Law&Crime Sidebar - Top 9 Moments from Alex Murdaugh's Testimony in Family Murders Trial So Far

Episode Date: February 23, 2023

Alex Murdaugh took the stand Thursday and testified in his own defense under direct examination by his attorney Jim Griffin. The disgraced lawyer not only denied murdering his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, but also admitted to financial crimes and various lies throughout his testimony. The Law&Crime Network's Angenette Levy breaks down the top nine moments from Murdaugh's testimony so far.LAW&CRIME SIDEBAR PRODUCTION:YouTube Management - Bobby SzokePodcasting - Sam GoldbergWriting & Video Editing - Michael DeiningerGuest Booking - Alyssa FisherSocial Media Management - Vanessa Bein & Kiera BronsonSUBSCRIBE TO OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Court JunkieObjectionsThey Walk Among AmericaCoptales and CocktailsThe Disturbing TruthSpeaking FreelyLAW&CRIME NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawandcrime/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetworkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawandcrimeTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lawandcrimenetworkTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawandcrimeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can binge all episodes of this Law and Crimes series ad-free right now. Join Wondry Plus in the Wondery app Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Agent Nate Russo returns in Oracle 3, Murder at the Grandview, the latest installment of the gripping Audible Original series. When a reunion at an abandoned island hotel turns deadly, Russo must untangle accident from murder. But beware, something sinister lurks in the grand. View Shadows. Joshua Jackson delivers a bone-chilling performance in this supernatural thriller that

will keep you on the edge of your seat. Don't let your fears take hold of you as you dive into this addictive series. Love thrillers with a paranormal twist? The entire Oracle trilogy is available on Audible. Listen now on Audible. Have you made a decision as to whether you're going to testify? Yes, sir. And what is your decision? I am going to testify. I won't to testify. Alec Murdoch decides to testify in his own defense saying he didn't kill his wife Maggie and son Paul. Will the jury believe him? I'm Anjanel Levy and welcome to Law and Crime's Sidebar podcast where we are taking a look at the top moments from Alec Murdoch's testimony. Alec Murdoch taking the stand was not really that big of a surprise.

We were heard it was a possibility, but obviously it's very risky and it was Alec Murdoch's decision. one of the only decisions he really got to make during this trial. Listen to what his lead attorney, Dick Harputtlian, said when asked about this. Mr. Harpulian, do you need any additional time to confer with Mr. Murdoch? He indicates he doesn't need to talk to me. It hurts my feelings, but we don't need any break. honor, he does need to visit the restroom before we start this process. So let's get straight to it. First off, Jim Griffin asked Alec Murdoch directly whether or not he

killed Paul and Maggie. The defendant Richard Alexander Murdoch wishes to take the stand. On June 7th, 2021, did you take this gun or any gun like it and shoot your son Paul in the chest in the feed room at your property off Moselle Road? No, I did not. Mr. Mertie, did you take this gun or any gun like it and blow your son's brains out on June 7th or any day or any time?

No, I did not. Mr. Mertie? Did you take the 300 blackout such as this and fired into your wife, Maggie's, leg, torso, or any part of her body? No, I did not. Did you shoot a 300 blackout into her head causing her death?

Mr. Griffin, I didn't shoot my wife or my son any time. Ever. Now, the big question was, why did Alec Murdoch lie about being at the dog kennels at 844 that night? We all heard his voice. Several people said it was him. You could clearly hear it. He can't deny it. This is what he said.

Mr. Murdoch, is that you? On the Kennel video at 8.44 p.m. on June 7th, the night Maddie and Paul were murdered. It is. Were you, in fact, at the kennels at 844 p.m. on the night Maggie and Paul were murdered? I was. Did you lie to Slet Agent Owen and Deputy Laura Rutland on the night of June 7th? and told them that you stayed at the house after dinner. I did lie to them.

Did you lie to Agent Owen and Agent Crawf on the follow-up interview on June 10th that the last time you saw Maggie and Paul was at dinner? I did lie to them. And in the interview of August 11th, did you tell Agent Owen and Agent Crawth, did you lie to them by telling them that you were not down there? at the kennels on that night. Yes. Now the timeline in this case is incredibly tight. That video at the kennels was recorded by Paul at 844 p.m. Maggie and Paul's phones lock five

minutes later at 849 and Alec Murdoch's phone wakes up at 902 and then he later goes to his mom's house. This is what Murdoch said about what happened after that video was recorded and he said he took the chicken out of Bubba's mouth. Did you get the chicken out of Bubba's mouth? I did. I took the chicken from Bubba, and I put it on top of that. Now, we've seen, you know, this video of Paul with Cash, Rogan's Dog. Did you know that was going on? What do you remember about that?

Yeah, I knew Paul was. was fooling with when I pulled up on the golf cart Maggie was standing back sort of where the driveway would be it sort of runs out at the feed room the storage rooms what we call it's been called the feed room but it sort of ran out Maggie was a little bit further up where she could see back in that angle where the dogs were Paul was fooling with Rogan's dog back towards the kennel if I I remember when I first got there, Paul was more in the driveway, but then I knew Paul was in the kennel fooling with Cash, yes. But did I know what he was doing? I didn't know exactly what he was

doing. No. So Murdoch said that he knew that Paul was doing something with Cash over there at the dog kennel, but he didn't know exactly what. And it clearly sounds like he didn't realize that Paul was recording a video to send to Rogan Gibson, Cash's owner. Rogan, of course, never received that video, it was never sent. One of the big questions in this case is, where are Alec Murdoch's clothes that he was wearing in that Snapchat video that Paul sent to his friends at 7.56 p.m. the night of the murders. Let's listen to what Alec Murdox said about his clothes. The clothes that we saw in that Snapchat video was, is that the clothes you had at work that day? Yes. Those are the clothes I had on at work that day. And the, and the, and the, and the,

who's seen you in those clothes and what's on June 7th how tall were you and how much did you weigh on June 7th well I'm six a little I'm a hair over 6 4 right at 6 4 on June the 7th I was about 265 pounds 264 265 and and this was in June 7th yes sir when you're outside riding around and do you get hide and sweating absolutely I mean Paul and I had done some things we we unloaded the bulldozer clean the bulldozer we fooled around yeah I mean I sweated I was you know I was heavy and taking prescription pills also makes you sweat worse or at least taking oxycodone makes

you sweat more than you normally do so was it unusual for for you to take a shower when you got back to the house? Not at all. And after you took a shower, what did you change into? I changed into the clothes that you've seen in this trial, shorts and the shirt. What I asked Blanc about specifically was, did she remember getting my clothes after she came back? When she came back to Moselle, did she remember getting my clothes? It's specifically what I asked her.

I see. And why were you asking her those questions? Because on August the 11th, they had made an issue about me still wearing those clothes, not having changed clothes when I was in that Snapchat video. So that's why I went to Blanca. Did they ever ask you on August 11th whether, um, I mean, they ask you for those clothes. Can you produce the clothes?

Do they ask you that? No, they did it. Have they ever asked you for those clothes? No. As far as my understanding goes, my clothes were never an issue in this case until y'all figured out, as my lawyers, figured out that there was no blood spout on me. I'm well aware that my clothes never became an issue in this case until my lawyers proved that this blood spatter that they said I had on my shirt from my wife and my son was a lie and that there was no blood on my shirt.

and once they filed the documents and they proved that that was a lie, all of a sudden, the clothes I was wearing back on that day became an issue. And that's in the weeks leading up to this trial. Still, the big question is, where is that blue shirt we still haven't heard? Next, Alec Murdoch described going back to the house, immediately after the visit to the kennels. Did you go back to the house? I went straight back to the house, to the air conditioner.

And what did you do when you got back to the house? I lay down on the couch. And then what? Well, let me, was TV on when you went back? Yeah, I mean, the TV never got cut off. So he went back to the house, you lay down on the couch, and then what happened next? I'm not positive. I dozed off for a minute or didn't doze off for a minute, but I got up off of the couch and I was, I made up my mind I was going to visit my mom.

Had you spoken to Barbara Mixon earlier in the day? I did. I talked to Barbara most days. If I didn't see her, I talked to her. Murdoch then described returning from his mother's house to Moselle and discovering Maggie and Paul's bodies. Did you see them on the ground when you're pulling up in your suburban? I did. And what did you do when you came to a stop, Alan? I think I jumped out of my car. I'm not exactly sure what I did, but, no, I got out of my car. I know I ran back to my car, called 911.

I was on, I called 911. I was on the phone with 911 and I was trying to tend to Paul. I was trying to tend to Maggie. And I just went back and forth between them. Were you going to Paul and Maggie while you were on the phone with the 911 operators? Yes. Yes. Okay.

Yes. And in a little bit, I'm going to play the 911 tape, but I just want to ask you, and you've told law enforcement that's been played here in the court, did you, what did you do when you went up to Paul at some point in time? And Paul was so. It was so bad. At some point, I mean, I know I tried to check him for a pulse. I know I tried to turn him over. When you say you try to turn him over, why are you trying to turn him over?

I don't know. I don't know. I don't know why I try to turn him over. Me and my boys lay face down. He's done the way he's done. His head was the way his head was. I could see his brain laying on the sidewalk. I didn't know what to do.

I mean, I tried to turn him over. You got to grab him by the belt, Luke. He'll try to turn him over. And when I did, his phone popped out. I mean, his phone popped out, and she picked it up, and I put it right back there. Do you have any idea of how it popped out? I mean, I know it came out of his pocket when I pulled on his belt loop, when I pulled him to turn him over, and it just popped out,

and I mean, it popped right beside him. It sat right beside him. Were you able to turn, Paul, at all? I mean, I didn't. I don't know if I was able to. I didn't turn him over, though. Jim Griffin then asked Alec Murdoch to explain some of the language he used on that 911 call.

Take a listen. Doing that all? No, I talked to her in person. He talked to her in person? Jim, please, hurry. I'm not working to my other. me asking me these questions don't blow them down okay and you sure they're not breathing is he moving now your son I know you said that she was shot in the head

but what about your son nobody they're not the one of those food What is your calls on the number? 9-4-2-12-27. I'm going back to my house just to get a gun just in case. I'm about a... Did you go back to the house and get a gun? I did. And it's...

What's the gun that you got? And how did you load this? gun what I mean what did you load it with if anything that was gun as best I can remember I believe I got that gun off the pool table where you heard there was some other gun I think that gun was laying with that pool table I'm not positive but I'm pretty sure it was on that pool table would have been the first place I came to I'd know I was grabbing the first gun I could get I grabbed a handful of shells out of the that I could get my hands on I know to

I know the gun had a shell in it that I loaded, and I know I had a few shells, so. Have you seen in this case where there was a 16-gauge shell put in that gun? I've seen in the records, and I've heard in the testimony that I put a 16-gauge shell in the gun. Is that a 16-gauge shotgun? It's not a 16-gauge shotgun. Why did you put a 16-gauge shell in it? I obviously didn't realize what I was doing. I mean, I know you can't put a 16-gauge shell

in a 12-gauge gun and not, I mean, I've been hunting my whole life. I know you can't do that. That's not a mistake I would have made. That's not a mistake I'd have made under any circumstances other than that night. Why did you go back to the house to get a gun? I just didn't know. I didn't know.

I didn't know. I mean, I didn't know. I don't know. I didn't know. One of the things people are wondering is how is he going to handle the financial crimes he's accused of? Because he gets up there on the stand and he has to basically answer questions about that. He's still charged with these crimes. He hasn't yet been convicted.

Listen to what Murdoch said. Alex, jury's heard about testimony of you stealing client funds. Did you do that? I did. Did you steal, would divert that ferris fee away from the law firm? I did. How did you get in such a financial predicament that led you to steal money that wasn't yours? No, I'm not quite sure how I let myself get.

where I got, but it came from, you know, I battled that addiction for so many years. I was spending so much money on pills. I got in a spot I couldn't. Now what type of addiction are you referring to? My addiction is to opiate painkillers. And when did you? Specifically oxycodone oxycontin so there you have it thanks so much for listening that's it for this edition of law and crime's sidebar podcast you can download and listen to sidebar on apple spotify google and wherever else you get your podcast and of course you can watch it on law and crimes youtube channel i'm an janet levy and i'll see you next time You can binge all episodes of this long crime series ad free right now on Wondery Plus.

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