Alex Murdaugh trial - live: Disgraced lawyer accused of stealing $4m payout from housekeeper death case

Oliver O'Connell and Rachel Sharp
·18 min read

Alex Murdaugh was accused of stealing a $4m settlement from his late housekeeper’s family at his murder trial on Friday.

Tony Satterfield, son of Gloria Satterfield, testified in Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Friday where Mr Murdaugh is currently on trial for the June 2021 murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul.

Satterfield worked as the Murdaughs’ housekeeper and nanny for more than 20 years, before she died in a mysterious trip and fall at the family home.

Her son was a witness in a portion of the trial without the jury present to determine if Mr Murdaugh’s financial crimes can be included as evidence to establish a motive for the murders. The court has also heard on the subject from his former best friend, a bank CEO, and the CFO of his former law firm.

In addition to murder, Mr Murdaugh is facing around 100 charges for stealing almost $8.5m from clients at his former firm.

Friday also saw extensive testimony from a firearms specialist who determined from spent shell casings found on the property and at the crime scene that a gun owned by the family was used in the murder of Maggie.

Alex Murdaugh murder trial

Recap: The story of Alex Murdaugh’s spectacular fall from grace

13:30 , 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

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

11:30 , 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:

When was Alex Murdaugh arrested? A timeline of murders and fraud

Who is Alex Murdaugh?

09:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Who is the man now on trial for the murders of his wife and son while also facing more than 100 other criminal charges over an alleged white collar fraud spree and a botched hitman plot?

Rachel Sharp reports.

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

Two friends ‘100%’ certain of Murdaugh’s voice in video minutes before murders

07:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Two friends of Paul Murdaugh have testified that they are “100 per cent sure” that it is Alex Murdaugh’s voice in a video recorded just minutes before the brutal double murder of his son and wife Maggie – in a dramatic moment that ripped open the disgraced legal scion’s alibi.

Alex Murdaugh heard in son’s video minutes before murders, two friends testify

Damning Snapchat video shows Murdaugh wearing different clothes before murders

05:30 , Oliver O'Connell

A damning Snapchat video has captured Alex Murdaugh wearing an entirely different set of clothes just one hour before he is accused of murdering his wife and son in a brutal and bloody double homicide.

During his high-profile murder trial on Wednesday, jurors at Colleton County Courthouse in South Carolina were shown a Snapchat video taken by Mr Murdaugh’s son Paul at 7.56pm on the night of 7 June 2021.

Rachel Sharp reports.

Snapchat video shows Alex Murdaugh in different clothes an hour before murders

Law firm CFO recalls Murdaugh’s ‘dirty look’ as she confronted him over missing money

03:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Murdaugh’s former law firm partner has recalled how he gave her a “dirty look” when she confronted him over missing payments worth a staggering $792,000 on the day that his wife and son were murdered.

Jeanne Seckinger, the chief financial officer at Mr Murdaugh’s former law firm PMPED, testified in Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Thursday at his trial for the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul.

She told the court how she discovered the 54-year-old now-disbarred attorney was misappropriating millions of dollars from his legal clients – by moving money into a fake business and into his own personal accounts.

Rachel Sharp reports.

Alex Murdaugh confronted by law firm over missing $792,000 hours before murders

Murdaugh’s best friend of 40 years breaks down in tears on witness stand

01:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Murdaugh’s former best friend of 40 years broke down in tears in court as he described the moment that he learned the disgraced attorney had stolen millions of dollars from his law firm clients – and $192,000 from himself.

Chris Wilson choked up with emotion as he said the betrayal “knocked me down” and revealed that “I don’t know how to think any more” about the man he had known and “loved” for most of his life.

Read on:

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

Murdaugh accused of stealing $4m payout from housekeeper’s family

Friday 3 February 2023 23:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Murdaugh was accused of stealing a $4m settlement from his late housekeeper’s family at his murder trial on Friday, where prosecutors also raised questions about her mystery death.

Tony Satterfield, the son of Gloria Satterfield, took the witness stand in Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Friday where Mr Murdaugh is currently on trial for the June 2021 murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul.

Satterfield worked as the Murdaugh family’s housekeeper and nanny for more than 20 years, before she died in a mysterious trip and fall at the family home.

Rachel Sharp watched today’s testimony.

Son of Alex Murdaugh’s housekeeper testifies that he stole $4m payout from family

Court adjourns

Friday 3 February 2023 22:32 , Oliver O'Connell

With Mr Greer’s extensive testimony complete, Judge Newman adjourns the court for the weekend.

The jury has been instructed to return at 11.30am on Monday morning.

Ahead of that on Monday, Judge Newman will hear more evidence regarding the financial crimes and whether they can be exhibited to the jury, as the prosecution would like, to construct what they believe is the motive for the murders.

Friday 3 February 2023 22:23 , Oliver O'Connell

On redirect, the prosecution asks a general question about the study of firearms markings, and Mr Greer explains it has been around in its current form since the early 1900s.

It is widely accepted as a form of evidence in criminal investigations.

Friday 3 February 2023 22:18 , Oliver O'Connell

In closing, Mr Griffin asks if he is 100 per cent certain the shell casings found near Maggie’s body were fired from the same gun as the older shell casings that were collected elsewhere on the property.

Mr Greer will not say he is 100 per cent sure, but says that is his conclusion.

Friday 3 February 2023 22:10 , Oliver O'Connell

Defence attorney Jim Griffin finally gets to the main criticism of this evidence— that the National Academy of Sciences believes that there are no objective criteria for the study and comparison of tool marks on ammunition and that it is all subjective based on the interpretation of the person doing the analysis.

He characterises the study of these markings as part art and part science.

Mr Greer calls it an applied science. Pushed, he says the art portion is about using lighting to be able to see the markings more clearly.

Friday 3 February 2023 21:49 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Griffin asks if Mr Greer can identify the year of manufacture of the gun that marked the cartridges (two of the Murdaugh AR-15 style rifles were purchased in 2016, one in 2018).

He says he cannot.

This came after an exchange in which Mr Griffin kept pressing for a yes or no answer as to whether every Blackout rifle in the world would make unique markings on a cartridge.

Mr Greer said he could not answer without an explanation.

Friday 3 February 2023 21:29 , Oliver O'Connell

In questioning Mr Greer, Mr Griffin establishes that the black .300 Blackout rifle owned by Buster Murdaugh was malfunctioning when he tested it, and the gun would not automatically reload.

This means that after each shot the shooter would have to manually reload it and it could not fire rapidly. This likely precludes it from being the weapon that killed Maggie.

Friday 3 February 2023 21:18 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Greer is asked whether the shotgun Mr Murdaugh had at the scene when police arrived on the night of 7 June 2021 was the weapon used to fire the shells found by Paul’s body.

He reiterates that his results were inconclusive. Mr Griffin pushes him to explain what that means.

“It could've been fired by that shotgun, and it could've been fired by another shotgun with similar characteristics.”

Court resumes

Friday 3 February 2023 21:12 , Oliver O'Connell

Court resumes after a short break and the jury is back in.

Cross-examination of Paul Greer, SLED’s firearms specialist, begins and is led by defence attorney Jim Griffin.

Friday 3 February 2023 21:01 , Oliver O'Connell

Direct examination concludes with Mr Greer testifying that the shotgun shells found near Paul’s body were the same make as unfired shotgun shells found at the Moselle Road property.

Before cross-examination begins, the court goes on break.

Friday 3 February 2023 20:53 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Greer then compared .300BLK cartridge cases found around the Moselle Road estate.

Markings on those the cases found around the property, including the older ones found tarnished outside the gun room, matched the shells found near Maggie’s body.

Mr Greer testifies that the shells were all fired by the same weapon that had been on the property for some time and had been used in three different locations including at the crime scene.

Bullets retrieved from the crime scene also matched those owned by the family.

Friday 3 February 2023 20:40 , Oliver O'Connell

In his analysis of the shots that killed Paul — a 12 gauge buckshot and a 12 gauge steel waterfowl shot — both were fired by the same make and model of shotgun.

Mr Greer says he then examined the unfired 12-gauge shotgun shell that was in the weapon Mr Murdaugh had with him at the scene on the night of the murders (which he told the 911 operator he fetched fearing for his safety).

The unfired shell matched the buckshot that was found with Paul’s body.

Three of the shotguns found at the property did not fire those shells. The shotgun that Mr Murdaugh has was tested but the results were inconclusive.

Friday 3 February 2023 20:35 , Oliver O'Connell

In explaining what they are looking for during these tests, Mr Greer talks about the aforementioned “tool marks” — marks found on a cartridge after being fired.

These can be caused by the firing pin, ejector mechanism, extractor mechanism, and when inside the chamber of the gun. These all leave unique marks on ammunition that show that it was in that firearm at some point — even if not fired (because of the loading/extraction mechanism).

Friday 3 February 2023 20:32 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Greer is asked about the methodology for determining if a particular firearm was used to fire a particular ammunition cartridge.

He explains that the lab test fires ammunition to create a sample that can then be compared to the evidence from the crime scene.

Both Mr Greer and another analyst will independently review the results and report on their own conclusions. They will then compare results and if they reach the same conclusion, an administrative review by superiors is conducted.

Friday 3 February 2023 20:08 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Greer identifies additional firearms, magazines, cartridges, and shellshots.

He confirms that he examined them as part of his investigation.

Court resumes after lunch break

Friday 3 February 2023 19:55 , Oliver O'Connell

The jury has been brought back into the courtroom and the questioning of Paul Greer, SLED’s firearms specialist, by the state continues.

He identifies:

Three bullet fragments and seven pieces of lead recovered during Maggie’s autopsy.

Shot wadding found in Paul’s jaw during his autopsy.

One birdshot pellet found in Paul’s clothing.

Murdaugh accused of stealing $4m payout from housekeeper’s family as mystery death probed

Friday 3 February 2023 19:32 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Murdaugh was accused of stealing a $4m settlement from his late housekeeper’s family at his murder trial on Friday, where prosecutors also raised questions about her mystery death.

Tony Satterfield, the son of Gloria Satterield, took the witness stand in Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Friday where Mr Murdaugh is currently on trial for the June 2021 murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul.

Satterfield worked as the Murdaugh family’s housekeeper and nanny for more than 20 years, before she died in a mysterious trip and fall at the family home.

Rachel Sharp reports on what was said this morning in court.

Son of Alex Murdaugh’s housekeeper testifies that he stole $4m payout from family

Murdaugh’s best friend of 40 years breaks down in tears in witness box

Friday 3 February 2023 19:10 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Murdaugh’s former best friend of 40 years broke down in tears in court as he described the moment that he learned the disgraced attorney had stolen millions of dollars from his law firm clients – and $192,000 from himself.

Chris Wilson choked up with emotion as he said the betrayal “knocked me down” and revealed that “I don’t know how to think any more” about the man he had known and “loved” for most of his life.

Rachel Sharp reports.

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

Watch: Tony Satterfield testifies Murdaugh hid settlement money from him

Friday 3 February 2023 18:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Friday 3 February 2023 18:31 , Oliver O'Connell

Court breaks for lunch and will resume at 2.45pm.

Friday 3 February 2023 18:31 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Greer also identifies 24 birdshot pellets from a shotgun shell found inside the feed room outside of which Paul was murdered.

A fired bullet found in dog bedding at the scene is also shown, as well as bullet jacket fragments, a small piece of lead found at the scene, and another retrieved from Maggie’s body.

A further 48 birdshot pellets recovered from Paul’s head and shoulder are also introduced into evidence, alongside plastic shotshell fragments from his shoulder and chest.

Friday 3 February 2023 18:22 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Greer was given a number of pieces of evidence to analyse connected to the Murdaugh murders.

He reviews a number of .300BLK cartridges from the crime scene near Maggie’s body and shotgun shells from around Paul’s body.

Mr Greer then examines a semi-automatic 12-gauge shotgun with a camo finish that Alex Murdaugh had at the scene on the night of the murders. It was found with 12 gauge buckshot and 16 gauge shot for small game.

Friday 3 February 2023 18:08 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Greer gave pretrial testimony and will talk about “tool marks” the specific markings left on fired ammunition to determine which specific gun it was fired from.

As the murder weapons have never been found, it is likely that Mr Greer is going to match the cartridges found at the scene with those found elsewhere on the property. As we have already heard in previous testimony, fired ammunition was found elsewhere.

Paul’s friend Will Loving testified earlier in the week that they had been fitting a red-dot optic to a .300BLK AR-15-style rife just over two months before the murders outside the gunroom and had tested it. Cartridges were found by the steps to the gun room.

New Witness: Paul Greer, SLED

Friday 3 February 2023 17:47 , Oliver O'Connell

The next witness is Paul Greer, a forensic firearms specialist at SLED.

His testimony is important to the prosecution case that Maggie was killed with a firearm owned by the family — specifically one of the .300 Blackout rifles that had been fired on the property before.

New Witness: Jomar Albayalde, SLED

Friday 3 February 2023 17:30 , Oliver O'Connell

No, really, it’s another DNA swab witness.

Agent Jomar Albayalde of SLED collected swabs from Randy Murdaugh (Alex Murdaugh’s older brother), and two people called H Torres and son A Gonzalez.

It is not clear who they are.

There are no further questions and the court takes a brief break before the next witness appears for what Attorney Creighton Waters promises is lengthy testimony.

New Witness: Chandler Horney, SLED

Friday 3 February 2023 17:26 , Oliver O'Connell

Another DNA swab witness. SLED Agent Chandler Horney oversaw the collection of DNA samples from Morgan Doughty and Miley Altman, both survivors of the 2019 boat crash.

No questions.

New Witness: Lawrence Wiggins, formerly of SLED

Friday 3 February 2023 17:22 , Oliver O'Connell

The next witness is Lawrence Wiggins formerly of SLED who also collected DNA swabs.

He collected swabs from Roger Davis and Anthony Cook which are submitted into evidence before he is also allowed to step down.

New Witness: Blake Johnson, SLED

Friday 3 February 2023 17:18 , Oliver O'Connell

The next witness for the prosecution is Blake Johnson of the investigative services division of SLED.

He collected DNA swabs as part of the investigation into the murders, specifically from groundkeeper CB Rowe and Paul Murdaugh’s friend Connor Cook.

He identifies the samples and then is allowed to step down.

Friday 3 February 2023 17:06 , Oliver O'Connell

In cross-examination, Mr Darnell explains again why it is difficult to get prints off a brass shell given the number of factors that would clean off a fingerprint, which he explains are very fragile being 98 per cent moisture.

He adds that brass is otherwise conducive to fingerprints if left undisturbed.

Friday 3 February 2023 17:01 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Darnell also examined and tested several other shotguns and rifles from the Moselle Road property but nothing was found that could be identified.

Additional 30-round magazine from .300BLK rifle and an unfired cartridge also tested and swabbed for DNA.

No further questions from the prosecution.

Friday 3 February 2023 16:54 , Oliver O'Connell

Paul Murdaugh’s cellphone was also swabbed for DNA and tested for fingerprints.

There was evidence of fingerprints on the phone, but not with enough detail or clarity to make an identification.

Friday 3 February 2023 16:52 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Darnell explains the process of analysing fingerprints.

He examined a number of items of evidence for the case. The first he is asked to discuss is the cartridge cases found at the crime scene.

No fingerprints were found on the cases but he says this is normal due to factors such as heat etc to which cartridges are exposed.

No fingerprints were found on the shotgun shells either, for the same reason.

No fingerprints were found on the shotgun. There was additional swabbing of the weapon for DNA as well as the shotshells.

New Witness: Thomas Darnell, fingerprint examiner, SLED

Friday 3 February 2023 16:43 , Oliver O'Connell

The next witness of the day is John Darnell, a fingerprint examiner for the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), who is qualified as an expert witness for the state.