Chad McDowell

Chad McDowell responded to the Moselle kennels as a Colleton County road-patrol corporal. He described securing the area, watching for threats, and identifying visible evidence without collecting it before detectives assumed responsibility.

On direct examination, McDowell said he marked visible casings to protect them from responder traffic and identified one as appearing to be .300 Blackout ammunition based on his personal ownership experience. He did not deploy his K-9 because no immediate article search was needed and the dog could have disturbed the scene. At an investigator's request, he entered the feed room to help lift a sheet, observed a cell phone on Paul, and said he used his light and moved carefully around the body and possible evidence.

The defense questioned the limits of McDowell's initial response. He acknowledged basic crime-scene-processing training, no experience preparing a crime-scene sketch, and no protective foot coverings. Although he maintained that he watched his footing and tried not to disturb anything, he agreed that his movement through the feed room, gravel, and grass possibly could have disturbed microscopic or unseen material. Body-camera clips also supported his observations that Alex Murdaugh appeared visibly upset and that McDowell saw no blood on him.

On redirect, McDowell distinguished his first-responder responsibilities from a crime-scene investigator's work. He reiterated that his task was to secure the area, preserve observed evidence, and mark it against responder traffic rather than conduct specialized scene processing.