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Alex Murdaugh— Case Archive
personpersonShelley SmithShelley SmithCaregiver for Libby Murdaugh who was present during Alex Murdaugh's visits to the Almeda home.← All People
Witness

Shelley Smith

Courtroom still of Shelley Smith.

Caregiver for Libby Murdaugh who was present during Alex Murdaugh's visits to the Almeda home.

Appeared2023 Murder Trial
563 lines·24 proceedings·19 mentions

About

Shelley Smith testified as Libby Murdaugh's overnight caregiver about Alex Murdaugh's nighttime visit to the Almeda home on June 7, 2021. She estimated that he stayed about 15 to 20 minutes while his mother was asleep or intermittently asleep, and she described his demeanor as normal for him.

Smith said that after Randolph Murdaugh's funeral, Murdaugh told her that if anyone asked, she should report that he had been at Almeda for 30 to 40 minutes. She testified that this did not match her recollection and that the conversation made her nervous. She also recounted his offer to help with her planned wedding and his mention of a school contact, but did not describe those offers as explicit conditions of the disputed conversation.

Smith also described an unannounced early-morning visit several days after the funeral, when she saw Murdaugh carry a bundled blue tarp-like or vinyl object upstairs. She later saw a blue tarp unfolded on a chair and found it gone the next day, but she could not say whether anything had been inside the bundle.

Cross-examination addressed an earlier estimate that the June 7 visit lasted 30 to 35 minutes and established that Smith had not mentioned the blue object during a June interview. Smith reaffirmed an approximately 20-minute visit on redirect and said she first disclosed the tarp in September. She also acknowledged that she saw no blood on Murdaugh or in the bedroom, denied describing the bundle as a rifle, and could not identify the photographed rain jacket or folded closet garment as the object she had seen him carry.

Trial Record (24)

20232023 Murder TrialJan 23, 2023 – Mar 3, 2023Called by prosecution

Shelley Smith testified about Alex Murdaugh's brief June 7 visit to his mother's Almeda home, his later alleged request that she report a longer stay, and a subsequent visit involving a bundled blue object. Questioning examined her differing time estimates, delayed disclosure of the object, and the limits of her identification.

Day 11

DirectShelley Smith - DirectShelley SmithJohn Meadors4highlights367lines spoken

Summary

Caregiver Shelley Smith described Alex Murdaugh's brief June 7 visit to Almeda, his later statement that he had stayed 30 to 40 minutes, and an early-morning visit when she saw him carry a blue tarp-like item upstairs.

Highlights (4)

Quote“The game show was on, so it had to have been 8:30 or 9:30, somewhere in there.”— Shelley SmithSmith explained the basis and uncertainty of her estimate for Alex Murdaugh's June 7 arrival time.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
Quote“He just said that he was at the house for 30 or 40 minutes, and that's it.”— Shelley SmithSmith recounted Alex Murdaugh's later statement about the length of his June 7 visit, which differed from her own estimate.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
Quote“Because it was a good family and I loved working there, and I'm sorry all of this happened. They're good people.”— Shelley SmithSmith explained her visible emotion and expressed continuing affection for the family despite the difficult testimony.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
Quote“A blue tarp, a blue something in his hand, something blue.”— Shelley SmithThe wording preserves Smith's initial description and uncertainty about the object Alex Murdaugh carried during the early-morning visit.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
CrossShelley Smith - CrossShelley SmithJim Griffin2highlights102lines spoken

Summary

Shelley Smith maintained that Alex Murdaugh carried a balled-up blue tarp, limited his June 7 Almeda visit to about 20 minutes, and said she saw no blood. The defense highlighted earlier timing estimates and her delayed tarp disclosure.

Highlights (2)

Quote“20 minutes, not 30 minutes, the whole time, sir.”— Shelley SmithSmith firmly limited her estimate of Alex Murdaugh's total time at the property, sharpening a disputed timeline point.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
Quote“It was balled up like a blue tarp.”— Shelley SmithSmith reaffirmed her identification after questioning about repeated interviews and the distinction between a tarp and a rain jacket.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
ProceduralRecorded Witness Statement and Raincoat Evidence Issues2highlightsMentioned1line spoken

Summary

The court ordered disclosure of Shelley Smith's recorded statement under Rule 613, then heard a defense request to exclude blue raincoat evidence and the State's response without stating an express ruling.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

Highlights (2)

objectionThe defense moved to exclude blue raincoat evidence absent a witness connecting it to Alex Murdaugh. The State responded that Shelley Smith had identified a blue vinyl item as consistent with what she saw, and the court resumed the examination without stating an express ruling.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
RedirectShelley Smith - Redirect (Continued)Shelley SmithJohn Meadors1highlight44lines spoken

Summary

Shelley Smith reaffirmed that Alex Murdaugh's late Almeda visit was unusual and about 20 minutes, repeated his instruction to say 30 or 40 minutes if asked, and identified State's 411 as resembling the balled-up blue vinyl garment she saw him carry.

Highlights (1)

Quote“He said if someone asks you, I was here 30 or 40 minutes. That's what he said.”— Shelley SmithSmith directly attributed to Alex Murdaugh an instruction about what duration to report for his Almeda visit.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
RecrossShelley Smith - RecrossShelley SmithJim Griffin1highlight19lines spoken

Summary

Shelley Smith distinguished the blue tarp she saw from the photographed rain jacket, acknowledged limits on identifying a folded closet item, and agreed that Randolph Murdaugh's hospitalization provided context for Alex Murdaugh's visit.

Highlights (1)

Quote“No. The only thing I seen was blue -- I didn't know if it was a raincoat or not. It was balled up.”— Shelley SmithSmith preserved an important limitation in her identification: she saw a blue, balled-up object but did not know whether it was a raincoat.Open in transcript →Watch this moment ▶
ProceduralRaincoat-Evidence ArgumentMentioned

Summary

The defense challenged the foundation for anticipated gunshot-residue testimony about Exhibit 226, while the State argued that witness and recovery testimony supplied a sufficient chain. The court adjourned without an express ruling.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

Day 12

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Day 18

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 20

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 22

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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.

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