Alex Murdaugh listens to testimony about cellphones during his trial for murder at the Colleton County Courthouse on Feb. 10, 2023, in Walterboro, South Carolina. (Joshua Boucher/The State/Tribune News Service via Getty Images) Alex Murdaugh’s family long dominated the legal scene in his small South Carolina county but for the past six weeks, Murdaugh has been on the other side of the courtroom, standing trial on murder charges in the shootings of his wife and son.More than 75 witnesses have been called and about 800 photographs, reports and exhibits have been presented as evidence.
Jurors visited the crime scene Wednesday and the prosecution gave its closing argument.As the trial winds down, here are some takeaways:Lead prosecutor Creighton Waters gave the state’s closing argument in the trial of Alex Murdaugh on Wednesday.Alex Murdaugh called 911 on the evening of June 7, 2021, and said he’d found his son and wife dead when he returned home from a one-hour visit with his mother, who has dementia.Authorities said Paul Murdaugh, 22, was shot twice with a shotgun, each round loaded with different size shot, while Maggie Murdaugh, 52, was struck with four or five bullets from a rifle.
A crime scene report suggested both victims were shot in the head after initially being wounded near dog kennels on the Murdaughs’ sprawling rural property.Prosecutors took more than a year to charge the disgraced lawyer with murder but decided not to pursue the death penalty.
Murdaugh, who is also charged with about 100 counts of financial and other crimes, has adamantly denied any involvement in the killings.