Alex Murdaugh trial updates: State in closings: Maggie, Paul deserve voice, vindication

COLLETON COUNTY COURTHOUSE, WALTERBORO, SC - Maggie Murdaugh was "running to her baby" Paul when she was shot and killed at gunpowder-burn range in the prime of her life - by the husband and father they trusted, said Creighton Waters, S.C. Attorney General prosecutor during closing arguments of the Richard "Alex" Murdaugh double murder trial Wednesday.

Murdaugh, who is facing life in prison without parole, is charged with the June 7, 2021, killings of his wife, Maggie, and younger son, Paul - crimes to which he has pleaded not guilty.

Paul, only 22, was surprised and ambushed inside the feed room of the family dog kennels, and died first, a second shotgun blast catapulting his brain from the cranium to land at his feet as he toppled outside the open doorway.

"Maggie sees what happened and she's running over there, running to her baby," said Waters, when two shots penetrated and powder-burned her body, before two more 300 Blackout rounds ended her life with fatal head wounds. She fell facing her dead son, roughly 12 steps away.

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At that point in the closing, Murdaugh, sitting at the defense table, did not show the usual emotion he had demonstrated earlier in the trial, but appeared more focused, analytical, like the lawyer he once was intent on trying the case.

Murdaugh had the key elements any criminal needs - motive, the means, and the opportunity - and he used them to annihilate his family, said Waters.

Creighton Waters points to mountain of circumstantial evidence in closing arguments

Then, his lies, guilty actions, and technology gave him away - most importantly, an 8:45 p.m. cell phone video from Murdaugh's slain son contradicted the suspect's claim that he was not at the crime scene, as if the young man in some karmic fashion was testifying from the grave to finger his killer.

"Why in the world would an innocent, reasonable husband and father lie about that, and lie so early?" Waters asked the jury.

In a trial that has featured a lot of technological evidence - from cell phone extracts to GPS vehicle data - Waters used a PowerPoint presentation with videos and forensic tables to encapsulate five and a half weeks of testimony - a marathon of a legal journey that included more than 70 witnesses and roughly 400 evidence exhibits.

But in closing, Waters took the jury on a relatively quick jog down memory lane to the mountain of circumstantial evidence: the missing family weapons that were used, the tell-tale cell phone data that pinned the time of death, the vehicle forensics that revealed a mad, 80-mph dash to and from his mother's home to establish an alibi, the raincoat coated with gunshot residue.

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Waters also pointed out that Murdaugh, a veteran attorney and prosecutor, knew how criminal investigations worked and used two guns to make the crime appear the work of two shooters, then made multiple phone calls in the aftermath to "manufacture an alibi."

But piece after piece of circumstantial evidence exposed new and glaring contradictions between fact and Murdaugh's alleged fiction, claimed the State.

For the State, in the end it all came down to Murdaugh's "tangled web" of lies that began the moment he called 911 to report finding the bodies and concluded during his own statements at trial - a web of falsehood spun more intricate and complex with each police interview, a web that spun out of control when he took the witness stand, changed his previous story, and accused multiple witnesses of giving false statements.

That irony wasn't lost on the prosecution. "Everybody's lying on the master liar," Waters mocked.

Murdaugh lied to authorities, then changed his story and got caught lying on the stand to the jury as to why he lied in the first place, said Waters. The defendant even had his attorneys duped, as one of them repeated his alibi lie during an HBO Max documentary, he added.

"Why do people lie?" asked Waters. "People lie because they knew they did something wrong."

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The trial will continue with the defense's closing at 9:30 tomorrow, in which Murdaugh's attorneys will be quick to point out issues of reasonable doubt, such as the lack of a "smoking gun" and eye witnesses, but Waters concluded his afternoon of closing remarks with, "We couldn't bring you the eye witnesses, because they were murdered."

The jury has a "tough job" to make a "tough" decision: to vindicate Paul and Maggie, who were cut down in the prime of their lives," added the prosecutor.

"Maggie and Paul deserve a voice," Waters said. "They need a voice because they can no longer speak."

The prosecutor then held up two photos - pictures of the bullet-ravaged bodies that were so graphic Judge Clifton Newman ordered them sealed from public view - and made one final appear to the jury.

"This is what he did. This is what he did right here. This defendant has fooled everyone... he fooled everyone close to him... he fooled them all. He fooled Maggie and Paul and they paid for it with their lives."

"Don't let him fool you, too."

The video below will play a replay of Wednesday's proceedings in the Alex Murdaugh double murder trial.

Wednesday p.m. updates in the Alex Murdaugh double murder trial

After five and a half weeks, closing arguments began around midday Wednesday in the double murder trial of Richard "Alex" Murdaugh, charged with the June 6, 2021, killings of his wife and son.

Creighton Waters, lead prosecutor for the S.C. Attorney General's Office, began the State's closing by reminding the jury of the perfect financial and drug-related storm brewing in Murdaugh's life during the summer of the killings, and that he was the only person who "had the motive, had the means, and had the opportunity to commit these crimes, and his guilty conduct after the crimes betrayed him."

Waters described Murdaugh as a prominent man from a legacy family who had been able to avoid accountability his entire life - and a man who was "living a lie," running out of money and couldn't "beg, borrow, or steal it" fast enough.

He also reminded the jury of the facts in evidence.

"The timeline puts him there. The use of his family weapons collaborates that, and his lies and guilty actions confirm that."

"Every crime has been dependent on him being able to look people in the eye and convince them what they are doing is right," he added.

Waters reminded the jury of Murdaugh's many "lies" and questionable statements, both to police after the murders and on the witness stand, when he testified to taking "1,000 milligrams of Oxy" a day. 

"I'm not sure that's even survivable," said Waters. "We are going to talk about how many times he looked you in the eye and didn't tell the truth."

He reminded the jury that Murdaugh himself had said that drug withdrawals will "make you do anything," but added that the law still holds intoxicated or drugged people responsible for their actions.

Waters also used a PowerPoint presentation to remind the jury of the legal definitions for murder and reasonable doubt, and that the law places just as much weight on circumstantial evidence as it does direct evidence.

Waters completed his closing remarks at 4:50 p.m. Court was adjourned until 9:30 a.m. Thursday as Murdaugh's defense will begin its closing statements.

Wednesday a.m. updates in the Alex Murdaugh double murder trial

After 27 days, more than 70 witnesses – some called to the stand more than once – and hundreds of exhibits of evidence, testimony finally ended Tuesday in the double murder trial of disgraced lawyer Richard “Alex” Murdaugh, charged with killing his wife and child on the night of June 7, 2021.

The next step on this legal journey will be a 9:30 a.m. Wednesday “jury view” of the crime scene, Moselle, where Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were graphically and violently slain.

On Tuesday afternoon, Judge Newman outlined the procedures and rules surrounding the jury’s “field trip.” Several bailiffs were sworn in to transport and escort the jurors and alternates to Moselle, where no one will be allowed to talk to them except the judge, nor can they ask questions of anyone but Newman.

The site visit will be restricted to just the dog kennels where the pair were slain, and nowhere else on the property. Law enforcement will secure the scene in advance to ensure onlookers and curious spectators are not on the scene.

In addition to Newman, attorneys for both sides will be present. Three members of the media will be allowed to visit as a media pool after the jury leaves, and they can stay for 30 minutes. That media pool will include a Court TV videographer, a pool photographer, and a print journalist selected at random: Valerie Bauerlein of the Wall Street Journal.

What’s next in Murdaugh murder case? Closing arguments to begin Wednesday.

Court is expected to resume Wednesday at 11 a.m. or shortly after, and aside from any last-minute motions or unexpected matters of law, closing arguments will begin around midday.

In closings, the State will present its closing argument in full, followed by the defense’s closing argument. The State will then have one final session to reply or rebut any new claims or new information the defense introduces in its closings.

Judge Newman has indicated that he is not included to set a time limit on closings, but each side indicated they would need roughly two hours.

Once final arguments are complete, Newman will “charge” the jury with instructions on the law and their duties, and the jury will begin to deliberate. It is mostly likely that the jury will have the case for deliberation by sometime early Thursday.

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This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Murdaugh trial updates: Closing arguments follow jury trip to scene