During the closing arguments of Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial on Wednesday, prosecutors claimed he was the only person with the motive, means and opportunity to kill his wife and son in June 2021, and that his subsequent lies exposed his guilt brought.
According to the prosecution, Murdaugh’s motive was to distract and delay the investigation into his mounting financial problems. Prosecutors alleged that Murdaugh possessed the assets, two firearms that belonged to his family.
In addition, his presence at the crime scene was revealed minutes before the murders in a pivotal video, giving him the opportunity to commit the crime.
Prosecutor Creighton Waters stated: “People lie because they know they did something wrong. That’s why he lied, ladies and gentlemen.”
He further claimed that Murdaugh cheated on anyone who thought they were close to him, including his wife and son, who paid the price for it with their lives.
The defense’s closing arguments will be presented on Thursday.
Alex Murdaugh, age 54, is charged with the murder of his wife, Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh, and son, Paul Murdaugh, on their Islandton, South Carolina property known as Moselle, by the family’s dog kennels in the night of June 7. 2021.
He pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and two gun-related charges.
After more than six weeks of testimony from more than 70 witnesses, the jurors visited Moselle on Wednesday morning.
The prosecution’s case focused on Murdaugh’s financial motive and lies, given the lack of direct evidence such as a murder weapon, bloodstained clothing or eyewitnesses linking him to the murders. Instead, they have relied on circumstantial evidence, including a video Murdaugh posted at the crime scene that night.
Murdaugh’s defense case was notable for his own dramatic testimony over two days last week, in which he vehemently denied killing his wife and son, while admitting to lying to investigators about his whereabouts that night.
He also confessed to stealing millions of dollars from his former clients and law firm and lying to cover up his actions.
The case includes charges of embezzled money, murder-for-hire and insurance scams, drug addiction, financial crimes and ultimately murder charges in connection with the murder of his wife and son.
Murdaugh worked for a law firm that bore his name, but his outward success masked a number of underlying problems. In addition to the murder charges, 99 charges against him are also linked to alleged financial crimes, which will be tried separately at a later date.
The Murdaugh family is also plagued by a series of tragic deaths, including that of Alex’s wife and son, their housekeeper, a young woman killed in a boating accident reportedly involving Alex’s son, and the unsolved death of a young man in 2015.
The case has caught the attention of media outlets such as Netflix and HBO Max as it sheds light on the complex and tragic events that befell this prominent family.
Murdaugh’s financial problems show motive, prosecutor says
In his closing arguments, Waters presented a timeline of Murdaugh’s financial misconduct spanning a decade, culminating in the night of the murders on June 7, 2021. He alleged that Murdaugh had embezzled money from both his clients and his law firm for years and was addicted affected by the cash flow.
Despite receiving millions in legal fees, it was not enough for him and he resorted to stealing.
As the spring of 2021 approached, the pressure mounted on Murdaugh. His law firm’s CFO testified that she confronted him about missing money on the day of the murders, while also facing a lawsuit from the family of a woman who died in a boating accident he was allegedly involved in. to expose his financial problems.
Waters argued that the mounting pressure became too much for Murdaugh, leading him to commit the murders of his wife and son. The murders made him a sympathetic figure and temporarily relieved him of his financial problems.
However, his law firm discovered further evidence of misconduct in September 2021, forcing him to resign. Soon after, he faked his own murder in a failed attempt to pay out a life insurance policy for his surviving son.
Waters accused Murdaugh of playing the victim whenever he had to answer for his actions.
In his closing arguments, Waters presented a timeline of Murdaugh’s financial misconduct spanning a decade, culminating in the night of the murders on June 7, 2021.
He alleged that Murdaugh had spent years embezzling money from both his clients and his law firm and had become addicted to the flow of money. Despite receiving millions in legal fees, it was not enough for him and he resorted to stealing.
As the spring of 2021 approached, the pressure mounted on Murdaugh. His law firm’s CFO testified that she confronted him about missing money on the day of the murders, while also facing a lawsuit from the family of a woman who died in a boating accident he was allegedly involved in. to expose his financial problems.
Waters argued that the mounting pressure became too much for Murdaugh, leading him to commit the murders of his wife and son.
The murders made him a sympathetic figure and temporarily relieved him of his financial problems. However, his law firm discovered further evidence of misconduct in September 2021, forcing him to resign. Soon after, he faked his own murder in a failed attempt to pay out a life insurance policy for his surviving son.
Waters accused Murdaugh of playing the victim whenever he had to answer for his actions.
Kennel video shows opportunity, prosecutor says
Waters reconstructed a timeline of events leading up to and following the Moselle Kennels murders, primarily using telephone forensics.
Despite denying his presence at the kennels that night, a video from Paul’s phone with audio of Murdaugh’s voice in the background proved otherwise. Murdaugh eventually admitted he was there, but lied to police about it due to paranoid thoughts caused by his addiction to painkillers.
However, Waters argued that Murdaugh’s lies continued until he learned of the video’s existence, which changed everything as it placed him at the scene of the crime.
According to forensic phone inquiries, both Maggie’s and Paul’s phones were last used at 8:49 p.m. Maggie’s phone showed signs of activity minutes after its last use, indicating that she may have heard the fatal gunshot that killed their son and was then shot by her husband. Murdaugh then drove to his mother’s house and called and texted to create an alibi before returning to the crime scene and calling 911 after discovering the bodies.
The prosecution argued that the use of family crests showed that Murdaugh had the resources to commit the murders.
Waters further argued that Murdaugh had the resources to commit the family crest murders. He noted that a Blackout rifle, which was found to be missing after the murder, had killed Maggie and a shotgun had been used to kill Paul.
According to the testimony of a weapons expert, casings from a Blackout rifle were found near Maggie’s body and matched other casings found on the Murdaughs’ property that investigators had found. “This evidence is damning,” Waters said. “A Blackout family killed Maggie.
It was only present a few months before the murders and it’s gone now. Maggie was murdered by a family coat of arms that the defendant cannot explain.” There could be no doubt about Murdaugh’s resources to carry out these heinous crimes.
Paul Murdaugh was killed by shots from a shotgun, which was described as one of Paul’s “weapons of choice”.
Evidence that Alex Murdaugh carried the murder weapon on the night in question and that his sister Maggie’s DNA and blood were found on the gun receiver logically led to the conclusion that he was involved in his death.
To make matters worse for the defendant, Prosecutor Waters produced evidence of Murdaugh’s mind-boggling lies told to cover up his involvement in the case.
It has been shown time and time again how shockingly easy Murdaugh could falsify stories, even convincing ones, in the blink of an eye – undeniable evidence of his underhanded mind. The chain of evidence made a strong case against him, acting as an indisputable reminder of what happened that fateful night.
