Ronnie Crosby

Ronnie Crosby testified as Alex Murdaugh's longtime friend and former law partner, addressing Alex's accounts after the killings, the kennel video, family firearms, and the law firm's discovery of missing money. Crosby described a June 10 gathering at which Alex recounted his activities before and after finding Paul and Maggie. Crosby clarified that he attended as a friend and did not consider himself to be representing Alex.

Before the jury, Crosby explained that legal fees belonged to the firm and described his initial trust that disputed Faris fees remained in another lawyer's trust account. He recounted Alex saying that he ate dinner, fell asleep, visited his mother, and later found Paul and Maggie, while denying that he had gone to the kennels before leaving. Crosby identified the voices on the kennel video as Paul, Maggie, and Alex. He also described the firm's later review of checks, its conclusion that money had been stolen, Alex's removal from the firm, and the resulting audit and reporting response.

Cross-examination tested the limits of Crosby's firearm testimony and crime-scene observations. He could not identify a firearm exhibit as Paul's gun, saw no long guns in Paul's truck or in surveillance footage, and acknowledged that customary hunting practices did not establish what anyone carried on a particular ride. He also explained that his earlier trust in Alex had caused him initially to view the Faris-fee issue as concealment rather than theft.

When Crosby returned in rebuttal, he associated Paul with a .300 Blackout and testified that Alex had said he checked Paul and Maggie before calling 911. Crosby said he first heard Alex acknowledge being at the kennels during Alex's trial testimony. Defense counsel challenged Crosby's impartiality by examining the firm's financial losses and his anger, grief, and sense of betrayal. Crosby acknowledged those circumstances but denied that they affected his answers, citing his oath and professional obligations on redirect.