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Alex Murdaugh— Case Archive
2023 Murder Trialtrial-daytrial-dayJohn B. ConradSavannah M. GoudeCreighton WatersPhillip D. BarberJim GriffinDick HarpootlianDylan HightowerKatie McCallisterHeidi GaloreMichael GunnJeannie SeckingerChris WilsondirectcrossredirectDay 7 - February 2, 2023Snapchat evidence established recorded times for a June 7 video, investigators detailed the recovery and handling of Maggie Murdaugh's phone, and the court continued an outside-the-jury hearing on proposed financial evidence without issuing a final admissibility ruling.
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Day 7 - February 2, 2023

Snapchat Timing, Moselle Phone Evidence, and Financial-Evidence Hearing

Judge Clifton B. Newman
13Proceedings
6Pages
6Witnesses
2,922Lines
Day 7 of 27
Appearing:
John B. Conrad Savannah M. Goude Creighton Waters Phillip D. Barber Jim Griffin Dick Harpootlian Dylan Hightower Katie McCallister Heidi Galore Michael Gunn Jeannie Seckinger Chris Wilson

Snapchat evidence established recorded times for a June 7 video, investigators detailed the recovery and handling of Maggie Murdaugh's phone, and the court continued an outside-the-jury hearing on proposed financial evidence without issuing a final admissibility ruling.

Full day summary

Snapchat records identified an account bearing Paul Murdaugh's name and placed a video at approximately 7:38 p.m. on June 7, with its appearance in Memories at 7:39 p.m. and transmission at 7:56 p.m. The records custodian also identified limits in the production, including metadata, contacts, and geolocation information that had not been requested. Investigators described locating Maggie Murdaugh's phone near Moselle Road, preserving it, and collecting weapons and ammunition during a consent search of the residence. Dylan Hightower found about 73 June 7 calls in Verizon records but only two FaceTime calls in the available extraction of Alex Murdaugh's phone. He offered several possible explanations and said the limited extraction did not establish the cause. Katie McCallister testified that her visual search found no visible blood, tissue, or similarly marked clothing, while acknowledging that no trace-evidence specialists were present and she was unaware of any swabbing of showers or tubs. Outside the jury's presence, the court continued its hearing on proposed financial evidence. Jeannie Seckinger described missing law-firm fees, her June 7 inquiry, and the firm's later review of transactions involving an account using the Forge name. Michael Gunn distinguished that account from legitimate Forge Consulting, and Chris Wilson testified about $792,000 paid directly to Murdaugh, a resulting $192,000 shortfall, and statements Murdaugh allegedly made in September 2021. The defense challenged the connection between the financial evidence and the killings. The court found the record sufficient to evaluate whether the alleged law-firm conduct met the clear-and-convincing threshold, but required additional material before deciding broader admissibility and limits.

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2. Heidi Galore — Direct/Cross

The court set procedures for considering proposed Rule 404(b) evidence, then Snapchat records custodian Heidi Galore authenticated Paul Murdaugh’s account records and a June 7, 2021 video before answering questions about its timing and unrequested location data.

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Procedural
Rule 404(b) Argument and Ruling

The court clarified that its prior opening-the-door ruling rested on Rule 403, outlined the standards for proposed other-acts evidence, and ordered in-camera, act-specific review before deciding admissibility.

Direct
Heidi GaloreJohn B. Conrad
99 lines

Snapchat records custodian Heidi Galore authenticated subscriber records and testified that a video tied to the account was uploaded to Memories at 7:39 p.m. and sent at 7:56 p.m. on June 7, 2021.

Cross
Heidi GalorePhillip D. Barber
50 lines

Heidi Galore agreed that displayed file information placed the Snapchat video's apparent recording time at 7:38 p.m. and testified that friends-list and geolocation data had not been requested or produced.

Highlights

Rule 404(b) Argument and RulingrulingThe court outlined the prospective Rule 404(b) and res gestae framework, identifying possible non-propensity uses of other-acts evidence while emphasizing that no particular Rule 404(b) issue had yet been decided.Heidi Galore - Crosstestimony highlightGalore initially said the production did not establish exactly when the video was recorded and that metadata had not been requested or produced. After counsel displayed the file information, she agreed that it showed June 7, 2021, at 7:38 p.m. and that the video appeared to have been recorded about one minute before its 7:39 p.m. upload.

3. Jeannie Seckinger — Direct/Cross/Redirect

Outside the jury’s presence, PMPED CFO Jeannie Seckinger described the firm’s discovery of settlement funds routed through accounts associated with Alex Murdaugh, while cross-examination tested the firm’s investigation and the basis for its conclusions. Redirect addressed why the firm had not investigated more broadly at an earlier stage.

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Direct
Jeannie SeckingerCreighton Waters
857 lines

PMPED CFO Jeannie Seckinger testified in camera about missing fees, her June 7 inquiry to Alex Murdaugh, the later discovery of the fake Forge account, and firm records documenting client reimbursements and other questioned transactions.

Cross
Jeannie SeckingerJim Griffin
241 lines

Jim Griffin tested the timing and foundation of PMPED's financial investigation, eliciting that the firm initially suspected hidden fees rather than theft, that older Forge records had long been accessible, and that parts of the client-authorization inquiry rested on work by others.

Redirect
Jeannie SeckingerCreighton Waters
85 lines

Jeannie Seckinger reaffirmed that client funds entered Alex Murdaugh's Forge account without a legitimate explanation and explained how firm trust, repayment practices, the June 7 killings, and later-discovered records shaped the timing of the firm's inquiry.

Highlights

Jeannie Seckinger - DirectconfrontationSeckinger recounted the missing $792,000 in Faris fees and her June 7 confrontation with Alex, who assured her the money remained available before a call about his father interrupted the discussion.Jeannie Seckinger - Redirect“That's right. It's a family-like place. Everybody was concerned for him, his family. We knew we had time to discuss this before the end of year, and at that point, like I said, we didn't think he was stealing any money from us.”— Jeannie SeckingerThe testimony explains why the firm suspended its June inquiry and preserves Seckinger's qualification that the firm did not then suspect theft.

5. Dylan Hightower — Direct/Cross/Redirect

The parties continued argument over proposed financial evidence before jury testimony resumed with Investigator Dylan Hightower’s account of locating Maggie Murdaugh’s phone, extracting other family phones, and the limits of his forensic findings.

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Procedural
Rule 404(b) Hearing Argument and Scheduling

The parties disputed the scope and admissibility of proposed financial evidence, and the court continued the required in-camera hearing while scheduling other witnesses for the jury.

Direct
Dylan HightowerJohn B. Conrad
392 lines

Dylan Hightower described locating and documenting Maggie Murdaugh's phone, authenticated scene and recovery photographs, and explained a qualified discrepancy between Alex Murdaugh's device call log and Verizon records.

Cross
Dylan HightowerDick Harpootlian
232 lines

Dylan Hightower acknowledged limits in the initial response, nighttime scene visibility, and documentation of Maggie Murdaugh's phone location, while clarifying that he preserved but did not analyze the device.

Redirect
Dylan HightowerJohn B. Conrad
41 lines

Dylan Hightower testified that Maggie Murdaugh's locked phone could be placed in airplane mode without a code and that no data was manipulated in his presence.

Highlights

Dylan Hightower - Directtestimony highlightHightower explained that Maggie Murdaugh's phone had not been found at the processed scene, so he suggested using a family member's Find My iPhone access and followed the displayed location approximately half a mile from the barn entrance.Dylan Hightower - Directtestimony highlightComparing Alex Murdaugh's extraction with Verizon records, Hightower found only two FaceTime calls in the device report for June 7 but about 73 calls in the carrier records. He identified several possible explanations and said the limited extraction did not allow him to determine the cause or recover deleted artifacts.Dylan Hightower - Direct“It could be a multitude of things. They were either removed by the user or the one responsible in using the device. It could have overlapped from the call log history. It could have been a series of things. But I just wanted to make sure that I identify the phone records that were in communication during that timeframe and the lack of that information on the actual data.”— Dylan HightowerHightower expressly qualified the call-log discrepancy and did not attribute it conclusively to manual deletion.

6. Katie McCallister — Direct/Cross

SLED agent Katie McCallister testified about handling Maggie Murdaugh's phone and searching the Moselle house, where she found no bloody clothing or visible blood or tissue. After cross-examination, the jury was dismissed for the day and the court returned to the Rule 404 hearing.

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Direct
Katie McCallisterSavannah M. Goude
113 lines

Katie McCallister described preserving Maggie Murdaugh's recovered phone, conducting a consent search of the Moselle house, transferring collected weapons and ammunition, and witnessing the collection of Buster Murdaugh's admitted buccal swab.

Cross
Katie McCallisterDick Harpootlian
81 lines

Katie McCallister testified that her search of the Moselle house was visual, that she knew of no forensic swabbing of its showers or tubs, and that she found no visibly bloodied clothing or other visible traces.

Highlights

Katie McCallister - Directevidence eventMcCallister described receiving Maggie Murdaugh's phone from Captain Neill, confirming the supplied passcode, immediately relocking the device, placing it in airplane mode at Investigator Hightower's request, and returning it without deleting or altering data.Katie McCallister - Crosstestimony highlightMcCallister said no trace-evidence specialists were present, she was unaware of any swabbing of the showers or tubs, and her examination was visual; she saw nothing visible suggesting blood or tissue.

7. Michael Gunn — Direct/Cross

Michael Gunn testified during an in-camera hearing that Alex Murdaugh’s DBA Forge account was not affiliated with Forge Consulting, then addressed the company’s records on brief cross-examination.

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Direct
Michael GunnCreighton Waters
204 lines

Michael Gunn distinguished Forge Consulting's legitimate structured-settlement work from the Richard Murdaugh DBA Forge account and testified that the reviewed client-trust checks did not reach legitimate Forge Consulting.

Cross
Michael GunnJim Griffin
20 lines

Michael Gunn testified that Forge Consulting's investigation found no record tying Maggie or Paul Murdaugh to Alex Murdaugh's DBA Forge account and that his company sold Alex no life insurance on either victim.

8. Chris Wilson — Direct

Chris Wilson testified in camera about $792,000 in legal fees, a $192,000 shortfall he covered, and Alex Murdaugh's later admission that he had been stealing money. The court then heard Rule 404(b) arguments, found the existing record sufficient for a threshold assessment of the alleged law-firm conduct, and deferred a final admissibility decision pending review of additional material and proposed testimony.

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Direct
Chris WilsonCreighton Waters
365 lines

Chris Wilson testified in camera that Alex Murdaugh directed $792,000 in legal fees to himself, returned only $600,000, and later acknowledged stealing money; Wilson authenticated checks, emails, a promissory note, and a text supporting the account.

Procedural
Rule 404(b) Hearing Argument and Scheduling

The parties contested whether alleged financial misconduct supported motive or fear of detection. The court found enough evidence for the law-firm misconduct threshold but deferred final admissibility decisions pending the Satterfield documents, proposed Mark Tinsley testimony, bank witnesses, and further argument.

Highlights

Chris Wilson - DirectadmissionWilson testified that during their September 4 meeting, Murdaugh disclosed a long-term opioid addiction and said he had been stealing money.Chris Wilson - Direct“He told me that he had -- that he had been stealing money.”— Chris WilsonWilson attributed a direct admission of stealing money to Murdaugh during their September 4 meeting.Rule 404(b) Hearing Argument and SchedulingrulingThe court found that it had received enough evidence to determine whether the alleged law-firm conduct was established by clear and convincing evidence, eliminating the need for additional testimony from Lee Cope or Annette Griswold on that threshold issue. It still required further material before deciding the broader admissibility questions.Rule 404(b) Hearing Argument and Scheduling“I don't believe the rule requires a full blown trial on these matters for the Court to make a determination of clear and convincing evidence.”— Clifton NewmanThe court explained that the threshold foundation for other-acts evidence could be evaluated without conducting a separate full trial of each alleged act.
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