex Murdaugh’s homicide trial Wednesday which will have compromised the South Carolina scion’s long-held declare that he was not current on the scene the place his spouse and son had been murdered.
Lt. David Britton Dove of South Carolina Regulation Enforcement Division’s pc crimes unit stated {that a} video taken by Murdaugh’s 22-year-old son Paul minutes earlier than he and his mom, Maggie, had been killed close to the household’s canine kennel reveals three voices, CNN reported.
The video clip is slightly below a minute lengthy and begins at 8:44 p.m. on June 7, 2021, Dove stated, including that he believes Paul was attempting to take a video of one of many canines’ tails, as he had been texting with a buddy who was apprehensive about its situation.
Whereas Dove couldn’t establish the audio system, he stated, “You possibly can inform that they’re completely different voices.”
Prosecutors imagine one of many voices was Paul, the second Maggie and the third was Alex Murdaugh, who’s accused of capturing each of them useless moments later the video was shot.
Murdaugh — as soon as once more — broke down in tears because the video clip performed.
South Carolina’s chief prosecutor Creighton Waters teased the video proof within the trial’s opening statements final week. He claimed that there’s “essential proof” present in Murdaugh’s and the victims’ telephone information that may place him on the scene on the time of the murders — and steered he might have been attempting to give you an alibi within the hours after.
Murdaugh has denied ever being close to the canine kennels, the place the our bodies had been discovered, the night time of the murders.
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“The proof goes to point out, that this stuff each one in every of us carries round in our pockets, that he [Alex] was there and he was there simply minutes earlier than with Maggie and Paul simply earlier than their cellphones go silent eternally and ever,” Waters stated, holding up a mobile phone.
The disgraced 54-year-old inheritor to a strong authorized dynasty has pleaded not responsible to killing his spouse, Maggie, 52, and troubled son, Paul at their Colleton County looking property.
Paul was shot twice with a shotgun close to the canine kennels whereas Maggie was shot a number of occasions with an AR-style rifle and acquired a single, execution-style shot to the again of her head whereas she was face-down on the bottom.
On Tuesday, officers testified that cellphone information present Paul spoke on the telephone for 4 minutes along with his buddy Rogan Gibson a few canine that the latter had left within the household kennels and requested for a photograph of its tail in a textual content message round 8:49 p.m.
When Gibson didn’t hear again from Paul, he texted Maggie Murdaugh at 9:34 p.m. to “inform Paul to name me,” SLED particular agent Jeff Croft testified. Twenty-four minutes later, he texted Paul “yo” and tried to name him 5 occasions with no reply.
“He was on the homicide scene with the 2 victims and greater than that simply over 4 minutes later … Paul’s telephone locks eternally. He by no means reads one other textual content, by no means sends one other textual content, doesn’t reply calls,” Waters stated in his opening statements.
On Maggie’s telephone, information present she acquired a gaggle textual content message from Alex’s sister about their father’s failing well being round 8:49 p.m., which was left on learn. It was the final textual content her telephone would obtain earlier than it might be locked.
Alex texted Maggie at 9:07, which was by no means learn. At 9:47 Alex texted, “Name me babe.”
Dove testified on Tuesday that after Maggie’s telephone went silent, the orientation on her telephone modified round 8:53 p.m., waking the display screen to activate its Face ID safety characteristic — suggesting that somebody aside from Maggie picked up the telephone because it didn’t unlock.
The telephone moreover recorded 59 steps between 8:53 p.m. and eight:59 p.m., Dove stated.
Maggie’s telephone’s orientation shifted once more at 9:06 p.m., once more indicating that it was in any individual’s fingers. Two seconds later, the telephone will get an incoming name from Murdaugh — who tried calling Maggie thrice between 9:04 and 9:06, information present. He additionally known as her twice at 9:47 p.m. and 10:03 p.m.
Alex acquired into his automotive to go to his sick mom — who was affected by late-stage Alzheimer’s — round 9:06 p.m., and texted Maggie that he can be proper again. He returned to the property at 10:01 p.m. He known as 911 at 10:06 p.m. after he stated he found their our bodies, prosecutors stated.
Murdaugh stated that the final time he noticed his spouse and son was once they ate dinner collectively round 8:15 p.m. He claims he was sleeping on the sofa once they had been killed and has denied ever being close to the canine kennels that night time.
Murdaugh’s attorneys steered of their opening assertion that “it’s more likely” there have been two shooters — neither of which had been Murdaugh — which might clarify two separate weapons used. They haven’t stated what would have motivated such a homicide.
Whereas Murdaugh has maintained his innocence since his indictment final summer time, prosecutors allege that he gunned down his household to cowl up his intensive monetary crimes.
Individually, he’s dealing with 99 separate expenses of monetary fraud and attempting to get a person to fatally shoot him so his surviving son, Buster, 26, might accumulate a $10 million life insurance coverage coverage. That matter will likely be dealt with at a later trial.
If convicted of murdering his spouse and son, Alex Murdaugh faces a minimal of 30 years in jail.