Alex Murdaugh trial – live: Legal scion’s five shocking words after wife and son’s murders revealed

Alex Murdaugh’s five shocking words in the aftermath of the murders of his wife and son were revealed in Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Monday.

Jurors heard testimony about Mr Murdaugh’s second interview with law enforcement on 10 June 2021 – three days after he is accused of shooting dead Maggie, 52, and Paul, 22, at the family’s estate in Islandton on 7 June 2021.

In the interview, SLED Special Agent Jeff Croft testified that Mr Murdaugh told him: “I did him so bad.”

While prosecutors sought to suggest that the legal scion, 54, slipped up during the interview, Mr Murdaugh was seen shaking his head and appearing to say “that’s not what I said” in court.

Audio of the interview has also raised doubts, with some believing he actually says: “They did him so bad.”

Agent Croft is expected to be cross-examined by Mr Murdaugh’s attorneys when the trial resumes on Tuesday morning.

The trial is only one of Mr Murdaugh’s troubles in a saga spanning a botched hitman plot, multi-million-dollar fraud schemes, and unexplained deaths.

Alex Murdaugh murder trial

• Paul and Maggie Murdaugh’s last texts and calls revealed

• Murdaugh had ‘clean’ shirt despite his claims he touched wife and son’s bloodied bodies

• Sobbing Murdaugh tells police he ‘tried to turn over’ son’s body in first interview after murders

• Jurors listen to 911 call made by Alex Murdaugh on night of murders

• Alex Murdaugh cries as bodycam video shown at trial

16:00 , Oliver O'Connell

The prosecution begins its redirect questioning.

Through questioning, they clarify that Agent Croft was at the property to search for ammunition and firearms and was not privy to what other agents or investigators were focused on as their part of the investigation.

Asked whether he found weapons with mixed loads of ammunition he confirms he did.

Asked whether both victims had stippling on them (indicated that shots were fired at close range) he says yes they were.

Asked about Maggie’s phone and the lack of a Faraday bag, he confirms that instead it was put in airplane mode.

15:52 , Oliver O'Connell

Ultimately the I/They statement was never followed up on or even written down, despite it being said by the only person deemed present at the time of the murder in the circle of interest.

15:46 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Griffin challenges Agent Croft as to why he didn’t write down the statement if he meant to follow up on it.

The audio of the moment is played twice in court at normal speed and then once again at one-third speed.

At normal speed, it sounds like “I did him so bad” and at one-third speed it could sound like “they”.

Agent Croft says he still hears “I” and he and Mr Griffin agree it is up to the jury to decide.

15:38 , Oliver O'Connell

Turning to Murdaugh’s second interview on 10 June, Agent Croft says there were separate simultaneous interviews underway of various family members including Murdaugh, his son Buster, and his brother John Marvin.

The subject of Murdaugh’s statement “I did him so bad” in relation to Paul is brought up. There is conjecture as to whether he said “I” or “They”. Agent Croft says he made a mental note of the statement as something they needed to follow up on.

15:35 , Oliver O'Connell

According to the cross-examination, no one went to check out Murdaugh’s alibi of being at his mother’s house while the murders occurred.

This did not happen until September of that year, three months later.

Mr Croft says he can’t confirm that as he was not aware of what other agents were doing.

As questioning continues, Mr Croft says that Murdaugh cooperated with investigators at each stage of the investigation and gave consent each time SLED wanted access to the property.

15:26 , Oliver O'Connell

In further questioning, Mr Croft is asked about suspects and concedes that Murdaugh, as a relative of the two victims and the only person alive at the property, was immediately considered a person of interest.

15:24 , Oliver O'Connell

Changing the subject, Mr Griffin asks about the recovery of Maggie’s phone, which was found more than a mile away from the property. It is established that it was located using Fing My iPhone from a family member’s phone and Alex Murdaugh had provided the passcode.

As we heard in earlier testimony, the phone was not secured in a Faraday bag to block phone signals.

15:22 , Oliver O'Connell

Defence attorney Jim Griffin goes into great detail about the ammunition found at the property and the difference between birdshot and buckshot. Further, he probes the difference between lead and steel ammunition, with steel most commonly used for waterfowl.

No steel ammunition was found at the property, although Mr Griffin contends that the shot that took Paul’s head off was a steel shot.

Turning to the diagram of the scene, he shows how the casings from the automatic rifle used to kill Maggie would have fallen to the right and slightly behind the shooter, giving an indication of where the person who killed Maggie was standing.

15:00 , Oliver O'Connell

In direct examination Agent Croft identified a number of shotguns and ammunition found at the Moselle Road property after the murders. They were entered into evidence, though as the defence team is now making a point of, none of them was the murder weapon.

When asked about whether any of the shotguns fired the bullets that killed Paul, Mr Croft said he did not have the lab report in front of him.

He was then asked if the murder weapon was ever found prompting an objection from the prosecution that Judge Newman overruled.

Mr Croft answered that he was not aware of the murder weapon ever being found.

Court resumes

14:41 , Oliver O'Connell

Court resumes and the jury is brought in.

Judge Clifton Newman invites witness SLED Special Agent Jeff Croft back to the stand.

Defence attorney Jim Griffin is questioning him.

Watch: Alex Murdaugh and family arrive in court

14:24 , Oliver O'Connell

What to expect in court on Tuesday

14:10 , Rachel Sharp

SLED Special Agent Jeff Croft is expected to be cross-examined by Alex Murdaugh’s attorneys when the trial resumes at 9.30am on Tuesday morning.

The defence will no doubt seek to pick his holes in his testimony about Mr Murdaugh’s words in an interview on 10 June 2021.

In court on Monday, the agent testified that Mr Murdaugh told him: “It’s just so bad. I did him so bad.”

RECAP: What happened in court on Monday

13:50 , Rachel Sharp

‘I did him so bad’

Audio from Alex Murdaugh’s second interview with law enforcement was played in court, revealing the disgraced legal dynasty heir’s shocking five-word statement for the first time.

“I did him so bad,” he appeared to say about his son in a police interview on 10 June 2021.

Agent Croft was asked by prosecutor Creighton Waters to clarify what he heard Mr Murdaugh saying.

“It’s just so bad. I did him so bad,” he responded.

While prosecutors sought to suggest that the 54-year-old father and husband slipped up during the police interview, Mr Murdaugh was seen shaking his head and appearing to mouth “I did not say that” to his attorneys in court.

However, the audio of the interview has also raised doubts, being somewhat unclear as to whether Mr Murdaugh says “I” or “they”, with some inside and outside court believing he actually says: “They did him so bad.”

Firearms and ammo found at home

Bodycam footage released by the court on Monday revealed a huge stash of firearms inside the family’s home – none appearing to be locked away.

SLED Special Agent Jeff Croft told jurors how he seized firearms and ammunition from the Murdaugh home – including weapons and ammo that matched the type of guns and bullets used to kill Maggie and Paul.

A .300 Blackout semiautomatic rifle, 12-gauge Browning shotgun, Benelli shotgun and 12-gauge pump shotgun which were seized from the family home were all brought into the courtroom and shown to jurors.

The agent testified that several empty boxes of ammunition were also found during searches of the Murdaugh home on 8 June and 13 June.

Federal and Winchester 12-gauge ammo was seized – ammunition that matched the shell casings found by Paul’s body. And Sellier & Bellot .300 AAC BLK rifle ammo – ammunition that matched the type used to kill Maggie – was also found at the property.

Two shooters’ theory

Mr Murdaugh’s legal team sought to push their theory that there could have been two shooters separately responsible for killing the mother and son.

Under cross-examination by defence attorney Dick Harpootlian, SLED special agent Melinda Worley admitted that the theory is “possible” but said that it is only one possible explanation for the evidence.

Jurors were shown photos and diagrams of the crime scene from both the night of the murders and more than one month later on 16 July, with Mr Harpootlian honing in on two bullet projectiles in particular – one that travelled through the dog house and one through the quail pen.

He pushed the idea that, because the bullet projectiles were shot at different angles, it is a “reasonable” possibility that there was two killers.

Agent Worley admitted that it was “possible” but insisted that it was only “one explanation” as to what may have taken place that fateful night. She added that it could also be the result of one single shooter moving.

Victims’ last texts and calls revealed

Jurors also learned on Monday about the final text messages and phone calls made by Paul and Maggie before their brutal murders.

On the night of 7 June 2021, Paul placed a call on his cellphone to friend Rogan Gibson at 8.40pm, lasting four minutes, followed by a second call at 8.44pm. The second was the last incoming communication he received from Paul’s cellphone.

Five minutes later, at 8.49pm, Mr Gibson sent Paul a text message: “See if you can get a good picture of it. Marion wants to send it to a girl we know that’s a vet. Get him to sit and stay. He shouldn’t move around too much.”

The message – believed to be about a dog Paul was taking care of for him – went unanswered.

From that point onward, neither Paul nor his mother Maggie responded to any messages or calls on their cellphones.

After sending the text message at 8.49pm and receiving no response from his friend, Mr Gibson sent a follow-up text at 9.58pm, which simply read: “Yo.”

Mr Gibson also tried calling Paul multiple times at 9.10pm, 9.29pm, 9.42pm, 9.57pm and 10.08pm.

Getting no response from his friend, jurors heard that he also texted Paul’s mother Maggie at 9.34pm, saying: “Tell Paul to call me.”

Shortly after, Mr Gibson had four missed calls from Alex Murdaugh at 10.21pm, 10.24pm, 10.25pm and 10.30pm.

Did Alex Murdaugh accidentally confess to murder? Shocking five word statement revealed at trial

13:30 , Rachel Sharp

Alex Murdaugh’s high-profile trial took a dramatic turn on Monday when jurors heard that the legal scion may have unwittingly slipped up and confessed to the murders of his wife and son.

Audio from Mr Murdaugh’s second interview with law enforcement was played in Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Monday, revealing the disgraced legal dynasty heir’s shocking five-word statement for the first time.

“I did him so bad,” he appeared to say about his son.

Read the full story from The Independent’s Rachel Sharp here:

Did Alex Murdaugh accidentally confess to murder?

Paul and Maggie Murdaugh’s last texts and calls revealed in court

13:00 , Oliver O'Connell

The final text messages and phone calls made by Paul and Maggie Murdaugh before their brutal shooting murders were revealed in court for the first time at the homicide trial of their father and husband Alex Murdaugh.

Rachel Sharp has the story.

Paul and Maggie Murdaugh’s final texts and calls before murders revealed

Murdaugh trial told ‘it’s possible’ two shooters killed his wife and son

12:30 , Rachel Sharp

An investigator has admitted “it’s possible” that two shooters killed Alex Murdaugh’s wife and son as the legal scion’s attorneys sought to pick holes in the evidence gathered from the bloody crime scene.

Rachel Sharp reports.

Alex Murdaugh trial told ‘it’s possible’ two shooters killed wife and son

Defence faults crime scene collection

12:00 , Rachel Sharp

Defense attorneys in South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh‘s double murder trial continued Monday to question the way state agents collected and analyzed evidence in the shooting deaths of Murdaugh’s wife and son.

Over the first three days of testimony, prosecutors have mostly called officers and crime scene technicians to present evidence to the jury that investigators will likely later explain in more detail. They described their case as a puzzle in last week’s opening statement.

While cross-examining witnesses, though, defense attorneys have asked questions suggesting the metaphorical puzzle pieces either aren’t clear or prosecutors aren’t putting them all on the table.

Read on:

Defense faults crime scene collection in Alex Murdaugh trial

Murdaugh claimed he ‘tried to turn over’ son’s body – but police saw ‘no blood’ on him

11:30 , Rachel Sharp

In dramatic testimony on Friday, Detective Laura Rutland of Colleton County Sheriff’s Office contradicted his version of events as she said that Mr Murdaugh was “clean from head to toe” with no signs of blood on his body, shirt, shorts or shoes.

Rachel Sharp is following the case.

Alex Murdaugh’s first police interview after murders of wife and son revealed

Crime scene photos show bloodied dog kennels

11:00 , Rachel Sharp

Photos of the bloody crime scene where Alex Murdaugh’s son Paul and wife Maggie were brutally shot to death have been revealed at the legal scion’s murder trial.

The photos were introduced into evidence on Friday as SLED forensic analyst Melinda Worley testified during the third day at Colleton County Court in Walterboro, South Carolina.

Read on:

Alex Murdaugh trial shown crime scene photos of bloody dog kennels after murders

Did Alex Murdaugh unwittingly confess to murders?

10:31 , Rachel Sharp

Alex Murdaugh’s five shocking words in the aftermath of the murders of his wife and son were revealed in Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Monday.

Jurors heard testimony about Mr Murdaugh’s second interview with law enforcement on 10 June 2021 – three days after he is accused of shooting dead Maggie, 52, and Paul, 22, at the family’s estate in Islandton on 7 June 2021.

In the interview, SLED Special Agent Jeff Croft testified that Mr Murdaugh told him: “I did him so bad.”

While prosecutors sought to suggest that the legal scion, 54, slipped up during the interview, Mr Murdaugh was seen shaking his head and appearing to say “that’s not what I said” in court.

Audio of the interview has also raised doubts, with some believing he actually says: “They did him so bad.”

Agent Croft is expected to be cross-examined by Mr Murdaugh’s attorneys when the trial resumes on Tuesday morning.

Murdaugh. had ‘clean’ shirt after he claims he touched wife and son’s bloodied bodies

09:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Newly-released stills from bodycam footage show Alex Murdaugh dressed in a “clean” white shirt after he claims he touched his wife and son’s bloodied bodies on finding them shot dead at the family estate in South Carolina.

In two images, released by Colleton County Court on Friday, Mr Murdaugh is seen on the grounds of the property in Islandton in the aftermath of the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul.

Mr Murdaugh is dressed in a white T-shirt and dark shorts in the images. The stills are grainy but there are no obvious signs of blood on his shirt.

Rachel Sharp reports.

Bodycam shows Alex Murdaugh’s ‘clean’ shirt after claiming he touched bloody bodies

A timeline of murders, financial fraud, a botched hitman plot and unexplained deaths

08:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Rachel Sharp pieced together a timeline of the key moments in the sprawling case against Alex Murdaugh.

A timeline of the Alex Murdaugh saga as murder trial kicks off

Murdaugh tells 911 dispatcher his son Paul had been getting threats

07:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Murdaugh told a 911 dispatcher moments after he says he discovered the bodies of two murdered family members that his son Paul had been receiving threats “for months” over a fatal boat crash.

The unredacted 911 call was played on Thursday at Mr Murdaugh’s trial in Colleton County Court in South Carolina for the murder of Maggie, 52, and Paul, 22, in June 2021.

Mr Murdaugh, 54, can be heard telling the operator that his son Paul had been involved in a fatal boat crash and had been getting threats “for months and months and months.”

Bevan Hurley reports.

Alex Murdaugh tells 911 dispatcher his son Paul had been getting threats ‘for months’

Watch: First officer on scene describes what he witnessed

05:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Murdaugh murder trial: First officer on scene describes what he witnessed

Who is Alex Murdaugh?

03:45 , Oliver O'Connell

The hotly-anticipated trial of Alex Murdaugh is finally underway in South Carolina where he is facing life in prison for the double murder of his wife and son.

Rachel Sharp filed this profile of the high-profile lawyer.

Who is Alex Murdaugh? The legal scion on trial for the murders of his wife and son

Murdaugh cries as bodycam video shown at trial

02:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Murdaugh broke down in tears as police bodycam footage was played at his trial – while the first police officer on the scene of the grisly murders told the court that the disgraced legal scion appeared to have “no tears” in his eyes at the time of the killings.

Bodycam footage was played in Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Thursday morning as the high-profile double murder trial got underway.

Rachel Sharp reports.

Alex Murdaugh had ‘no tears’ when police arrived at murder scene, court hears

Murdaugh breaks down as lawyer describes brutal ‘butchering’ of wife and son

01:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh broke down in tears as his lawyer described how his son and wife were “butchered” on the family’s South Carolina hunting estate.

Mr Murdaugh wiped tears from his eyes as his defence attorney described the scene he claims his client found near kennels on the estate and denied that he had anything to do with it.

Dick Harpootlian told the jury that the prosecution’s explanation for the murders was just “theories” and “conjecture” and that Mr Murdaugh was a “loving” husband and father.

Graeme Massie reports.

Alex Murdaugh breaks down as lawyer describes brutal ‘butchering’ of wife and son

Alex Murdaugh’s spectacular fall from grace

00:45 , Oliver O'Connell

On the surface, Alex Murdaugh had it all.

He was a high-powered attorney who ran both his own law firm and worked in the local prosecutor’s office.

He was the son of a powerful legal dynasty that dominated the local South Carolina community for almost a century.

And he was a family man who lived with his wife and two adult sons on their sprawling country estate.

But over the last 19 months, Mr Murdaugh has experienced a spectacular fall from grace, culminating in what has been described as the “trial of the century” now taking place in a courtroom in Walterboro, South Carolina.

Rachel Sharp has been following the case for The Independent.

Murders, fraud, and a hitman plot: Alex Murdaugh’s spectacular fall from grace

ICYMI: Prosecutors paint grisly portrait of Alex Murdaugh killing wife and son

Monday 30 January 2023 23:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Prosecutors have described how disgraced South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh allegedly murdered his defenceless wife and son at the family’s hunting lodge in 2021.

Mr Murdaugh is accused of brutally killing his wife Margaret, known as Maggie, and his youngest son, 22-year-old son Paul, outside kennels on the estate on 7 June 2021.

Prosecutors told the opening of his trial on Wednesday that Mr Murdaugh had first shot his son with a shotgun, and then killed his wife with an AR-style rifle.

Graeme Massie reports.

Prosecutors paint grisly portrait of Alex Murdaugh killing wife and son

Watch: Police bodycam shows guns inside family’s hunting lodge

Monday 30 January 2023 22:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Watch: Murdaugh escorted away from court

Monday 30 January 2023 22:16 , Oliver O'Connell

Monday 30 January 2023 22:08 , Oliver O'Connell

Judge Clifton Newman adjourns the court for the day after Murdaugh’s DNA swab is entered into evidence.

Court will resume at 9.30am ET on Tuesday.

Monday 30 January 2023 21:58 , Oliver O'Connell

Murdaugh was asked about how he tried to check Paul’s pulse and how he tried to roll him over. He says he tried to move him in the direction away from the kennels.

Friday’s testimony focused heavily on Murdaugh’s clothes being clean of blood in what was a very bloody scene.

When Paul’s phone fell out, Murdaugh says he didn’t want to “mess anything up” by trying to unlock it. In his first interview, he said he had started to do something with the phone, but put it down.

At one point, he says of his son: “It’s just so bad. I did him so bad.”

Monday 30 January 2023 21:46 , Oliver O'Connell

In one of the more interesting exchanges, a SLED agent asks about CB Rowe who works on the property. Murdaugh says he is keeping him employed for the time being.

The agent then explains that because of the remote nature of the Murdaugh’s Moselle Road property, it seems unlikely that someone randomly went there to commit the murders.

He implies that the murderer would have some knowledge of the property and they would start to look from the inside out.

To rule Murdaugh out they say they will take a DNA sample from him.

Monday 30 January 2023 21:42 , Oliver O'Connell

With regards to Paul’s missing .300BLK, Murdaugh says he didn’t officially report it as stolen as he wasn’t convinced was stolen and that Paul had lost it somewhere. He says he was certain it had been replaced, but his other son believes it had not been.

Monday 30 January 2023 21:31 , Oliver O'Connell

Court resumes and the jury is brought back in.

Prosecutors play more of Murdaugh’s second interview with officers on 10 June 2021, three days after the murders.

Murdaugh says the whole family, especially Paul, left guns out around the property.

Monday 30 January 2023 21:14 , Oliver O'Connell

The court pauses for a short 10-minute break.

Monday 30 January 2023 21:09 , Oliver O'Connell

Murdaugh says he cannot think of anyone who would have gone to such extremes to kill Maggie and Paul, but adds that Paul’s friends may have more of an idea who had threatened him following the boat crash.

Asked about his son’s worst qualities he says he was scatterbrained and would leave clothes, guns, and even boats “strung out all over the state”.

Murdaugh appears to get very upset when talking about his wife. He is unsure what her doctor’s appointment was for and recalls that Blanca, the housekeeper, cooked them dinner that night as Maggie had been away.

Monday 30 January 2023 21:02 , Oliver O'Connell

At his mother’s he made some calls to his brother, his friend Chris, and his other son, Buster. He spoke with his mother’s carer, Shelly who lives with her, and then drove home.

When he saw no one was at the house he drove down to the kennels. It was then he says he found the bodies and called 911.

Monday 30 January 2023 20:59 , Oliver O'Connell

When Maggie got home from a doctor’s appointment in Charleston they had dinner together and she pressured Paul to go to the doctor about his high blood pressure.

After dinner, Maggie went to the kennels at some point and Paul left the house, later ending up at the kennels.

Murdaugh says he fell asleep on the couch watching TV and looking at his phone. He says he thought he heard a car pull up but saw nobody.

When he woke up he let Maggie know by text that he was going to see his mother and left.

Monday 30 January 2023 20:51 , Oliver O'Connell

Murdaugh is asked to recall what he was doing the day of the murders, he says he was working on legal cases relating to a client and to the civil case against Paul due to the boat crash.

He left work early and rode the property for about two hours with Paul “looking for hogs” and doing some target practice shooting.

Agent Croft notes that a .300BLK is often used to shoot wild hogs.

Monday 30 January 2023 20:39 , Oliver O'Connell

Prosecutors have introduced a video of Agent Croft and SLED interviewing Murdaugh on 10 June 2021. This was conducted in a patrol vehicle on the grounds of John Marvin Murdaugh’s hunting lodge.

As the interview begins he takes a call from his sister-in-law Marian.

Two shooters?

Monday 30 January 2023 20:26 , Oliver O'Connell

Attorney Dick Harpootlian theorised there could have been two shooters. Former FBI agent Tracy Walder explained to Law & Crime why this could sow the seeds of reasonable doubt in the jury.

Monday 30 January 2023 20:16 , Oliver O'Connell

A further video is submitted for evidence showing body camera footage from Agent Croft from 16 June when a shooting range and a pond on the property were searched.

More shell casings were collected from these locations.

Monday 30 January 2023 20:10 , Oliver O'Connell

Agent Croft is asked about John Bedingfield, a South Carolina Department of Natural Resources officer who has a side business selling firearms.

He says he knew before the murders that Murdaugh had bought rifles from Mr Bedingfield. He contacted him and asked for paperwork relating to those weapons and later asked for the paperwork for a rifle bought by Maggie to replace one that Paul has stolen in 2017.

Monday 30 January 2023 20:07 , Oliver O'Connell

Maggie Murdaugh’s phone is entered into evidence. Agent Croft describes the efforts to collect it the day after the murders on 8 June. It was found a quarter of a mile from the house on Moselle Road.

The passcode was entered to make sure it worked and it was then locked and placed in evidence.

Court back in session

Monday 30 January 2023 19:51 , Oliver O'Connell

Court is back in session with the prosecution’s direct examination of Senior Special Agent Jeff Croft continuing.

As with Friday’s afternoon session, Agent Croft is being asked to identify various pieces of evidence — today focused on the shell casings and ammunition collected from the Murdaugh’s property.

Paul and Maggie Murdaugh’s last texts and calls revealed

Monday 30 January 2023 19:30 , Oliver O'Connell

The final text messages and phone calls made by Paul and Maggie Murdaugh before their brutal shooting murders were revealed in court for the first time at the homicide trial of their father and husband Alex Murdaugh.

In Colleton County Court in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Monday, jurors heard how Paul, 22, placed a call on his cellphone to friend Rogan Gibson at 8.44pm on the night of 7 June 2021.

Rachel Sharp is following today’s testimony.

Paul and Maggie Murdaugh’s final texts and calls before murders revealed

Trial told ‘it’s possible’ two shooters killed Paul and Maggie Murdaugh

Monday 30 January 2023 19:08 , Oliver O'Connell

An investigator has admitted “it’s possible” that two shooters killed Alex Murdaugh’s wife and son as the legal scion’s attorneys sought to pick holes in the evidence gathered from the bloody crime scene.

SLED special agent Melinda Worley returned to the stand in Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Monday morning as Mr Murdaugh’s high-profile murder trial entered its second week.

Under cross-examination by defence attorney Dick Harpootlian, Agent Morley was grilled about what she observed at the crime scene and what the direction and angle of the fatal bullets could suggest about how Maggie and Paul were shot dead.

Rachel Sharp reports.

Alex Murdaugh trial told ‘it’s possible’ two shooters killed wife and son

Monday 30 January 2023 18:23 , Oliver O'Connell

Returning to the defence team’s objections to the weapons being submitted into evidence, Judge Newman rules that they are relevant to the case and not prejudicial.

The court recesses for lunch until 2.40pm ET.

Monday 30 January 2023 18:19 , Oliver O'Connell

Agent Croft says an additional search was carried out on 13 June during which more ammunition was collected from the property. That too is entered into evidence.

Monday 30 January 2023 18:17 , Oliver O'Connell

In the garbage are several empty boxes of ammunition and a credit card receipt for a purchase of $1,021.10 at Gucci circled by someone.

These are produced in plastic bags and entered into evidence.

Monday 30 January 2023 18:10 , Oliver O'Connell

Having shown the jury the footage of the search of the gunroom at the house, a second body camera video from Agent Croft is entered into evidence showing the search of a shed in which garbage may have been taken from the house.

Monday 30 January 2023 17:50 , Oliver O'Connell

The prosecution shows the jury the 12-gauge Browning shotgun taken from the Murdaugh house. It is admitted into evidence.

Another 12-gauge pump shotgun is also entered into evidence as well as a Benelli shotgun.

There is an objection from the defence regarding relevance as they argue these weapons were not used in the murders.

Prosecutor Creighton Waters notes that they are demonstrating how thorough the search for weapons was at the property and how thoroughly they were tested.

Monday 30 January 2023 17:33 , Oliver O'Connell

Agent Croft explains more about the collection of firearms and shell casings and noted that he collected an empty box of .300BLK ammunition.

The prosecution introduces the .300 Blackout rifle collected from the scene into evidence.

Mr Croft says that the ammunition he collected was the same type that killed Maggie.

Court releases evidence photos

Monday 30 January 2023 17:20 , Oliver O'Connell

Judge Newman has allowed a photographer to take photos of evidence at the end of each day.

The latest batch include pictures of the feed house where Paul was shot and a diagram showing the scene and where casings were found as well as the positioning of Paul and Maggie’s bodies.

Monday 30 January 2023 17:12 , Oliver O'Connell

Agent Croft’s next task was securing firearms at the Murdaugh house — specifically those similar to those used in the murders.

Bodycam footage is shown to the jury of Mr Croft undertaking the search at the house.

Monday 30 January 2023 17:01 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Gibson has an incoming call from Paul at 8.40pm on 7 June which lasted for four minutes.

There was another call from Paul at 8.44pm.

At 8.49pm he texted Paul and there was no response.

“See if you can get a good picture of it. Marion wants to send it to a vet. Get him to sit and stay. He shouldn't move around too much.”

At 9.58pm Mr Gibson texted Paul again with simply the word: “Yo.”

In between the two texts, Mr Gibson tried calling Paul multiple times at 9.10pm, 9.20pm, 9.42pm, 9.57pm, and again at 10.08pm.

He also texted Maggie at 9.34pm: “Tell Paul to call me.”

There were missed calls from Alex Murdaugh to Mr Gibson at 10.21pm, 10.24pm, 10.25pm, and 10.30pm.

Mr Gibson was also swabbed for evidence.

New Witness: Senior Special Agent Jeff Croft, SLED

Monday 30 January 2023 16:53 , Oliver O'Connell

Court resumes with a new witness, Senior Special Agent Jeff Croft of South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

He was assigned to the Low Country region in Colleton County and was called out to the Murdaugh’s Moselle property after 5am on 8 June 2021.

His first assignment on the case was to interview Rogan Gibson, Paul Murdaugh's friend.

Mr Gibson had phone conversations with Paul, Maggie and Alex Murdaugh that night of the murders.

Agent Croft took screenshots of communications with the Murdaughs from Mr Gibson's phone, which have been entered into evidence.

Monday 30 January 2023 16:31 , Oliver O'Connell

Agent Worley’s testimony concludes and the jury is sent out for a 10-minute break.

Monday 30 January 2023 16:29 , Oliver O'Connell

In redirect by the prosecution, Agent Worley confirms that “stippling” on Maggie’s body indicates that she was shot at close range.

Agent Worley also confirms that a single shooter with more than one gun could move around while shooting potentially explaining the variance in angles of bullet holes in the dog kennel and quail cage.

Biological matter was also found on an ATV near Maggie’s body. Defence objects to the line of questioning claiming it could have been deer blood from hunting in further cross-examination.

Monday 30 January 2023 16:20 , Oliver O'Connell

Agent Worley also tested the clothes that Murdaugh was wearing that night.

LCV testing brought to light several stains that could have been blood. She admits (as we heard last week) that the same positive tests for blood could also indicate rust or bleach.

Monday 30 January 2023 16:14 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Harpootlian asks how if proper photos of the footprints at the scene were not taken, Agent Worley was able to do comparisons?

Agent Worley says she was still able to do comparisons “and they were mostly Paul’s shoes”.

Mr Harpootlian has Agent Worley admit that one of the bloody footprints identified was later determined to be that of a law enforcement officer.

Agent Worley says it is “not exactly” following standards and agrees that officers shouldn’t have been walking through the scene.

Mr Harpootlian pointedly asks: “Do we know what other evidence the police may have destroyed?”

Agent Worley replies that she has no idea.

“That’s right. We don’t,” says Mr Harpootlian.

Monday 30 January 2023 16:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Harpootlian is building a case that there were mistakes made in the analysis of the crime scene, from a discrepancy in temperature in the final report versus Agent Worley’s notes to the processing of foot impressions on-site and questions about a mark on Maggie’s leg.

Monday 30 January 2023 15:48 , Oliver O'Connell

By proposing that there was more than one shooter, Mr Harpootlian has potentially planted reasonable doubt in the minds of the jury that Murdaugh did not kill his wife and son.

Monday 30 January 2023 15:44 , Oliver O'Connell

After an extended look at bullet trajectories around the dog house with Agent Worley, Mr Harpootlian arrives at the proposition that one explanation for the different angles of bullets into the dog house and quail pen was that there were two shooters.

Ms Worley says that it is one explanation but not the only one.

We already know that Paul and Maggie were killed with two different types of guns (a shotgun and an automatic rifle respectively).

Mr Harpootlian suggests that one person was there to kill Paul and a lookout shot Maggie when she surprised them.

Monday 30 January 2023 15:29 , Oliver O'Connell

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson is at the Murdaugh trial today.

Monday 30 January 2023 15:19 , Oliver O'Connell

Court resumes after approximately 10 minutes and the jury is brought back in.

Monday 30 January 2023 15:14 , Oliver O'Connell

Agent Worley is asked by defence lawyer Dick Harpootlian about the documentation and measurements of the crime scene that were undertaken both on the night of the murders (7 June 2021) and at a separate analysis on 16 July.

On the second visit to the scene, a FARO Focus Laser Scanner was used to create an accurate £D rendering of the crime scene complete with measurements.

There was some discussion about entering the results of the scan (images extracted from it) into evidence and so Judge Newman excused the jury for an early break.

Trial resumes

Monday 30 January 2023 14:40 , Oliver O'Connell

The third day of testimony is now underway with Judge Clifton Newman back on the bench.

The defence team begins with the cross-examination of SLED special agent Melinda Worley – an expert in footwear and tire examination.

You can watch a live feed of the trial.

RECAP Friday: Bodycam shows Alex Murdaugh’s ‘clean’ shirt after he claimed he touched wife and son’s bloodied bodies

Monday 30 January 2023 14:15 , Rachel Sharp

Newly-released stills from bodycam footage reveal Alex Murdaugh dressed in a “clean” white shirt after he claims he touched his wife and son’s bloodied bodies on finding them shot dead at the family estate in South Carolina.

In two images, released by Colleton County Court on Friday, Mr Murdaugh is seen on the grounds of the property in Islandton in the aftermath of the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul.

Mr Murdaugh is dressed in a white t shirt and shorts in the images. The stills are grainy but there are no obvious signs of blood on his shirt.

Read what happened in court on Friday:

Bodycam shows Alex Murdaugh’s ‘clean’ shirt after claiming he touched bloody bodies