On Feb. 8, during the third week of the murder trial, a bomb threat forced the Colleton County Courthouse to evacuate. Investigators found his car three miles away on the side of Bamberg Highway. Paul suffered wounds to his upper body and head from what appeared to have been a shotgun, while an assault rifle is thought to have been used to kill 52-year-old Maggie. A mother and son from a prominent South Carolina family were found dead in an apparent double homicide last week, and days later a man who was the son . Award-winning journalist Mandy Matney has been investigating the Murdaugh family since that fateful night in 2019. Forensic pathology expert, Dr. Jonathan Eisenstat, gave forensic analysis of the injuries sustained by Alex Murdaugh's wife and son. Murdaugh is on trial for the murders of his son, Paul, and wife, Maggie, in . Judge Clifton Newman will now guide the State and the defense through the final days of a legal journey that has included everything from a bomb threat to a GoFundMe controversy involving a juror. The Murdaughs are a powerful legal family in South Carolina. The hunting lodge is located in Islandton, South Carolina. (Defense exhibit). Beach died in a boating crash near Beaufort, South Carolina, in 2019, and, according to The State, two teens were suspected of driving the boat while drunk. One of them was Paul Murdaugh. Evidence shown in Alex Murdaugh's trial for murder shows the Colleton County property where the Murdaughs lived, at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, S.C. on Feb. 2, 2023. "He's got to compress those timelines so that it would convince whoever down the road that he could not have done this," Waters said. All rights reserved. Smalls also took the stand and disputed one of Murdaughs claims. He also described a close-knit family, saying he spoke with his mom "every day" and frequently spoke with his dad and brother, too. Having suffered the devastating loss of their own daughter, the family prays that the Murdaughs can find some level of peace from this tragic loss. Where did he take his last breath? On Tuesday afternoon, Judge Newman outlined the procedures and rules surrounding the jurys field trip. Several bailiffs were sworn in to transport and escort the jurors and alternates to Moselle, where no one will be allowed to talk to them except the judge, nor can they ask questions of anyone but Newman. In her obituary, it was stated that Satterfield loved Alex and Maggie Murdaugh as her own family. Attorneys began their closing arguments Wednesday in the double murder trial of former South Carolina attorney Richard Alex Murdaugh. The trial began on January 25, 2023, with instructions from the judge and opening statements from the prosecution and defense. Paul's father was his attorney during the case. Online rumors that Renee Beach was a Beaufort jumper on June 9, 2021, are false, FITSNews reported. Here's what to expect. Mandy Matneyis the news director at FITSNews. At the time of his death, Paul was a junior at the University of South Carolina. Back in February 2019, Paul was charged with boating under the influence, which resulted in the death of Mallory Beach. You become invincible in a way and you get a little liquor and you think youre untouchable.. ISLANDTON, SOUTH CAROLINA: On June 7, Margaret 'Maggie' Murdaugh, 52, and her son Paul Murdaugh, 22, were found shot and killed on their family estate. As a result, it took prosecutors almost two months to charge Paul with three felony boating under the influence (BUI) charges in connection with the fatal crash. He says he then drove to check in on his mother, who has Alzheimer's, at her home before returning to Moselle around 10 p.m., which is when he discovered his wife and son's bodies on the ground near the family's dog kennels. A photo of the Murdaugh family taken days before Paul and Maggie Murdaugh were shot to death. The boat involved in this incident, a 2008 Scout boat, was not the same as the vessel involved in the fatal 2019 crash, which was a 2006 Sea Hunt. The suspect or suspects are not clear; neither is the motive, authorities said, though they said there is no danger to the public, according to FITSNews. Just moments before Mallory Beach died, she told others in the boat she was scared of Pauls erratic driving, according to multiple depositions. Waters said that Murdaugh only admitted to lying to investigators about his whereabouts at the time of the killings because witnesses testified that his voice could be heard on the video. 0:57. And they were all reaching a crescendo the day his wife and son were murdered by him," Waters said. The bodies were reportedly found lying yards apart near the dog kennels with multiple gunshot wounds. Waters started his closing argument by walking through a timeline of Murdaugh's legal troubles and alleged financial crimes in the years leading up to the murders, arguing Murdaugh killed his family to stop the"gathering storm" from ruining his family's legacyand successful law practice. South Carolina law enforcement has only confirmed that they are leading an investigation into a double homicide that took place in Colleton county last night, FITSNews reported. The case was mysteriously bounced from investigator to investigator without reasons or notification, Sandy Smith wrote in the letter. All of this is inextricably tied to the investigation which is undeniably a murder investigation unlike any other. Stephens massive head wound along with the lack of other significant injuries on his body stumped investigators on scene. (Feb. 28), Alex Murdaugh breaks down during testimony on wife, son's injuries. Alex is also facing 99 counts of financial crimes stemming from 19 separate indictments. This decision to rule his death a hit-and-run appeared to skew the investigation by SCHPs Multi-disciplinary Accident Investigation Team (MAIT) who typically investigate accidents, not murders. There appeared to be missing evidence in the case such as the DNA under Stephens fingernails, the clothes he was wearing, and the rape kit. Crime scene photos obtained by FITSNews are horrific Stephens entire face was covered in blood that cascaded from a 7.25-inch gaping hole on the right side of his forehead. Murdaugh, who is part of a prominent local family in the South Carolina Lowcountry, is accused of killing his wife, Maggie, and younger son, Paul, at their home on June 7, 2021. Prosecutors opposed the visit, saying the scene looks different than it did in June 2021, as trees and vegetation have grown and no one has lived on the property since the killings. The next step on this legal journey will be a 9:30 a.m. Wednesday "jury view" of the crime scene, Moselle, where Maggie and Paul Murdaugh . The fatal shooting of Maggie Murdaugh and Paul Murdaugh in 2021 rocked South Carolina's Lowcountry region, where the Murdaugh family's powerful legal dynasty originated. FITSnews reported through sources that a Murdaugh family member is a person of interest, and that R. Alexander Murdaugh Pauls dad and Maggies husband is a central focus of the probe. The site noted that he has an alibi but quoted a source as saying there are credible concerns about when the shootings happened and said authorities are looking into possible manipulation of the crime scene.. He faces 30 years to life in prison if . Although the weapons used to kill the victims haven't been found, an expert testified that the markings on the bullet casings found near Maggie Murdaugh's body matched those found on casings at a shooting range on the family's property. According to the outlet, Alex Murdaugh said he wasnt home at the time of the shootings. Stay tuned for any and all developments with this saga. Or "king's ransom" waiting to be found Murdaugh Murders: Unanswered Questions About Multiple Suspicious Deaths Connected To Family, SC Cop Who Named Paul Murdaugh As Driver In Fatal Boat Crash Fired For Alleged Drug Use, Boat Crash Lawsuit: Murdaughs Refuse To Settle, Withhold Financial Records From Victims Family, Former South Carolina Solicitor Randolph Murdaugh III Passes Away, Virginia Pitcher Is Kenny Powers And Nuke LaLoosh All Rolled Up In One, Letter: Reform Judicial Selection Process, 12-Foot SC Alligator Treated Like An Amusement Ride By Pest Control Agents Before It Was Killed, Federal Charges Filed Against North Charleston Ex-Cop, Mark Powells Palmetto Past & Present: Lost Confederate Gold, Ron Paul: The Anti-War Movement Roars Back To Life, LIVE FEED Murdaugh Murders Trial: Day Twenty-Six. Ball testified that Murdaugh told him the same story but inconsistently. The . But there was no blood spatter or DNA linking the killings to Alex Murdaugh or anyone else, and prosecutors never laid out how they think Murdaugh could have killed his family, cleaned himself up, disposed of the clothes and weapons, and composed himself in the 15-minute window before GPS data shows he left the property to visit his ailing mother. He doesnt deserve that. The family of Alex Murdaugh, the disgraced South Carolina attorney accused of defrauding legal clients and carrying out a failed suicidal fraud scheme, has been told he could soon be indicted on . Murdaugh, who is separately facing morethan100 other criminal charges,also admitted to stealing money from clientsand orchestrating a botched assisted suicide scheme. Give us a moment please., The Island Packet reported that a Murdaugh relative on the porch of a home near the crime scene had just been notified and commented, Nows not a good time, as you can imagine.. Two years after the boating accident, Paul and Maggie were murdered on June 7, 2021, at their home in Islandton, South Carolina, in Colleton County, address 4147 Moselle Road, as said by . His company bio says that he graduated from Hampton High School and received a bachelors degree in political science from the University of South Carolina in 1990, a Juris Doctorate Degree in May 1994 from the University of South Carolina School of Law and was admitted to the South Carolina Bar in November 1994.. A new HBO documentary will investigate the unsolved murders of two prominent South Carolina family members. Murdaugh, 54, is charged with murder in the deaths of his wife, Maggie, 52, and their 22-year-old son, Paul, but has steadfastly denied any involvement. CLICK HERE. According to Deadline, HBO Max and Campfire Studios are teaming up to create the docu-series Murdaugh Family Mysteries.. For over three months, Islandton, SC, Police have been trying to solve the mystery surrounding the murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh. It would repeatedly get to a certain point, then the assigned investigator would bow out, perhaps not wanting to take on Solicitor Murdaugh.. Renee Beach, Mallorys mother,is seeking damages from Parkers Corporation which owns the Parkers gas station where Paul Murdaugh allegedly purchased alcohol illegally prior to the crash. The Murdaugh family (/ m r d k / MUR-dok) is an American legal family in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina.From 1920 to 2006, three members of the family consecutively served as solicitor (i.e., district attorney), in charge of prosecuting all criminal cases in the state's 14th circuit district, leading locals to call the five-county district, "Murdaugh Country". Garland testifies before Senate panel amid ongoing special counsel probes, Colon cancer rates rising in younger age group, study finds, Firefighter dies battling blaze in downtown Buffalo, mayor says, 20,000 people may have been exposed to measles at Asbury University revival, Prosecution wraps its case at Alex Murdaugh murder trial, Top McCarthy aide, House Oversight chair each met with Ashli Babbitt's mother, What to know about Shigella bacteria as drug-resistant strain spreads, Ex-Georgia star Jalen Carter was racing in deadly crash, arrest warrants allege, Fiery train crash in Greece kills dozens, many of them students, Closing arguments begin in Murdaugh murder trial, Jurors hear closing arguments in Alex Murdaugh's murder trial. The defense has said state agents conducted a poor investigation that focused too quickly on Alex Murdaugh and missed evidence such as fingerprints and shoe prints that could have led to the real killers. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Heavy has contacted the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division for more details. In an earlier interview with investigators, the disgraced lawyer implicated his groundskeeper. And "Everything Everywhere All . Maggie Murdaugh, the wife of embattled South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh, left her property to him in her will before she and their son were mysteriously killed in June . Market data provided by Factset. FITSNews obtained the entire investigative file on this case and will publish a more in-depth story about Stephen Smiths death at a later date. She currently lives on Hilton Head Island where she enjoys beach life. Alex Murdaugh has taken over the courtroom: Phil Holloway. The disgraced South Carolina legal scion is charged with murdering his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, near dog kennels on their family hunting estate called Moselle June 7, 2021, in what prosecutors allege was an effort to distract from the 99 financial crimes totaling an estimated $9 million Murdaugh, 54, is accused of. Anthony Cook begged Paul Murdaugh, who was driving the boat at the time of the incident, to please let him drive, deputySteven Domino the deputy who was fired last summer wrote in his report. According to the investigation file, Buster was rumored to have been linked to Stephen intimately but detectives never proved this connection. In that case, 57-year-old Gloria Satterfield died after a trip and fall in Hampton county on February 26, 2018, according to a court documents (below). The final witnesses testifed Monday in the double-murder trial of Alex Murdaugh in South Carolina. She also posted pictures of previous family trips to Moselle, including quail hunting excursions. "Do you know who did?" With Sutton's guidance, Harpootlian was trying to show Colleton County jurors the shooter's stance when the .300 Blackout rifle was fired on the night of the murders. Forensic engineer Mike Sutton, a defense expert, was on the stand explaining the trajectory of the shots that killed Maggie Murdaugh on June 7, 2021. He was awarded South Carolina's top honor for assertive journalism in 2020. "When accountability is at his door, he was a victim again," Waters said. Despite what his obituary says, Paul Murdaugh who was described to FITSNews by several sources as an entitled sociopath with a short fuse had a history that goes much deeper than the 2019 boat crash when he first caught the attention of the media. Investigators believe the son and mother were murdered with two different firearms. 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