Posted on 03/04/2023 8:52:35 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
For a year and a half, Alex Murdaugh denied he was anywhere near where his wife, Maggie, and 22-year-old son, Paul, were brutally killed.
But it was one of his victims -- his son -- who would provide key proof after his death that legal experts say exposed his father's web of lies and ultimately led to his conviction in the double homicide.
"It is ironic, in the end, that it was the victim, Paul Murdaugh, who solved his own murder," Dave Aronberg, state attorney for Florida's Palm Beach County, told CNN Thursday night.
Murdaugh, a now disgraced former South Carolina attorney, was found guilty Thursday of fatally shooting his wife and son and, a day later, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He has maintained his innocence.
The key proof came from a video, which Paul recorded moments before he was gunned down and killed. It appeared to show one of the family's dogs near the kennels on their property. It also captured Alex Murdaugh's voice in the background -- and placed him at the scene of the crime.
The video, which Murdaugh didn't know existed before the trial, marked the crumbling of his alibi and left him no choice but to take the stand and explain why he lied multiple times to authorities about his whereabouts, legal experts told CNN.
Murdaugh, while denying he killed his wife and son, testified he lied about where he was because of paranoid thoughts stemming from his yearslong drug addiction to opioid painkillers, as well as his distrust of investigators. While on the stand, he also confessed to more lies, admitting in court he had stolen millions from his law firm and clients over roughly two decades.
(Excerpt) Read more at channel3000.com ...
That’s what I’m wondering.
Then a mistrial or reversible error should be declared and/or case dismissed because of the highly and undue prejudicial nature of this essential video showing up at trial & not giving Defense a chance to review and prepare in light of this material video.
The family employed a woman who worked in their home.
She died under mysterious circumstances, and Murdaugh the Elder was probably the last person to see her alive.
No charges ever filed.
If you have access to Netflix, they have a 3- part series about this case.
I highly recommend it.
That whole family was something else.
Drive down city highways just about anywhere and encounter billboards with lawyers hawking their services. You know they’re raking in the geld with those plus all those annoying TV commercials.
Well, Alex Murdaugh IS/WAS a lawyer, after all.
‘what’s on the video is what’s on the video.’
except what’s on the video is dispositive of nothing other than his presence; knowledge beforehand would have prevented him from lying about his whereabouts...
and then there would have been no case to bring based on anything stronger than shaky circumstance...
Must be something in the water.
Actually he did know. In his third (?) interview he was confronted with it while questioned by detectives.
I think a convincing case could be built around the fact that if he had known the video existed he might not have claimed as often and as vigorously that he "was not there". It might not change his guilt, but it might allow him to portray himself as a more sympathetic figure, which could influence the penalties.
Murdaughs defense team had a press conference yesterday. Nothing was said about challenging the kennel video on appeal. They say their appeal will center on financial issues being allowed into the trial.
“On Feb. 1, prosecutors presented footage retrieved from Paul Murdaugh’s cellphone — including a video that showed him attempting to wrangle a dog in the kennels taken several minutes before he and his mother were believed to be killed.
In the video, two voices heard in the background were positively identified by family friends as being those of Maggie and Alex Murdaugh.”
“I did lie to them,” he said, and confirmed he was in the video by the kennels.
When asked why he lied about the last time he saw his wife and son, Murdaugh blamed his addiction to painkillers, which he said caused “paranoid thinking.”
That’s what I was thinking. Discovery?
“portray himself as a more sympathetic figure”
I doubt it.
During the trial it was revealed that he stole money from MANY clients.....including his housekeepers sons. She died at the Murdaugh home supposedly falling down stairs, he filed a claim with his insurance, received a 3 million dollar payout, kept telling the housekeepers sons he was working on it and kept the money.
Same thing with a client that ended up a quadriplegic in an auto accident, received a multimillion dollar settlement and kept most if not all of it for himself.
Those are only 2 stories, he also stole millions from his law firm....even stealing from friends and family members.
On the witness stand he admitted to it all......a sympathetic figure he ain’t.
Bit tough on the thousands of honest, hard-working attorneys out there
Wonder if he can charge for his "unofficial" services?
He is gonna be somebody’s bitch real quick.
Good point!
I haven’t been reading posts about Murdaugh case, but what about the brown strands of hair in Maggie Murdaugh’s hand that were never examined by police forensics? I would assume that actions like that would guarantee a retrial for Murdaugh.
didn’t know existed before the trial,
so much for discovery...
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