Alex Murdaugh trial – live: Car data offers timeline of night of murders after court evacuated for bomb threat

In a dramatic day in the double-murder trial of Alex Murdaugh, the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, was suddenly evacuated due to a bomb threat.

The threat was reported at around 12.30pm Wednesday, forcing officials to whisk Murdaugh and the jury away to secure locations.

After the threat was deemed a hoax, testimony resumed with an examination of data recovered from Murdaugh’s SUV.

The data offered jurors a potential timeline for Murdaugh’s movements on the night of 7 June 2021 – when Maggie and Paul were shot dead. It indicates the suspect only stayed at his parents’ home for around 20 minutes – and not the 30 to 40 minutes he asked his mother’s carer to tell authorities.

Earlier in the day, jurors also heard more about the “significant” amount of gunshot residue discovered on a blue raincoat Murdaugh allegedly hid in his parents’ home. At least 38 particles were found inside the coat – an amount that fits with the prosecution’s claim he used the garment to hide and move one or both of the guns used in the murders.

Jurors also heard testimony about Murdaugh’s financial crimes which prosecutors claim establish his motive.

Watch the Alex Murdaugh trial LIVE

Alex Murdaugh murder trial

• SUV data offers timeline of Murdaugh’s movements

• Bomb threat causes emergency evacuation of court

• Gunshot residue found all over blue raincoat Murdaugh allegedly hid in parents’ home

• Jury hears about Murdaugh’s financial crimes for first time

• Third witness identifies Murdaugh ‘100%’ in kennel video

• Alex Murdaugh was ‘fidgety’ at sick mother’s home on night of murders

16:47 , Oliver O'Connell

The prosecution concludes its questioning of Mr Wilson.

Cross-examination begins led by defence attorney Jim Griffin.

16:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Wilson is telling the jury about his conversation with Mr Murdaugh when the theft from clients was uncovered.

Here’s our earlier coverage:

On 3 September 2021 – three months on from the murders – Mr Wilson said he finally learned his friend had been scamming him and many other people.

That day, the PMPED partners had discovered Mr Murdaugh was pocketing clients’ money and he allegedly admitted to the fraud scheme and was forced to resign.

The scandal was not publicly announced that day but the PMPED partners got in touch with Mr Wilson and informed him what they knew.

“It knocked me down... I didn’t know what to do,” he said.

Mr Wilson testified that he met Mr Murdaugh the following day on 4 September 2021 and confronted him about his fraud scheme.

He said he asked Mr Murdaugh if there was anything else that he should know about.

Choking back tears, Mr Wilson revealed that his longtime friend broke down and confessed to stealing the money to fund a secret 20-year opioid addiction.

“He broke down crying,” he said.

“I was so mad. I had loved the guy for so long, and I probably still loved him a little bit, but I was so mad, and I don’t remember how it ended. How did I not know these things or see these things?”

When asked how Mr Murdaugh confessed to him, he said: “He said he ‘s*** me up’... he said he had ‘s*** a lot of people up.’”

Court resumes

16:34 , Oliver O'Connell

The jury returns and court resumes with Mr Wilson’s testimony regarding his conversations with Mr Murdaugh about the missing money that he was covering.

He recalls law firm partner Lee Cope calling him on 3 September 2021 telling him about Mr Murdaugh’s financial crimes. Mr Cope asked him to pay the $792k from the trust account, where it was being held, to the firm. He was also asked to keep the matter quiet until Tuesday (after the Labor Day holiday) when the firm could issue a press release.

Mr Wilson said he was shocked.

16:21 , Oliver O'Connell

If you are unfamiliar with the “side of the road” incident, here’s The Independent’s coverage from the time of this bizarre twist in the case:

Prominent South Carolina lawyer shot months after unsolved killing of wife and son

...and what a witness said on a 911 call after having come across the scene:

Witness’s 911 call casts doubt on Alex Murdaugh’s shooting story

16:16 , Oliver O'Connell

Judge Newman sustains the objection of the defence team that the “side of the road” incident is not relevant to Mr Wilson’s testimony as it happened after his conversation with Mr Murdaugh that day and he only found out about it secondhand afterward when law firm partner Lee Cope called to tell him.

The prosecution makes sure Mr Wilson knows when to stop his testimony so as not to include it.

Judge Newman calls a 10-minute recess.

16:12 , Oliver O'Connell

The jury has been sent out of the room as the prosecution argues that the defendant’s drug use will be brought up and potentially, based on the in-camera testimony, the “side of the road” events may be brought up — in which Mr Murdaugh was shot in what appeared to be a botched hit allegedly arranged as a suicide attempt.

Judge Clifton Newman says the drug use has already been brought up by yesterday’s testimony regarding rehab.

The defence objects to the introduction of the “side of the road” incident, saying Mr Wilson is not the person to testify about those events.

Watch the trial LIVE

15:58 , Oliver O'Connell

Want to watch today’s testimony live?

The Independent’s live stream can be found here on our YouTube page:

15:53 , Oliver O'Connell

In the aftermath of the murders, Mr Wilson talks about being there for Mr Murdaugh and being concerned that he may try and take his life.

He says the shock of what happened has not gone away.

In July the issue of the Mack Trucks case money was brought back up by Mr Murdaugh.

See previous posts for the details or check out our original reporting:

Alex Murdaugh’s friend breaks down describing murder suspect’s financial crimes

15:47 , Oliver O'Connell

An emotional Mr Wilson recalls the moment he heard the news of the murders.

He had gone to bed and his wife woke him to tell him having heard from a friend. It was after 11pm and he set off for Moselle Road, arriving around 1am.

15:44 , Oliver O'Connell

In new evidence that was not revealed during Mr Wilson’s in-camera testimony, we learn that he was in contact by text and phone on the night of 7 June (the night of the murders) between the hours of 9pm and 10pm.

According to screenshots provided by Mr Wilson, Mr Murdaugh and he spoke twice during that hour as he arrived at his mother’s house and before he arrived back home at Moselle Road.

15:30 , Oliver O'Connell

However, in July 2021 – one month on from the murders – Mr Wilson said that his friend got in touch saying he had been unable to structure the fees as planned and needed to pay the money back and have it paid directly to PMPED.

At that time, PMPED had discovered that the $792,000 was missing and had asked Mr Murdaugh about it.

Mr Murdaugh only had $600,000 to pay it back, with Mr Wilson saying that he covered the additional $192,000, on the basis that Mr Murdaugh would pay him back.

One month later, he said he still hadn’t received the money but did not want to push the issue because he was worried about his friend.

“I didn’t want to push him,” he said.

Mr Wilson became emotional as he said he grew increasingly concerned that Mr Murdaugh might kill himself.

“I was concerned just like everybody else, everyone in his firm, everyone in his family, that he was going to do something to himself. That he was going to kill himself,” he said.

He had Mr Murdaugh sign a handwritten note pledging to pay him the money back so that he would be able to make a claim against his estate if he died.

On 3 September 2021 – three months on from the murders – Mr Wilson said he finally learned his friend had been scamming him and many other people.

15:18 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Wilson is recounting the final Mack Trucks case that led to the discovery of Mr Murdaugh’s fraud.

The two men had a close professional relationship, with Mr Wilson telling the court about one particular personal injury case they worked on together in January 2021.

In total, the clients won $5.5m from two verdicts in the case, with Mr Murdaugh’s firm making a $792,000 cut.

Mr Wilson testified how his friend asked him to make the $792,000 check payable directly to him instead of PMPED so that he could structure them through an annuity.

Mr Murdaugh told him that his law firm had already agreed to this happening, he said.

Because he “trusted” his friend, Mr Wilson testified that it didn’t raise any suspicions.

“It was different, but it didn’t raise any red flags or suspicions that something was going on,” he said.

New Witness: Chris Wilson, Murdaugh’s friend and business associate

14:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Chris Wilson returns to the stand as one of the prosecution’s financial crimes witnesses. We have heard his testimony before as part of the in-camera proceedings but this is his first time in front of the jury.

Mr Wilson was intricately involved in the fraud case perpetuated by Mr Murdaugh that was uncovered by his firm ahead of the murders leading to the revelation of the full extent of his crimes.

The two were best friends and had known each other since high school, before becoming friends during law school.

Here’s Rachel Sharp’s reporting on Mr Wilson’s original testimony.

Alex Murdaugh’s friend breaks down describing murder suspect’s financial crimes

14:41 , Oliver O'Connell

We learn that only one phone was connected to the SUV via Bluetooth in June 2021.

It appears to be Alex Murdaugh’s phone.

No location data was captured during the data retrieval process.

No further questions from the defence or state.

14:37 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Falkofske reveals the work analysing the Chevrolet Suburban took one year and some of it can now be used on other cases.

The manufacturer was not approached for help, but in the past they have not been helpful.

Mr Falkofske said in this type of work they often find data that the manufacturer did not know was there.

Court resumes

14:33 , Oliver O'Connell

Court resumes with FBI electronics analysis specialist Dwight Falkofske back on the stand for cross-examination by the defence team.

The jury is being brought back into the courtroom.

What to expect in court on Thursday:

14:20 , Rachel Sharp

Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial will resume at 9.30am ET in Colleton County Courthouse.

First up will be the cross-examination of Dwight Falkofske, an FBI electronic analysis specialist.

Mr Falkofske gave direct testimony on Wednesday afternoon about data that was extracted from Alex Murdaugh’s 2021 Suburban SUV.

The data offered jurors a potential timeline for Mr Murdaugh’s movements on the night of 7 June 2021 – when Maggie and Paul were shot dead.

It indicates the suspect only stayed at his parents’ home for around 20 minutes – and not the 30 to 40 minutes he asked his mother’s carer to tell authorities.

RECAP Day 13: Car data offers timeline for night of murders

14:10 , Rachel Sharp

After testimony resumed after the bomb threat, jurors heard from FBI electronics engineer Dwight Falkofske who testified about his examination of data recovered from Mr Murdaugh’s SUV.

The data offered jurors a potential timeline for Murdaugh’s movements on the night of 7 June 2021 – when Maggie and Paul were shot dead.

The data indicates that Mr Murdaugh did leave his property and drove to his parents’ home at around 9pm.

However, it also indicates the suspect only stayed at his parents’ home for around 21 minutes – and not the 30 to 40 minutes he asked his mother’s carer to tell authorities.

RECAP Day 13: Bomb threat prompts emergency evacuation at court

13:50 , Rachel Sharp

Mr Murdaugh’s high-profile murder trial was dramatically evacuated over a bomb threat received at the courthouse.

The bomb threat came in to staff at Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, just before 12.30pm ET on Wednesday, prompting a sudden evacuation of the entire building.

SLED released a statement confirming that the “threat” was under investigation.

“A bomb threat was received by Colleton County courthouse personnel. The building has been evacuated and SLED along with the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the threat,” the statement read.

“No additional information is available from SLED at this time.”

By 2.30pm the threat was marked all-clear and testimony resumed at around 3.10pm.

Read the full story here:

Alex Murdaugh murder trial suddenly evacuated due to bomb threat

RECAP Day 13: Murdaugh’s rehab text revealed in court

13:30 , Rachel Sharp

Jurors also heard more details about Mr Murdaugh’s alleged financial crimes.

Separate to the murders, Mr Murdaugh is currently facing around 100 charges for stealing almost $8.5m from law firm clients dating back to 2011.

Annette Griswold, who worked as a paralegal at Mr Murdaugh’s former law firm PMPED, outlined how she learned that he had been stealing the money from the firm.

After his scheme had been uncovered and he was ousted from PMPED, Mr Murdaugh checked into rehab.

Ms Griswold testified that she received a text from Mr Murdaugh in late September 2021 apologising for what he had done. He also sent the text to another colleague.

“Hey, it’s Alex. I’m finally feeling a little bit better each day,” the text message said.

“I’m over the worst but still feel like i have the flu. Real weak. I’m have been worried about y’all and I’m sorry I didn’t get to tell y’all myself. I know both of you have been hurt badly by me. I know it sounds hollow, but I am truly sorry.

“The better I get, the more guilt I have. I have an awful lot to try to make right when I get out of here. The worst part is knowing I did the most damage to those I love the most. I’m not sure how I let myself get where I did. I am committed to getting better and hope to mend as many relationships as I can.

“You both are special people and important to me. Please know how sorry I am to have made you part of my misdeeds. I hope you are doing as well as possible. I love you very much.”

Michael Gunn, principal of Forge Consulting, also testified hwo Mr Murdaugh set up a fake account called “Forge” and impersonated his company so that he could steal money from law firm clients.

RECAP Day 13: Gunshot residue particles on blue raincoat

13:10 , Rachel Sharp

Day 13 of the trial began with more testimony about the “significant” amount of gunshot residue discovered on a blue raincoat Alex Murdaugh allegedly hid in his parents’ home after the murders.

At least 38 particles were found inside the coat – an amount that fits with the prosecution’s claim he used the garment to hide and move one or both of the guns used in the murders. Another 14 were found on the outside, with 52 in total on the item.

SLED forensic scientist Megan Fletcher confirmed that this is consistent with a recently fired firearm being placed inside the rainjacket.

A smaller amount of gunshot residue particles were also found on Mr Murdaugh’s hands, t shirt and shorts and the seatbelt buckle on his car.

Under cross-examination, Agent Fletcher confirmed that it is not possible to determine how or when the gunshot residue was deposited on the item, with the defence seeking to suggest it could have even been there years.

Does data from the SUV help establish a timeline of the night of the murders?

12:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Dwight Falkofske is the FBI electronic analysis specialist who extracted data from Alex Murdaugh’s 2021 Suburban SUV.

The data shows the times the infotainment system would start up or go off and when the vehicle would go in and out of Park mode.

A rough timeline of the events based on evidence heard so far in the trial would run as follows:

• At 9.06pm Murdaugh departs Moselle Road for his parents’ house.

• He arrives at 9.22pm.

• Murdaugh stays for 21 minutes (as Shelly Smith testified — though he asked her to say he stayed almost double that time).

• At 9.43pm/9.44pm the vehicle goes out-in-out of Park mode and Murdaugh departs his parents’ home for Moselle Road.

• He arrives at the house at 10pm. The car then goes out and into Park mode twice for a few seconds.

• At 10.04pm the vehicle comes out of Park mode as he drives from the house to the kennels having not found Maggie and Paul at home. This takes approximately a minute.

• We know at 10.06pm he called 911 after discovering the bodies of his wife and son and allegedly checking their pulses and trying to turn Paul over in the preceding minute.

• At 10.11 he drives back to the house to get his shotgun over the course of a minute while still on the 911 call. It takes a minute to get the weapon. He then drives back down to the kennels where the first responding police officers would find him minutes later.

As many people have commented on Twitter, it’s all fine and well for the prosecution to produce all of this data, but as yet they have not put it all in context for the jury or stitched together a timeline as above to illustrate how they believe the night played out.

The jury could well be confused at this point.

During closing arguments, the prosecution will have to work hard to piece together the SUV data, cellphone data, phone and text records, videos, and crime scene evidence — and how all this relates to the alleged financial crimes — in a coherent manner for the jury to understand what they think happened at Moselle Road that night.

Bomb threat reportedly came from South Carolina inmate

12:10 , Rachel Sharp

The bomb threat which prompted an emergency evacuation of the courthouse and derailed the trial of Alex Murdaugh reportedly came from a South Carolina prison inmate.

Multiple sources told FITS News that the hoax threat was called in from Ridgeland, South Carolina, from an unidentified incarcerated individual.

The outlet reported that the incident appears to have no connection to Mr Murdaugh’s trial.

The incident unfolded at around 12.30pm Wednesday when Judge Newman announced that the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, was being evacuated.

Officials whisked Mr Murdaugh and the jury away to secure locations and multiple law enforcement agencies descended on the scene.

At around 3pm the court was deemed secure and testimony resumed.

‘Fidgety’ Murdaugh visited mom on night of murders

11:40 , Oliver O'Connell

A “fidgety” Alex Murdaugh showed up at his sick mother’s house for a brief 20-minute visit on the night of his wife and son’s murders – before later claiming he was there double the length of time and offering to pay towards the wedding of the caretaker who could refute his alibi.

Muschelle “Shelly” Smith, who had been working as a caregiver to Mr Murdaugh’s mother Libby from October 2019, gave emotional and at-times damning testimony in Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Monday.

Rachel Sharp has the story.

Alex Murdaugh was ‘fidgety’ when he visited sick mother’s home on night of murders

Profile: Alex Murdaugh

09:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Who is the man at centre of a legal hurricane involving the murders of his wife and son, more than 100 criminal charges over white-collar fraud, and a botched hitman job?

Who is Alex Murdaugh? The legal scion on trial for the murders of his wife and son

By time of murders, ‘fuse was lit’ to expose Murdaugh’s financial crimes, attorney says

07:40 , Oliver O'Connell

The “fuse had been lit” to expose Alex Murdaugh’s slew of alleged financial crimes at the time of his wife and son’s murders – but his problems would likely “be over” if the family was the “victim of an unspeakable tragedy”, according to dramatic courtroom testimony at his trial.

Attorney Mark Tinsley took the witness stand at Colleton County Courthouse in South Carolina on Monday morning to testify about the lawsuit he brought against Mr Murdaugh on behalf of the family of Mallory Beach.

Beach, 19, died in a February 2019 crash in the Murdaugh family boat.

Read on:

Boat crash attorney speaks on Alex Murdaugh’s financial crimes

Gunshot residue found all over blue raincoat Murdaugh allegedly hid in parents’ home

05:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Gunshot residue was found all over the mystery blue raincoat that Alex Murdaugh allegedly hid in his parents’ home in the days after his wife and son were shot dead, according to bombshell courtroom testimony.

SLED forensic scientist Megan Fletcher testified in Colleton County Courthouse in South Carolina that at least 38 gunshot residue (GSR) particles were found on the inside of the jacket which was seized from Mr Murdaugh’s parents’ home.

Rachel Sharp reports.

Gunshot residue found all over blue raincoat in Alex Murdaugh case

All the key revelations from the Alex Murdaugh murder trial so far...

03:40 , Oliver O'Connell

It’s a dramatic saga that now includes murder, a botched hitman plot, multi-million-dollar fraud schemes and a series of unexplained deaths.

The now-disbarred attorney denies the allegations and has pleaded not guilty.

Mr Murdaugh’s trial got underway at Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro on 23 January.

Here are the key revelations from the trial so far:

‘Confession’, bloody scene and ‘clean’ shirt: Key moments from Alex Murdaugh trial

Does data from the SUV help establish a timeline of the night of the murders?

02:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Dwight Falkofske is the FBI electronic analysis specialist who extracted data from Alex Murdaugh’s 2021 Suburban SUV.

The data shows the times the infotainment system would start up or go off and when the vehicle would go in and out of Park mode.

A rough timeline of the events based on evidence heard so far in the trial would run as follows:

• At 9.06pm Murdaugh departs Moselle Road for his parents’ house.

• He arrives at 9.22pm.

• Murdaugh stays for 21 minutes (as Shelly Smith testified — though he asked her to say he stayed almost double that time).

• At 9.43pm/9.44pm the vehicle goes out-in-out of Park mode and Murdaugh departs his parents’ home for Moselle Road.

• He arrives at the house at 10pm. The car then goes out and into Park mode twice for a few seconds.

• At 10.04pm the vehicle comes out of Park mode as he drives from the house to the kennels having not found Maggie and Paul at home. This takes approximately a minute.

• We know at 10.06pm he called 911 after discovering the bodies of his wife and son and allegedly checking their pulses and trying to turn Paul over in the preceding minute.

• At 10.11 he drives back to the house to get his shotgun over the course of a minute while still on the 911 call. It takes a minute to get the weapon. He then drives back down to the kennels where the first responding police officers would find him minutes later.

As many people have commented on Twitter, it’s all fine and well for the prosecution to produce all of this data, but as yet they have not put it all in context for the jury or stitched together a timeline as above to illustrate how they believe the night played out.

The jury could well be confused at this point.

During closing arguments, the prosecution will have to work hard to piece together the SUV data, cellphone data, phone and text records, videos, and crime scene evidence — and how all this relates to the alleged financial crimes — in a coherent manner for the jury to understand what they think happened at Moselle Road that night.

The full story of Alex Murdaugh’s spectacular fall from grace

01:40 , Oliver O'Connell

On the surface, Alex Murdaugh had it all.

He was a high-powered attorney who ran both his own law firm and worked in the local prosecutor’s office.

He was the son of a powerful legal dynasty that dominated the local South Carolina community for almost a century.

And he was a family man who lived with his wife and two adult sons on their sprawling country estate.

But over the last 19 months, Mr Murdaugh has experienced a spectacular fall from grace, culminating in what has been described as the “trial of the century” now taking place in a courtroom in Walterboro, South Carolina.

Alex Murdaugh trial: Story of the legal scion’s spectacular fall from grace

Watch: The moment the court was evacuated

00:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Full Story: Murdaugh murder trial suddenly evacuated due to bomb threat

Wednesday 8 February 2023 23:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Murdaugh’s high-profile murder trial was dramatically evacuated over a bomb threat received at the courthouse.

The bomb threat came in to staff at Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, just before 12.30pm ET on Wednesday, prompting a sudden evacuation of the entire building.

SLED released a statement confirming that the “threat” was under investigation.

Rachel Sharp reports on the dramatic turn of events.

Alex Murdaugh murder trial suddenly evacuated due to bomb threat

Paralegal angered by Murdaugh theft, knew he loved family

Wednesday 8 February 2023 22:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Murdaugh‘s paralegal testified Wednesday at his double murder trial about the betrayal she felt when she discovered he lied and manipulated to steal millions of dollars from clients.

But Annette Griswold also told jurors Murdaugh was a dedicated family man so distraught after his wife and son were killed he could no longer stay at the home where the killings took place and texted a lengthy apology for his misdeeds to his paralegals while in rehab.

Read on:

Paralegal angry by Alex Murdaugh theft, knew he loved family

Court adjourns for the day

Wednesday 8 February 2023 21:39 , Oliver O'Connell

After a day of gunshot residue, financial misdeeds, car data and a bomb scare, Judge Newman calls time on proceedings.

The court is in recess until 9.30am on Thursday at which point cross-examination of Mr Falkofske will continue.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 21:37 , Oliver O'Connell

Lots of people are commenting on Twitter that it’s all fine and well for the prosecution to produce all of this data, but as yet they have not put it all in context for the jury or stitched together a timeline as below to illustrate how they believe the night played out.

The jury could well be confused at this point.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 21:34 , Oliver O'Connell

Cathy Russon of Law & Crime has also compiled a timeline crossreferencing the data from Alex Murdaugh’s SUV with Maggie Murdaugh’s cellphone.

Here’s the rest of the timeline:

Wednesday 8 February 2023 21:23 , Oliver O'Connell

In cross-examination, Mr Falkofske clarifies the data he extracted was encrypted by the manufacturer and not the defendant.

He did not reach out to General Motors for help with the encryption, saying that manufacturers usually don’t help.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 21:17 , Oliver O'Connell

A rough outline of the timeline appears to be:

At 9.06pm Murdaugh departs Moselle Road for his parents’ house.

He arrives at 9.22pm.

Murdaugh stays for 21 minutes (as Shelly Smith testified — though he asked her to say he stay almost double that time).

At 9.43pm/9.44pm the vehicle goes out-in-out of Park mode and Murdaugh departs his parents’ home for Moselle Road.

He arrives at the house at 10pm. The car then goes out and into Park mode twice for a few seconds.

At 10.04pm the vehicle comes out of Park mode as he drives from the house to the kennels having not found Maggie and Paul at home. This takes approximately a minute.

We know at 10.06pm he called 911 after discovering the bodies of his wife and son and allegedly checking their pulses and trying to turn Paul over in the preceding minute.

At 10.11 he drives back to the house to get his shotgun over the course of a minute while still on the 911 call. It takes a minute to get the weapon. He then drives back down to the kennels where the first responding police officers would find him minutes later.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 21:09 , Oliver O'Connell

10.04.49pm out of Park mode.

10.05.55pm back into Park mode after approximately one minute.

10.11.45pm out of Park mode.

10.12.45pm back into Park mode.

At 10.13.39pm it goes out of Park mode, there is no corresponding data point showing the car going back into Park mode.

While the data cannot tell you who was in the car or whether it was in motion, the prosecution has built a timeline based on whether the car is in Park mode or not. That timeline appears to match with a version of events from the night of the murders.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 21:04 , Oliver O'Connell

At 9.44pm the vehicle goes back out of Park mode and then goes back into Park mode at 10pm.

A gap of approximately 16 minutes.

There is another pair of events a moment later with the vehicle going in and out of Park mode over 12 seconds around 10.01pm.

Seconds later there is another pair of events in which the vehicle is out of Park mode for 13 seconds.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 21:00 , Oliver O'Connell

At 9.43.05pm the vehicle goes out of Park mode again.

At 9.43.59pm it goes back into Park mode.

Just under a minute had elapsed.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 20:59 , Oliver O'Connell

The data shows that at 9.04pm on 7 June 2021 the system began starting up again.

There are more data points at 9.05.56pm continuing for approximately one minute. The car’s engine is now running.

The vehicle is taken out of Park mode at 9.06.56pm.

The vehicle went back into Park mode at 9.22.45pm.

It could have been moving between these two timestamps, but there is no direct evidence from the data for that.

There is a 16-minute gap between these two events.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 20:51 , Oliver O'Connell

There are records showing the infotainment system coming on — this can happen when the door is opened or if the car is turned on. Records also show when it powers down.

Other data shows the car shifting out of Park mode.

The prosecution is walking the witness through the spreadsheet he created from the data.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 20:44 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Falkofske testifies he pulled data from another 2021 model Suburban as a test to determine how to read the extracted data from Mr Murdaugh’s vehicle.

In looking at the data from the defendant’s car, he first testifies that two calls were logged at 10.06pm on 7 June 2021 one to 9111 and a second a few seconds later to 911.

This corresponds to the timing of the 911 call made by Mr Murdaugh.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 20:33 , Oliver O'Connell

He extracted data from Mr Murdaugh’s SUV.

This included call logs, contact lists, a little bit of location data, and other data via Bluetooth connectivity with the defendant’s phone.

It also included an event log for the vehicle ranging from windows going up and down, doors opening, and the screen going on, to the car changing gears or going into park mode.

New Witness: Dwight Falkofske

Wednesday 8 February 2023 20:19 , Oliver O'Connell

The next witness is the FBI electronic analysis specialist Dwight Falkofske.

He focuses on automotive systems and extracts data from those systems and makes it readable for the purposes of investigations.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 20:16 , Oliver O'Connell

After identifying the two pieces of equipment removed from the vehicle, Mr Hudak steps down.

Court resumes

Wednesday 8 February 2023 20:10 , Oliver O'Connell

After the bomb scare and extended lunch recess, the court is back in session and the jury is brought in.

Brian Hudak, a computer crimes special agent for SLED, is back on the stand.

He examined the infotainment module and OnStar module of Mr Murdaugh’s SUV.

Forge Consulting preparing to take legal action against Murdaugh and Bank of America

Wednesday 8 February 2023 19:45 , Oliver O'Connell

As we wait for court to resume, a statement has been issued by Michael Gunn, the principal and senior settlement consultant for Forge Consulting, who testified before the jury earlier today.

Michael Gunn, Forge Consulting LLC

Further, attorneys for Forge Consulting have said that they’re preparing to take legal action in response to the serious harm Alex Murdaugh and Bank of America have done to the financial firm’s business reputation and credibility due to Murdaugh’s and Bank of America’s participation in a scheme that allowed Murdaugh to use the “Forge” brand in order to defraud millions of dollars from his clients and colleagues.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 19:38 , Oliver O'Connell

The general public is lining up to reenter the courthouse.

Security allowing people back into the courthouse

Wednesday 8 February 2023 19:34 , Oliver O'Connell

The threat has been cleared and people are now being allowed back into the courthouse.

Full story: Murdaugh murder trial suddenly evacuated due to bomb threat

Wednesday 8 February 2023 19:28 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Murdaugh’s high-profile murder trial has been dramatically evacuated after a bomb threat was reported at the courthouse.

The bomb threat came in to staff at Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, just before 12.30pm ET on Wednesday, prompting a sudden evacuation of the entire building.

SLED released a statement confirming that the “threat” was under investigation.

Rachel Sharp reports on today’s dramatic developments.

Alex Murdaugh murder trial suddenly evacuated due to bomb threat

Update: Bomb squad called in, report says

Wednesday 8 February 2023 18:55 , Oliver O'Connell

Wednesday 8 February 2023 18:29 , Oliver O'Connell

Colleton County Sheriff’s Office “urges citizens to use an alternate route of travel” and “will update traffic conditions as needed.

Reporters on the ground say there is currently no sign of canine units of the bomb squad, and traffic is moving freely not too far from the building.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 18:21 , Oliver O'Connell

Scenes from outside the courthouse after the area was cleared.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 18:11 , Oliver O'Connell

Jurors were evacuated in vans according to a report from ABC News.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 18:09 , Oliver O'Connell

A reporter for The Post and Courier saw the van that Alex Murdaugh usually arrives in leave the area.

He was not able to see if Mr Murdaugh was inside.

SLED releases statement on bomb threat

Wednesday 8 February 2023 18:04 , Oliver O'Connell

“A bomb threat was received by Colleton County courthouse personnel. The building has been evacuated and SLED along with the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the threat.”

Wednesday 8 February 2023 17:47 , Oliver O'Connell

Wednesday 8 February 2023 17:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Security rushed media away from the property and a fire truck has pulled up, according to reports from the scene.

Two reporters have had the reason for the evacuation confirmed as a bomb threat by lawyers on the Murdaugh case.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 17:35 , Oliver O'Connell

There are multiple unconfirmed reports of a bomb threat being made to the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina.

The courthouse has been evacuated.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 17:32 , Oliver O'Connell

Waiting to hear the reason for the evacuation.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 17:26 , Oliver O'Connell

The purpose of this recess becomes apparent.

Judge Newman says: “We have to evacuate the building at this time. We’ll be in recess until we discover what’s going on. We’ll couple this with a lunch break until 2:30.”

New Witness: Brian Hudak, SLED computer crimes special agent

Wednesday 8 February 2023 17:25 , Oliver O'Connell

The next witness for the prosecution is Brian Hudak, a computer crimes special agent for SLED.

As he introduces himself, Judge Newman excuses the jury for a recess.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 17:23 , Oliver O'Connell

On cross-examination, Mr Griffin again focuses on the Murdaughs as a close family and that Mr Gunn and his wife had been friends with them.

The Murdaughs had attended the Gunns’ wedding in New York in 2016 and he recalls Paul and Buster being brought to family events connected to legal conferences they would attend.

Mr Gunn attended Paul and Maggie’s funerals and described Mr Mursdaugh as a “broken man”.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 17:19 , Oliver O'Connell

As in his earlier testimony, Mr Gunn explains he had not banked with Bank of America for more than four or five years when Mr Murdaugh’s partners approached him with evidence of the crimes — chiefly the Bank of America accounts in the name of Forge.

He confirms that the account is not his and he never gave Mr Murdaugh permission to operate in the name of Forge.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 17:11 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Gunn is asked about how much he worked with Mr Murdaugh, how often they saw each other socially, and whether he had ever visited any of the properties or met up with the purpose of handing over checks.

He says the relationship with Mr Murdaugh was limited and he had worked more with other people at the firm. He had run into him socially but had not visited any of the properties and had never met him with the purpose of exchanging checks.

Ms Griswald testified that Mr Murdaugh had told her he would personally hand checks to Mr Gunn.

New Witness: Michael Gunn, principal of Forge Consulting

Wednesday 8 February 2023 17:00 , Oliver O'Connell

The next witness is Michael Gunn, principal of Forge Consulting. He is a senior figure in the firm Mr Murdaugh impersonated using a fake bank account to steal from his own clients.

Mr Gunn previously testified without the jury present.

The firm structures annuities for people who win settlements from workers’ comp lawsuits, wrongful deaths, etc.

Mr Murdaugh would argue cases for clients who if they won would then have an annuity put in place to pay them over time, with interest, in a tax efficient way.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 16:56 , Oliver O'Connell

After a brief redirect establishing the timeline of when Mr Murdaugh was fired, Ms Griswald is excused.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 16:55 , Oliver O'Connell

Ms Griswald reads out the message she received from Mr Murdaugh in late September 2021.

She confirms the message was sent from rehab.

“I assumed it was probably one of the steps of reaching out to those you hurt and telling them you were sorry.”

In the message, he says he has hurt those he loves and says he is truly sorry.

“I am committing to getting better and hope to mend as many relationships as I can,” he wrote.

“Please know how sorry I am to have made you part of my misdeeds.”

Wednesday 8 February 2023 16:50 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Griffin’s questioning revolves around establishing that Mr Murdaugh was a family man who would put Paul, Buster, and Maggie first.

His wife would accompany him on business trips and he would prioritise his son’s events over work.

We learn that he never spent another night at the Moselle Road property after the murders and stayed with family or at other properties. He seemed more mellow after the killings.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 16:41 , Oliver O'Connell

Cross-examination begins with Jim Griffin for the defence.

He begins by asking Ms Griswald about her employment at the law firm and then her relationship with Mr Murdaugh.

“I cared about him. I respected him. I loved him,” she says.

“It was hard to work for him sometimes. He was a bit erratic. Yeah, for all the respect and love I had for him, it was still very difficult to work for him.”

Mr Griffin reminds her she described him like a Tasmanian devil.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 16:36 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Waters asks Ms Griswald about Mr Murdaugh’s cell phone use. As with other witnesses she says he was always on his phone or his office phone, sometimes both together.

The prosecution plays the kennel video of Cash the puppy taken by Paul moments before the murders.

Ms Griswald identifies the voices of Paul, Maggie and Alex Murdaugh, and like other witnesses who knew the family well, says she is 100 per cent sure of who is speaking.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 16:33 , Oliver O'Connell

Court resumes.

Judge Newman rules the email from Mr Murdaugh to Ms Griswald is admissible but offers for a portion to be redacted.

The defence team tries to have all of the financial crimes struck from the court records. Judge Newman denies that motion.

He asks again if they would like to have the document redacted. The defence asks for a limiting instruction on how the jury may use it in their deliberating.

Judge Newman says he has issued that instruction twice and will not be doing so with every witness in the middle of their testimony.

The jury is brought back in and the exhibit is admitted into evidence.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 16:06 , Oliver O'Connell

Court takes a 15-minute break.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 16:06 , Oliver O'Connell

The jury is excused while the prosecution and defence argue over whether an email from Mr Murdaugh to Ms Griswald can be admitted into evidence.

The subject of the email concerns his time in rehab.

Mr Murdaugh’s defence does not want his use of drugs to be included in testimony.

The prosecution notes that there is no mention of drugs in the email, but this is an issue they have to address as his friend Chris Wilson will be called to testify again in front of the jury, and in camera testimony he spoke of Mr Murdaugh’s use of opioids.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 15:57 , Oliver O'Connell

On 2 September 2021 she picked up a file and one of the missing checks from the Mack Trucks case fell out. It was dated March and it had been deposited by mobile deposit with Mr Murdaugh’s signature on the back.

Ms Griswald says she felt hurt, angry, and a bit enraged.

“He’s been lying this whole time. He had these funds. He lied to me. That feeling in the back of my mind was correct. He did take these funds.”

She called Ms Seckinger and went to see her and handed over the check that allegedly did not exist.

Mr Murdaugh was fired the next day. Further investigation uncovered the extent of Mr Murdaugh’s crimes.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 15:52 , Oliver O'Connell

After the murders, Ms Griswald remembers the law firm and wider community rallying around the Murdaugh family.

Questions about the missing attorney fees for the Mack Trucks case stopped.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 15:48 , Oliver O'Connell

Ms Griswald remembers being very concerned about what might happen now that she had raised concerns about what Mr Murdaugh might be doing.

She reached out to Mr Wilson’s paralegal Vicky Lyman to voice her concerns.

Ms Griswald says her daughter told her to get her resume ready because she might get fired for her role in uncovering the apparent theft.

She remembers Ms Seckinger coming into the office and going to see Mr Murdaugh on 7 June 2021, the day of the murders. She exited without saying anything.

Ms Griswald went home at 5.15pm leaving Mr Murdaugh at the office. She woke up in the middle of the night to numerous texts and missed calls and spoke with Randy Murdaugh, learning about the murders of Paul and Maggie.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 15:40 , Oliver O'Connell

In early 2021, the Mack Trucks case that Mr Murdaugh worked on with his friend Chris Wilson raised further red flags.

Ms Griswold says she was shocked to find out that legal fees had been directly paid to Mr Murdaugh. She assumed this was a mistake or he had lost the checks.

He claimed that he never got the checks and after a lot of chasing Mr Murdaugh said Mr Wilson has the money. This was the missing $792k that sparked the eventual uncovering of the extent of Mr Murdaugh’s theft.

Ms Griswold brought in CFO Jeanne Seckinger (who testified yesterday) and they both agreed that it did not look good but hoped it was some kind of misunderstanding. She says they both had a feeling that something was wrong.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 15:27 , Oliver O'Connell

Ms Griswold testifies that she began to notice oddities in the files tied to times when she was away from the office and someone else had to cover for her, or when things were being rushed through at the end of the working day.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 15:21 , Oliver O'Connell

As the court heard earlier, Mr Murdaugh was depositing these checks — money due to clients — into his fake Forge account at Bank of America.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 15:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Getting into the details of the financial crimes, Ms Griswold recalls Mr Murdaugh instructing her to change disbursement sheets and get checks cut to “Forge” and not “Forge Consulting”.

She also remembers that Mr Murdaugh would then take charge of those checks personally and say he would pass them on himself rather than them being mailed to their contact at Forge Consulting, Michael Gunn.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 15:13 , Oliver O'Connell

Ms Griswold recalls that everything changed after the boat accident. Mr Murdaugh changed, was often shut away in his office, was hard to reach, and treated his paralegals differently.

She describes it as very tense.

You could tell the boat crash was weighing heavily on him. It was consuming his life, almost.”

New Witness: Annette Griswold, paralegal for Alex Murdaugh

Wednesday 8 February 2023 15:09 , Oliver O'Connell

The next witness is Mr Murdaugh’s former paralegal Annette Griswold.

She is being questioned by Prosecutor Creighton Waters.

Ms Griswold handled Mr Murdaugh’s larger case files — workers comp, medical malpractice, wrongful death etc.

She speaks fondly of working for Mr Murdaugh saying he was extremely intelligent and she respected and admired him for that.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 15:05 , Oliver O'Connell

Agent Fletcher testifies that it is unusual for so many GSR particles to be found on the interior of a garment rather than on the exterior as people tend to wear their clothes the right way out.

It remains a matter of speculation as to how the GSR came to be on the inside of the raincoat. The prosecution appears to be hinting toward firearms being wrapped up in the garment.

There is a further quick question from Mr Griffin, clarifying that Agent Fletcher can only tell them what she saw under a microscope. She agrees.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 15:02 , Oliver O'Connell

Prosecutor John Meadors is now questioning Agent Fletcher on redirect after the end of the cross-examination.

There was some confusion during direct examination as to how many particles were found on the raincoat. There were 14 found on the outside of the garment and 38 found on the inside, though they stopped counting as there were do many. These were sampled from 13 lifts on the outside and 12 lifts on the inside.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 15:00 , Oliver O'Connell

In addition to the GSR test, the raincoat was also sent for DNA analysis. Agent Fletcher is not aware of the results of the testing.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 14:57 , Oliver O'Connell

During the search of Mr Murdaugh’s parents’ home, a blue tarp was taken into evidence in addition to the blue raincoat.

Only the raincoat was tested for GSR as it was balled up in a closet, whereas the tarp was found in a storage box above some dishes and was not.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 14:54 , Oliver O'Connell

Moving on to the blue raincoat, Agent Fletcher agrees with the possibility that the GSR could be years old.

Mr Griffin suggests that Mr Murdaugh’s father, Randolph, at whose house the raincoat was found could have transferred GSR to the garment from its contact with his own firearms while out shooting.

Wednesday 8 February 2023 14:49 , Oliver O'Connell

Defence attorney Jim Griffin is questioning Agent Fletcher.

Through his questioning, he confirms that gunshot residue (GSR) can remain on an inanimate surface indefinitely or until it was washed or brushed off. It is not possible to tell how or when it got there.

Asked about whether GSR accumulates on guns themselves, she says: “If you touch a gun that had been fired at any point, then you have the potential to transfer it to your hands.”

She agrees that the GSR found on Mr Murdaugh’s hands and clothes could have been from when he got the shotgun from the main house after calling 911 on the night of the murders.

Agent Fletcher is also asked about the GSR particle found on the seatbelt buckle.

“I could not tell you when that particle was deposited,” she says.

Watch the trial LIVE

Wednesday 8 February 2023 14:43 , Oliver O'Connell

Court resumes

Wednesday 8 February 2023 14:35 , Oliver O'Connell

Court resumes. Judge Clifton Newman presiding.

The jury is being brought in.

SLED forensic scientist Megan Fletcher will return to the witness stand for cross-examination by the defence team.

What to expect from day 13:

Wednesday 8 February 2023 14:20 , Rachel Sharp

The trial will resume at 9.30am ET on Wednesday.

SLED forensic scientist Megan Fletcher will return to the stand for cross-examination by Alex Murdaugh’s attorneys.

Agent Fletcher testified on Tuesday that a “significant” amount of gunshot residue particles were found on a blue raincoat found at Mr Murdaugh’s parents’ home – and smaller amounts on Mr Murdaugh’s hands, the shirt and short he was wearing on the night of Maggie and Paul’s murders and his seatbelt buckle in his car.

After that, jurors are expected to hear more testimony from witnesses speaking to Mr Murdaugh’s financial crimes.

Catch up on yesterday’s story here:

Gunshot residue found all over blue raincoat in Alex Murdaugh case

RECAP: What happened in court on Tuesday? Gunshot residue evidence

Wednesday 8 February 2023 14:10 , Rachel Sharp

Gunshot residue was found all over the mystery blue raincoat that Alex Murdaugh allegedly hid in his parents’ home in the days after his wife and son were shot dead, according to SLED forensic scientist Megan Fletcher.

Agent Fletcher said that a “significant” number of GSR particles – at least 38 – were found on the inside of the jacket which was seized from Mr Murdaugh’s parents’ home. She said this would be consistent with a recently-fired gun being wrapped up inside the jacket.

The two firearms used to kill Maggie and Paul – an AR-15-style rifle and a shotgun – have never been found.

Days after the 7 June 2021 murders, Mr Murdaugh’s mother’s caretaker said that the disgraced attorney had shown up at his parents’ house at around 6.30am cradling a bundled-up “blue something” in his hands.

Shelly Smith testified on Monday that he took the item upstairs and left it before leaving again.

In a search of the parents’ home, investigators discovered a blue tarp and a blue rainjacket.

Tests also found smaller amounts of gunshot residue on Mr Murdaugh’s hands, the shirt and short he was wearing on the night of Maggie and Paul’s murders and his seatbelt buckle in his car.

Ms Fletcher told the court that the presence of gunshot residue particles on an item means one of two things: the item was in the vicinity of a gun being fired or it came into contact with something else with GSR on it. It is not possible to say which of the two scenarios took place or when it happened.

RECAP: What happened in court on Tuesday? Law firm partner says Murdaugh lied about the kennels

Wednesday 8 February 2023 13:50 , Rachel Sharp

Ronnie Crosby, Mr Murdaugh’s law firm partner and longtime friend, gave emotional testimony revealing that the accused killer lied to him about going to the dog kennels where his wife and son were brutally murdered.

Mr Crosby testified that Mr Murdaugh had told him personally on the night of the murders that he had never gone down to the kennels, when he rushed to the Murdaugh home on learning about the murders.

“That came up in one of the conversations, and he specifically said that he did not,” he testified.

Instead, Mr Murdaugh gave him the same alibi story that he gave to law enforcement – that he was napping at the family home, woke up and drove to his parents’ home to visit his sick mother.

Mr Crosby became the third state witness to say he is “100 per cent” sure that the voice captured in a cellphone video at the kennels minutes before the murders belongs to Mr Murdaugh.

“The three voices in that video are Paul, Maggie and Alex,” he said.

When asked how sure he was, Mr Crosby responded: “I’m 100 per cent sure.”

RECAP: What happened in court on Tuesday? Jury hears financial crimes for first time

Wednesday 8 February 2023 13:30 , Rachel Sharp

Jurors heard testimony for the first time about Mr Murdaugh’s alleged financial crimes – and how they were reaching a head at the time of the murders.

Mr Murdaugh’s law firm PMPED was closing in on his alleged multi-million-dollar fraud scheme with a colleague confronting him about missing payments on the morning of the killings.

His finances were also coming under intense scrutiny in a lawsuit brought by the family of Mallory Beach – a 19-year-old woman who died in a 2019 crash in the Murdaugh family boat. A hearing for the boat crash lawsuit was also scheduled for the week of the murders. It was postponed following Maggie and Paul’s murders.

Now, separate from his murder trial, Mr Murdaugh is currently facing around 100 charges for stealing almost $8.5m from law firm clients dating back to 2011.

Last week, several witnesses testified without the jury present as the judge weighed whether to allow evidence of Mr Murdaugh’s alleged financial crimes to be presented at trial.

Prosecutors claimed that Mr Murdaugh’s alleged financial crimes are key to proving the motive while the defence asked the judge to throw the evidence out of the trial. On 6 February, the judge ruled in the state’s favour that evidence about Mr Murdaugh’s financial crimes is admissible in court – dealing a blow to the defence.

Jeanne Seckinger, PMPED CFO, testified that she had confronted Mr Murdaugh over a missing $792,000 payment on the morning of the murders.

When she approached Mr Murdaugh to ask him about it that morning she said he appeared “disgusted” with her.

Hours later, Maggie and Paul were shot dead.

Over the coming months, the law firm partners uncovered an alleged multi-million-dollar fraud scheme where he had stolen millions from their clients and pocketed it himself – reaching a head with the confrontation and resignation on 3 September.

The day after he was forced to resign, Mr Murdaugh was shot in the head in what turned out to be a botched hitman plot which he orchestrated with alleged accomplice, distant cousin and drug dealer Curtis Eddie Smith. They are now both facing charges over the plot.

WATCH: Footage that three witnesses say places Murdaugh at crime scene

Wednesday 8 February 2023 13:15 , Rachel Sharp

Three witnesses have now testified that they are “100 percent” sure that the voice captured in a cellphone video minutes before Maggie and Paul were murdered belongs to Alex Murdaugh.

At the time of the murders, Mr Murdaugh claims that he was napping at the family home, woke up and drove to his parents’ home to visit his sick mother.

Video, which was captured on Paul’s phone from 8.44.49pm to 8.45.47pm, reveals three voices off camera at the dog kennels.

Two of Paul’s friends have already testified that Mr Murdaugh is the third voice.

Ronnie Crosby, who has known Mr Murdaugh for 25 years and was a law partner at his former law firm PMPED, on Tuesday testified: “The three voices in that video are Paul, Maggie and Alex.”

Who do you hear? Listen to the voices in the video below:

Gunshot residue found all over blue raincoat Murdaugh allegedly hid in parents’ home

Wednesday 8 February 2023 12:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Gunshot residue was found all over the mystery blue raincoat that Alex Murdaugh allegedly hid in his parents’ home in the days after his wife and son were shot dead, according to bombshell courtroom testimony.

SLED forensic scientist Megan Fletcher testified in Colleton County Courthouse in South Carolina that at least 38 gunshot residue (GSR) particles were found on the inside of the jacket which was seized from Mr Murdaugh’s parents’ home.

Agent Fletcher said that this “significant” number of GSR particles would be consistent with a recently-fired gun being wrapped up inside the jacket.

The two firearms used to kill Maggie and Paul – an AR-15-style rifle and a shotgun – have never been found.

Rachel Sharp reports.

Gunshot residue found all over blue raincoat in Alex Murdaugh case

A timeline of murders, financial fraud, unexplained deaths and arrest

Wednesday 8 February 2023 11:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Disgraced legal dynasty heir Alex Murdaugh is currently on trial in a South Carolina courthouse for the murders of his wife and son.

Mr Murdaugh, 54, is accused of shooting Paul, 22, twice with a shotgun and Maggie, 52, five times with a rifle on the family’s sprawling hunting lodge in Islandton on 7 June 2021.

He was arrested more than a year later in July 2022 and charged with their murders.

In the 19 months since the brutal double murders propelled the Murdaughs onto national headlines, a series of other scandals, allegations and alleged crimes have also come to light.

Here’s a timeline of the key moments in the case:

Alex Murdaugh: A timeline of murders, financial fraud, unexplained deaths and arrest

Click here to read the full blog on The Independent's website