Alex Murdaugh murder trial: Weapons, SLED interview, phones examined - Greenville News

The video astatine the apical of the communicative volition play a unrecorded watercourse of the proceedings oregon a replay upon completion of the day's proceedings.

Firearms and compartment telephone information dominated the treatment Tuesday day successful the Alex Murdaugh treble execution trial.

The authorities called John Bedingfield, Murdaugh's 2nd relative who is simply a S.C. Department of Natural Resources serviceman and a customized gunmaker. Bedingfield testified that betwixt 2016 and 2018, helium customized built 3 AR-style rifles successful 300 Blackout caliber to capable peculiar orders from Murdaugh.

Two of the guns were fitted with slings and thermal scopes - but 1 of those guns went missing, Murdaugh said.

 A 300 Blackout caliber limb was utilized to termination Maggie Murdaugh, and respective Blackout cartridges recovered astatine the country of the murders matched successful respective ways different firearm cartridges recovered astir the Murdaugh estate, starring prosecutors to suggest that Maggie was killed with a household weapon. 

The authorities past called Lt. Britt Dove, a supervisor astatine SLED's compute crimes part  and a subordinate of the U.S. Secret Service and FBI machine forensics task forces. Dove was qualified by the tribunal to attest arsenic a compartment telephone forensic expert. 

Dove testified that helium extracted cellular information from phones belonging to Alex, Maggie and Paul Murdaugh utilizing 2 methods, past verified the accuracy of the those results utilizing a 3rd method. 

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While questioning Dove, Assistant S.C. Attorney General John Conrad entered into grounds the "full record system" information from Maggie's phone, information which was stored connected an outer hard thrust truthful investigators could analyse it without altering the information connected the telephone itself. 

This information included substance messages, telephone logs, and "physical" updates of the telephone - specified arsenic erstwhile the telephone was turned from a scenery presumption to a representation position, oregon erstwhile the show lights turned on, etc. 

Based connected the information extracted, Dove testified that Maggie made her past telephone telephone astatine 7:50 p.m. connected the nighttime of the murders, June 7, 2021. The records besides showed 5 missed calls from Murdaugh aft that time, from 9:04 to 10:03 p.m. Murdaugh called 911 astir 10:07 p.m. to study uncovering the bodies of Maggie and Paul. 

Dove besides testified that the past substance connection Maggie work was from "Lynn G." - apt her sister-in-law, Lynn Murdaugh Goettee, Alex's sister - astatine 8:49 p.m. 

However, Dove testified, the information suggested that idiosyncratic held her telephone successful their manus astatine 8:54 p.m. and again astatine 9:06 p.m. - without unlocking it oregon answering immoderate of respective calls oregon texts. 

The SLED compartment telephone adept besides testified that Maggie's telephone showed carnal enactment by the idiosyncratic oregon holder of the phone: 38 steps were taken astatine astir 8:17 p.m., 43 steps astatine astir 8:33 p.m., and 59 steps astatine 8:53 p.m.  

Maggie's telephone stay locked however, and showed nary further enactment until SLED agents recovered it beside the roadworthy the adjacent time - astir a 4th to a fractional mile away.

The proceedings is expected to resume astatine 9:30 a.m. Wednesday with further questioning of Dove. To date, the authorities has called 15 witnesses and entered galore pieces of carnal and forensic evidence. 

Tuesday a.m. updates from Colleton County court

Day 7 of the treble execution proceedings of disbarred lawyer Richard "Alex" Murdaugh featured grueling transverse examination, arguable video grounds from SLED, and a monolithic magnitude of compartment telephone data. 

Murdaugh defence lawyer Jim Griffin proved himself knowledgeable astir some firearms and the law, arsenic helium went aft SLED Senior Special Agent Jeff Cross Tuesday greeting successful a pointed and often pugnacious transverse examination. Croft had testified Monday day astir weapons and ammo that helium had seized from the Murdaugh property, Moselle, wherever Paul and Maggie Murdaugh were killed, and testified astir a videoed interrogation SLED agents conducted with Murdaugh. 

Video of Alex Murdaugh interrogation with SLED sparks controversy, debate

A videoed interrogation of Murdaugh, which SLED conducted connected June 10, 2021, 3 days aft the killing, has sparked a quality of sentiment and interpretations betwixt the authorities and the defense, and adjacent among the nationalist pursuing the case. 

During the interview, Murdaugh breaks down weeping erstwhile asked astir seeing the transgression scene, and appears to say, "It was truthful bad, I did him truthful bad." Croft besides testified Monday day that was what helium heard Murdaugh say.  

However, during transverse examination, Griffin played the video again, astatine mean velocity and astatine one-third speed, asking if it wasn't wide that Murdaugh was saying "... they did him truthful bad." 

Croft, however, stuck to his archetypal testimony. "I americium 100 percent assured successful what I heard and interpreted," helium said, to which Griffin asked wherefore SLED didn't instantly travel up connected the alleged "confession." 

People connected societal media were inactive debating what was really said connected Monday day and Tuesday morning. 

The S.C. Attorney General's Office besides called 2 compartment telephone forensic experts to the stand, Michael Anthony Knecht, Verizon records custodian, on with Paul McManigle and Jonathan VanHouten, some with the U.S. Secret Service, to sermon compartment telephone records and compartment phones constabulary downloaded for evidence. Placed into grounds were compartment telephone information downloads from the phones of Alex, Maggie, Paul, Buster Murdaugh, and Rogan Gibson, among others. 

Murdaugh defence squad fires backmost astatine weapon evidence, testimony

During transverse examinations, Griffin asked wherefore SLED investigators didn't hunt Murdaugh's location for bloody apparel portion they were looking for guns, and questioned not lone the state's assertion that ammo recovered elsewhere astatine the spot matched ammunition casings recovered astatine the scene, besides enquired wherefore prosecutors were entering weapons into grounds that weren't the execution weapon. 

"Did you ever find the execution weapons," Griffin asked, to which Croft replied, "Not that I americium alert of."

Griffin questioned wherefore SLED did not excavation up firearm slugs from the shooting scope astatine Moselle, and wherefore authorities constabulary didn't hunt Murdaugh's parent's location for grounds until September of 2021. 

Check backmost for updates.

Looking backmost astatine Monday successful Colleton County court

Day 6 of the Alex Murdaugh execution proceedings concluded with much grounds from SLED Senior Special Agent Jeff Croft astir 300 Blackout rounds and 12 gauge shotgun shells recovered elsewhere astatine the Moselle estate, AR-15s being customized made for Murdaugh, and video footage of a SLED interrogation with Murdaugh that appears to incorporate immoderate questionable statements from the suspect. 

During the day session, Croft testified that different areas of Moselle, including the shooting shed and a pond, were littered with spent 300 Blackout casings and 12 gauge shotgun shells similar the kinds utilized to termination Maggie and Paul. The prosecution played assemblage cam footage of Croft and different SLED agents collecting these cartridges. 

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The authorities besides played video footage of Murdaugh during a June 10, 2021, follow-up interrogation with SLED - the 2nd clip that Murdaugh spoke to authorities constabulary aft the killings. The interrogation was conducted wrong a conveyance astatine a hunting lodge owned by his brother, John Marvin Murdaugh. 

After chatting with officers, Murdaugh relays his recollection of the timeline of events connected the time of the killings. As the video plays, the S.C. Attorney General's pb prosecutor, Creighton Waters, stops and repeats definite cardinal accusation to the jury, oregon asks Croft to elaborate oregon repetition definite portions of Murdaugh's statements for the jury. 

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In the video, arsenic Murdaugh described the past moments helium spent with Paul, driving astir the property, helium broke down and wept, arsenic SLED agents comforted him and gave him tissues. 

In tribunal Murdaugh, portion watching the video, began rocking backmost and distant and appeared to get emotional, grabbing a insubstantial from the defence table. 

Croft testified that Murdaugh told SLED the past clip helium saw Maggie and Paul was erstwhile the household had supper. However, earlier successful the trial, Waters told the assemblage that the authorities had compartment telephone video grounds that enactment Murdaugh astatine the canine kennels aboriginal than that. 

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When asked astir his narration with his wife, Murdaugh, who again appeared upset successful the video, responded, "I had a fantastic wife, she was a large mother. She didn't work, but she took attraction of maine and the boys."

Murdaugh sniffled passim the interview, past openly wept astatine times. During 1 grief-stricken infinitesimal of sobbing, Murdaugh appeared to person said this astir Paul: "It's conscionable truthful bad. I did him truthful bad." When Waters repeated this to Croft, helium verified that is what helium said. 

While the interrogation was being conducted, SLED agents downloaded Murdaugh's telephone and had him spit retired his wad of chewing baccy successful bid to bash an oral "buccal swab" to cod DNA. 

Follow Michael DeWitt's Twitter provender for Murdaugh proceedings updates