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Alex Murdaugh— Case Archive
personpersonPaul MurdaughPaul MurdaughAlex and Maggie Murdaugh's younger son and one of the two victims killed at Moselle on June 7, 2021.← All People
Victim

Paul Murdaugh

Alex and Maggie Murdaugh's younger son and one of the two victims killed at Moselle on June 7, 2021.

Mentioned2023 Murder Trial
184 proceedings·184 mentions

About

Paul Murdaugh's phone records showed calls and messages shortly before 8:49 p.m., no recorded steps after 8:42 p.m., and no indication of active human use after 8:48:59 p.m.; the examiner cautioned that short movements might not register. His phone recorded the kennel video from 8:44:49 to 8:45:47 p.m. An examining officer heard three voices but could not identify them, while Annette Griswold identified them as Paul, Maggie, and Alex Murdaugh. Paul was Alex Murdaugh's son and one of the two homicide victims.

DNA comparisons supported Paul's presence on shotgun-shell and storage-room-door swabs, although the testimony limited what could be concluded about the source of the DNA. The trial also addressed his association with a .300 Blackout rifle and competing opinions about his fatal shotgun wound. Defense pathologist Jonathan Eisenstat described a contact wound entering at the top-back of the head, while State pathologist Ellen Riemer maintained that the shot traveled from the left shoulder through the neck and head and rejected the contact-wound theory in rebuttal. Paul's death also appeared in the State's motive presentation through testimony about a pending civil hearing and how perceived vigilante violence against the family could have affected the civil recovery analysis concerning Alex Murdaugh.

Trial Record (184)

20232023 Murder TrialJan 23, 2023 – Mar 3, 2023

Paul Murdaugh's phone activity and kennel video helped establish the evening's digital timeline, while DNA, firearms, and competing pathology testimony addressed physical evidence and the circumstances of his death.

Jury Selection Day 1

jury selectionJury Voir Dire - Panel OneMentioned

Summary

The court screened Panel One for publicity exposure, fixed opinions, and personal connections, excusing several jurors and conducting individual follow-up before qualifying the remainder.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

jury selectionJury Voir Dire - Panel ThreeMentioned

Summary

Panel Three disclosed extensive publicity exposure, community and witness ties, hardships, and qualification issues; the court excused several prospective jurors and returned Juror 705 to the pool after individual questioning.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

Jury Selection Day 2

ProceduralOpening Court ProceedingsMentioned

Summary

Judge Newman opened qualification of Jury Panel Four, explained the accusations, plea, presumption of innocence, and burden of proof, and had the panel sworn for roll call.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

jury selectionJury Voir Dire - Panel FourMentioned

Summary

Panel Four voir dire examined widespread publicity, fixed opinions, and local ties to the Murdaugh family, law enforcement, and potential witnesses. The court excused jurors who could not be impartial, retained others after individual inquiry, and ended with 122 qualified jurors for an 80-person strike sheet.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

CrossLaura Rutland - CrossLaura RutlandJim GriffinMentioned

Summary

Jim Griffin challenged the initial Moselle investigation, eliciting limits in Rutland's visual observations and interview questions while examining the search warrant, unidentified boot prints, consent searches, and the investigation's initial suspect assessment.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

Day 6

Day 7

CrossJeff Croft - CrossJeff CroftJim GriffinMentioned

Summary

Croft faced cross-examination about the limited connection between recovered Moselle firearms and the homicide evidence, gaps in searches and evidence handling, and his disputed interpretation of Alex Murdaugh's recorded words.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

CrossJohn Bedingfield - CrossJohn BedingfieldJim GriffinMentioned

Summary

Bedingfield distinguished the three Murdaugh .300 Blackout rifles, acknowledged limits in his component-source recollection, described the caliber as commercially available and commonly used for hog hunting, and gave favorable testimony about Alex Murdaugh's relationship with his sons.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

Day 8

CrossBritt Dove - CrossBritt DovePhillip D. BarberMentioned

Summary

The defense used Britt Dove's phone records to argue that Alex and Maggie Murdaugh's phones were moving separately, while Dove resisted identifying an orientation change as proof the phone was thrown and acknowledged that cached GPS data may have been overwritten.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

Day 9

ProceduralRule 404(b) Argument and RulingMentioned

Summary

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.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

ProceduralRule 404(b) Hearing Argument and SchedulingMentioned

Summary

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.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

Day 10

ProceduralIn-Camera Witness and Privilege IssuesMentioned

Summary

The State sought permission to investigate statements allegedly made by Alex Murdaugh at a June 10 gathering, while the defense objected that the request was unauthorized discovery; the Court requested briefing and deferred a privilege ruling.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

Day 11

RedirectMark Tinsley - RedirectMark TinsleyCreighton WatersMentioned

Summary

Mark Tinsley explained why he sought institutional financial records, described settlement options involving property and a payment plan, and said additional liability theories were already under discussion. The court then addressed privilege limits for anticipated third-party testimony.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

ProceduralRule 404(b) Ruling and Limiting InstructionMentioned

Summary

The court admitted alleged financial-crimes evidence under Rule 404(b), Rule 403, and res gestae, clarified that the ruling extended beyond June 7, and addressed the defense's request for a limiting instruction and preserved objection.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

Day 12

Day 13

Day 14

Day 15

DirectMatthew Wild - DirectMatthew WildJohn B. ConradMentioned

Summary

Matthew Wild mapped Paul, Maggie, and Alex Murdaugh's phones using call records, device data, and drive tests, while stressing that the records did not identify who held a device. He found the 911 call compatible with a Moselle location despite its use of a Varnville-area tower and traced Alex's phone through Almeda-, Summerville-, and Hampton-area sectors from June 8-15.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

CrossMatthew Wild - CrossMatthew WildPhillip D. BarberMentioned

Summary

Matthew Wild identified limits in the Verizon maps, including missing text-message location data, unrecorded tower handoffs, no relevant GPS data for Maggie or Alex, and no phone-movement comparison. He also clarified the 911 timestamp difference, the report's June 15 endpoint, and the limited scope of his confirmed third-party phone review.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

Day 16

CrossSara Zapata - CrossSara ZapataPhillip D. BarberMentioned

Summary

Zapata acknowledged low-level foreign male DNA under Margaret Murdaugh's fingernails, explained why it was not suitable for CODIS, and defended the limits of DNA-source conclusions while confirming negative Hematrace results from the sampled white T-shirt items.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

DirectEllen Riemer - DirectEllen RiemerCreighton WatersMentioned

Summary

Ellen Riemer explained the victims' autopsy findings, wound paths, probable shot sequences, causes and manners of death, and the limits of her reconstruction; after cross was deferred, the parties addressed witness travel, the State's characterization of new GM timeline material, and the projected trial schedule.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

Day 17

DirectMarian Proctor - DirectMarian ProctorCreighton WatersMentioned

Summary

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.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

CrossMarian Proctor - CrossMarian ProctorJim GriffinMentioned

Summary

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.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

ProceduralRoadside-Shooting Motion in LimineMentioned

Summary

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.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

Day 18

ProceduralRoadside-Shooting Evidence RulingMentioned

Summary

Judge Newman excluded the proposed roadside-shooting evidence at that time, finding insufficient logical relevance and an unacceptable risk of violent-propensity prejudice.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

DirectDavid Owen - DirectDavid OwenJohn MeadorsMentioned

Summary

Lead SLED investigator David Owen traced the investigation from the Moselle crime scene through Alex Murdaugh's recorded interviews, identified repeated inconsistencies, and explained the delayed recovery of the 8:44 p.m. kennel video.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

Day 19

Day 20

DirectPeter Rudofski - DirectPeter RudofskiCreighton WatersMentioned

Summary

Peter Rudofski combined phone, carrier, telemetry, and newly received OnStar data into a June 7 timeline emphasizing the victims' final phone activity, the Suburban's movements and speeds, missing extracted call-log entries, and the interval between arrival at the kennels and the 911 call.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

ProceduralState Rests and Directed-Verdict MotionMentioned

Summary

The State completed its case, the defense sought a directed verdict based on asserted gaps in the circumstantial evidence, and the court denied the motion before the defense called its first witness.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

Day 21

DirectMike Sutton - DirectMike SuttonDick HarpootlianMentioned

Summary

Mike Sutton presented defense reconstructions of the shooting trajectories, gunshot audibility, and vehicle evidence, opining that the quail-pen shot most likely came from a short, low-positioned shooter and was very unlikely to have been fired by Alex Murdaugh.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

CrossMike Sutton - CrossMike SuttonDavid A. FernandezMentioned

Summary

The prosecution challenged Mike Sutton's qualifications, unlabeled graphs, acoustic-test inputs, projectile assumptions, and short-shooter renderings; Sutton acknowledged several limits but maintained that his engineering analysis supported low firing positions and faint gunshot audibility inside Moselle.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

Day 22

DirectMark Ball - DirectMark BallJim GriffinMentioned

Summary

Mark Ball described weak access control and disturbing conditions at the released Moselle scene, identified the family voices on the kennel video, disputed an audio interpretation, and balanced favorable family observations with his sense of betrayal over Alex's thefts.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

CrossMark Ball - CrossMark BallCreighton WatersMentioned

Summary

Mark Ball said Alex Murdaugh repeatedly gave him an account contradicted by the kennel video, described the firm's discovery of extensive client thefts and Alex's removal, and explained why he immediately doubted the later roadside shooting story.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

RedirectMark Ball - RedirectMark BallJim GriffinMentioned

Summary

Mark Ball described client-repayment efforts, firm losses, Alex Murdaugh's grief and apparent cooperation, and family phone and firearm habits, while stressing that his anger over the financial misconduct did not establish the murder accusations.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

CrossKenneth Zercie - CrossKenneth ZercieJohn MeadorsMentioned

Summary

The State tested Kenneth Zercie's limited case review, lack of a written report, methodology, compensation, and footwear opinions; he agreed with the State examiner's qualified findings while maintaining that inadequate photographs prevented definitive comparisons.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

Day 23

Day 24

CrossAlex Murdaugh - CrossAlex MurdaughCreighton WatersMentioned

Summary

Waters tested Alex Murdaugh's newly disclosed kennel account against digital data, prior interviews, financial deceptions, disputed conversations with Shelley Smith and Blanca Turrubiate-Simpson, and the timing of his 911 call. Murdaugh admitted extensive lying but denied influencing witnesses, manufacturing an alibi, or killing Maggie and Paul.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

RedirectAlex Murdaugh - RedirectAlex MurdaughJim GriffinMentioned

Summary

Griffin sought to rehabilitate Alex Murdaugh through addiction, family-health, and device-timeline evidence. Murdaugh admitted repeated lies and the roadside fabrication, denied possessing Maggie's phone, distinguished mistaken times from deliberate deception, and again denied hurting Maggie or Paul.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

Day 25

Day 26

CrossMark Ball - CrossMark BallJim GriffinMentioned

Summary

Mark Ball limited his knowledge of Alex Murdaugh's later disclosures, qualified claims about distrust of law enforcement, and provided defense context about hog hunting, family firearms, emotional demeanor, and post-killing security concerns.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

ProceduralIn-camera HearingMentioned

Summary

The judge limited other-bad-acts evidence to motive, reserved the voluntary-intoxication charge, required an instruction addressing other charges and punishment, and resolved several additional charge requests.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

Day 27

Day 28

Jury InstructionJury ChargeMentioned

Summary

Judge Newman defined the governing law for the four charges, limited other-acts evidence to motive, instructed the jury on unanimous deliberations and verdict forms, and sent the jury to deliberate.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

Day 29

sentencingSentence of the CourtMentioned

Summary

The court imposed two consecutive natural-life sentences after Murdaugh maintained his innocence, then addressed juror privacy and reported postings of courtroom photographs.

Mentioned in this proceeding.