Alex Murdaugh trial live updates Day 14: State to rest case middle of next week, defense needs a week

Day 14 of the double murder trial for disgraced and disbarred South Carolina attorney Richard "Alex" Murdaugh continues today at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, part of the 14th Judicial Circuit where Murdaugh's ancestors once held legal power for 85-plus years as solicitors.

Murdaugh, the fourth generation of a legal dynasty in Hampton County, is charged with shooting to death his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, at their Colleton County home on June 7, 2021. After a verdict is reached on those charges, Murdaugh, jailed in the state capital on a $7 million bond, must then stand trial on roughly 100 financial and drug-related charges.

Check back for updates throughout the day.

Who's who:Who's who on the Alex Murdaugh trial witness list? What we know about people testifying

Here is the latest:

State may rest by middle of next week; defense case to take a week

Court adjourned for the day around 5:54 p.m. and will continue Friday morning at 9:30 a.m. with furthering questioning of Beach family attorney Mark Tinsley.

After enquires by the defense in order for it to call its witnesses, the State says it hopes to rest its case by the middle of next week. Murdaugh's team says it will take a week for the defense's case.

To date, the State has called 42 witnesses and has roughly 400 exhibits of evidence.

Mark Tinsley testifies about 'boat case' pressure on Murdaugh

Tinsley is the Allendale attorney representing the Estate of Mallory Beach in the 2019 wrongful death suit in which Murdaugh's boat, allegedly piloted by his late son, Paul, crash into bridgeworks in Beaufort County, leaving Beach done.

Tinsley testified that early on in the boat crash the Beach family was worried about Murdaugh "covering it up." He also refused to accept a weaker settlement offer from an insurance company and refused to believe Murdaugh's claim that he was "broke," so he began putting pressure on Murdaugh, demanding that he turn over his financial information.

Tinsely confirmed that, prior to the June 7 killings, he had been putting more pressure on a stalling Murdaugh. After Tinsley filed a motion to compel Murdaugh into releasing financial information, a status hearing was scheduled for the Beach wrongful death case on June 10 - the week of the killings.

Tinsley recalled that Murdaugh confronted him about the case at a trial lawyers conference in Hilton Head, saying "Hey Bo. What's this I've been hearing about what you've been saying? I thought we were friends."

Murdaugh team objects to Mark Tinsley donation for Smith GoFundMe

Prior to calling the state's next witness, Beach family attorney Mark Tinsley, Murdaugh defense attorney Phil Barber asked that Tinsley's testimony be excluded. Barber told the court that a GoFundMe account had been established for a previous witness, Murdaugh family caregiver Mushelle Smith, and that one of the first donations was made by Tinsley.

The account was created for "her bravery," the page said, and in case she lost her job for testifying against Murdaugh. Tinsley's name was later removed from the page.

Barber objected to an attorney donating money to a state's witness in a case in which he had a vested financial interest. But Judge Newman did not see it his way.

"That would be good fodder for cross examination," said Newman. "I won't attempt to screen testimony in advance. Lawyers ask questions, lawyers object, judges rule."

CEO Jan Malinowski speaks on Murdaugh's desperate financial condition

Jan Malinowshi, CEO of Palmetto State Bank, testified about Murdaugh’s “desperate” financial condition prior to and after the June 7 killings. The banker said that by August of 2021 Murdaugh owed the bank roughly $4.2 million and his checking account was overdrawn by roughly $347,000.

Further testimony revealed that Murdaugh was considering selling Moselle and refinancing his Edisto beach house. Murdaugh also had a $1 million line of credit at Palmetto State Bank, and it was maxed out.

He also testified that prior to the summer of 2021 he was unaware of Murdaugh's alleged illegal activities involving the use of Palmetto State Bank accounts - activities which have already resulted in a federal conviction for former bank CEO Russell Laffitte.

Tony Satterfield: Murdaugh never paid grieving sons 'one dime'

Satterfield testified that his mother, Gloria Satterfield, died in early 2018 after falling at Murdaugh's Colleton County home, Moselle. Murdaugh approached Satterfield and his brother, described as a "vulnerable adult," telling them "I'll take care of you," and promising to allow a friendly claim against his homeowner's insurance.

Murdaugh promised that he could get $100,000 for each of the grieving boys.

Murdaugh went to orchestrate a scheme with fellow attorney Cory Fleming to ultimately coerce his insurance companies into paying roughly $4.3 million - money which Murdaugh and Fleming alleged kept, according to indictments and civil suits.

"Did he ever pay you one dime?" lead prosecutor Creighton Waters asked.

"No," Satterfield replied.

Satterfield further testified that he read about a settlement in his mother's death in the media, and prior to the June 7, 2021, killings, he had contacted Murdaugh to find out what was going on and was told "we are making progress."

On cross examination, Harpootlian asked if Murdaugh had ever threated the boys, and enquired why they did not call Murdaugh or Fleming prior to early 2021 to ask for updates on their mother's case.

Judge considers whether or not to hear Tony Satterfield testimony

As the State prepared to call witness Michael "Tony" Satterfield to testify about Murdaugh's alleged scheme in the Gloria Satterfield Estate case for which Murdaugh was charged and sued, Murdaugh's defense team objected before the jury was brought into the room.

Murdaugh attorney Richard Harpootlian stated that adding the Satterfield testimony was an effort by the State to "prejudice the jury." "It's character evidence, pure and simple."

"This is a murder trial, not a financial crimes trial," he added.

The State contends that a "perfect storm" of criminal exposure - a storm that included the 2019 Beach "boat crash case" financial liability, the Satterfield fraud becoming public, and the missing legal fees from the Wilson law firm, was related to Murdaugh's alleged motive for murder. Murdaugh's defense has strongly argued against this motive theory.

"There is no rational way he would need to butcher his wife and son, with his father dying... " to prevent exposure, added Harpootlian.

Judge Clifton Newman ruled to allow Satterfield's testimony, however. "I find this testimony is consistent with the state's theory that the defendant was in a frantic state... " leading up to the murders, said Newman.

Chris Wilson testimony: Murdaugh's lawyer friends didn't want him speaking to SLED alone

Chris Wilson testified around midday Thursday that he and Murdaugh's law partners at PMPED did not think that Murdaugh needed to "interact with SLED" after the killings because of his shocked, grieving and upset "state of mind."

"We felt that Alex wasn't in a position that he needed to, or was even able to, talk to SLED without someone being with him," said Wilson.

A number of Murdaugh's attorney friends and partners responded to the crime scene on the night of June 7, 2021, and entered the residence. Murdaugh's lawyer friends were present at every interview he gave to SLED, although only one claimed to represent him, PMPED senior partner Danny Henderson.

In questioning, Griffin brought out testimony that Murdaugh was in such grief that Murdaugh said he "couldn't go back to Moselle." However, in recorded "jail house" conversations after his arrest, Murdaugh had no problem advising his surviving son, Buster, to go hunting at Moselle, to which Buster responded that he was never going back there.

Bamberg attorney recalls "face to face" confrontation, confessions

Upon hearing that Murdaugh had been accused of stealing money in a case involving Wilson's law firm, and forced to resign from his family law firm on Sept. 3, 2021, Wilson called Murdaugh and demanded to talk to him.

I need to talk to you face to face, said Wilson. "I need to know what's going on." They met at Murdaugh's parents' home in Almeda, outside Varnville.

"Alec, what is going on?" Wilson asked, and Murdaugh broke down crying on his mother's front porch, wiping his tears with a paper towel.

"I'm sorry. I have a drug problem. I've been addicted to opioids," confessed Murdaugh, during a heated conversation where Murdaugh reportedly admitting stealing money.

"He said 'I've been stealing money from the firm and from clients'," testified Wilson, then quoted Murdaugh's local slang. "He said 'I'm sorry. I shit you up. I shit a lot of people up'." Murdaugh later gave Wilson a handwritten "I Owe You" letter.

Upon cross examination, Murdaugh defense attorney Jim Griffin focused many of his questions the closeness between Murdaugh and his family members, and his "loving" relationship with them. Griffin also questioned if Wilson had ever seen Murdaugh stressed out, or "going off" on people, to which the witness answered no.

Witness describes shock and grief after Murdaugh murders

Wilson testified about his family's shock upon hearing of the murders, and going to Moselle to comfort Murdaugh and his family. While he testfied, Murdaugh hung his head and wept.

After the killings, however, Murdaugh asked Wilson to allow him to send back the money - or a large portion of it - so Wilson's firm could properly write a check to Murdaugh's firm, and cover Murdaugh's tracks. Investigators believe that after the killings Murdaugh began borrowing money to replace the stolen legal fees.

But Murdaugh could not borrow enough money that quickly to cover the entire $792K of misappropriated fees, so Wilson had to put in $192,000 of his own money until Murdaugh could repay him.

Murdaugh's betrayed boyhood friend Chris Wilson gives emotional testimony

Chris Wilson is a Bamberg attorney who had been close friends with Murdaugh since high school. He said he trusted Murdaugh as both a friend, and because he had a "big reputation" at a big firm, seeming to be wealthy and "one of the biggest dogs in that firm... he seemed to own a lot of things, do a lot of things, spend money."

Wilson, a witness for the State, testified in court on Thursday about missing legal fees which Murdaugh allegedly stole that led to a June 7, 2021, confrontation with PMPED CFO Jeannie Seckinger.

Murdaugh and Wilson had worked together in a products liability suit, and Murdaugh allegedly misappropriated $792,000 in legal fees that were supposed to be paid from Wilson's firm to PMPED, then borrowed the money after the killings to replace most of what he had reportedly taken. During the process, Murdaugh allegedly lied repeatedly to an old friend who trusted him.

In a previous in-camera testimony, without the jury present, the betrayed boyhood friend and fellow attorney of Murdaugh gave some emotional testimony, describing how close he and his family were to the Murdaughs, and how he felt truly betrayed.

"He was one of my best friends, and I thought that he felt that way about me," Wilson said, his voice thick with emotion on Thursday.

As questions continued Murdaugh hung his head and wiped away tears.

Court resumed at 9:30 a.m. Thursday with cross of FBI expert

Wednesday's testimony was interrupted around 12:30 p.m. after a bomb threat was called into Colleton County Courthouse, but after several hours got back on track with testimony from experts with the FBI.

Court adjourned at roughly 4:35 p.m. Wednesday, and reconvened at 9:30 a.m. Thursday with the cross-examination of FBI expert Dwight Falkofske by Murdaugh defense attorney Phil Barber.

Barber's cross was brief, and not particularly revealing, but the witness repeated that there was no location data taken from the vehicle systems on the day of the murders.

But Falkofske's answers did give a clue as to possible movements of Murdaugh's vehicle on the night of the murders, as well as why SLED's investigation took so long before announcing Murdaugh's arrest - it look roughly a full year for the FBI to decrypt the vehicle manufacturer's encrypted systems. The good news for the FBI, however, is that they can no use the tools and methods they devised in this case on other, similar investigations.

State retrieves Murdaugh's vehicle data; FBI analyst testifies

After court resumed Wednesday afternoon, testimony got technical with statements from SLED forensics expert Brian Hudak and Dwight Falkofske with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Hudak testified that he helped retrieve the "infotainment" system and OnStar module from Murdaugh's 2021 Chevy Suburban, the vehicle that Murdaugh was driving on the night of the murders.

Falkofske, an electronics engineer and automotive forensic specialist in the FBI's electronic device analysis until, testified about the FBI's analysis of this data.

Because the devices were encrypted, it took the FBI roughly a year to decode and analyze it. Not location data was salvageable, but call log data was available and Falkofske was able to determine when the vehicle was placed in and out of park, and other details of its movements.

The analysis showed that the vehicle's entertainment center became active around 9:04 p.m. on June 7, 2021, and the vehicle was cranked and taken out of gear around 9:06 p.m. - roughly 16 minutes after investigators believe Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were killed. The vehicle was placed in and out of gear several times between then and 10:05 p.m. The vehicle was placed in park at 9:22 and taken out of park at 9:43 - which could possibly be when Murdaugh said he visited his mother in Almeda.

Murdaugh called 911 at 10:07 p.m. to report finding the bodies.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Alex Murdaugh trial live updates: Here's what's happening in court