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Alex Murdaugh— Case Archive
2023 Murder Trialtrial-daytrial-dayJohn B. ConradDavid A. FernandezJohnny E. JamesCreighton WatersPhillip D. BarberJim GriffinDick HarpootlianCarson BurneyEllen RiemerRoger Dale Davis Jr.Devin NewellBart ProctorMarian Proctorcrossredirectrecrossdirectvoir_direDay 15 - February 14, 2023Riemer's shotgun-wound conclusions faced renewed defense challenges, while kennel, financial, and family witnesses addressed activity at Moselle, Murdaugh's liquidity, Maggie's return home, and the kennel-video voices. The court limited Marian Proctor's testimony about later events and reserved a separate ruling on additional roadside-shooting evidence.
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Day 15 - February 14, 2023

Pathology Disputed; Kennel, Financial, and Family Evidence Presented

Judge Clifton B. Newman
18Proceedings
6Pages
6Witnesses
2,441Lines
Day 15 of 27
Appearing:
John B. Conrad David A. Fernandez Johnny E. James Creighton Waters Phillip D. Barber Jim Griffin Dick Harpootlian Carson Burney Ellen Riemer Roger Dale Davis Jr. Devin Newell Bart Proctor Marian Proctor

Riemer's shotgun-wound conclusions faced renewed defense challenges, while kennel, financial, and family witnesses addressed activity at Moselle, Murdaugh's liquidity, Maggie's return home, and the kennel-video voices. The court limited Marian Proctor's testimony about later events and reserved a separate ruling on additional roadside-shooting evidence.

Full day summary

Ellen Riemer maintained that Paul's fatal shotgun wound traveled through his shoulder, neck, and head and showed no evidence of a contact discharge, while acknowledging limits on reconstructing weapon angle, shooter height, and movement from the wounds. General Motors expert Devin Newell then authenticated newly located vehicle records as State's Exhibit 515 but emphasized that he had not analyzed them. Kennel caretaker Roger Dale Davis Jr. testified that the hose appeared to have been used after he left Moselle and that photographed water was excessive compared with his routine observations. On cross-examination, he agreed that less-careful spraying or an overturned dog bowl could also leave water visible. Forensic accountant Carson Burney traced $792,000 in Wilson Law Group checks, said the funds were exhausted by May 25, and testified that Murdaugh lacked sufficient liquid funds and available credit on June 7 to meet the financial demands posed by the prosecution. Cross-examination established that his analysis did not value retirement assets, real-estate equity, partnership interests, or possible additional borrowing. Marian Proctor testified that Maggie said Alex wanted her to return from Edisto and that the family planned to visit his parents at Almeda. She described Alex's post-killing statements, his focus on clearing Paul's name, and later information about his firing, finances, prescription-pill use, and the September roadside shooting. Outside the jury's presence, the court permitted limited testimony about how the September developments changed Proctor's concerns but excluded proposed fidelity evidence as too remote and potentially confusing. Bart Proctor separately identified Paul, Maggie, and Alex as the voices on the kennel video. At the close of proceedings, the court reserved a ruling on the State's proposed additional roadside-shooting evidence and invited further submissions and argument.

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1. Ellen Riemer — Cross/Redirect/Recross

Day 17 opened with Ellen Riemer defending her autopsy findings under cross-examination, redirect, and recross, including her conclusion that Paul Murdaugh’s wounds did not support a contact shot and her acknowledgment that the proposed shooting sequence was not the only possible reconstruction.

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Cross
Ellen RiemerDick Harpootlian
656 lines

The defense pressed Ellen Riemer on scene-information gaps, uncertain wound geometry, and an alternative contact-wound theory for Paul; she acknowledged reconstruction limits but maintained her shoulder-to-head trajectory and noncontact conclusion.

Redirect
Ellen RiemerCreighton Waters
83 lines

Ellen Riemer reaffirmed her noncontact, shoulder-to-head wound interpretation, explained the significance of stippling without soot, rejected a suicide wound, and emphasized the limits of her reconstruction.

Recross
Ellen RiemerDick Harpootlian
28 lines

Ellen Riemer said her autopsy conclusions came from examining the bodies, declined to interpret a calf mark she had not observed, and faced no further inquiry after a scope objection was sustained.

Highlights

Ellen Riemer - CrossconfrontationThe defense used an admitted gunshot-wound reference page to press whether the destruction of Paul's head suggested a contact wound. Riemer declined to extend the reference's contact-wound mechanism to a shot from several feet away and maintained that she found no evidence of a contact discharge.Ellen Riemer - Cross“I don't see any evidence of contact range discharge on the left side of the neck. So, it was not my conclusion, that was not my opinion that this is a contact shotgun wound.”— Ellen RiemerRiemer directly rejected the defense's proposed contact-wound interpretation of Paul's fatal injury.

2. Devin Newell — Direct/Cross

General Motors expert Devin Newell authenticated newly located vehicle records, which were admitted as State’s Exhibit 515, while noting that he had not analyzed the data.

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Direct
Devin NewellJohn B. Conrad
62 lines

General Motors technical expert Devin Newell authenticated newly located vehicle telematics records containing diagnostic, GPS, and speed information; State's Exhibit 515 was admitted without objection.

Cross
Devin NewellPhillip D. Barber
30 lines

Devin Newell said he was recently assigned only to authenticate General Motors records, had not reviewed the specific vehicle data, and knew no details of the FBI's reverse-engineering work.

Highlights

Devin Newell - DirectadmissionNewell testified that GM discovered additional information responsive to the March search warrant that had not previously been provided to law enforcement.

3. Roger Dale Davis Jr. — Direct/Cross/Redirect

Roger Dale Davis Jr. completed his testimony about the Moselle kennels, including his June 7 cleaning routine, later signs that the hose had been used, firearms and dog-care practices, and his evening timeline.

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Direct
Roger Dale Davis Jr.David A. Fernandez
315 lines

Roger Dale Davis Jr. described his June 7 kennel routine, said later photographs showed a disturbed hose and atypical water accumulation, marked the dogs' locations, and identified Paul, Maggie, and Alex on the kennel video.

Cross
Roger Dale Davis Jr.Jim Griffin
185 lines

Roger Dale Davis Jr. agreed the hose had been used after he left but described ordinary sources of kennel water, unlocked firearm practices, affectionate family interactions, his nearby whereabouts, and routine dog and feed-room activity at Moselle.

Redirect
Roger Dale Davis Jr.David A. Fernandez
48 lines

Roger Dale Davis Jr. clarified kennel drainage and water damage, described his June 7 evening routine, and said he saw no firearms at Moselle that particular day.

Highlights

Roger Dale Davis Jr. - Directtestimony highlightUsing Exhibit 505, Davis explained his precise hose-storage routine and testified that the photographed hose was twisted, with the nozzle positioned differently, indicating to him that someone had used it after he did.Roger Dale Davis Jr. - Direct“I'm very particular how I roll that. If you notice the pressure on that hose, somebody used that hose after I did because it's twisted. And the nozzle is too far up. The nozzle, I could always have it and make sure it was laying down flat. That nozzle is too far up.”— Roger Dale Davis Jr.Davis directly compared the photographed hose with his consistent storage practice and concluded that it had been used after his afternoon work.

4. Carson Burney — Direct/Cross/Redirect/Voir Dire (Recall)

Forensic accountant Carson Burney was qualified as an expert, traced $792,000 through Alex Murdaugh’s accounts, and addressed defense questions about the limits of his June 7 liquid-assets analysis.

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Voir Dire
Carson BurneyJohnny E. James
40 lines

Carson Burney outlined his forensic-accounting credentials and case-specific tracing work; the court qualified him as an expert after the defense renewed its prior Rule 404 objection.

Direct
Carson BurneyJohnny E. James
126 lines

Carson Burney traced $792,000 through Murdaugh-controlled accounts, identified replacement payments to Chris Wilson, and testified about Murdaugh's available funds and credit on June 7, 2021.

Cross
Carson BurneyJim Griffin
61 lines

The defense narrowed Carson Burney's June 7 analysis to liquid assets and outstanding loans, while Burney maintained that borrowing was needed to repay the Chris Wilson fees and traced about $500,000 of the reviewed $792,000 to Curtis Eddie Smith.

Redirect
Carson BurneyJohnny E. James
41 lines

Burney distinguished liquid assets from slower-to-sell real estate, qualified the source of a claimed $4 million-plus interest total, and reaffirmed that traced funds went toward loan and interest payments.

Highlights

Carson Burney - Directtestimony highlightBurney testified that, on June 7, 2021, Murdaugh lacked sufficient available funds and credit to satisfy the amounts posed for repayment to Chris Wilson, payment to Gloria Satterfield's sons, and Mark Tinsley's settlement demand.

5. Marian Proctor — Direct/Cross/Redirect

Marian Proctor recounted her final call with Maggie, family conversations after the killings, and concerns that changed after September events; following an evidentiary argument outside the jury's presence, the court allowed limited testimony about the roadside shooting and drug concerns but excluded a suspected affair.

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Direct
Marian ProctorCreighton Waters
191 lines

Marian Proctor recounted Maggie's final June 7 call about returning from Edisto and an expected Almeda visit, then described Alex's statements, priorities, and apparent lack of fear after the killings. She distinguished her firsthand conversations from a kennel account relayed through her mother and added limited context about Buster, Maggie's kennel habits, and the family's AR-style guns.

Cross
Marian ProctorJim Griffin
240 lines

Marian Proctor authenticated a recent family photograph, qualified her concern about the missed Almeda visit, and described Alex's grief and close relationships with Maggie and Paul. She retained a separate concern about his focus after the killings and provided ordinary context about his firearm-carrying habits, Bubba, and Maggie's enjoyment of the kennel dogs.

Redirect
Marian ProctorCreighton Waters
22 lines

Marian Proctor reaffirmed that Maggie returned home to be with Alex and visit his parents at Almeda, then began explaining how September developments changed her thinking before the supplied excerpt ended.

Procedural
Roadside-Shooting and Fidelity Evidence Argument

The court allowed limited testimony explaining how the September roadside shooting, Murdaugh's firing, and his drug problem changed Marian Proctor's concerns, but excluded remote fidelity evidence as potentially confusing.

Redirect
Marian ProctorCreighton Waters
46 lines

Marian Proctor described first fearing that Alex and the family were being targeted after the September roadside shooting, then changing that view as financial information emerged and Alex's initial account came to be untrue. She also said Maggie called Paul “Little Detective” because he looked for Alex's prescription pain pills.

Highlights

Marian Proctor - Directtestimony highlightProctor recounted her final call with Maggie at about 4:00 p.m. on June 7. Maggie said Alex wanted her to return from Edisto, Paul would also be home, and Proctor understood that the family planned to visit Alex's parents at Almeda.Marian Proctor - Direct“Maggie called me that day and said she was at Edisto. She had some men working on the house, and Mr. Randolph was not doing well at all, and Alex really wanted her to come home that night. She hadn't planned on it, but that he needed her to come home, and Paul was going to be there, too.”— Marian ProctorProctor's firsthand account of her final conversation with Maggie explains why Maggie returned from Edisto and who Maggie expected to be home.Roadside-Shooting and Fidelity Evidence ArgumentrulingThe court allowed limited testimony explaining how the September shooting, Alex Murdaugh's firing, and his drug problem changed Proctor's concerns, excluded the fidelity subject as too remote and potentially confusing, and then overruled the objection when the jury returned.Roadside-Shooting and Fidelity Evidence Argument“The witness can testify as to her concern as to what occurred on September 7th that changed her concern about Alex's living in fear. She cannot testify as to -- on the fidelity issue because that's too remote in time and would tend to confuse the jury. She can testify that she discovered that he'd been fired and that -- and that he had a drug problem.”— Clifton NewmanThe court defined the permitted and excluded subjects of Proctor's resumed testimony.

8. Bart Proctor — Direct/Cross

Bart Proctor identified the Murdaugh family voices in State's Exhibit 297, then said on cross-examination that he did not recognize a blue raincoat shown by SLED. After testimony ended, the court reserved its ruling on proposed roadside-shooting evidence until further argument the next morning.

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Direct
Bart ProctorCreighton Waters
34 lines

Bart Proctor identified Paul, Maggie, and Alex Murdaugh as the three voices on the kennel video and expressed complete certainty about Alex's voice.

Cross
Bart ProctorJim Griffin
24 lines

Bart Proctor said he did not recognize a blue raincoat pictured by SLED agents and had never recognized it before, including when asked whether he had seen Paul wear it.

Procedural
Roadside-Shooting Motion in Limine

The State argued that Murdaugh's false unknown-assailant account after the roadside shooting was connected to the financial confrontation and intended to suggest the killers had returned; the defense challenged its relevance and admissibility, and the court deferred ruling until the next morning.

Highlights

Bart Proctor - Directevidence eventState's Exhibit 297 was played in court. Proctor identified the voices of Paul Murdaugh, Maggie Murdaugh, and Alex Murdaugh and said he was 100 percent sure of his identification of Alex.Bart Proctor - Direct“I recognize Paul Murdaugh, I recognize Maggie Murdaugh, and I recognize Alex Murdaugh.”— Bart ProctorProctor identified all three family members' voices on the kennel video, including Alex Murdaugh's.Roadside-Shooting Motion in Limineprocedural actionThe court reserved a ruling, invited overnight submissions, and scheduled additional argument before the jury's delayed 10:30 a.m. arrival.
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