Barry McRoy — Direct/Cross
192 linesThe witness, BARRY MCROY, was first duly sworn and testified as follows:
COURT CLERK: Take a seat in the witness stand. State your name again for the record, and spell your last name, please.
BARRY MCROY: Barry McRoy, M-c-R-o-y.
DIRECT EXAMINATION
BY MS. GOUDE:
MS. GOUDE: Chief McRoy, could you please tell the jury where you work?
BARRY MCROY: I work for Colleton County Fire and Rescue.
MS. GOUDE: And what is your position?
BARRY MCROY: I'm the fire chief.
MS. GOUDE: The fire chief of Colleton County Fire and Rescue?
BARRY MCROY: That is correct.
MS. GOUDE: And how long have you worked with the Colleton County Fire and Rescue?
BARRY MCROY: Twenty-nine years.
MS. GOUDE: And about how many scenes do you think you have responded to over the years?
BARRY MCROY: I have no idea, many thousands.
MS. GOUDE: And what are some of the training that you need to do to be a paramedic or respond with fire and rescue?
BARRY MCROY: A lot has changed greatly over the years, but presently to be a paramedic you have to have been an EMT for -- we recommend two years, which that's about a 500 hour course. And then you take a paramedic course, which is about 1500 hours. In Colleton County we require people to be cross-trained, so they have a 500 fire fighter course as well.
MS. GOUDE: And are you yourself a paramedic?
BARRY MCROY: I am.
MS. GOUDE: And how long have you been a paramedic?
BARRY MCROY: Since 1981.
MS. GOUDE: What are the -- would be the normal procedures when responding to gunshot -- to treat gunshot wounds or to a shooting?
BARRY MCROY: Well, when we initially respond, the law enforcement that's responsible for that jurisdiction typically clears the scene to make sure that it's safe for the other responders. When we arrive, we want to evaluate the patients to make sure if they've got some injuries that we can treat, we treat them, and we transport them to the closest trauma center.
MS. GOUDE: So, if someone had been shot, what would you normally do to initially treat that person?
BARRY MCROY: Oh, we would control their bleeding, protect their airway, get them transported as quickly as possible. May involve starting IVs. In Colleton County we carry blood so we can administer blood to the patient if they required it.
MS. GOUDE: Did you respond to Moselle Road on June 7th of 2021?
BARRY MCROY: I did.
MS. GOUDE: And tell us about what you did when you got there.
BARRY MCROY: I was on my way home from work, and I heard the sheriff's department on their radio dispatch units to the address in question, and they advised that there was two people shot. Shortly thereafter, they dispatched fire and rescue units, and we have a standard protocol of what they send. There were multiple patients, so they dispatched two ambulances and put a helicopter on standby, and then a supervisor is also dispatched. We also send the closest fire station, which in that case was the one from Islandton. I responded from Walterboro, and I did arrive ahead of everybody else. Dispatch had told us not to go onto the scene, so I staged about the 3900 block. And a few minutes later a deputy passed me, and I went in behind the deputy, which was Mr. Greene that y'all listened to earlier.
MS. GOUDE: And what did you see when you were driving onto the scene?
BARRY MCROY: It was really dark. The -- had a long dirt driveway. And when we arrived, there was some kennels off to the left and, like, a big barn with three lean -- lean-to on the right-hand side.
(Break in proceedings.)
MS. GOUDE: Chief McRoy, I'm going to show you what's been marked as State's Exhibits 51, 49, 24, and 21. I would just ask you to take a look at these pictures and tell me. Are you familiar with those pictures?
BARRY MCROY: Yes, ma'am. This does appear to be the accident scene.
MS. GOUDE: And these are true and accurate depictions of the crime scene that night?
BARRY MCROY: Yes, ma'am.
MS. GOUDE: Your Honor, at this time I would move State's 51, 49, 24, and 21 into evidence, with State's Exhibits 24 and 51 being sealed with the agreed upon placeholders.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: No objection, Your Honor.
JUDGE NEWMAN: They're admitted without objection.
(PHOTO MARKED AS STATE'S EXHIBIT NUMBER 21 WAS RECEIVED INTO EVIDENCE.)
(PHOTO MARKED AS STATE'S EXHIBIT NUMBER 24 WAS RECEIVED INTO EVIDENCE.)
(PHOTO MARKED AS STATE'S EXHIBIT NUMBER 49 WAS RECEIVED INTO EVIDENCE.)
(PHOTO MARKED AS STATE'S EXHIBIT NUMBER 51 WAS RECEIVED INTO EVIDENCE.)
MS. GOUDE: So, Chief McRoy, could you tell us how you observed the victims when you got to the scene?
BARRY MCROY: Deputy Greene went through the scene first. He actually drove a little ways in between the kennels and the lean-to. It was very dark, so he needed his headlights to see what was going on there. There was animals in the kennels, I don't know how many, but there was also some chickens fluttering around on the equipment on the right- hand side. The body of a younger male subject was face down by the kennels; he had some very severe injuries to the head. And there was a female subject at the end of the lean-to. She was also face down with severe injuries to her head. And there was a gentleman standing off a little distance away from it, and he was on a cell phone and seemed very upset.
MS. GOUDE: Did you recognize that gentleman?
BARRY MCROY: Yes, ma'am.
MS. GOUDE: And who was that?
BARRY MCROY: Alex Murdaugh.
MS. GOUDE: And how did you recognize him?
BARRY MCROY: I have met him in the past on a professional basis because we have had to do depositions and such with his law firm.
MS. GOUDE: State's Exhibit 21. Can you describe what the jury is looking at in this picture?
BARRY MCROY: On the left-hand side of the photograph is the covered body of Paul Murdaugh, and the -- down towards the end of the lean-to is -- you can see the covered body of Ms. Maggie Murdaugh.
MS. GOUDE: And those bodies appeared to be covered with pink sheets?
BARRY MCROY: Yes, ma'am.
MS. GOUDE: Now, were those sheets there when you got there?
BARRY MCROY: No, ma'am. We got those off the ambulance and covered up the bodies.
MS. GOUDE: And why did you do that?
BARRY MCROY: We typically do it to, you know, to shield the bodies from the view of the public. There were a lot of people showing up there. The family was on the scene, and people just really don't need to see that.
MS. GOUDE: State's Exhibit 24. Can you describe what the jury is viewing?
BARRY MCROY: That is the body of Paul, and he is laying face down at the entrance to -- it looks like a little utility room at the kennels. He is laying down with -- you can see there's substantial damage to his head with a lot of blood around his head, and what appeared to be his brain down there around his ankles.
MS. GOUDE: And this is how you found Paul?
BARRY MCROY: That is correct.
MS. GOUDE: Okay, and you said that appears to be his brain down there by his foot?
BARRY MCROY: Yes, ma'am.
MS. GOUDE: Okay, and at this point did you check his pulse?
BARRY MCROY: I did not check his pulse. He and his mother both had injuries that we considered incompatible with life. There was a lot of coagulation there where the blood had congealed and they were not currently bleeding, which would indicate they did not have a heartbeat. And obviously with his type of injuries he -- you know, there's not any way you could sustain his life.
MS. GOUDE: And State's Exhibit 51?
BARRY MCROY: That is Ms. Maggie, and she also had severe injuries to her head. You can also see where the congealed blood around the bottom of her face is, and she had a hole in her head to where you could actually see inside of her head cavity.
MS. GOUDE: Was it necessary to check Ms. Murdaugh's pulse or perform any life saving treatment?
BARRY MCROY: No, ma'am.
MS. GOUDE: Why is that?
BARRY MCROY: And she also had injuries that were not sustainable.
MS. GOUDE: And State's Exhibit 49, that's just where --
BARRY MCROY: That is the lean-to, and that's Ms. Maggie's body in front of the little side by side.
MS. GOUDE: Thank you. I have no further questions for this witness at this time.
JUDGE NEWMAN: Cross-examination.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: Beg the Court's indulgence one moment.
(Break in proceedings.)
CROSS-EXAMINATION
BY MR. HARPOOTLIAN:
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: Sir, you're the chief of the Colleton County Fire and Rescue, correct?
BARRY MCROY: That is correct.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: And you in the past have had dealings with Alex Murdaugh in a professional capacity with his law firm, correct?
BARRY MCROY: That is correct.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: So, you recognized him and you've seen him before, correct?
BARRY MCROY: Yes, sir.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: Was his demeanor, breathing distraught, upset?
BARRY MCROY: He seemed to be very upset, yes, sir.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: Very upset. Now, I've got just a very few questions for you, but when you responded -- and I'm going to try to get the picture, I think.
(Break in proceedings.)
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: So, you recognize this from the night of June 7th?
BARRY MCROY: That is correct.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: And those headlights facing us, are those the headlights from the Suburban?
BARRY MCROY: That would be a vehicle that was south of the location, so the police car would have been north.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: Right, but is that Mr. Murdaugh's vehicle, or do you know?
BARRY MCROY: I have no idea.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: Okay. So, you -- when you got there, you indicated to somebody that they needed to preserve some tire tracks, correct?
BARRY MCROY: That is correct. Over to the right-hand side there was -- there's three rows of, I guess, where they could park equipment underneath the lean-to, and the farthest one over, there was no equipment in it, but there was some tire tracks coming out of it.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: And, I mean, how did you come to see those? Did you drive -- you drove in off of Moselle Road, correct?
BARRY MCROY: I drove in off of Moselle Road. The deputy parked in this little driveway here between the two -- the kennel and the lean-to.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: Right.
BARRY MCROY: I parked at the end of the lean-to. Where I was at, I activated my scene lights, which are all of the way across the front of the light bar.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: The scene lights. High intensity lights?
BARRY MCROY: High intensity bright light lights. So, it was very dark, and I could see the tire tracks over to the right.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: So, as they look at this view --
BARRY MCROY: They're not visible in this picture.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: I understand that, but would the area you were be to the --
BARRY MCROY: To the right.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: This side or the other side?
BARRY MCROY: Other side.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: Okay. Over to this side.
BARRY MCROY: That is correct.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: And on the other side of this shed right here?
BARRY MCROY: More to the bottom.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: More to the bottom. Okay.
BARRY MCROY: To the right.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: So, let me -- maybe we have a video of this it would be a little easier for you to look at.
(Break in proceedings.)
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: So, as you look at --
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: Stop it one second. No, go back the other way. Back it up a little bit.
(Break in proceedings.)
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: From this perspective -- can you see that perspective right there?
BARRY MCROY: Yes, sir. The -- if you back up just a little bit.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: Back it up.
BARRY MCROY: If you'll stop it there.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: Stop. Go back. Stop.
BARRY MCROY: You can see the workshop on the left.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: How about do this. How about step down here, please, so we all can sing from the same sheet of music. If you stand over that way so these jurors can see.
BARRY MCROY: There's a workshop right here.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: Uh-huh.
BARRY MCROY: And there's a road here.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: Uh-huh.
BARRY MCROY: And a road here and a road here. This road is where the tire tracks were.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: And the crime scene is where?
BARRY MCROY: Right here where Ms. Maggie's body is, next to her body.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: Okay, and how far is it from where you saw those tire tracks to where their bodies were approximately?
BARRY MCROY: 20 or 30 feet.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: 20 or 30 feet. And you saw -- now, this was gravel? Grass? Dirt?
BARRY MCROY: Kind of sandy.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: Sandy. Distinct tire tracks.
BARRY MCROY: Yes, and one pair of tire tracks.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: One pair, and you couldn't tell which direction they were going in or -- well, you're not --
BARRY MCROY: Could have been coming in, could have been going out.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: You're not a tire expert, are you?
BARRY MCROY: No, sir.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: Go ahead and have a seat.
BARRY MCROY: Thank you, sir.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: So, whose attention did you bring that to?
BARRY MCROY: I brought it to the attention of one of the deputies. I don't recall which one it was.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: Was it Greene, Deputy Greene?
BARRY MCROY: I don't recall.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: But one of the Colleton County deputies?
BARRY MCROY: Yes, sir.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: And you indicated to him that it needed to be preserved, it needed to be roped off, needed to what?
BARRY MCROY: I showed them to him and told him. I said hey, there's some tire tracks over there. We tried to block off the driveway. I had one of our units stay out on Moselle Road, but a lot of vehicles kept driving around them. There's -- civilian vehicles kept coming in and then it began raining, so at that point it --
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: So, after -- you told me he didn't put any yellow tape up to block it?
BARRY MCROY: No, sir. They had yellow tape in front of our vehicles where we were parked, but they didn't put any yellow tape down there.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: And vehicles drove around your vehicle and just drove up and down that road.
BARRY MCROY: Yes, sir.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: Destroying the tire tracks.
BARRY MCROY: Well, the ones that were on the road part, not the ones under the shed.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: Okay, but to your knowledge, while you were there, did anybody take any pictures of those tire tracks?
BARRY MCROY: I have no idea, no, sir.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: Did you see any other pieces of forensic evidence, if you will, while you were there other than the tire tracks?
BARRY MCROY: There were shell casings around Ms. Maggie's body.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: Okay. Now, did you go over and examine Paul's body?
BARRY MCROY: Yes, sir.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: Did you go in the feed room?
BARRY MCROY: No, sir.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: Were you very careful around the body?
BARRY MCROY: Yes, sir, and the sheriff's department started putting up the yellow tape, and as they did that, we backed up and got behind it.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: Beg the Court's indulgence.
(Break in proceedings.)
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: Watch this video and then I need to ask you something.
(The video continued to play.)
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: Now, is this the area where you were talking about where there were tire tracks?
BARRY MCROY: They're over to the left.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: I'm sorry?
BARRY MCROY: They're over to the left.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: Okay, but all of these vehicles that are parked up there?
BARRY MCROY: That's the driveway coming in.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: Okay, and then you're saying after that is where these tire tracks were?
BARRY MCROY: Yes, sir, over to the left of this police car. You can see my vehicle is the red and white Tahoe. Maybe 15 feet to the left of that was where the tire tracks were.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: And you pointed those out to the Colleton County sheriff's deputies and said they needed to be preserved.
BARRY MCROY: I just showed them to them. I didn't tell them what to do with them.
MR. HARPOOTLIAN: Thank you. No further questions, Your Honor.
JUDGE NEWMAN: Any redirect?
MS. GOUDE: Nothing from the State, Your Honor.
JUDGE NEWMAN: All right. Thank you, sir. You may step down.
BARRY MCROY: Thank you, Your Honor.
(The witness exited the stand.)