Alex Murdaugh took the stand to testify in his double murder trial Thursday morning, admitting he lied to investigators when he said he was not at the scene of the killings of his wife and son minutes before the state says the fatal shootings in June 2021. CNN’s Randi Kaye has the latest followed by commentary from legal experts. #CNN #News
Transcript
>> Did you take this gun or any gun like it and blow your son’s brains out on June 7th or any day or any time? >> No, I did not. >> Did you shoot a 300 blackout into her head causing her death? >> Mr. Griffin, I didn’t shoot
My wife or my son any time ever. >> Reporter: Alex Murdaugh proclaiming his innocence and after more than 20 months admitting he lied about one key piece of evidence against him. >> Mr. Murdaugh, is that you on the kennel video at 8:44 P.M. On June 7th, the night Maggie and Paul were murdered?
>> It is. >> Reporter: Over and over Murdaugh had told investigators he hadn’t seen his family since dinner and was not at the dog kennels around the time of the murders. But that video extracted from his son’s phone was recorded minutes before prosecutors believe the killings occurred and many witnesses have
Testified it was Alex Murdaugh’s voice on the recording. Murdaugh told the jury he had left the kennels and driven his golf cart to the main house on the property. >> There’s no way that I had high velocity blood spatter on me. >> Just to be clear, were you anywhere in the vicinity when
Paul and Maggie were shot? >> I was nowhere near Paul and Maggie when they got shot. >> Reporter: Regarding the state’s gps data that shows Murdaugh paused briefly in the driveway at his mother’s house the night of the murders he told the jury he was simply trying to locate his phone.
>> Were you during that minute or however long it was, were you disposing of murder weapon, Alex? >> No. >> Were you disposing of bloody clothes? >> No. >> Reporter: Another key moment, Murdaugh explaining to the jury why evidence shows him wearing different clothes before and after the murders.
>> Yeah, I mean I sweated. I was, you know, I was heavy and taking prescription pills also makes you sweat worse or at least taking oxycodone makes you sweat more than you normally do. >> So was it unusual for to you take a shower when you got back to the house?
>> Not at all. >> Reporter: On cross-examination, the prosecution pushed back. >> You agree that the most important part of your testimony here today is explaining your life for a year and a half that you were never down at those kennels at 8:44? Would you agree with that?
>> I think all of my testimony is important, Mr. Waters. >> Reporter: The state’s goal at the end of the day, of course, was to set Alex Murdaugh up as a liar to show the jury that he can’t be trusted and, wolf, that’s why the prosecution on cross-examination right away
Went to those alleged financial crimes basically to send the message that the jury that, look, if he can allegedly lie to all these peoples, all these victims you could look you in the eye as the jury and lie to you as well. >> He admitted to stealing a lot of money also.
Randi, thank you very much. >>> Let’s break down today’s explosive testimony with our legal experts, joining us now attorney and legal affairs commentator areva martin as well as defense attorney and former federal prosecutor shan Wu. Areva, what stands out to you from the cross-examination so far and exchanges between Alex
Murdaugh and the prosecutor? >> I think, wolf, it goes to the issue of a lie. That’s what I believe motivated this defendant to take the witness stand. There was going to be this lingering question for the jurors as to why is it that ten witnesses came forward and said
That they could identify Alex Murdaugh’s voice on this videotape but yet he continued to tell the police that he wasn’t at the kennel just minutes before the prosecution says his wife and son were killed. So I think that exchange, everybody was waiting to see what the prosecution would do
With that piece of evidence and we saw what I think we expected, the prosecution went in hard on Alex Murdaugh about telling that lie, not once, not twice but continuing to tell that lie throughout the entire time period really until he took the witness stand today to try to
Give us an explanation for why he lied. >> And, shan, Murdaugh also admitted he lied — he admitted he was at the scene just before the murders. How big of a gamble is this testimony? Is it a mistake that his attorneys allowed him to go ahead and testify?
>> Well, it’s a strategic call. I mean, as I’m sure areva knows, it’s a very difficult choice and don’t want to put your client on the stand because they’re at a great disadvantage. This signals that they were concerned that that audio evidence is so overwhelmingly indiscriminatory that they had
No choice but to put him on the stand. He’s got to deal with the fact that he lied about it. He’s got to deal with the fact that there’s financial lies he committed. He defrauded clients so opens up this whole cascade of stuff he has to admit to and trying to
Turn that into he’s admitting all these other things but he’s a good guy. I didn’t think he did a very convincing job today, but you never know with a jury. It only takes one. >> Important, indeed. Areva, is the defense strategy to portray Murdaugh as supposedly sympathetic, a sympathetic figure?
Is that strategy working? >> Well, I think parts of it did work, wolf, but parts of it were not compelling. He cried a lot on the witness stand. He was teary at times when you expect him to be. He used the nicknames he had for his wife and son to show that
They were very close and, you know, how he used these terms of endearment to describe them. I agree that there was a huge gap in the defense’s case because of that video, but I still think the prosecution has a problem too, wolf. They have no gun. They have no murder weapon.
They don’t have an eyewitness so all of their evidence is circumstantial and want the jurors or need the jurors to believe that a man that was that close to his wife and his son would blow his son’s brains out simply to distract from his financial problems. Now, clearly the man is a liar,
He is a chief, so far based on the evidence that’s been, you know, presented, but that’s a big leap from I lie and I steal money to I kill a wife and I kill a son who clearly from all evidence he was very close to, so I think of their parents on
That jury. I’m a parent. You’re still going to be scratching your head saying, hmm, I don’t know. I may not like this guy, I may not think he’s the most honorable person but I don’t know if he had it in him to blow his son’s brains out. >> Murdaugh testified about how
His opioid addiction began. What effect do you think that will have? >> Well, they’re trying to use it for positive effect to show he had a problem. He was sympathetic for trying to wrestle with it and that that may have made him paranoid and caused him to, you know,
Distrust the police when he is telling this lie. A little bit of a double-edged sword. The prosecution doesn’t have to raise this point but if he was that addled by the addiction, he might have been acting very irrationally at the time and the jury might believe this very opioid addicted person went off
Into this paranoid frenzy and did slaughter his own family. So it’s a double-edged sword
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All nice when you are the lawyer but not easy when your on the stand
If Murdaugh was a guitar or piano chord he would be a D 7th minor 9th chord. LOL.
Apparently the guy in those yellow suits was there to defend the judge and he said he heard the defence telling murdaugh not to testify and murdaugh insisted. Narcissistic druggie
I'm sure most of the higher ups in government peckimg order probably all live above the law. How does someone take office making 60k a year become a millionaire within 4 years.
Monster.
Guilty. Justice was served
WHO CARES. THIS IS JUST MORE MISDIRECTION BY THE CABAL NEWS NETWORK.
Alex Murdaugh is guilty as hell but he will get off at least from this first jury. Best case scenario for the prosecution: it will be a hung jury and they will have to retry him. It’s gotta be nice to be white and rich in America. You can kill your family members and get away with it because a couple of sympathetic Karens sitting in the jury have empathy for you…seeing a rich white man as marriage material and also having empathy for his drug addiction because one of their kids likely has their own drug addiction. Alex is terrible on the stand but he’s playing some of his cards right. He’s being honest about stealing from clients in addition to seeking empathy for his drug addiction which he knows opioids has hit the white community so hard that most white Americans can relate. Everything Alex says is a contradiction. He said his son Paul was smart, no he knew he was dumb as shit drunk driving a boat and getting their terrible exposure for the family. He talks about he need to steal for drugs, something he knows people can relate to. But it’s bullshit cause he comes from a rich family and opioids doesn’t cost you $9 million. He stole out of pure greed to fund his lifestyle and simply because he could since he knew his clients wouldn’t know and likely couldn’t do anything about it. The man is a spineless little prick.
Nobody takes a shower and changes their clothes during a time like that unless they are trying to hide something, the normal human wouldn’t even be thinking or even care about being sweaty when two of their immediate family members were just shot in the heads!
All the factors lead one to conclude he did it. He 100% did it.
He recorded the voice of his father at the kennels minutes from the murders and says he wasn't even near there and then changed clothes within a few minutes? … clear evidence.
The thing is he was very convincing that night. He proved he’s a masterful liar. If he admits to lying that well how can you hope to know? BUT, I don’t know if that rises to guilty beyond reasonable doubt. Murdoch may well become a free man more infamous than OJ
Let's get one thing straight. Murdaugh is not a liar. He's a lawyer. Oops. Same thing.
Wow the MURDAUGH MURDER TRIAL WHAT AN AWESOME PLAY ON WORDS THE MEDIA MUST LOVE THIS..
You got to love FAKENEWS… about the COCODRILE TEARS of ACCUSED MURDER ALEX MURDAUGHT and that
he has COMPASSIOOO,,,
One QUESTION, How the DEAD MAID- that was supposely thrown of Stair and DIE,, How could the MAID
afford like 4 and half millon dollars life insurance and she was SINGLE MOTHER .. on her probably like 15 dollars an hour salary or even if she made 20 dollars an hour..
and we talking About South Carolina one of the top 5 poorest State..
and don't of you want to take out like 100k Dollars life insurance it cost like over 100 dollars an month.. do the Math..
or did MAID and ALEX KILLER MURDAUGH were having an Affair and paying for the Multi. millon dollar Life insurance just in case and did the WIFE know ?. just saying //
Politics is dead, they Only used Obama' Image with code word CHANGE to Pull the unaware, people waiting to be Saved, right back into the Slave System. Just like code word Threat and Covid, have people depending on the System again, The system won't change, but many hold on to it, depending on it as if it's real, then history Repeats, electric bills, inflation, minimum wage, racism, and higer rent..CIA is also part of this, not all, levels to it..
TRUMPS TWIN
Although he was ill, they need to check to see how Alex’s father passed 3 days after the double homicide. Because this guy will hurt anybody to try to get the heat off himself or try to gain sympathy. Plus, the housekeeper was still holding on until a hospital visit from Alex. He’s a serial unaliver.
Guilty guilty guilty
Biden lies and steals money every day, what's the difference?
Keep fighting your freedom depends on it , be the best actor you can be.
Blame actions on the drugs, nice 👍
I know how well humans can lie and manipulate their way around other humans. Especially when they have knowledge of what they're looking for. Mans finna walk and ngl I can't even be mad… I'm a fan of chess.
Why is the media desperately trying to make the American people care about this trial? 🤔
Eish,Alex admits he lied not being at kennels but now the timeline of maggie and paul 's phone records proof Alex must have been there when they were shot.If it was not himself then he knows who did it.He is going to crack soon.
The prosecutor is so bad. Alex said he doesn’t remember the final words he said to his wife and son, and the prosecutor didn’t go in on that.
"I was heavy, AND"…Don't forget,jury, that I was addicted to pills that made me sweat more….had to reiterate that one for the jury to hear again! If his lips are moving, he's lying!
Rambo: Murdaugh…..I’m comin’ to git YOU.
Crazy how people talk about their influence and affluence etc.. meanwhile it was in some lil county in S.C…. The murders made them famous..no one knew of them
Horrible man. Horrible family! , They got away with so much!
Let's get one thing straight. Murdaugh is not a liar. He's a lawyer. Oops. Same thing.
Where did all the millions go? Anyone who's ever been addicted to Oxycodone knows that even if you were taking 100 per day (which is absolutely ridiculous) & you were being way overcharged, there's no way you could spend millions. He's using his addiction as a reason he stole all that cash when in reality IMO it was just to fund his lavish lifestyle. Opioids never made me paranoid, just incredibly selfish, self absorbed & ruthless in my need to feed my habit.
Rich white folks kill thier families and think they can lawyer thier way out of it .does white rich privilege cover murder .,maybe .a Texas oil man killed his family and got off .
Being a lawyer f his credibility with the true
All addicts lie. All addicts steal! It’s part of the disease of addiction. It’s a terrible epidemic that has touched almost everyone in North America in some form. Along with that comes many other devastating things. I think they are rewired by their compulsion to use. Lying is a part of the disease. They suffer from low self esteem and self hatred and guilt. Being an addict doesn’t make you a murderer but that’s for the jury to decide. I have only been paying attention to Mr. Murdoch since he took the stand and it’s just on in the background, I don’t have any of the facts but I pity the prosecution.
He nodded his head yes when he said no. Lol. Read the body language.
Why is homie nodding when he says "No, I did not" ………
Bubba, pa pa and the chickens…how did this backwoods hick become a lawyer? Jesus what a redneck. This is what happens when you marry your cousin. You become stupid and can’t compile a complete sentence
Him being able to take the stand and try to make himself look like a victim shows he’s still being given special treatment. NOBODY in history was ever able to just say whatever they want on the stand. This is a totally bullshit trial. He killed his family to get sympathy and now he’s on the stand trying to play the victim and garner sympathy.
He talks a lot, elaborates when not asked or needed, one day he will make a mistake incriminating himself for whatever he should be guilty of. I can't believe he is a lawyer.
I think he's lying about the drug use. He used that lie to get into rehab initially to avoid arrest and using it to explain what he wants to paint as "bad boy" behavior. He's a true POS.
He's nodding YES when he makes his denials!
Alex is a Biden supporter and donor. Obviously, cause that’s not relevant to alleged criminals unless it’s the other party.
I believe this man is innocent. He loves his wife.
He thinks he’s smarter than everyone. He should have never took the stand. Crying isn’t going to help bucko.
Huh?? How does oxycodone make you sweat more??
On behalf of the people of America, I request you to protest against Joe Biden's government in the streets. Because the US government is not ending the Russia Ukraine war. If this continues, America will lose its empire within the next 10 years. Because many people in the world are now going against America In the days to come, the situation in America will be at its worst So now is the time for the American people to start a movement to stop the war. Stop the arms trade
On behalf of the people of America, I request you to protest against Joe Biden's government in the streets. Because the US government is not ending the Russia Ukraine war. If this continues, America will lose its empire within the next 10 years. Because many people in the world are now going against America In the days to come, the situation in America will be at its worst So now is the time for the American people to start a movement to stop the war. Stop the arms trade
CNN is colon cancer disease for this country
Why is this such a big deal. If every murder got this much press they wouldn't have room for anything else.