Jurors will return to the Colleton County Courthouse late Wednesday morning or early in the afternoon as the double murder trial of disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh draws to a close.
The 54-year-old South Carolina legal scion – disbarred soon after the murder allegations and various alleged financial improprieties came to light – is accused of brutally shooting and killing his wife, Margaret "Maggie" Murdaugh, 52, and their youngest son, Paul Murdaugh, 22, in early June 2021 with a rifle and a shotgun.
On Monday, the final handful of witnesses presented by attorneys Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin came on the heels of the defendant's decision to take the stand in his defense. This performance elicited mixed reviews from legal experts.
The defense closed with John Marvin Murdaugh, the defendant's younger brother, as their final witness. His performance on the stand drew plaudits from some court observers for looking "very real."
On Tuesday, the state called six rebuttal witnesses, closing the testimonial portion of the case with Dr. Kenneth Kinsey, who testified during the prosecution's case-in-chief.
Kinsey is the chief deputy at the nearby Orangeburg Sheriff's Office, and trained in pathology, he testified.
During his testimony, Kinsey dismissed several ideas raised by defense expert witnesses – saying there was "absolutely" no reason to exclude a shooter who is the defendant's height – 6-foot-4 – and refusing to definitively say that either one or two shooters "could be ruled out or in" as responsible for the carnage.
"I know I've got a moving victim, I know I've got a moving suspect," the state's witness told jurors while rubbishing the defense's conclusions. "It gives me the idea that this is a fluid and dynamic crime scene."
The defense did not call a rebuttal witness after Griffin cross-examined Kinsey – eliciting an admission that the expert's honorific is the result of a humanities degree, not a medical degree.
A brief scheduling hearing occurred after testimony ended – setting the stage for Wednesday's late start.
The court will take jurors on a jury view of the Moselle estate this morning before the beginning of proceedings. Security will be provided by law enforcement. Late Tuesday, after sending the jury away for the day, Judge Clifton Newman charged and swore in several members of law enforcement who will provide for jurors' safety during the murder trial's equivalent of a field trip.
Jurors returned from that trip around 11:00 a.m. EST and were seated a few minutes after 12:00 p.m.
Closing arguments began with lead prosecutor Creighton Waters.
Waters: There's only one person who had the motive, the means, the opportunity to commit these crimes and also whose guilty conduct after these crimes betrays him. #MurdaughTrial pic.twitter.com/gVUyemDxz7
— Cathy Russon (@cathyrusson) March 1, 2023
True to form, Waters' closing largely focused on Alex Murdaugh's numerous, admitted financial crimes. He likened the decade-plus thefts by the disgraced attorney to a Ponzi scheme.
Prosecutor Creighton Waters kicked off his closing argument by telling the jury "one person," alleged to be #AlexMurdaugh, killed the disgraced lawyer's wife and son on June 7, 2021. pic.twitter.com/OLi8H54CoJ
— Law&Crime Network (@LawCrimeNetwork) March 1, 2023
Just after 1:00 p.m., the court broke for a long lunch break.
The state attempted to tie the defendant's financial crimes to the murder of his wife and child once jurors returned.
"He blows his brains out."
Waters in closing argument tells jurors #AlexMurdaugh thinks Paul has gone down with the first shot to the chest and maybe he's putting down the first gun and grabbing the other and startled by Paul. #MurdaughTrial pic.twitter.com/gpj7GRksbw— Cathy Russon (@cathyrusson) March 1, 2023
The prosecutor insisted the acts were malicious.
Maggie sees what happens and she comes "running to her baby."
Waters tells jurors Maggie was running toward Paul then, "she goes down flat and then there's the shot in the back of the head." #MurdaughTrial pic.twitter.com/Yq4ABPdQdk— Cathy Russon (@cathyrusson) March 1, 2023
Waters finished up, spending over three hours in closing, just before 5:00 p.m.
He fooled everyone and he fooled Maggie and Paul too, "and they paid for it with their lives. Don't let him fool you too." – Creighton Waters ends his initial closing argument. He'll get a rebuttal after defense. #MurdaughTrial pic.twitter.com/5XwHJE2GyL
— Cathy Russon (@cathyrusson) March 1, 2023
The defense will begin their closing argument at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday.
