Prosecutors said over the weekend they received new evidence from General Motors about data from Alex Murdaughs Chevy Suburban. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. A former federal prosecutor, he now works as a state and federal criminal defense attorney based in Columbia, South Carolina. "He has pledged his full cooperation to the firm. Satterfield reportedly died after a falling accident in the Murdaugh family home in February 2018, the lawsuit states. The Murdaughs, a prominent Democratic family, had wielded enormous judicial and political power for over a century. Jim Griffin, an attorney for Alex Murdaugh, said it's not clear why Proctor's name was crossed out and replaced, but he told The Island Packet that he didnt believe the will was motive for Alex Murdaugh to be involved in his wife's death. Buster and I, along with Maggie's mother, father and our entire family, ask that anyone with helpful information should immediately call the SLED tip line or Crime Stoppers. Randy and John said they have contacts in the investigating agencies but that they have not reached out to them or tried to influence the investigation in any way, nor has anyone in their family. 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 She analyzed the contents of Maggie and Pauls stomachs. Wake up to the day's most important news. In a bond hearing in Hampton County court on Thursday, Sept. 18. The saga began when Murdaugh's wife, Margaret "Maggie" Murdaugh, 52, and their son Paul, 22, were found fatally shot in June. Alex was the loving father of Paul and the loving husband of Maggie, Harpootlian said. I didnt think it was a credible threatif it was, I would have tried to do something or notify someone, he said in the 2021 interview. On Thursday, Murdaugh briefly described the roadside shooting, saying that he intended to die that day. The shot to her abdomen was from further away. At the time, the couple's sons were children. 3:34 p.m. John Marvin cleaned crime scene the day after murders. Murdaugh turned himself in at the Hampton County Detention Center. John Marvin is the second family member to testify on behalf of Murdaugh. I mean, in his pants.. "We are part of the community. The family is pleading for the public's help in bringing justice to Maggie and Paul. Alex was standing at a distance from the crime scene, looking on "in disbelief, crying and sobbing, and unable to talk," Randy said. The 14th Circuit Solicitors Office also confirms to CNN that Murdaugh has been stripped of his privilege of prosecuting cases as a volunteer. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. It was a rainy night and first responders were already on site, and Randy recalled seeing the covered bodies of Maggie and Paul near the dog kennels, about a quarter of a mile from the main house. John Marvin was the third member of the Murdaugh family to testify, after his nephew, Buster, and Murdaugh himself. And I think when you do those things, people respect you. The listing comes less than five months after Alex Murdaugh, 53 the father of the family allegedly conspired to hire a hit man to kill him so that he could leave his At the end of the day, Alex Murdaugh shook his attorneys hands and then looked back where his surviving son and brother were seated behind him, He smiled and pointed at them. 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. Theres a lot of aspects to this case, Waters said. DNA profiles were found on Alex Murdaughs shirt that likely came from Maggie, Pauls friend Nolan Tuten and an unidentified, unrelated person. Few other details regarding the deaths have been released. 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. Alex Murdaugh has been accused of obstructing the investigation into the crash by pressuring witnesses not to reveal Pauls culpability. Its a journey. Both shots to her head would have been immediately fatal, so the final one, which Riemer testified was to the back of Maggies head, was fired after an already-fatal shot. Once the police opened the phone, they gave me a ride back to my car, he said. "And I can't imagine the horror that my brother's experiencing.". Both sides of the trial asked the judge to consider delaying the case due to the virus, expressing concerns that if more jurors become ill and have to be released, the case could end in a mistrial. Alex Murdaugh sits in the Colleton He is the 14th defense witness called overall during the six-week trial. Earlier this month, the photographs were used as campaign fodder against Jojo Woodward, an investigator in the photos who is running for Beaufort County Sheriff. WebThe Murdaugh family (/ m r d k / MUR-dok) is an American legal family in the Low Country 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, Most of the testimony was focused on detailed forensic evidence in the investigation into the deaths of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh. Fingernail clippings from Maggie Murdaughs left hand contained DNA from an unidentified, unrelated male. Today, he knows that's not true. "Alex intends to fully cooperate with this investigation, as he has with the investigation into the murder of his wife and son," his lawyers said in a statement. Read FOX Carolinas full blog of Mondays testimony below: Copyright 2023 WHNS. Opiates gave me energy, Murdaugh said. The final For the last 20 years, there have been many people feeding his addiction to opioids. He signed an affidavit accepting the appointment Dec. 13. The whole family is suffering," John told ABC News. Lawyer Alex Murdaugh walks into his bond hearing, Sept. 16, 2021, in Varnville, S.C. He was charged with a list of crimes relating to his work, including nine counts of tax evasion, stealing lawsuit settlement money from badly injured clients, a drug Marvin Murdaugh drove down to the crime scene to a group of investigators and told them that Maggies phone was active and could be tracked, he said. Dr. Ellen Riemer, a forensic pathologist with the Medical University of South Carolina, conducted the autopsies for Paul and Maggie Murdaugh. It made me want to do it longer. 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 The defense They said Paul was also a "people person" who was "very caring" and "would help anyone." Alex murdaugh shot Paul through the open door, while he was sitting on that 4wheeler, that he decided to ride down to the kennels, then, he shot Maggie, they said her leg had a smear from a 4wheeler tire, not forgetting he lured Maggie and Paul to be home on the same day, and to be at the kennels at the exact time, and he lifted Paul body and tried to open his phone, but he couldn't, so he placed his phone in his back pocket, the clothes, he had clean clothes on that 4wheeler with him, he had no blood on him because he shot Paul through the open door, that would have made him 5'2-5'4 sitting down on it. I felt like I owed [Paul]. Since the wreck, Paul had been receiving online threats from strangers that were "bothersome" but weren't believed to be "credible," according to Randy and John. Alex tried to to call his other son, Buster, who lives a couple hours away in the city of Rock Hill, to tell him the news but "broke down and couldn't," according to Randy. He married his wife, Elizabeth Arnett in 2008 and they have three children. John and his family reside in Okatie, South Carolina. John Marvin is the brother-in-law and uncle of 52-year-old Maggie Murdaugh, and 22-year-old Paul Murdaugh who were murdered on June 7, 2021 near the dog kennels on the familys hunting property, known locally as Moselle. Maggie Murdaugh signed the will in August 2005, according to a report Sunday in The Island Packet newspaper of Hilton Head. Both victims were located outside of the residence on the sprawling property and had "sustained multiple gunshot wounds," according to a press release from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, which is investigating the double murder along with the Colleton County Sheriff's Office. 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. Randy Murdaugh and John Marvin Murdaugh speak out for the first time since their brother, Alex, found his 22-year-old son, Paul, and wife, Maggie, shot to death outside their home last week. In my mind, I told Paul I loved himI promised him that I'd find out who did this to him., When asked by defense attorney Jim Griffin if he ever found out who killed his nephew and sister-in-law, John Marvin replied: I have not.. Due to stippling on her body, Riemer said two of the gunshot wounds were fired by someone within three feet of Maggie Murdaugh. Hematrace will only test positive for blood from humans, higher primates and ferrets. Its the hardest thing Ive ever been through in my life., Prosecutors say that Paul Murdaugh was fatally shot outside the feed room near the dog kennels of the South Carolina property on June 7, 2021and that his mother, Maggie, was killed nearby. State law enforcement officials also announced, none of the proceeds from a $4.3 million settlement. In June 2021, The Island Packet reported that although Paul Murdaughs cell phone was found near his body on the night of the killings, investigators found Maggies phone the next day on a road outside of the familys Colleton County property. Alex Murdaugh's attorneys didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. The defense, however, has argued that Murdaugh had no motivation to murder his wife and son that several witnesses have described as his top priority. "He didn't want to leave them out there," John told ABC News, in between tears. Randy and John said their father, whom they described as "a wonderful person," had been "sick" for a while and that they would have liked his death to be more a celebration of life, but their tight-knit family was reeling from the unsolved murders. Maggie Murdaughs phone locks forever about 30 seconds later, Waters said. Barber had Zapata count 74 cuttings taken from Alex Murdaughs shirt, all of which tested negative for human blood. John Marvin says 100% Alex said they did him so bad, and he had heard Murdaugh say it many other times since the murders. Murdaugh submitted his resignation at his law firm to enter rehab the day before he is alleged to have tried to fake his own death. Maggie Murdaughs cellphone, for which her husband provided the code investigators used to find it the next day, showed it was being dumped on the side of the road off the property at the same time Alex Murdaughs phone showed he started his truck just outside his home, the defense attorney said. The newspaper was the first to report the document, which was later obtained by NBC News. 4:30 p.m.. Court is back in session. In this undated file photo, Alex Murdaugh, fourth generation of a powerful South Carolina dynasty and owner of a boat involved in a fatal accident, leaves a hearing in a personal injury lawsuit at the Richland County Courthouse. 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. From October: What really happened the night Alex Murdaugh was allegedly shot? All marriages, Im sure, have hiccups here and there, but Im telling you it was a good marriage, he said. Court is in recess until 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday. The 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. SLED confirmed they are the law enforcement agency investigating the missing money from the law firm. He was only able to tell me it was very, very bad. Asked 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 remaining son Buster Murdaughs phone. As soon as I heard his voice, I knew something bad was going on, he said. At the time, the photos and video sparked controversy and numerous questions about why Solicitor Duffie Stone whose office has close ties to the Murdaugh family had not yet recused himself from the investigation. ", Sept. 3 : Alex Murdaugh resigns from law firm. ", Oct. 15: Lawyer said Murdaugh had drugs in his system day he was shot. "These charges stem from a SLED investigation into misappropriated settlement funds in the death of Gloria Satterfield," SLED said in a statement. Theres no eyewitnesses. ET to report that he had returned to his family's estate in Islandton, a rural community in South Carolina's Colleton County, to find the bullet-ridden bodies of his 52-year-old wife, Margaret "Maggie" Branstetter Murdaugh, and his 22-year-old son, Paul Terry Murdaugh. "My brother loved Maggie and loved Paul like nothing else on this earth, just like he loves Buster," Randy said, naming Alex's other son. Dick Harpootlian said the defense has extensive cross-examination for Riemer, which could last more than an hour. A defense lawyer said prosecutors incorrectly locked in on Murdaughs guilt from the start and have spent all that time trying to jam bits of evidence that can be explained away or leave an incomplete picture into a story that frames the wrong man. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? "I could see the white sheets across the way," he said. What Was Alex Murdaugh's Motive For Killing His Wife And Son? "I love my law firm family and also love Alex as my brother. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Paul, a student at the University of South Carolina, was awaiting trial on a charge of boating under the influence causing death in a 2019 crash that killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach, whose body was found a week later. Data includes speeds and other information about the vehicles movements on the night of the double homicide. We dont know why. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. John Marvin is the brother-in-law and uncle of 52-year-old Maggie Murdaugh, and 22-year-old Paul Murdaugh who were murdered on June 7, 2021 near the He later stepped away from the double homicide investigation in August 2021, citing an undisclosed conflict. 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. John Marvin was the last witness to testify before the defense rested on Monday. Margaret and Paul Murdaugh were found dead near dog kennels at the family's home near Islandton, South Carolina, police said. He had diarrhea. His attorney, Richard Harpootlian, previously said on NBCs TODAY show that Alex Murdaugh arranged for a man to kill him during a fake car breakdown. He said he believed his insurance policy had a suicide clause, which would leave $10 million for his son, according to Harpootlian. 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. 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. 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