The highly publicized double murder trial of disbarred South Carolina lawyer Richard “Alex” Murdaugh is set to continue with four final defense witnesses taking the stand on Monday before the defense rests their case. The trial, which has lasted for four weeks, reached a turning point on Thursday and Friday when Murdaugh testified that although he lied about his whereabouts on the night of the murders, he was not involved in the deaths of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, who were killed at close range at dog kennels on their family’s estate on June 7, 2021.
The prosecution has called 61 witnesses compared to the defense’s 11, and Murdaugh’s lawyers plan to question four additional witnesses before resting their case on Monday afternoon. State prosecutor Creighton Waters has indicated that he will call “a couple” of reply witnesses to rebut defense evidence, but their testimony is not expected to take long.
Following the final witnesses’ testimony, the trial will move to close arguments and the judge’s instructions, with jury deliberations scheduled to begin later in the week. Defense attorney Dick Harpootlian has predicted that closing arguments and the judge’s instructions could happen as early as Tuesday or Wednesday. Still, the judge has not yet set a strict schedule.
Murdaugh has floated his theory during the trial of who committed the murders, testifying on Friday that he believed someone angry over a deadly boating accident involving his son, Paul, was responsible. However, Murdaugh admitted that he lacked evidence to support this theory.
In his testimony, Murdaugh also confessed to deceiving law partners and clients with large sums of money to feed his drug habit, which could hurt his credibility with the jury. During cross-examination, Waters attempted to portray Murdaugh as a serial liar under pressure due to mounting financial troubles in the months leading up to the killings.
Murdaugh initially lied to investigators about his whereabouts on the night of the murders, claiming he was not at the kennels then. However, he changed his story after a cellphone video containing audio of his voice placed him at the scene minutes before his wife and son were killed.
Murdaugh, who comes from a prominent legal family in South Carolina, was indicted by a grand jury in July and pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and two counts of weapon possession. The trial has garnered significant media attention, given the political influence of the Murdaugh family in the state.
In conclusion, the trial of Richard “Alex” Murdaugh has reached its final phase, with the defense set to rest their case after the testimony of four final witnesses on Monday. The trial has been marked by Murdaugh’s admission to deceiving clients and colleagues to fund his drug habit and his self-proposed theory of who committed the murders. Jury deliberations are expected to begin later in the week after closing arguments and the judge’s instructions to the jury.
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Final witnesses to take stand in Murdaugh South Carolina murder trial