Day 10 - February 7, 2023
The court admitted the disputed raincoat evidence, Jeannie Seckinger traced PMPED's discovery of diverted funds, Ronnie Crosby identified Alex Murdaugh's voice on the kennel recording, and Megan Fletcher explained gunshot-residue findings on clothing and inside the rain jacket.
Full day summary
9:04:552. Jeannie Seckinger — Direct/Cross/Redirect/Recross (Recall)
The court allowed the disputed raincoat evidence and resolved two juror matters before Jeannie Seckinger testified about PMPED's financial procedures, the June 7 fee inquiry, and the later discovery of checks and an account using the name Forge.
Highlights
Raincoat Evidence Argument and Juror ReplacementrulingAfter hearing competing accounts of Shelley Smith's identification, the court found the raincoat and her testimony relevant, denied the defense's motions to strike or exclude the evidence, and rejected the Rule 403 challenge to anticipated gunshot-residue testimony. The defense stated that it would renew the objection when Megan Fletcher testified.Raincoat Evidence Argument and Juror Replacement“All evidence adverse to the defendant can be considered to be prejudicial, but I do not find where the -- any prejudice substantially outweighs its probative value, so I deny that motion.”— Clifton NewmanThe court stated its Rule 403 conclusion while denying the defense's effort to bar anticipated testimony concerning gunshot residue on the raincoat.Jeannie Seckinger - DirectconfrontationSeckinger recounted confronting Alex on June 7, 2021, over the missing Faris fees and demanding proof that he had not received them personally; the conversation ended after a call about his father's terminal condition.Jeannie Seckinger - Directevidence eventBank records for Richard A. Murdaugh doing business as Forge and Seckinger's spreadsheet of fake-Forge payments were admitted; she testified that the firm funded client reimbursements totaling $2,841,512.55 in that category.Jeannie Seckinger - CrossadmissionSeckinger said the firm's June 7 concern was that Alex Murdaugh might be sheltering or shifting income, although she had doubts about whether the Faris money remained available; the firm was not then pursuing the matter as theft.Jeannie Seckinger - Cross“I had my suspicions on whether it was really in there, but we were not pursuing it as stolen money.”— Jeannie SeckingerThis qualified the firm's contemporaneous understanding of the June 7 Faris-fee problem and narrowed what Seckinger believed at the time.
3. Ronnie Crosby — Direct/Cross/Redirect (Recall 1)
Ronnie Crosby completed testimony about PMPED’s missing fees, Alex Murdaugh’s account of the night of the killings, voices on State’s Exhibit 297, family firearms, and the Moselle investigation.
Highlights
Ronnie Crosby - Directtestimony highlightCrosby related Alex Murdaugh's account of returning to Moselle, falling asleep, visiting his mother, and later finding Maggie and Paul; Crosby said Alex specifically denied going to the kennels with them before leaving.Ronnie Crosby - Directevidence eventAfter State's Exhibit 297 was played, Crosby identified the recorded voices as those of Paul, Maggie, and Alex Murdaugh.Ronnie Crosby - Direct“The three voices on that video are the voices of Paul Murdaugh, Maggie Murdaugh, and Alex Murdaugh.”— Ronnie CrosbyCrosby identified all three recorded speakers based on his longstanding familiarity with the family.
4. Megan Fletcher — Direct/Voir Dire
Megan Fletcher was qualified as an expert in trace evidence and gunshot primer residue, then testified about residue found on submitted clothing, hand lifts, a seatbelt buckle, and a blue rain jacket, while noting that she could not determine when or how the particles arrived.
Highlights
Megan Fletcher - Directevidence eventFletcher reported three characteristic GSR particles on the submitted white T-shirt and three on the green shorts, while emphasizing that the results could reflect proximity to a firearm discharge or transfer and could not establish when the particles were deposited.Megan Fletcher - Directtestimony highlightFletcher confirmed 38 characteristic GSR particles inside the blue rain jacket and described the amount as significant. She said the result could be consistent with an inside-out jacket near a firearm discharge or with transfer from an object carrying a high amount of residue; a recently fired firearm inside the jacket was also possible.Megan Fletcher - Direct“If somebody was wearing this coat inside out, I would say that is consistent with being in the vicinity to the discharge of a shooting. Given that it's on the inside, in order for it to be consistent with transfer, an object or objects with a high amount of gunshot primer residue on it would have had to transfer to it. So, they would have had to have more gunshot primer residue particles on them to begin with in order to transfer the amount of gunshot primer residue I found on this coat.”— Megan FletcherFletcher described the competing explanations for the significant number of particles found inside the rain jacket and qualified what a transfer explanation would require.