Alex Murdau’s sister-in-law testified in his testimony on Tuesday. double murder trial She thought it strange that he didn’t look scared in the weeks after his son Paul and wife Maggie were murdered in their South Carolina home.
Marian Proctor told jurors her family was distraught after the killings. Told.
“He didn’t know who it was, but he thought whoever did it had been thinking about it for a really long time,” Proctor said.
Alex Murdaugh, 54, faces 30 years in prison if: guilty of murder The bodies of his 52-year-old wife and 22-year-old son were found on June 7, 2021, near the kennel of the hunting lodge where the disgraced lawyer lived with his family.
Proctor said Tuesday he has a great relationship with his nephew and brother-in-law.
But Proctor said that as time went on, some nagging questions came to her mind.In particular, Alex Murdoh’s focus on the role of Paul Murdoh in 2019 boat crash where the teenager died. Investigators said Paul Murdoh was driving the boat and charged him with riding the boat under the influence.
“He said his number one goal was to erase Paul’s name,” Proctor said. “My number one goal was to find out who killed my sister and Paul.” , I thought it was very strange.”
During cross-examination, Proctor said Maggie Murdau was adamant that her son did not drive the boat and wanted his name cleared as well.
Proctor testified that Alex and Maggie Murdow had a special relationship, with only the typical disagreement from time to time.
“Good,” said Proctor. “It wasn’t perfect, but Maggie was happy.”
Prosecutors wanted to ask Proctor about allegations that Maggie Murdow had cheated on her husband 15 years ago, but the judge ruled that was in the past and irrelevant.
Proctor said in September 2021 that Alex Murdau had asked a friend to kill him on the side of the road so that his surviving son could get a $10 million life insurance policy, police said. testified that her opinion of her brother had begun to change. I just scratched my head.
At the same time, news began surfacing that investigators believed Alex Murdow had stolen from his family law firm and clients. 100 Other charges Except murder.
Prosecutors say Murdoh killed his family to gain sympathy and then stalled trying to cover up most of these crimes. The defense says it is absurd for a veteran attorney like Murdow to think that if his wife and son were brutally murdered, there would be less scrutiny over his life.
Early Tuesday, prosecutors called the 53rd witness in their case. Dale Davis lived down the road, feeding and caring for his dogs in the kennel.
Davis explains where each dog is in the kennel, how and where water collects when flushing the kennel, and how water is rotting wood, so avoid accumulating near the feeding shed. I explained the method in detail.
“I’m very particular about how the hose is wrapped,” Davis testified, examining photos taken by police after the killing. That hose is under pressure…someone used that hose after I did. ”
Prosecutors suggested the following, but did not directly say or provide evidence: shortage of items Linking Alex Murdau to the murder — found only near undiscovered weapons and corpses, no blood seen on clothing, etc — Murdoh cleaned up the crime scene that night before visiting his ailing mother. Murdoh called 911 to say he found the body after returning home from that trip.
At cross-examination, defense attorney Jim Griffin showed Davis video From the kennel where prosecutors said Paul Murdoh took minutes before the killing. Prosecutors used it along with other witnesses to identify the voice of Alex Murdau and that of his son and wife.
Griffin stopped about two-thirds of the way through the video and asked Davis what he saw in the background. It was a random pile of hoses.
Griffin also asked Davis about a time when a hunting dog was seriously injured in a kennel and needed to be put out of its misery.
“Mr. Alex couldn’t shoot that dog. He asked you to do it, didn’t he?” Griffin asked.
“Yeah,” Davis said.
Prosecutor David Fernandez then asked, “Did Alex hunt a lot?” And Davis agreed.
The court began Tuesday with a pathologist clinging to her findings that Maggie Murdow was shot four or five times with a rifle and Paul Murdoh was shot twice with a shotgun.
Dr. Ellen Reamer said the final shot of each victim appeared to be at their head. rice field.
As was the case on Monday, Alex Murdau cried during Riemer’s testimony, particularly as he detailed his wife and son’s injuries. Murdoh smiled and laughed as he testified that he took a shower and “was in a recliner for the rest of the night.”
there was no mention of COVID-19 in court on Tuesday. Two jurors were dismissed on Monday after testing positive for the virus, and a court clerk also has COVID, the virus has spread throughout the courtroom and could cause delays and mistrials. This is related to the concern that