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LIVE FEED – ‘Murdaugh Murders’ Trial; Day Twenty-Five

News and notes from South Carolina’s ‘Trial of the Century.’

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Welcome back to our ongoing daily coverage of the double homicide trial of disbarred South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh – the once-powerful Palmetto State lawyer who is currently on trial for the gruesome murders of his wife and youngest son. Against the advice of his attorneys, Murdaugh took the stand in these proceedings last week – with calamitous results.

As our research director Jenn Wood and founding editor Will Folks discussed in the latest edition of our ‘Week in Review,’ things completely unraveled for Murdaugh during his testimony on Friday – with lead prosecutor Creighton Waters blowing huge holes in his latest (and exponentially less believable) narrative of events from the night of these savage killings.

The thing about lies? No matter how good you are at telling them, each new lie you tell backs you even further into a corner.

Murdaugh appeared to finally run out of maneuvering room last Friday … with Waters letting him talk his way into an inadvertent acknowledgment of his newest apparent fabrications from that fateful summer evening twenty-two months ago.

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Was it a knockout blow? That will be up to the jury to decide … but it certainly felt like one inside the courtroom.

Murdaugh is the scion of an influential Lowcountry legal dynasty – a man who once led the Palmetto State’s powerful trial lawyers’ lobby. Today, he is in the middle of a maze of alleged criminality known as the ‘Murdaugh Murders’ crime and corruption saga.

In addition to a host of other alleged crimes (many of which he confessed to on the stand last week), Murdaugh is accused of killing his wife, 52-year-old Maggie Murdaugh, and youngest son, 22-year-old Paul Murdaugh, on his family’s hunting property in Colleton County, S.C. on June 7, 2021. He pleaded not guilty to those charges and is currently standing trial in Walterboro – part of the Lowcountry region of the Palmetto State which his famous family ruled like a fiefdom for more than a century.

To keep track of the latest developments in this case, keep it tuned to our live feed below …

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THE POLLS …

From the opening gavel of this trial, we have launched two daily polls asking readers to weigh in on 1) whether they think Alex Murdaugh is guilty or not guilty of murdering his late wife, Maggie Murdaugh and, 2) whether they think he is guilty or not guilty of murdering his late son, Paul Murdaugh.

The goal of our daily polls is to track how perceptions of Murdaugh’s guilt or innocence related to the murders of his two alleged victims have evolved over the course of the trial.

As of Friday’s poll, 85 percent of respondents believed Murdaugh was guilty of killing his wife compared to roughly nine percent who said he was not guilty and five percent who said they were unsure. These percentages were roughly identical to the responses received when our audience was asked whether they believed Murdaugh killed his son.

Those numbers showed a slight reduction in the number of respondents who believe Murdaugh is guilty from previous polls.

Here are today’s questions …

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QUESTION ONE …

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Based on the information you have now, is Alex Murdaugh guilty or not guilty of the murder of Maggie Murdaugh?

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Please select an option!

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    QUESTION TWO …

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    Based on the information you have now, is Alex Murdaugh guilty or not guilty of the murder of Paul Murdaugh?

    Thank you for voting
    You have already voted on this poll!
    Please select an option!
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      THE FEED …

      4:56 p.m. EST – The defense renews its argument for a directed verdict. The motion is denied based on all the reasons stated at the close of the State’s case. Waters tells the judge that they have maybe 4-5 witnesses they will call as rebuttal witnesses. Only one of these witnesses will be exceptionally lengthy. Dick Harpootlian tells the Judge that he is not being critical, but Waters’ estimation of time has been “mushy.” The jury will visit the site at the close of the State’s reply. Waters states their witnesses will be focused on issues raised by the defense. Court will resume at 9:30 a.m. EST on Tuesday, February 27, 2023.

      4:52 p.m. EST – John Marvin says that on June 7, 2021 his dad’s condition was not terminal. Conrad asks if the legacy of the Murdaugh name was important to him and his brothers. John Marvin says all families are important. No re-direct. John Marvin Murdaugh is done. The defense rests. Judge Newman has excused the jurors for the day.

      4:47 p.m. EST – John Marvin testifies he does not recall SLED asking Buster about the blue rain jacket in an interview with Buster on October 12, 2021. He states to his knowledge there was no discussion of the blue jacket in that interview.

      4:45 p.m. EST – Conrad asks John Marvin about the June 10, 2021 interviews at his Greenfield property. Buster, Randy, John Marvin and Alex Murdaugh were all interviewed in separate cars that day.

      4:43 p.m. EST – John Marvin testifies he had no reason to believe Murdaugh was taking prescription pills. John Marvin cannot recall when Blanca Simpson arrived the morning of June 8, 2021, but it was well after he arrived. Conrad asks about when SLED came in on June 8, 2021 to search the gun room. Conrad asks him if he went in there during the search. John Marvin says he went in the gun room to make sure they had full access. He states he saw Mark Ball, Lee Cope and Agent Katie McCallister when he saw the video of the search but wouldn’t have recalled that without the video.

      4:40 p.m. EST – Conrad is asking about all the car swapping that occurred the night of the homicides. He asks John Marvin where his truck was located and he says it was parked in the front of the house at Moselle. The keys were in the ignition. John Marvin says the farm truck broke down on the side of the road and Chief Greg Alexander turned around and came back to get him. Conrad asks if John Marvin was aware that his brother had loaned Greg Alexander money over the years. John Marvin was not aware.

      4:38 p.m. EST – John Conrad has begun cross-examination for the State. Conrad asks when he learned his brother was down at the kennels right before the murders. He asks if it was 2 days ago like the rest of the world and John Marvin says he learned of it in August 2022 when SLED played the video for him. Conrad asks if he agrees that it was not full cooperation that Alex did not tell SLED that he was at the kennel. John Marvin agrees that his brother lied.

      4:37 p.m. EST – Jim Griffin asks John Marvin about a promise he made to Paul when he was cleaning up the crime scene. John Marvin says he promised him that he would find out who killed him. He says he has not found that person yet.

      4:36 p.m. EST – John Marvin describes Murdaugh’s relationship with Maggie’s parents as very good. Maggie’s father has had a stroke since the homicides and he is homebound now.

      4:34 p.m. EST – John Marvin testifies that SLED told him that the BWC footage showed Alex Murdaugh wiping his face on his shirt and that’s how they know he was at the scene, “That he was the one.”

      4:31 p.m. EST – The jury is being brought back in from the break.

      4:09 p.m. EST – John Marvin says he got periodic updates from SLED Agent David Owen. When asked if some of the information he was provided about his brother was inaccurate, he says yes and provides the t-shirt as an example. The State objects as hearsay. Jim Griffin says “it’s a statement of a party opponent.” The jury is sent out while they argue the objection. The objection is overruled. Judge Newman has called for a 10-minute break.

      4:06 p.m. EST – John Marvin says at one point he was asked to look at a photo of the blue rain coat and listen to the video at the kennel. He was given two different locations where the raincoats were found. He had never seen it before and has never been given a reason for the two different locations provided to him.

      4:03 p.m. EST – When SLED searched the house in Almeda, he was informed one item had been seized. This item was a coat. He was not told what type of coat it was.

      4:02 p.m. EST – John Marvin and Randy also drove Alex from the Atlanta facility to the one in Orlando from where he was arrested. He jerked awake at one point.

      4:01 p.m. EST – John Marvin says that him and Randy took Alex to a detox facility outside of Atlanta after the roadside shooting. He says on the ride, Alex was sweating and thrashing about the car. About halfway there, he put his head down in the seat and was thrashing his legs. At one point, John Marvin says he had diarrhea and pooped in his pants.

      3:51 p.m. EST – John Marvin says that the backlash of the boat crash was bad on social media and was totally enflamed by the media. Griffin asks where people routinely park when visiting their parents’ home in Almeda, John Marvin says next to the carport or around the back corner.

      3:49 p.m. EST – When asked about the early morning hours of June 8, 2021, John Marvin says that he heard the boat crash as a motive numerous times that night.

      3:47 p.m. EST – John Marvin said in the days following June 7, 2021, he made a conscious effort to be with Alex as much as possible. He said he didn’t sleep with him, but was with him the rest of the time. He describes his demeanor as “destroyed” and “broken,” but says those words aren’t nearly enough. He’d have to create a new word to describe Alex’s demeanor after the murders.

      3:45 p.m. EST – When asked about the June 10, 2021 interview SLED did at Greenfield, he recalls it and says they all congregated there. He offered to allow the agents to come inside, but they said they would like to go ahead and start the interviews. They did the interviews simultaneously in separate squad cars. Griffin asks about the “I” versus “they” did him so bad and John Marvin says he heard Alex say, “They did him so bad.”

      3:40 p.m. EST – John Marvin says there are all kinds of guns and weapons at Moselle. He talks about a gun with a sticker on it and says he teased Alex about it. When asked if he served as a liaison between SLED and the family, he says he doesn’t know if liaison is the right word, but he offered to help David Owen if he couldn’t get ahold of someone. He also says they provided consent for searches of the properties. Griffin asks if any law enforcement agent contacted him to obtain consent for law enforcement to search Almeda. John Marvin says no one asked him and that he would have given consent and helped facilitate the search for them as he did at Moselle.

      3:37 p.m. EST – John Marvin says the statement released by law enforcement that there was no danger to the public was quite baffling. It’s still baffling. After they went back to the house, SLED agents came up to search the house. He escorted SLED Agent Katie McCallister around the house. She asked him to walk him through all the rooms and told him they were looking for a 12-gauge shotgun and a .300 blackout rifle.

      3:34 p.m. EST – He says he found what he presumes were two SLED agents and told them. They said they had technology coming later that day and they didn’t need to find it. He says he found Duffie Stone’s investigators who told him they needed to find it. They got into a car with the agents from the Solicitor’s office to find the phone. He says the found the phone and turned it on. He didn’t have the passcode so he got it from Alex and it successfully unlocked the phone.

      3:32 p.m. EST – He called his brother Randy and told him what he was doing and Randy told him to stop. John Marvin said he couldn’t stop, but Mark Ball arrived and told him to leave and they would clean it up. He says Mark Ball got him back to the house and to the family. When he got back to the house, it was brought to his attention that law enforcement had not found Maggie’s phone. Someone told him to try to use the find my iPhone app. He went to Buster and Buster told him that he had that app. He pinged Maggie’s phone and went back down to the shed to show it to law enforcement.

      3:27 p.m. EST – Once everyone got there, John Marvin went down to the kennels. He said he felt like he needed to see it himself to take it in. He can’t recall how long he stayed at the kennels. He said he was worried that it was a crime scene so he called a friend in law enforcement who reached out to Captain Ryan Neal who assured him it was no longer an active crime scene. Jim Griffin asks him if it was cleaned up and John Marvin responds, “No. It was not.” He says there was really nothing to see where Maggie was, but when he walked over to the feed room. The feed room had not been cleaned up. He cries when he says he saw blood, brains, pieces of skull and felt like he owed it to Paul to clean it up. He’s sobbing when he says, “No mother, father or aunt or uncle should ever have to see and do what I did that day. I’m not blaming anybody, I was just overwhelmed.”

      3:24 p.m. EST – When they went to the main house, people were cleaning up the kitchen. He cannot remember if the television was on or not. John Marvin says he can’t remember exactly what Alex was wearing when they went to Almeda but says it was a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. They went to Almeda to sleep. John Marvin states the next day he got up and told Alex he was going to his farm at Greenfield to shower and put on fresh clothes. He said he would meet him at Moselle. When he got to Moselle, he was the first one to arrive.

      3:20 p.m. EST – He does not recall any guns being in the back of the farm truck. He testifies that when he got to Moselle, he could see the lights flashing. He states they came in the main gate and they created a “small crime scene.” When they pulled up, he got out of the car before Greg could stop it and hugged him. John Marvin says he stayed at the adjacent crime scene for “quite some time” and doesn’t recall going back up to the house until well after midnight. Maybe 2:00 or 3:00 a.m. is when he remembers going to the main house.

      3:15 p.m. EST – John Marvin says Alex called him on the night of June 7, 2021 and told him about Paul and Maggie being murdered. John Marvin says that he did speak with Alex on June 7, 2021 before Maggie and Paul were found and Alex seemed normal on the phone. When Murdaugh called him about the homicides, he was hysterical and said something like, “Maggie and Paul have been hurt really badly” and he needed John Marvin to get to Moselle fast. He drove the “farm truck” to Moselle. The farm truck was in rough condition. He was calling people including Danny Henderson and trying to get to Moselle. John Marvin says he stopped and was crying. The farm truck broke down on the way to Moselle in Yemassee. He called Greg Alexander and asked him to help him get to Moselle. The truck “quit” on him and Greg came back to get him to bring him to Moselle.

      3:12 p.m. EST – John Marvin testifies that on Monday, Randy was trying to get his dad an appointment and asked John Marvin to take him to the doctor. Randy offered to meet him in Ridgeland which was halfway with his dad. John Marvin took Randolph III to Savannah in his mom’s car and Randy took John Marvin’s truck back to Almeda. He says he was stuck in his mom’s car. He called Paul and asked Paul to drive his mom’s car back to Almeda and pick up his truck. They planned to meet the next day and swap trucks back. Paul’s normal truck was at Jimmy Butler’s shop in Varnville and he was driving the farm truck. He says Paul was normal that day and playing with his kids in the yard.

      3:10 p.m. EST – The doctor they were seeing thought that the breathing issues weren’t caused by the cancer, but by pneumonia. John Marvin says the doctor was optimistic and the outlook was positive. John Marvin says he was providing updates to the family by text and spoke with Randy Murdaugh to give him updates as well. He states the diagnosis changed on the afternoon of Tuesday, June 8, 2021. He says Randy called him and told him the doctors had done everything they could do and that his father would be coming home in an ambulance under hospice care. John Marvin states that his father died two days later.

      3:06 p.m. EST – When asked if they carried guns when riding around the property, he says typically they did not unless it was late in the afternoon and they were planning to get in a stand. John Marvin is asked about Randolph Murdaugh III’s health the weekend before June 7, 2021. John Marvin says he was in the hospital in Columbia that weekend and was discharged on Sunday. He states he did not pick him up that Sunday, but says that on Monday, June 7, 2021, he took his father to his normal doctor in Savannah because he was having major breathing issues. John Marvin says that when they got to the doctor, a decision was made that Randolph Murdaugh III needed to be admitted to the hospital immediately.

      3:04 p.m. EST – John Marvin chuckles when asked about Paul leaving his guns around and says he was notorious for it. He tells a story about a duck hunt they went on and said they cleaned up all the decoys and equipment. When he went back a week to a week and a half later, Paul’s hunting equipment was still in the blind.

      3:02 p.m. EST – John Marvin says that since Paul and Buster were old enough to hunt, Alex never came hunting with him without the boys. He states they were close. He says Maggie and Alex had a good marriage but like any marriage, they had hiccups.

      2:59 p.m. EST – When asked about Paul, John Marvin breaks down and says he’s going to have a hard time talking about Paul because they had a very special relationship. He says his nickname was “Little Rooster” and “Paul Paul.” Paul worked with John Marvin and at work, John Marvin said he called him Paul and Paul Terry. He believes Paul worked for him during the summers between school. Paul was working for him in June 2021. When asked what he did, John Marvin says Paul did whatever was asked of him. He describes him as an excellent worker.

      2:57 p.m. EST – John Marvin says in the spring of 2021, his father’s overall health had not been good. He states he checked in on his parents, but since he lives an hour away, he didn’t visit as often as Randy and Alex. He testifies that he feels confident they visited often because of their proximity.

      Liz Murdaugh is comforted by John Marvin while witnesses are called in Alex Murdaugh’s trial for murder at the Colleton County Courthouse on Thursday, January 26, 2023. Joshua Boucher/The State/Pool

      2:54 p.m. EST – When asked if he is the only son of Libby and Randolph Murdaugh who didn’t go to law school, John Marvin responds, “I am and I’m very proud of it.” The courtroom laughs.

      2:49 p.m. EST – Court has resumed. The defense calls John Marvin Murdaugh to the stand. John Marvin is the youngest brother of Alex Murdaugh.

      From left, Randy Murdaugh, John Marvin Murdaugh, his wife Liz Murdaugh, Brooklynn White, and Buster Murdaugh, the son of Alex Murdaugh, leave the courthouse for lunch during day 25 of the double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh at the Colleton County Courthouse on Monday, February 27, 2023. Jeff Blake/The State/Pool

      1:22 p.m. EST – Judge Newman has called for a lunch break until 2:45 p.m.

      1:16 p.m. EST – Goude asks Palmbach if his belief was that the shooter stepped into the feed room and shot Paul in the back of the head. He concurs. She shows Palmbach photos of the bloody footprints in the feed room that were determined to be Paul Murdaugh’s shoes. Palmbach says that all the reports he has read haven’t definitively identified the footprint as Paul’s. Goude asks if Palmbach has seen all the reports and then implies he only saw the reports the defense wanted him to see.

      1:13 p.m. EST – Palmbach says there was an opportunity to do footprint analysis in the feed room where he believes the shooter stood. No attempt to properly photograph or analyze these footprints was made. Jim Griffin has no further questions. The State has begun their cross examination.

      1:08 p.m. EST – Palmbach states his opinion is that the totality of the evidence is more suggestive of a two shooter scenario. He believes the second shot to Paul would have injured the shooter due to the shooter’s close proximity to him when the shot was fired. This would have slowed the shooter down. Maggie’s body was found close by. The one shooter theory doesn’t allow for enough time for the shooter to recover from the initial shot to Paul and get over to Maggie to shoot her.

      1:02 p.m. EST – Griffin has moved on to questioning Palmbach regarding Maggie Murdaugh’s injuries. The biological remains gave a general indication of where the shooter was standing. Palmbach believes Maggie was facing the shooter during each of the shots she sustained. She was likely moving away from the shooter. Palmbach also believes the shooter was moving towards Maggie as well.

      1:00 p.m. EST – The relevance of this new angle and distance of the shooter? My guess would be that the biggest point would be the amount of biological material the shooter would have on them following the second shot to Paul Murdaugh. Would he have had enough time to clean himself off?

      12:33 p.m. EST – A photo of Paul’s body as it lay at the scene is being reviewed. Palmbach states that this photo informs him regarding Paul’s motion between shots.

      12:26 p.m. EST – Palmbach tells Jim Griffin that the shooter would have been covered in blood and biological material. He also believes the shooter could have sustained injuries from pellets due to how close the shooter was to Paul.

      12:24 p.m. EST – Palmbach states the shooter had to get close enough for the barrel to make contact with Paul’s head. The shooter would have been the distance of the barrel which we don’t know how long it was because there have been no weapons found.

      12:17 p.m. EST – Palmbach states that he believes the first shot Paul Murdaugh sustained stunned him as there were no defensive wounds.

      Tim Palmbach, a forensic scientist, demonstrates the affect of a shotgun blast during day 25 of the double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh at the Colleton County Courthouse on Monday, February 27, 2023. Jeff Blake/The State/Pool

      12:13 p.m. EST – Griffin tells Palmbach that he wants to address the murder of Paul first. Palmbach states the first shot went through his chest and exited through his arm. He says the shooter would have been outside the door to the feed room. A number of factors would play into how far the shooter was outside the door. One of those factors is the amount of GSR on the door and on Paul’s clothing. Palmbach states he did not see any indication of GSR testing completed on Paul’s clothing.

      12:09 p.m. EST – Mr. Palmbach is certified as an expert with no objections. Griffin asks if he is being paid for his time. Palmbach confirms. Palmbach says that upon his review of the reports, he was very concerned about the wound to Paul’s head because he believes this wound is a contact wound and not an exit wound.

      12:00 p.m. EST – No further questions from the State or defense. The defense calls ‘Tim Palmbach to the stand. Palmbach is a crime scene analysis expert from Connecticut. Palmbach testifies that he is an expert in blood spatter analysis. He also holds a law degree but has not practiced law.

      11:53 a.m. EST – Goude asks Dr. Eisenstat if he testified that Maggie’s shooter was taller than her. He says he did not give an opinion of if the shooter was taller, just that Maggie was bent over and likely shooting from an elevated position.

      11:50 a.m. EST – Savanna Goude has begun cross-examination for the State. Dr. Eisenstat tells the court that it is not customary for a pathologist to go to a crime scene. He states he was not asked to complete a report.

      11:48 a.m. EST – Dr. Eisenstat tells the court he would not work on a case if he was told what opinion he should be providing. He states the blowback of biological material from the wound would follow the barrel of the shotgun. The defense has completed direct examination of Dr. Eisenstat.

      11:42 a.m. EST – Dr. Eisenstat states he has not seen autopsy photos of Paul’s brain.

      11:07 a.m. EST – Dr. Eisenstat seems confident that the gunshot entered through the top of Paul’s head. There has been no indication yet of why they believe this is important.

      10:50 a.m. EST – Dr. Eisenstat believes Paul was shot at close range in the back of the head. He states Dr. Riemer could have proven that if she had shaved what remained of Paul’s head to look for stippling which would indicate a short-range entry wound.

      10:43 a.m. EST – Dr. Eisenstat is now discussing the wound to Paul Murdaugh’s head stating that he believes Paul was to the top back of his head and the pellets go downward. Disputing Dr. Reimer’s opinion that he was shot in the shoulder with the pellets traveling upward into his brain. Eisenstat seems confident Paul was shot at close range in the back of the head. He says Dr. Riemer could have proven that if she had shaved what remained of Paul’s head to look for stippling or soot, indicating a short-range entry wound.

      10:41 a.m. EST – Dr. Eisenstat testifies that his only instructions from Dick Harpootlian was to look at the gunshot wounds and give his opinion.

      10:39 a.m. EST – Dr. Eisenstat states a photo is a beautiful depiction of the skin tags. Then corrects himself and says classic textbook example.

      10:30 a.m. EST – Dr. Eisenstat is now focusing on the wound to Maggie’s head. This is the only wound on which he disagrees with Dr. Reimer’s opinion. He states due to skin tags on the wound he believes she was leaning forward when shot.

      10:27 a.m. EST – Another shot to the back of Maggie’s left wrist exited the left forearm. Dr. Eisenstat is reviewing the wound to the back of Maggie’s head. He states this bullet entered the back right of Maggie’s head and went into her brain stem. This would have caused instant death.

      10:25 a.m. EST – The second wound he is discussing is to Maggie’s upper right torso which passed through a number of organs before exiting the left back of the torso. Dr. Eisenstat says he looked at Dr. Ellen Reimer’s autopsy report, photos and scene photos to make his determination.

      10:20 a.m. EST – Harpootlian asks Dr. Eisenstat to begin with his review of Maggie Murdaugh’s death. He states all the wounds on Maggie were caused by a rifle. The first wound was to Maggie’s medial left thigh. This wound had stippling indicating it was an intermediate range shot.

      10:08 a.m. EST – Dr. Eisenstat testifies that upon arriving to the scene of a death, a coroner or medical examiner should try to get an idea of what the body temperature of the body is compared to the ambient temperature. He says the first thing you should do is put a thermometer down in the room near the body to get an ambient temperature. He says a rectal temperature should also be taken at the scene. The other things one should look at are rigidity and blood pooling.

      10:06 a.m. EST – Still going through Dr. Eisenstat’s qualifications. Dr. Eisenstat is certified as an expert with no objections. He states he is being compensated for his work. To date, he has been paid $3000 and will have another invoice following his testimony.

      Dr. Jonathan Eisenstat, a forensic pathology consultant, demonstrates gunshot wounds to the victims during day 25 of the double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh at the Colleton County Courthouse on Monday, February 27, 2023. Jeff Blake/The State/Pool

      9:56 a.m. EST – Harpootlian is questioning Dr. Eisenstat regarding his qualifications.

      9:47 a.m. EST – The jury will be taken to Moselle to view the crime scene. The jury has been brought into the courtroom. The defense has called Dr. Jonathan Eisenstat to the stand. Dr. Eisenstat is a forensic pathologist based in Georgia.

      Judge Clifton Newman rules on an objection by defense attorney Dick Harpootlian, foreground, during day 25 of the double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh at the Colleton County Courthouse on Monday, February 27, 2023. Jeff Blake/The State/Pool

      9:35 a.m. EST – Court has resumed. Judge Newman has reminded the courtroom to maintain order. Dick Harpootlian tells Judge Newman that they plan to rest today. Creighton Waters says the rebuttal witnesses for the State should be done by the end of the day Tuesday. Dick Harpootlian has told the Judge that they believe jurors should be given an opportunity to see Moselle. Waters points out that the scene is different today than it was on June 7, 2021 and he objects to that proposal. Judge Newman states asking the jury to decide would encourage premature discussions. If either party wants the jury to go to the scene, they need to formally request that from the court. If the defense wants a jury view, the court would allow it. Law enforcement will secure the scene prior to the jury going out there.

      7:02 a.m. EST – The big rumor of the weekend … which turned out to be totally false …

      6:45 a.m. EST – The buzz on that Murdaugh Netflix documentary is real …

      6:36 a.m. EST – In case you missed our latest ‘Week In Review,‘ be sure to watch it here …

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      16 comments

      Harry Summer February 27, 2023 at 8:28 am

      Don’tknow if Murdaugh’s sons had piggybanks or not but for sure he would have raided them!

      Reply
      Anonymous February 27, 2023 at 4:36 pm

      Murdaugh is the White OJ. He got away with killing the maid and collecting money, he stole from his clients, he stole from his family’s law business and he thinks he’s going to get away with murder.

      Reply
      Anonymous February 27, 2023 at 9:13 am

      Heart of an Anvil. He had “the last supper” with them, while knowing what he was about to do.

      Desperate, time running out, w/Paul’s trial beginning in 72 hrs. No Paul, no trial.

      Reply
      Dave Lehmann Top fan February 27, 2023 at 2:24 pm

      Paul’s trial was not in the next 72 hours. It was a motion to compel Alex’s financial records. Like several witnesses testified, this would not have been a killswitch moment. The State has mischaracterized how dire this hearing would be. Attorneys know how unthreatening this hearing would be.

      That being said, a lot of things happened that day that don’t look great for AM. I still don’t think the state has met the burden of proof for a conviction so far.

      Reply
      M. Pappas February 27, 2023 at 5:23 pm

      I’d disagree that the motion to compel for AM’s financial records wasn’t a big moment for him. Consider the mess he was in financially; not the theft, but the reports of his overdrawn accounts or accounts with very low balances, and his debt load. It sounds like his only real liquid asset was his retirement account. While he was not going to have to turn over account statements at the hearing, he was preparing a statement of net worth for it (he admitted to that), and in short any financial declaration he was putting together was likely bogus and painting a picture that was not his reality. It surely excluded his ownership of “Forge” and the account related to it, and the various off the record loans from Palmetto State and his law partners. He surely understood the risk of putting something that grossly inaccurate into a court record knowing that if he’s later hit with a personal judgement and more accounts emerge that he’s not disclosed it could be very problematic for him.

      Reply
      Sue Wilson Top fan February 27, 2023 at 11:30 am

      Who is white haired man that has been sitting in second row behind Alex Murdaugh for many days?

      Reply
      Avatar photo
      The Colonel Top fan February 27, 2023 at 12:30 pm

      I love it when Pooty Poot’s attempt to support his position refutes his position as he reads from the criminal procedure rules…

      Reply
      Anonymous February 27, 2023 at 1:35 pm

      Who is white haired man sitting behind Alex Murdaugh?

      Reply
      Anonymous February 27, 2023 at 1:56 pm

      I feel is not guilty and there’s a opioid epidemic opioids do not make you kill your family and everybody using the addiction. It would make him feel his family are I think he’s innocent on killing his wife and son. I just don’t see that in that man he’s not a killer he might be a liar and a half months Candler but he’s not a killer.

      Reply
      Astonished Top fan February 27, 2023 at 7:17 pm

      Red tie – Charlie Condon, former SC Attorney

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      Anonymous February 27, 2023 at 3:22 pm

      Addict or not….. if he has a 50k to 60k weekly drug habit….. opiods…. he would not have been able to function…. think about it….he is in the legal field… he answered all of his attys questions without repeating the question back to council…. then when it is the states turn… he cant seem to answer a question … he knows how to work a jury and courtroom…. he is guilty…..

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      Godslalyer February 27, 2023 at 9:21 pm

      This is where the defense screwed up big time by not presenting a psych expert to explain the behavioral and mental effects of opioid addiction and use. The jury was simply asked to take AM’s word for what the effects of opioids on him were without any objective medical testimony on opioids’ effects. This evidence would have helped the defense immensely, but Dick Harpootlian is a politician, not a criminal defense lawyer.

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      Anonymous March 1, 2023 at 11:14 am

      totally agree!

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      Gx Top fan February 27, 2023 at 4:36 pm

      Damn, this family has some sick individuals in it. I heard that JM was a decent guy, but this is some BS he is spewing. I guess if the family doesn’t give a s&$t about Paul and Maggie, not sure why we should…

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      Patricia Pegram Top fan February 27, 2023 at 5:27 pm

      What happened to the article on FitsNews about the contraband that was brought in to Alex last week?

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      Sally Sinclair Top fan February 27, 2023 at 6:51 pm

      What does this mean? I don’t understand why that meant they knew he was the one.

      4:34 p.m. EST – John Marvin testifies that SLED told him that the BWC footage showed Alex Murdaugh wiping his face on his shirt and that’s how they know he was at the scene, “That he was the one.”

      Reply

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