Last week, Alex Murdaughs surviving son Buster, 26, testified in the double murder trial of his father. The Colleton County sheriff's department said both victims suffered multiple gunshot wounds. Paul and Maggie have been hurt,'" John told ABC News in an exclusive interview airing Thursday on "Good Morning America. You can share rumors, but they must be clearly labeled as rumors. "We need help finding who did this," Randy told ABC News. Alex Murdaugh started crying when his lawyer discussed the detail. Alex Murdaugh sits in the Colleton "Now is the time to bring justice for Maggie and Paul. WebThe Murdaugh family (/ m r d k / MUR-dok) is an American legal family in the Low Country region of South Carolina.From 1920 to 2006, three members of the family consecutively served as solicitor (i.e., district attorney), in charge of prosecuting all criminal cases in the state's 14th circuit district, leading locals to call the five-county district, And it was the worst phone call because of his voice, the fear. Prosecutors are expected to rest their case this week. Once the police opened the phone, they gave me a ride back to my car, he said. If convicted, he faces 30 years to life in prison. Maggie Murdaughs cellphone, for which her husband provided the code investigators used to find it the next day, showed it was being dumped on the side of the road off the property at the same time Alex Murdaughs phone showed he started his truck just outside his home, the defense attorney said. "So there's no possible way he could have anything to do with this, I can assure you. Earlier on Sept. 16, Curtis Edward Smith appeared in front of a Hampton County Judge for a bond hearing on charges where he agreed to a public defender and had his bond set at $55,000 for the attempted assisted suicide of Alex Murdaugh. Just days later, the family patriarch, Randolph Murdaugh III, died in a hospital at the age of 81. This trial is the bottom of a stunningly far and fast downfall for the man whose family dominated the legal system in tiny neighboring Hampton County for generations, both as prosecutors and private attorneys known for getting life-changing settlements for accidents and negligence cases. Maggie Murdaugh signed the will in August 2005, according to a report Sunday in The Island Packet newspaper of Hilton Head. Buster, he said, told Harpootlian said all this was grasping at whatever evidence might make Murdaugh look guilty and ignoring what didnt fit the theory that he did it. Its a journey. Alex Murdaughthe attorney from a prominent South Carolina family who is suspected of committing a staggering number of crimes that were revealed after of a fatal 2019 boat crashwas indicted Thursday for murder. Earlier this month, the photographs were used as campaign fodder against Jojo Woodward, an investigator in the photos who is running for Beaufort County Sheriff. "Fortunately, Alex was not killed by the gunshot wound. Few other details regarding the deaths have been released. John Marvin told jurors on Monday that he had not been aware of Murdaughs opioid addiction until after the murders, when his brother attempted a botched suicide Alex Murdaugh is the only publicly known person of interest in the murders, which remain unsolved. The South Carolina Supreme Court also issued an order suspending Alex Murdaugh's license to practice law in the state. "And I can't imagine the horror that my brother's experiencing.". He is accused of killing his wife Maggie and 22-year-old son Paul in June 2021, NCJA | 700 K St. NW, Washington, DC 20001 | 202-628-8550 |. He says SLED told them Murdaughs t-shirt was Attorney Dick Harpootlian says the defense team will need time for their expert to review the data as well. 3:34 p.m. John Marvin cleaned crime scene the day after murders. He was transported to a hospital in Savannah, Georgia, for "treatment of a superficial gunshot wound to the head," SLED said. ", "I missed some phone calls from him. John Marvin Murdaugh said he does not believe Alex Murdaugh killed his wife and son, but acknowledged that police may know more than he does. "My brother loved Maggie and loved Paul like nothing else on this earth, just like he loves Buster," Randy said. ABC News' Eva Pilgrim, Alexandra Faul, William Gretsky, Janice McDonald, Jen Leong and Mike Repplier contributed to this report. Randy and John said they have contacts in the investigating agencies but that they have not reached out to them or tried to influence the investigation in any way, nor has anyone in their family. Newman said the remaining jurors tested negative for COVID-19 on Monday and will be retested on Wednesday. What Was Alex Murdaugh's Motive For Killing His Wife And Son? Murdaugh murder trial to resume at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Murdaugh Trial, Day 26: Testimony gets heated during states rebuttal, Anonymous tip leads investigators to human remains in Spartanburg, Here's what's next for the Murdaugh murder trial, kelli.radcliff@foxcarolina.com - 864-213-2103. The final I felt like I owed [Paul]. Alex Murdaugh has been accused of obstructing the investigation into the crash by pressuring witnesses not to reveal Pauls culpability. Paul, a student at the University of South Carolina, was awaiting trial on a charge of boating under the influence causing death in a 2019 crash that killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach, whose body was found a week later. The defense "I can assure you that SLED agents will continue working to bring justice to anyone involved with any criminal act associated with these ongoing investigations," said SLED Chief Mark Keel. I will continue to pursue my client's interests with the highest degree of honesty and integrity, as I always have," he said. He was being held in jail without bail on those counts before he was charged with murder. Alex Murdaugh's attorneys said in October that authorities were looking at him as a person of interest in the deaths of his wife and their son. At the end of the day, Alex Murdaugh shook his attorneys hands and then looked back where his surviving son and brother were seated behind him, He smiled and pointed at them. "On September 4, it became clear Alex believed that ending his life was his only option. Prosecutors released little information about their case before Wednesday. Since then, there have been curveballs in the investigation including Alex Murdaugh's alleged money misuse that led to the suspension of his law license, and other allegations of an opioid addiction, an assisted-suicide attempt and a $10 million insurance fraud scheme. He is accused of killing his wife Maggie and 22-year-old son Paul in June 2021, Slate reports. Alex Murdaugh was taken into custody upon his release from a Florida rehab facility and charged with two felony counts of obtaining property by false pretenses, SLED announced. So were 0 for 74, Barber said, arguing the shirt was worn for fishing. Zapata testified that no useful DNA was found on the blue raincoat discovered at the home of Alex Murdaughs mother during the investigation. Stone had previously recused himself in 2019 after Paul Murdaugh was involved in a fatal boat crash. Buster, Murdaughs only surviving son, briefly took the stand last week about his nuclear family dynamics, noting that while the four of them were close there were tensions surrounding his fathers decades-long addiction to opioids. "He would try to talk and then he would break down," Randy added. This photo provided by the Colleton County sheriff's office shows Curtis Edward Smith. In the civil lawsuit, Satterfield's surviving sons claimed Alex Murdaugh approached them after she died, proposing the sons sue him so they would get a life insurance settlement on their mother's behalf, the complaint states. Hematrace will only test positive for blood from humans, higher primates and ferrets. Alex pulled over after seeing a low-tire indicator light. He also enlisted a hit man to kill him so his surviving son, Buster, could cash in on his $10 million life insurance policy, one of his attorneys said. ", "Avarice and betrayal of trust are at the heart of this matter," the families said in a statement through their lawyers. Marian Proctor filed an affidavit, dated Dec. 9, in Colleton County Probate Court, according to The Island Packet. If he leaves the rehab facility, there will be a bench warrant issued for his arrest, Judge Tonja Alexander said. Data includes speeds and other information about the vehicles movements on the night of the double homicide. In this undated file photo, Alex Murdaugh, fourth generation of a powerful South Carolina dynasty and owner of a boat involved in a fatal accident, leaves a hearing in a personal injury lawsuit at the Richland County Courthouse. In this June 11, 2021, file photo, Buster Murdaugh, center, receives a hug in the rain during the funeral service for his brother, Paul, and mother, Maggie, in Hampton, S.C. Kacen Bayless/The Island Packet via AP, FILE. Though the most significant aspect is that Johns connection with his loved ones ostensibly They said he could not be visually excluded but it is 11 times more likely the sample was from someone else. "Alex intends to fully cooperate with this investigation, as he has with the investigation into the murder of his wife and son," his lawyers said in a statement. "Since early September the families are dealing with the betrayal of trust and that their loved one's death was used as a vehicle to enrich others over the clients. John Marvin told jurors on Monday that he had not been aware of Murdaughs opioid addiction until after the murders, when his brother attempted a botched suicide scheme in September 2021 so that Buster would inherit his $12 million insurance payout. One of those individuals took advantage of his mental illness and agreed to take Alex's life, by shooting him in the head," the statement said. Two alternates, 441 and 326, took their places. "I see words like 'dynasty' used, and 'power,'" Randy said. I didnt think it was a credible threatif it was, I would have tried to do something or notify someone, he said in the 2021 interview. He is accused of killing his wife Maggie and 22-year-old son Paul in June 2021, Slate reports. The boating accident led some to question whether Paul's family's legal ties affected the probe. The residue came when Murdaugh picked up a shotgun after checking his wife and son for signs of life and calling 911 in case their killers were still on his property, Harpootlian said. I am immensely sorry to everyone I've hurt including my family, friends and colleagues. Buster and I, along with Maggie's mother, father and our entire family, ask that anyone with helpful information should immediately call the SLED tip line or Crime Stoppers. Today, he knows that's not true. We dont know why. He has maintained his innocence, and his lawyers said he has an alibi, as he was caring for his mother, who has dementia, the night of the killings. State law enforcement officials also announcedthat they were looking into those allegations. There was gunshot residue on a seat belt, bullets pulled from bodies that matched ammunition boxes from around the home and cellphones never used again just a few minutes after Murdaugh, his wife and son were all heard in a cellphone video, prosecutor Creighton Waters said in his opening statement. He doesnt know why, Harpootlian said, gesturing toward the prosecutor. He said that he was told by some of Maggie Murdaugh's immediate family members that the writing is hers and that he believes she made the change during her lifetime. Alex is not without fault but he is just one of many whose life has been devastated by opioid addiction," the lawyers' statement continued. Proctor's name was crossed out in pen and Randolph Murdaugh III, Maggie Murdaughs father-in law, was handwritten above it. Alex Murdaugh's attorneys didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. His mom and his brother were just killed.". Harpootlian told the jury he would love to be able to tell them why someone so brutally killed Maggie and Paul Murdaugh, but investigators ignored all other suspects and scenarios. Alex Murdaugh enlisted Curtis Smith to shoot and kill him while in his mentally ill, drug-addicted and grieving state, Murdaugh's attorneys Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian said in a statement on Sept. 15, a day after Smith was charged. 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