Randy and John said they don't know who could have committed the gruesome crime. In September 2021 Murdaugh told police he had been shot in the head by an unknown assailant while attempting to change a flat tire. The gunshot wound was only superficial, though, and within two weeks Murdaugh had been charged with hiring an acquaintance to carry out the purportedly random head-shooting. "I still couldn't believe it could be them or that it could be true.". Published: Feb. 13, 2023 at 2:47 PM PST WALTERBORO, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - The fourth week of the murder trial of Alex Murdaugh began on Monday. Sept. 7: Law firm says Murdaugh left due to money misuse, Alex Murdaugh's former law firm, PetersMurdaugh Parker Eltzroth & Detrick, released a statement saying Murdaugh formally resigned Sept. 3 and that "he is no longer associated with PMPED in any manner. "He would try to talk and then he would break down," Randy added. Since then, Alex Murdaugh has been at the center of a storm of allegations including accusations that he misused money from his law firm which led to the suspension of his law license. The Murdaughs are a prominent legal family in the Palmetto State, with three generations serving as the elected solicitor in the 14th Judicial Circuit for 87 consecutive years. Dick Harpootlian said the defense has extensive cross-examination for Riemer, which could last more than an hour. Got a tip? WebAsked about the photos this month, John Marvin Murdaugh said they show him and the investigators trying to find Maggie Murdaughs cell phone using an app on Maggies It changes you as a family," Randy told ABC News. Waters said Murdaugh told investigators he was never at the kennels before finding his wife and sons bodies near them after spending an hour away from the home checking on his mother, who has dementia. Sarah Zapata, an agent with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, testified in detail about DNA and Hematrace analysis she performed on evidence from the scene. Witnesses said Paul Murdaugh was driving it and that he was extremely drunk and acting belligerently. John Marvin Murdaugh and Randolph "Randy" Murdaugh IV said they "knew something was wrong" when their other brother called them both late in the night on June 7. Anything that the boys were doing, Alex wanted to do.. Prosecutors released little information about their case before Wednesday. Griffin asks about Alexs demeanor after the murders. Murdaughs lawyer Dick Harpootlian said on Good Morning America Friday that health records show Murdaugh had drugs in his system when he was shot on Sept. 4. "He wants this solved.". Social distancing and masking will not be required. "These charges stem from a SLED investigation into misappropriated settlement funds in the death of Gloria Satterfield," SLED said in a statement. I was outside with the dogs," Randy recalled. Ive seen television shows talking about the leg twitching and the squirminess, John Marvin told jurors about taking his brother from an Atlantic detox center after the Labor Day shooting to rehab. Today, he knows that's not true. Lawyer Alex Murdaugh walks into his bond hearing, Sept. 16, 2021, in Varnville, S.C. A place to talk about the Murdaugh family murders without censorship. The law firm said later that he Satterfield reportedly died after a falling accident in the Murdaugh family home in February 2018, the lawsuit states. Less than five minutes later, Paul Murdaughs phone was never used again. He doesnt know why, Harpootlian said, gesturing toward the prosecutor. DNA profiles were found on Alex Murdaughs shirt that likely came from Maggie, Pauls friend Nolan Tuten and an unidentified, unrelated person. Youre not going to hear a single witness say that their relationship was anything other than loving.. Buster, Murdaughs only surviving son, briefly took the stand last week about his nuclear family dynamics, noting that while the four of them were close there were tensions surrounding his fathers decades-long addiction to opioids. Newman said the remaining jurors tested negative for COVID-19 on Monday and will be retested on Wednesday. Alongside his other brother, Randy, he participated in a Good Morning America interview just days after the June 7, 2021 murders where John Marvin said Paul received death threats for his role in a 2019 drunken boating accident that killed a teenage girl. John Marvin Murdaugh said he does not believe Alex Murdaugh killed his wife and son, but acknowledged that police may know more than he does. Both had full stomachs of food that looked identical to each other, which likely showed they recently shared a meal together. A forensic accounting firm will be retained to conduct a thorough investigation.". All marriages, Im sure, have hiccups here and there, but Im telling you it was a good marriage, he said. "He didn't want to leave them out there," John told ABC News, in between tears. Harpootlian told the jury he would love to be able to tell them why someone so brutally killed Maggie and Paul Murdaugh, but investigators ignored all other suspects and scenarios. "So I got on the phone with him," Randy said. In response, one of his attorneys called it a "very sad development. We dont know why. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. "I could see the white sheets across the way," he said. John Marvin Murdaugh and Randolph "Randy" Murdaugh IV spoke with "Good Morning America" about the deaths of Maggie and Paul, saying they didn't believe their brother was involved in their killings. "We need help finding who did this," Randy told ABC News. Randolph "Randy" Murdaugh IV and John Marvin Murdaugh speak with ABC News for an interview that aired on "Good Morning America" on June 17, 2021. The saga began when Murdaugh's wife, Margaret "Maggie" Murdaugh, 52, and their son Paul, 22, were found fatally shot in June. He also admitted to his two-decade opioid addiction, noting he regularly took more than 60 pills a dayincluding oxycontin and oxycodone. The South Carolina Supreme Court also issued an order suspending Alex Murdaugh's license to practice law in the state. I felt like I owed [Paul]. Mr. Murdaugh, who has since been disbarred, has been held in jail since October 2021, when he was charged with stealing money from the family of his former Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? This is not the first time John Marvin has spoken out in defense of his older brother. The evidence has not yet been released, but the state disclosed they will be calling an additional witness in connection with the data. A major twist in the case came when Alex Murdaugh called authorities saying he was shot in the head in Hampton County on Sept. 4. Duffie Stone, the 14th circuit solicitor appointed in 2006, the first non-Murdaugh to hold the position since 1920, recused himself from the case because of personal connections. Alex Murdaugh sits in the Colleton In this June 11, 2021, file photo, Buster Murdaugh, center, receives a hug in the rain during the funeral service for his brother, Paul, and mother, Maggie, in Hampton, S.C. Kacen Bayless/The Island Packet via AP, FILE. You can share rumors, but they must be clearly labeled as rumors. Murdaugh also took the stand on Thursday and Friday, revealing that he lied to law enforcement about his whereabouts the night of the murder and admitting to stealing from clients and his law firm for years. "I can assure you that SLED agents will continue working to bring justice to anyone involved with any criminal act associated with these ongoing investigations," said SLED Chief Mark Keel. John Marvin continues talking about the false information he received from SLED. ", "His resignation came after the discovery by PMPED that Alex misappropriated funds in violation of PMPED standards and policies. Barber said Maggie Murdaugh went to the nail salon on the day she was killed so her nails should have been clean. Buster Murdaugh and John Marvin Murdaugh//Image Credit: WCBD NEWS 2 The final witness for the defense was Alex Murdaughs brother John Marvin Murdaugh. Riemer said the barrel of the gun was closer to Maggie Murdaugh when the shot to her thigh was fired. What Was Alex Murdaugh's Motive For Killing His Wife And Son? He was arrested in connection to the Sept. 4 shooting incident "in which he conspired with Curtis Edward Smith to assist him in committing suicide for the explicit purpose of allowing a beneficiary to collect life insurance," SLED said in a statement. Read FOX Carolinas full blog of Mondays testimony below: Copyright 2023 WHNS. I have made a lot of decisions that I truly regret. He was just distraught. But like a lot of things that are complicated, we start to put them all together, piecing together like a puzzle all the sudden, a picture emerges.. The documents released by authorities do not present evidence of his motive or how the murders are believed to have taken place, except to say that Maggie Murdaugh was killed with a rifle and Paul Murdaugh was killed with a shotgun. Mr. Murdaugh, who has since been disbarred, has been held in jail since October 2021, when he was charged with stealing money from the family of his former housekeeper, who died after a fall on the steps of the Murdaugh family home. Her death is being reinvestigated following the filing of the financial charges against Mr. Murdaugh. He said his family and the Proctors are all communicating on good terms. He later stepped away from the double homicide investigation in August 2021, citing an undisclosed conflict. He then walked to the side door of the courtroom where he will be taken to the Colleton County jail where he is staying during his trial. He was being held in jail without bail on those counts before he was charged with murder. Will of Alex Murdaugh's wife reveals he inherited all her property, accusations that he misused money from his law firm. ", "Alex holds every member of the Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth, Detrick law firm in very high esteem," Griffin said on Twitter. Those medical records show he was positive for opiates and barbiturates on the night that he was taken to the Savannah hospital, Harpootlian said. Attorney Dick Harpootlian says the defense team will need time for their expert to review the data as well. Zapata confirmed that if the shirt was stained while someone was gutting a fish, the Hematrace test would be negative. Its a journey. Maggie Murdaughs phone locks forever about 30 seconds later, Waters said. In cross-examination, the defense reiterated that Alex Murdaugh said he checked Maggie and Paul both for pulses when he found their bodies. The newspaper was the first to report the document, which was later obtained by NBC News. State investigators allege that about $3.4 million was stolen after legal fees were paid. Marian was like, No, John, I want you to handle it. So Im going to do whatever the court asked me to do, and Im also going to do what I think is best for Maggie," John Marvin Murdaugh said. Asked about the scratched-out name in the will, John Marvin Murdaugh said Tuesday: "I cant tell you why she would have done that. In February 2019, 19-year-old Mallory Beach was killed when a boat she was riding on that belonged to the Murdaugh family hit a bridge structure at 2 a.m. Smith was found dead in the middle of a road in Hampton County in 2015 and investigators believed he was hit by a vehicle but no suspects were ever apprehended, a local ABC affiliate in North Carolina, WTVD, reported. John Marvin Murdaugh also described how he got one of the first phone calls his brother Alex had made after discovering the bodies. The truth is he did graduate from the University of South Carolina with a Bachelors in Criminal Justice in the early 1990s, but he ultimately chose to evolve into an entrepreneur decently self-employed. Murdaugh said he called either Alex or Buster (he said he thinks it was Alex) and asked them for the password to Maggies phone so investigators could unlock it. We had great opportunities.". This trial is the bottom of a stunningly far and fast downfall for the man whose family dominated the legal system in tiny neighboring Hampton County for generations, both as prosecutors and private attorneys known for getting life-changing settlements for accidents and negligence cases. And I just started cleaning, he said about his decision to clean the feed room, while Murdaugh looked down and began to cry several feet away at the defense table. The group soon realized that the phone was further away, so they drove together and found it east of the gates of the property, he said. Wake up to the day's most important news. And it was the worst phone call because of his voice, the fear. Smith was charged with assisted suicide, assault and battery of a high-aggravated nature, pointing and presenting a firearm, insurance fraud and conspiracy to commit insurance fraud. Alex Murdaugh's attorneys said in October that authorities were looking at him as a person of interest in the deaths of his wife and their son. Alex Murdaugh's former law firm filed a lawsuit alleging that he funneled stolen money from clients and the law firm into a fake bank account for years. The next morning, John Marvin told jurors while several people were at the propertys main house, he felt the need to go down to the crime scene to see for himself what had gone on and just kind of take it in.. Alex Murdaugh is the only publicly known person of interest in the murders, which remain unsolved. The defense in the Alex Murdaugh double murder trial rested their case Monday. A good marriage, he said extensive cross-examination for Riemer, which was later obtained by News. 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