Marian Proctor

Marian Proctor, Maggie Murdaugh's sister, testified about her final telephone conversation with Maggie on June 7. She said Maggie reported that Alex wanted her to return from Edisto, that Paul would be home, and that the family expected to visit Alex's parents at Almeda. Proctor encouraged Maggie to go.

Proctor described the family's fear and grief after Maggie and Paul were killed. She recounted Alex saying that he did not know who was responsible but believed the person had planned the killings for a long time. She distinguished that conversation from an account relayed through her mother that Alex had eaten dinner, taken a nap, and never gone to the kennels.

She testified that Alex repeatedly emphasized clearing Paul's name and returning Buster to law school. Proctor believed the family should also have focused on finding Maggie and Paul's killer, and she said Alex did not appear afraid despite the family's fear. On cross-examination, she acknowledged Alex's severe grief, his strong relationships with Maggie and Paul, and her belief that Maggie was happy despite an imperfect marriage. She also agreed that the missed Almeda visit no longer seemed unusual after learning Alex's father had returned to the hospital, while maintaining her concern about the absence of discussions with Alex focused on identifying the killer.

Proctor explained that she initially feared the family was again being targeted after the reported roadside shooting, but later financial information changed her assessment and Alex's initial account came to be untrue. She also described Maggie's concern about Alex's prescription pain pills and Paul's efforts to find them, while qualifying that she did not know how long the concern had existed or how often Paul had found pills.