Alex Murdaugh murder trial video replay, updates: State prepares to rest its case Friday

It has been almost four weeks of testimony - some fascinating and revealing, others mind numbing and seemingly pointless - but after 19 days the State is preparing to rest its case in the double murder trial of disbarred lawyer and accused family killer Richard "Alex" Murdaugh.

With its final witness in the bullpen for Friday morning, the South Carolina Attorney General's Office called SLED Senior Special Agent Ryan Kelly for a second round of testimony.

Kelly testified, in tandem with audio recordings from 911 and from Murdaugh himself, about the Sept. 4, 2021, roadside incident in which Murdaugh had been shot, just a day after his family law firm forced him to resign for stealing. from clients and partners.

Kelly testified that on multiple occasions Murdaugh told authorities that an unknown assailant shot him, but later confessed to orchestrating an assisted suicide insurance scheme to benefit his surviving son.

In lying to SLED, Murdaugh went so far as to have a sketch artist draw a composite picture of the alleged unknown gunman who he said shot him in the head.

After crafting a new web of lies, Murdaugh, assisted by his attorneys Jim Griffin and Richard Harpootlian, called SLED agent Kelly from a drug rehab center in Atlanta, Ga., on Sept. 13, 2021, and confessed to the roadside insurance scheme, naming his accomplice, and even going so far as to tell police all about his drug habits, who he purchased from, and the fraudulent accounts he paid from.

Murdaugh said he purchased as much as $40K to $50K in Oxycodone pills a week, sending cash and checks to a Walterboro man, Curtis Edward Smith, to buy the drugs for him. Smith has since been arrested and charged with multiple crimes in connection with Murdaugh.

However, Murdaugh and Smith were later charged in connection with a "multi-county" pill operation, so it is possible some of that amount of money was used to fund drug purchases for sale to others.

Ironically enough, when state police served a search warrant at Smith's residence, they found even more evidence of Murdaugh's drug and money laundering operations, in addition to his taped confession to SLED.

Judge Clifton Newman, who had already allowed Murdaugh's financial crimes and pending lawsuits to be used as evidence in the murder trial, had previously ruled that the roadside shooting information was inadmissible. But after Griffin questioned an earlier witness about Murdaugh's relationship with Smith and drug gangs, and "opened the door," said Newman, the judge allowed the testimony today. 

Alex Murdaugh's SLED confession shreds notion of drug gang murder suspects

During that one phone call to SLED, Murdaugh admitted his drug activity, stealing, pointed out his fake Forge account, and even shredded a hope of police belieiving that angry drug gangs could have killed his family.

"Do you owe money to any drug dealers?" asked Kelly. "No, sir," Murdaugh responded.

"So there's not a threat out there to Buster?"

"No, sir."

Final witness to take the stand Friday

Court is expected to resume Friday at 9:30 a.m. with the cross examination of Kelly by Harpootlian. Attorneys say the state's final witness will come next, SLED forensics expert Peter Rudofski, to give a timeline of the night of the murders taken from a compilation of cell phone data from the Murdaugh family members and General Motors GPS data from the vehicle Alex was driving that night.

Monday is the Presidents' Day holiday, and then Harpootlian expects the defense to need a week to present its case, before closing arguments and jury deliberation the following week.

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

The June 2021 homicides of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh have been examined and analyzed by law enforcement, pathologists, attorneys, journalists, and just about every armchair detective and online sleuth watching the nationally broadcasted trial back home. On Thursday, Day 19 of the Alex Murdaugh murder trial, one of the state's most educated and highly trained forensics crime scene experts took the stand.

Dr. Kenneth Kinsey, who is a criminology professor as well as a law enforcement officer with more than 800 death scene investigations to his record, offered detailed scientific testimony that shed further light on the manner of death of the Murdaugh mother and son - and the actions of their killer or killers.

According to Kinsey's findings, Paul, who police believe was killed first, was likely caught off guard inside the feed room of the family dog kennels - as his wound indicated no defensive wounds or signs of surrender. The killer had thrust the barrel into the door of the room and pulled the trigger, the shell ejecting into the room for state police to find.

The first shot- nine pellets of buckshot - caught him in the side of his chest as his body was canted, likely turning towards his killer. His body was "tattooed" by gunshot stippling burns as the nine lead pellets, each just smaller than a .38 pistol slug, then traveled through his arm and blasted through the shed's window.

The killer paused, as Paul stood there for a moment in shock and disbelief and fear, dripping blood down his arm, before lurching forward roughly five feet to the doorway - likely in hopes of escape or to plead for mercy.

Alex Murdaugh weeps during Kinsey's testimony

As Kinsey described the intense pain Paul was likely suffering, Murdaugh, charged with killing his own son, hung his head and wept.

As the wounded 22-year-old staggered into the door, his feet inside but his head and shoulders slightly hunched forward and outside, favoring the wound, the killer then delivered the fatal blow from the hip while standing right outside the door, waiting.

A round of birdshot, roughly 150 pellets - grazed the shoulder and entered the neck, before blowing most of the young man's brain into the air, where it struck the door and bounced to land at the victim's feet. Gravity took over, and Paul fell forward out of the feed room.

"Once Paul received that second shot, he never walked again," said Kinsey.

Maggie Murdaugh was facing her killer when the first 300 Blackout rounds arrived, and likely saw the body of her dead son.

The first high-powered rifle rounds, to her thigh, abdomen, pancreas and kidney, were so close that they also left gunshot stippling burns. Again, no defensive wounds were noticed.

Maggie fell to her hands and knees, in pain, as her killer likely circled, then fired two fatal rounds that each entered her brain. Maggie died facing the direction of her dead son, feet away.

Murdaugh defense attorney Richard Harpootlian questioned Kinsey's findings, but not with the success the defense has had with other witnesses.

Primarily, Harpootlian questioned the range at which Kinsey said the victims were shot, and the 135-degree angle in which Paul was shot in the head. The killer would have had to hold the gun down at an unnaturally low angle, claimed Harpootlian. Murdaugh's defense also questioned why there were no gunpowder burns from Paul's second shot, a question Kinsey had no scientific answer for.

Week 4 Murdaugh trial updates:

Tuesday brings emotional testimony from Maggie Murdaugh's family

On Tuesday, family members of slain mother Maggie Murdaugh gave emotional and revealing testimony in the Richard “Alex” Murdaugh double murder trial.  

This is a continuation from the start of week four of the double murder trial, when the state started Monday morning session off with scientific DNA testimony, followed by graphic and chilling testimony from the forensic pathologist who autopsied the bodies of Maggie and Paul Murduagh.

Greenville News and USA Today are streaming live from inside the Colleton County Courthouse. Coverage since day one of the Murdaugh saga can be found here.

What is Alex Murdaugh accused of?

Besides facing murder charges in the deaths of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh, the former attorney faces more than 100 other criminal charges ranging from murder to tax evasion. There are also multiple lawsuits ongoing connected to Murdaugh and others associated with him.

Follow Michael DeWitt's coverage of the Murdaugh trial on Twitter

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This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Alex Murdaugh trial live stream, updates: Day 19