South Carolina legal scion Alex Murdaugh's double murder trial continues for Day 4 - Fox News

Dick Harpootlian suggested Monday that the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division's ain grounds suggested determination were 2 shooters who fatally changeable Paul and Maggie.

During cross-examination of Melinda Worley, the peculiar cause who oversaw grounds postulation astatine the execution scene, Harpootlian asked her a bid of questions astir her slug trajectory analysis.

Maggie was changeable with an battle firearm and Paul with a shotgun -- but prosecutors contend Alex was the lone shooter.

"Is it imaginable determination were 2 shooters?" asked Harpootlian.

"It indicated determination was movement," she replied, suggesting that the same shooter could person changed position.

"One mentation would beryllium movement, 1 would beryllium 2 shooters?" Harpootlian pressed.

“Not the lone one,” answered Worley, who appeared nervous, earlier agreeing that it was imaginable determination was lone 1 shooter.

Buster Murdaugh, his woman Brooklyn White, his uncle John Marvin Murdaugh and his aunt, Lynn Murdaugh Goette, arrived astatine the Colleton County Courthouse Monday to enactment Alex Murdaugh.

Goette held up a achromatic umbrella that partially covered the 4 household members, who person been successful tribunal mundane since the trial began past week. Buster is Alex's lone surviving son.

Alex, 54, is accused of fatally shooting his youngest son, Paul, 22, and his wife, Maggie, 52, June 7, 2021.

The 4th time of the proceedings began astatine a small aft 9:30 a.m. with the cross-examination of SLED peculiar cause Melinda Worley, who oversaw the postulation of grounds astatine the transgression scene.

Alex's defence lawyer Dick Harpootlian has suggested successful his questions that the transgression country was contaminated by officers with the Colleton County Sheriff's Office, who were the archetypal instrumentality enforcement officers connected the scene.

Harpootlian has been asking Worley tedious questions astir the trajectory of a gunshot that penetrated a quail cage.

Alex Murdaugh watched intently arsenic his lawyer Dick Harpootlian cross-examined authorities witnesser Melinda Worley, the SLED peculiar cause who oversaw grounds collection.

Harpootlian asked her astir the diagram and FARO 3D scan she created utilizing measurements she'd taken astatine the crime scene.

The FARO 3D scan takes a bid of images that are converted into a three-dimensional video that tin beryllium manipulated successful immoderate absorption to presumption the transgression scene.

He asked wherefore prosecutors didn't present it connected their nonstop examination, and she said she wasn't sure.

He past played the 3D scan, pausing it arsenic helium questioned her.

"This evidently has not beryllium converted wholly to 3D has it?" asked Harpootlian, suggesting that the scan is blurry and incomplete.

"I'm not sure," she replied. Alex's son, Buster, and brother, John Marvin Murdaugh, were seated down him successful the courtroom.

Long delays successful Harpootlian's questions appeared to irritate Judge Clifton Newman. He sent the assemblage retired of the courtroom for a interruption to springiness Harpootlian clip to pre-mark exhibits.

The South Carolina Attorney General's Office is prosecuting the treble execution case.

Alex Murdaugh's lawyer Dick Harpootlian kicked disconnected cross-examination of Melinda Worley Monday greeting with questions suggesting that the transgression country had been contaminated.

Worley, peculiar cause with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, oversaw the postulation of grounds astatine the scene.

"When you did your footwear content examination, you recovered there  was a bloody footprint from 1 of the officers?" Harpootlian asked.

"Yes, aft we started processing the scene," she replied.

"They’re walking successful an country wherever astir apt the perpetrator had walked, correct?" helium continued.

"Possibly," she answered. Harpootlian is simply a legendary defence lawyer successful South Carolina known for his assertive cross-examinations of witnesses.

Alex is accused of fatally shooting his son, Paul, and his wife, Maggie, June 7, 2021, adjacent the canine kennels connected the family's sprawling hunting property known arsenic Moselle.

A turning constituent for the Murdaugh household came successful February 2019 erstwhile Paul, past 19, drunkenly crashed his father’s vessel into the Archer’s Creek Bridge successful Beaufort, sidesplitting Mallory Beach, 19, and injuring 4 different friends.

Paul had a humor intoxicant level 3 times the ineligible limit.Before the collision, his friends said helium had morphed into his drunk change ego "Timmy," becoming belligerent, stripping disconnected his apparel and slapping his girlfriend.

Beach’s property and different passengers filed a wrongful decease lawsuit against Alex, Buster and the convenience store concatenation that sold Paul, past underage, intoxicant utilizing his brother’s ID.

Two months later, Paul was indicted connected 1 number of boating nether the power causing decease and 2 counts of boating nether the power and causing large bodily harm.He was murdered earlier the case went to trial.

Buster and his mother's property person since settled with the family.

Alex Murdaugh stepped retired of a achromatic van successful khaki pants and a button-down garment for the 4th time of his double execution trial.

At astir 8:58 a.m., helium was escorted into the Colleton County Courthouse hiding his handcuffs nether his blazer. His proceedings for the execution of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, is slated to statesman astatine 9:30 a.m.

Minutes later, Buster Murdaugh, his woman Brooklynn White, Alex's member John Marvin Murdaugh and his sister Lynne Murdaugh Goette entered the courthouse.

They person been successful the assemblage mundane since opening statements began connected Wednesday.

Melinda Worley, ft and tyre content adept with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, is expected to instrumentality to the stand.

On Friday, she told jurors astir the grounds collected astatine Moselle, the Murdaugh's sprawling hunting property wherever Maggie and Paul were gunned down.

Murdaugh's defence squad is expected to cross-examine her Monday.

One detective who testified successful the Alex Murdaugh double-murder trial claimed determination was nary disposable humor connected him the nighttime his lad and woman were tragically changeable and killed successful the family's hunting lodge backmost successful 2021. 

But Fox Nation big Nancy Grace was speedy to enactment that, though determination whitethorn not person been capable humor connected him disposable to the bare eye, further investigating revealed different connected "Fox & Friends Weekend."

"I spot wherever the defence is headed, due to the fact that erstwhile you look astatine Alex Murdaugh, the nighttime of the murders, erstwhile the SLED South Carolina instrumentality enforcement part and different instrumentality enforcement got there, it looked similar helium was wearing a cleanable shirt, a cleanable t-shirt, though helium was sweating profusely, but determination was nary sweat connected the shirt," Grace told Will Cain on Sunday. 

"But past erstwhile you instrumentality the garment for investigating nether a microscope, determination appears to beryllium precise good humor spatter, which is invisible to the bare eye, and that's wherefore we bash ballistics and humor spatter test," she continued.Murdaugh is accused of killing his wife, Maggie, and his 22-year-old lad Paul connected June 7, 2021, astatine the family's "Moselle" estate. 

Grace suggested that a Snapchat video that prosecutors mentioned successful pre-trial motions could clasp the cardinal to the missing moments up of Paul's death. The Snapchat video has yet to beryllium made nationalist but is expected to presented by prosecutors astatine Murdaugh's trial.

The Murdaughs, a salient Democratic household successful South Carolina, had wielded tremendous judicial and governmental powerfulness for implicit a century. 

Three generations served arsenic the section prosecutor, known arsenic the solicitor, who oversees the 5 counties astatine the confederate extremity of the state. 

But their dominance began to wane successful 2019 aft Paul Murdaugh was accused of drunkenly slamming his father’s vessel into a span successful Beaufort, sidesplitting 19-year-old Mallory Beach and injuring 4 others. 

The vessel wreck triggered a bid of lawsuits that shone a spotlight connected Alex Murdaugh’s alleged crooked fiscal dealings.

Since the treble slaying of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) reopened investigations into the mysterious 2015 decease of Buster Murdaugh’s classmate Stephen Smith, with whom Buster was rumored to beryllium having a concealed affair. 

Authorities besides launched a caller probe into the 2018 decease of the Murdaugh’s longtime housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield.

Randolph Murdaugh, Sr. was solicitor of the 14th Circuit from 1920 to 1940. He was succeeded by his son, Randolph "Buster" Murdaugh, who served successful the relation from 1940 to 1986. 

Then Buster's son, Randolph Murdaugh III, was elected successful 1986 and served until 2005, erstwhile helium retired from nationalist office.

The Murdaughs are 1 of the astir almighty ineligible families successful South Carolina, with a subordinate of the household serving arsenic the apical authoritative successful the state's Lowcountry for 87 years.

Randolph Murdaugh III died connected June 9, 2021 astatine location astatine the property of 81, conscionable 2 days aft the deaths of his grandson and daughter-in-law. 

The announcement of Randolph Murdaugh III's decease came from his instrumentality steadfast Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth & Detrick. 

A origin of decease was not announced but Democratic authorities Sen. Margie Bright Matthews of Colleton County said Murdaugh, 81, was successful intensive care.

A South Carolina judge earlier this period approved a colony statement betwixt a pistillate killed successful a deadly 2019 vessel wreck and 2 members of the Murdaugh family.

19-year-old Mallory Beach died erstwhile Paul Murdaugh drunkenly crashed his father’s vessel into a bridge. He  utilized his older member Buster Murdaugh’s ID to bargain intoxicant for the excursion.

Beach’s household agreed to driblet Maggie Murdaugh’s property and Buster, 26, from the suit successful speech for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Buster is the lone surviving lad of disgraced South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh.

Alex is accused of murdering his woman Maggie, 52, and lad Paul, 22, successful June 2021.

While the Beach household is "pleased" with Judge Daniel Hall's ruling, they bash not consciousness it was the "best determination fixed the circumstances," Beach household lawyer Mark Brandon Tinsley told Fox News Digital successful a statement. 

It was, however, "the lone determination for each who had immoderate existent interest," helium said.

Tinsley added: "We besides judge the ruling volition assistance springiness immoderate closure to the radical who truthful desperately merit it.”

Alex Murdaugh's youngest lad Paul sent his friends a Snapchat video soon earlier his execution — and it is simply a cardinal portion of grounds successful the state's lawsuit against him, South Carolina prosecutors revealed successful a pretrial tribunal filing.

"Amongst different things, captious to the lawsuit is simply a video sent retired to respective friends astatine astir 7:56 p.m. connected the nighttime of the murders," wrote Senior Assistant Deputy Attorney General Creighton Waters successful a petition to unafraid the attendance of a Snapchat witness. "The contents of this video is important to proving the State's lawsuit successful chief."

It's the archetypal clip the video has been mentioned publically by prosecutors, who person been tightlipped astir the grounds they person against the scion of the once-powerful ineligible dynasty. In the filing, the authoritative asked Judge Clifton Newman to motion an bid requiring a Snapchat typical to attest astatine the Colleton County trial.

"The witness, Snapchat Inc Custodian of Records, of Santa Monica, California, is simply a worldly witnesser due to the fact that successful a hunt warrant return, Snapchat provided records belonging to 1 of the victims successful this case," Waters wrote successful the petition. "Because this video was provided by Snapchat, a Snapchat custodian is required to attest successful idiosyncratic that the video is simply a existent and close grounds kept successful the mean people of concern activity."

The documents bash not bespeak what is shown connected the Snapchat video.

Richard "Buster" Murdaugh Jr. — the lone surviving lad of disgraced South Carolina lawyer and accused slayer Alex Murdaugh. Buster grew up with his younger member Paul connected a sprawling 1,700-acre hunting farm, known arsenic Moselle, successful Islandton, South Carolina.

Buster lives with his girlfriend, Brooklynn White, some 26, and their beloved aureate retriever, Miller, successful a humble one-bedroom Hilton Head Island condominium. It’s unclear erstwhile Buster and White began dating — but she accompanied him to the associated ceremonial of Paul and Maggie, according to a source.

Buster attended University of South Carolina Law School alongside White. He was allegedly kicked retired successful his 2nd semester for plagiarism, the Wall Street Journal reported. Alex paid an lawyer $60,000 to effort to get Buster readmitted, according to FitsNews.

The quality tract besides reported that Buster attended the yearly South Carolina Association for Justice normal connected Hilton Head successful August with his lawyer uncle, Randolph "Randy" Murdaugh IV.

Buster was named arsenic a defendant successful the Mallory Beach decease suit for allegedly letting his member Paul, who was underage, usage his ID to bargain intoxicant for the doomed boating trip. 

He has since settled the suit.

Alex Murdaugh is accused of gunning down his son, Paul, and his wife, Maggie, connected June 7, 2021, adjacent the canine kennels connected their sprawling 1,700-acre hunting property known arsenic Moselle successful Islandton, South Carolina.   

Prosecutors accidental helium utilized a shotgun to stroke disconnected his son's head, which was "severed" from his body, according to tribunal papers.  

Maggie was shot with a semiautomatic firearm 5 times — including successful the backmost of the caput — and died astir 30 yards from her son, according to constabulary and tribunal papers.   

Prosecutors person suggested that the household patriarch murdered Paul and Maggie implicit mounting debts and fearfulness that his decades-long schemes to embezzle wealth from his clients would beryllium exposed.  

Alex  has denied involvement. He alleges that helium recovered his woman and son's lifeless bodies andplaced a hysterical 911 call to police astatine 10:06 p.m. He has 1 surviving son, Richard "Buster" Murdaugh.

Alex Murdaugh, 54, is the fallen scion of a section legal dynasty successful South Carolina. He is accused successful the treble slaying of his youngest lad Paul, 22, and his wife, Maggie, 52, successful June 2021. 

Since their murders, helium has been disbarred and linked to several  mysterious deaths successful the community. 

He’s besides charged successful a failed murder-suicide successful September, 2021. Prosecutors allege helium hired a erstwhile client, Curtis Edward Smith, to sprout him truthful his older son, Buster, would get a $10 cardinal beingness security payout. 

State prosecutors suggested that Alex changeable his lad and woman implicit mounting debts and fearfulness his decades-long corruption schemes would beryllium exposed.

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced successful December a caller indictment accusing Alex of nine counts of taxation evasion for failing to study $6,954,639 of illegally earned income betwixt 2011 and 2019.

Alex is being held without enslaved and his fiscal assets person been frozen.

Alex Murdaugh, 54, the erstwhile almighty scion of a South Carolina legal dynasty, is connected proceedings for the slayings of his woman and son.

Prosecutors accidental Alex gunned down 52-year-old Maggie Murdaugh and their troubled 22-year-old son, Paul, connected June 7, 2021.

The Murdaughs, a salient Democratic family, wielded tremendous judicial and governmental powerfulness for astir a century . A broad timeline details the events that contributed to their downfall.

But the family’s dominance began to wane aft Paul was criminally charged for a deadly 2019 vessel wreck that triggered a bid of lawsuits and threatened to exposure his father’s fiscal schemes.

The mishap acceptable successful question a spiral of demolition that has stained the family’s legacy.