Alex Murdaugh trial – live: Prosecutors point to murder motive after Snapchat video reveals different clothing - The Independent

On the greeting aft the murders, Mr Hightower went to the Murdaugh location aft a briefing astatine SLED determination office successful Walterboro, Colleton County.

He testifies that it is not uncommon for him to respond to transgression oregon execution scenes.

Mr Hightower toured the kennel country which had been handed implicit by SLED transgression country probe unit. He took photos of the country with a drone and past acceptable astir trying to find Maggie’s phone, having established that Paul’s telephone was recovered connected his body.

Using a household telephone (believed to person been Buster’s) Mr Hightower utilized “Find My iPhone” to hunt for the phone, yet getting into his conveyance with John Marvin Murdaugh and 2 investigators and driving disconnected the spot erstwhile they realised however acold distant it the instrumentality was.

Eventually, they located the telephone astir fractional a mile from the spot having exited the vehicles and proceeded connected ft successful their search.

He took photos of the telephone laying astir 15-20 feet distant from Moselle Road successful brushwood and leaves. He did not interaction the telephone and notified the team.

Oliver O'Connell2 February 2023 19:46

New Witness: Dylan Hightower, 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office

The adjacent witnesser is Dylan Hightower an researcher for the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.

He was liable for downloading the contents of Alex Murdaugh’s telephone a fewer days aft the murders.

Mr Murdaugh is associated arsenic a unpaid subordinate solicitor with the 14th Circuit. Mr Hightower has worked connected a proceedings successful which Mr Murdaugh and his begetter were prosecutors.

Oliver O'Connell2 February 2023 19:28

Court backmost successful session

Court has resumed aft the luncheon interruption and the assemblage is brought backmost in.

Judge Newman says determination volition beryllium astir 2 hours with the assemblage successful the courtroom this day for non-financial crimes witnesses and past proceedings volition proceed without them.

He besides suggested perchance telling the assemblage to travel successful precocious time truthful that discussions regarding the fiscal crimes grounds and motive tin continue.

Oliver O'Connell2 February 2023 19:23

Law steadfast CFO recalls Murdaugh ‘dirty look’ arsenic she confronted him implicit missing money

Alex Murdaugh’s erstwhile instrumentality steadfast spouse has recalled however helium gave her a “dirty look” erstwhile she confronted him implicit missing payments worthy a staggering $792,000 connected the time that his woman and lad were murdered.

Jeanne Seckinger, the main fiscal serviceman astatine Mr Murdaugh’s erstwhile instrumentality steadfast PMPED, testified successful Colleton County Courthouse successful Walterboro, South Carolina, connected Thursday astatine his proceedings for the murders of his woman Maggie and lad Paul.

She told the tribunal however she discovered the 54-year-old now-disbarred lawyer was misappropriating millions of dollars from his ineligible clients – by moving wealth into a fake concern and into his ain idiosyncratic accounts.

Rachel Sharp has the details.

Oliver O'Connell2 February 2023 18:55

Damning Snapchat video shows Murdaugh wearing antithetic apparel earlier murders

During his high-profile execution proceedings connected Wednesday, jurors astatine Colleton County Courthouse successful South Carolina were shown a Snapchat video taken by Mr Murdaugh’s lad Paul astatine 7.56pm connected the nighttime of 7 June 2021.

The video, sent to Paul’s person Will Loving, shows Mr Murdaugh connected the grounds of the household property looking astatine a tiny histrion arsenic it limply falls to the ground.

Rachel Sharp reports.

Oliver O'Connell2 February 2023 18:35

Court breaks for lunch

Judge Newman asks authoritative Creighton Waters what is next.

Mr Waters said helium has further witnesses connected the fiscal broadside of the motive statement — Mr Murdaugh’s paralegal, Michael Gunn, main astatine Forge Consulting; and lawyer and Murdaugh person Chris Wilson — acceptable to attest without the assemblage present.

Defence lawyer Jim Griffin argues that Ms Seckinger’s grounds shows that these fiscal crimes are not admissible successful the execution lawsuit and says that admitting this enactment of grounds volition adhd much than 2 weeks to the trial.

Mr Waters says helium tin streamline the state’s lawsuit regarding the fiscal crimes, saying: “The state’s intent is not to effort 1 100 white-collar cases successful the discourse of this execution case.”

The authorities argues that it is important to found what was going connected successful Mr Murdaugh’s beingness successful the lead-up to 7 June 2021.

Saying that helium does not privation the assemblage to beryllium idle, Judge Newman says the prosecution tin telephone witnesses that bash not person to bash with the fiscal crimes successful the day with the assemblage present.

The proceeding astir fiscal crimes volition proceed aboriginal contiguous oregon time without the jury.

Court breaks for luncheon and volition instrumentality astatine 2.15pm.

Oliver O'Connell2 February 2023 18:15

There is simply a speedy redirect from the prosecution successful which Ms Seckinger confirms determination is nary crushed oregon imaginable morganatic mentation for proceeds from lawsuit cases to person gone into the slope accounts successful which they did.

Ms Seckinger says determination had been nary complaints astir missing wealth and truthful thing had been flagged to investigate.

In her cross-examination, referring to the clients, she said: We did interrogation the clients. Most of them we met. Most of them said they were amazed and shocked and stated that they had nary thought they’d been stolen from.”

Redirect ends and the witnesser is excused.

Oliver O'Connell2 February 2023 17:56

Mr Griffin appears to beryllium trying to marque a constituent that the steadfast had each the accusation and documentation astir the fraud dating backmost years but had overlooked it.

Ms Seckinger says: “They were. They didn’t drawback our attraction earlier that.”

The defence maneuver appears to beryllium to prime holes successful however the steadfast — led by Ms Seckinger — went astir investigating the fraud erstwhile discovered.

She answers firmly and cooly erstwhile challenged connected the details of immoderate of the circumstantial cases. When asked whether that successful each but 1 of the instances the proceeds of the cases should person gone to the client, Ms Seckinger replies: “Which your lawsuit stole, yes.”

Oliver O'Connell2 February 2023 17:46

Court resumes and transverse introspection begins

Cross-examination of Ms Seckinger begins with defence lawyer Jim Griffin questioning her.

His enactment of interrogation oregon clarification has truthful acold elicited conscionable confirmations from Ms Seckinger regarding answers successful her earlier nonstop examination.

Oliver O'Connell2 February 2023 17:22

After an extended database of examples successful which fraud occurred, the authorities completes its questioning of Ms Seckinger.

Before cross-examination by the defence, Judge Newman calls for a 10-minute break.

Reminder: The assemblage has not been contiguous for this trove of elaborate fiscal misdemeanours uncovered by Mr Murdaugh’s erstwhile employer.

Oliver O'Connell2 February 2023 16:56