WALTERBORO, S.C. — Prosecutors within the murder trial of Alex Murdaugh showcased a video Wednesday of a dog’s wagging tail to chip away at the once-powerful lawyer’s alibi that he wasn’t at the scene of the crime in June 2021.
Murdaugh, 54, rocked backwards and forwards and appeared to cry as video taken from the cellphone of his son Paul was performed in court docket. Three completely different voices might be heard within the quick clip, which was time-stamped at 8:44 p.m. and taken at the dog kennels on the household’s rural property property the place Paul, 22, and his mom Margaret, 52, have been fatally shot at about 8:50 p.m., in response to prosecutors.
Prosecutors first performed the video throughout the testimony of a state witness — Lt. Britt Dove, an skilled in cellphone forensics with the South Carolina Legislation Enforcement Division — and mentioned they believed it was Paul attempting to seize video of a dog’s tail because the voices spoke about whether or not a dog had a hen or guinea in its mouth.
The prosecution has beforehand mentioned the voices belong to Murdaugh, his spouse and son, however Dove was not requested particularly if the patriarch was amongst them.
The proprietor of the dog within the video, an in depth household buddy, later testified that Paul Murdaugh had been watching the animal for him at the household’s property in Colleton County and that they final spoke at about 8:40 p.m.
The buddy, Rogan Gibson, testified that they spoke about whether or not one thing was flawed with the dog’s tail. He additionally mentioned he may hear Margaret and a male voice that appeared like Murdaugh within the background earlier than hanging up.
At 8:49 p.m., Gibson texted Paul to “see if you will get a great image of” the tail, in response to the proof offered at trial. Nevertheless, Gibson by no means bought a response; he texted Paul once more about an hour later, however did not hear again.
Gibson testified that he spoke with investigators the following day after studying in regards to the killings, and mentioned he was “99%” certain that it was Murdaugh within the background when he spoke to Paul over the telephone.
When requested once more by lead prosecutor Creighton Waters if he believed Murdaugh was at the dog kennels that evening and “did you acknowledge the voices of your second household,” Gibson responded, “I did.”
He additionally testified that neither Paul nor Margaret sounded confused or scared to point that somebody unfamiliar or an apparent menace was on the property with them that evening.
Murdaugh, a once-prominent private damage legal professional from an extended line of prosecutors in southeastern South Carolina, has denied he was concerned within the deaths of his spouse and their youngest son.
He beforehand advised investigators that the final time he noticed his household was earlier within the night at dinner, and he had not been at the dog kennels, as an alternative taking a brief nap earlier than leaving to go to his ailing mom.
Throughout cross-examination, protection lawyer Jim Griffin spoke with Gibson about how there have been weapons left unprotected across the household’s property that presumably might be stolen, and that by all accounts, Margaret and Alex Murdaugh and their sons, Paul and Buster, had a loving relationship with each other.
State prosecutors allege Murdaugh had been stealing from purchasers and his agency for years, and that he murdered his spouse and son to achieve sympathy forward of being uncovered for his monetary troubles.
If convicted, Murdaugh may obtain 30 years to life in jail. He’s additionally going through greater than 80 financial-related costs towards him.
One other protection lawyer, Richard “Dick” Harpootlian, referred to as the state’s claims “ludicrous” throughout court docket Wednesday.
Dove went over a trove of info from the cellphones of Alex Murdaugh, his spouse and son. There have been telephone name logs and texts, steps recorded, apps asking for info, GPS areas, adjustments when the telephone belonging to Margaret went from vertical portrait mode to horizontal panorama mode and again, and — key to the prosecution’s case — when the digital camera was activated.
Throughout court docket Tuesday, proof offered revealed that Murdaugh’s closing textual content to his spouse was “name me babe.”
