We dont know why. Theres no fingerprints. 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. In response, one of his attorneys called it a "very sad development. Alex is not without fault but he is just one of many whose life has been devastated by opioid addiction," the lawyers' statement continued. 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. 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. 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. Riemer said the barrel of the gun was closer to Maggie Murdaugh when the shot to her thigh was fired. Zapata said the DNA could have been transferred from her touching an object or person. Murdaugh is charged with killing his wife and son on their property in June 2021. Alex Murdaugh was taken into custody upon his release from a Florida rehab facility and charged with two felony counts of obtaining property by false pretenses, SLED announced. "These charges stem from a SLED investigation into misappropriated settlement funds in the death of Gloria Satterfield," SLED said in a statement. On Dec. 9, Colleton County Probate Judge Ashley Amundson appointed John Marvin Murdaugh, Alexs brother, as the personal representative for Maggie Murdaughs estate, records show. I took so much just to not backslide.. 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. Alex Murdaugh and his son Buster announced a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of assailants involved in the murders of Maggie and Paul. Prosecutors allege that Murdaugh, who has pleaded not guilty to four charges, murdered his family in a deranged scheme to garner sympathy and halt questions about his years-long scheme of stealing money from his law firm and clients. Buster Murdaugh and John Marvin Murdaugh//Image Credit: WCBD NEWS 2. He was only able to tell me it was very, very bad. A vehicle sits in the driveway of a home, June 8, 2021, in rural Colleton County, near Islandton, S.C. Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier via AP, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Satterfield reportedly died after a falling accident in the Murdaugh family home in February 2018, the lawsuit states. A family spokesperson told ABC News at the time that he was changing a tire when a car passed him. In 2006, he rejoined the Hampton-based law firm that his father had started more than 100 years ago. Two alternates will take their place. 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. 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. Zapata said family members of Mallory Beach, the Cooke brothers, Alex Murdaugh, John Marvin Murdaugh and Buster Murdaugh were excluded as possible sources for the DNA. Riemer said besides caffeine, Maggie and Paul did not have any other drugs or alcohol in their systems. "When I came in, he was calling my wife's phone. I didn't know if something was still happening. 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. Zapata said it was possible the DNA could have been transferred if the victims were checked for signs of life. "So there's no possible way he could have anything to do with this, I can assure you. Murdaugh, 54, is standing trial on two counts of murder. "We need help finding who did this," Randy told ABC News. A string of bloody killings and mysteries involving a prominent South Carolina family has sent investigators on a wild chase full of twists and turns. Jailed in Richland County and facing more than 90 criminal charges and 11 lawsuits, Murdaugh has had his assets placed under the control of court-appointed In a bond hearing in Hampton County court on Thursday, Sept. 18. The final witness for the defense was Alex Murdaughs brother John Marvin Murdaugh. The family's spokesperson later offered a clarification regarding the shooting, saying, "Alex had an entry and exit wound, his skull was fractured and it was not a self-inflicted bullet wound. Theres nothing on camera. 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. They said he could not be visually excluded but it is 11 times more likely the sample was from someone else. And they still have not announced a suspect in their deaths. 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. Lead prosecutor Creighton Waters asked if injuries are consistent with the shooter circling Maggie. He has also since been charged with executing multiple fraud and embezzlement schemes that were ongoing at the time of the crash; these included an alleged attempt to commit insurance fraud in order to benefit from the 2018 death of a housekeeper at one of the Murdaugh familys properties. They were able to open the phone on site, he said. 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. Among those on the list are Alex's family members including his surviving son, Buster, his brothers, Randy Murdaugh and John Marvin Murdaugh, his sister-in-law, Liz They don't believe Alex is involved in the murders. 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. Sept. 13: SLED investigates missing money from law firm. "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. 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. Since then, there have been curveballs in the investigation including Alex Murdaugh's alleged money misuse that led to the suspension of his law license, and other allegations of an opioid addiction, an assisted-suicide attempt and a $10 million insurance fraud scheme. "The arrests in this case are only the first step in that process.". He is accused of killing his wife Maggie and 22-year-old son Paul in June 2021, Slate reports. Both sides finished picking a 12-person jury with six alternates Wednesday. "I want to thank everyone for the incredible love and support that we have received over the last few weeks," Murdaugh said in a statement at the time. Two alternates, 441 and 326, took their places. The saga began when Murdaugh's wife, Margaret "Maggie" Murdaugh, 52, and their son Paul, 22, were found fatally shot in June. None, defense lawyer Dick Harpootlian said. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Two days after a judge first denied Alex Murdaugh bond last fall, the disgraced Hampton County attorney called his younger brother and son from Richland County Detention Center and warned them to move quickly. Hey, John, Murdaugh said to John Marvin Murdaugh on Oct. 21, 2021. John Marvin was the last witness to testify before the defense rested on Monday. At the center of it is Alex Murdaugh, a 53-year-old South Carolina lawyer who comes from a legacy of prominent attorneys in the state where three generations of the family had been state prosecutors in the Hampton County area for more than a century. 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. "He didn't want to leave them out there," John told ABC News, in between tears. 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. The law firm said later that he resigned only after it was discovered that he was alleged to have misappropriated funds from the firm. 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. 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. "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. 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. 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. Few other details regarding the deaths have been released. He says SLED told them Murdaughs t-shirt was Randy and John described their late nephew as a "carefree spirit" who loved being outdoors. 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. 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. A place to talk about the Murdaugh family murders without censorship. He doesnt know why, Harpootlian said, gesturing toward the prosecutor. He said that he was told by some of Maggie Murdaugh's immediate family members that the writing is hers and that he believes she made the change during her lifetime. A swab of suspected blood taken from the steering wheel of the Suburban also showed a mixture of DNA likely belonging to Alex and Maggie Murdaugh. Murdaugh officially resigned from the law firm Peters,Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth, & Detrick based in Hampton, South Carolina, on Sept. 3 but publicly announced his resignation days later. Press J to jump to the feed. The wreck led to some questioning whether his family's ties to the legal system in the area affected the investigation, local newspaper The Island Packet reported at the time. Tanner told FITSnews earlier this month, then he should be prepared to debate this time, where he can explain to people why he was caught hanging out at the Murdaugh murder scene.. "Now is the time to bring justice for Maggie and Paul. He also admitted to his two-decade opioid addiction, noting he regularly took more than 60 pills a dayincluding oxycontin and oxycodone. All rights reserved. All marriages, Im sure, have hiccups here and there, but Im telling you it was a good marriage, he said. Murdaugh was charged with insurance fraud, conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, along with filing a false police report. 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. So were 0 for 74, Barber said, arguing the shirt was worn for fishing. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. "While we were happy he was no longer suffering, my brother's still suffering and we're suffering. Maggie Murdaugh signed the will in August 2005, according to a report Sunday in The Island Packet newspaper of Hilton Head. The whole family is suffering," John told ABC News. Harpootlian added even more gruesome details how the shotgun blast that killed Paul Murdaugh was so close to his head that his brain exploded from his skull and was found at his feet. The 14th Circuit Solicitors Office also confirms to CNN that Murdaugh has been stripped of his privilege of prosecuting cases as a volunteer. "We are part of the community. "And I can't imagine the horror that my brother's experiencing.". SLED said in a statement at the time that he was shot on Old Salkehatchie Road near Varnville,South Carolina. 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. Barber said Maggie Murdaugh went to the nail salon on the day she was killed so her nails should have been clean. While I will support him in his recovery, I do not support, condone, or excuse his conduct in stealing by manipulating his most trusted relationships. John Marvin was the third member of the Murdaugh family to testify, after his nephew, Buster, and Murdaugh himself. 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. He had diarrhea. The case will be prosecuted by the attorney general's office. John Monk/The State/TNS via Newscom, FILE. Social distancing and masking will not be required. His mom and his brother were just killed.". Anything that the boys were doing, Alex wanted to do.. Wake up to the day's most important news. John Marvin is the second family member to testify on behalf of Murdaugh. 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.. State law enforcement officials also announced, none of the proceeds from a $4.3 million settlement. Alex Murdaugh is in jail on a slew of charges, most of them financial counts. I felt like it was the right thing to do. We had great opportunities.". If he leaves the rehab facility, there will be a bench warrant issued for his arrest, Judge Tonja Alexander said. A former federal prosecutor, he now works as a state and federal criminal defense attorney based in Columbia, South Carolina. Alex Murdaugh is the only publicly known person of interest in the murders, which remain unsolved. Marian Proctor filed an affidavit, dated Dec. 9, in Colleton County Probate Court, according to The Island Packet. He has maintained his innocence, and his lawyers said he has an alibi, as he was caring for his mother, who has dementia, the night of the killings. No arrests have been made and no suspects have been named. Alex Murdaughthe attorney from a prominent South Carolina family who is suspected of committing a staggering number of crimes that were revealed after of a fatal 2019 boat crashwas indicted Thursday for murder. The family is pleading for the public's help in bringing justice to Maggie and Paul. SLED confirmed they are the law enforcement agency investigating the missing money from the law firm. Just days later, the family patriarch, Randolph Murdaugh III, died in a hospital at the age of 81. 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