Video Shown at Trial Seems to Contradict Alex Murdaugh's Alibi

Prosecutors say video indicates Murdaugh was indeed at the scene of the crime
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 2, 2023 12:47 AM CST
Updated Feb 2, 2023 6:31 AM CST
Video Shown at Trial Seems to Contradict Alex Murdaugh's Alibi
Defense attorney Jim Griffin talks with his client Alex Murdaugh during Murdaugh's double murder trial at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, S.C., Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023.   (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier via AP, Pool)

Alex Murdaugh says he was taking a nap and then heading out to visit his ailing mother as his wife and son were killed on the family property in June 2021, and that he was not at the dog kennels where they were fatally shot. But jurors in Murdaugh's trial on charges that he was the one who murdered them saw a video in court Wednesday that, prosecutors say, casts serious doubt on that claim. The video, taken by Murdaugh's son Paul at 8:44pm on the night of the murders, shows a dog's wagging tail while three voices can be heard in the background. Prosecutors posit those voices belong to Alex Murdaugh, Paul Murdaugh, and Alex's wife, Margaret, NBC News reports. Paul and Margaret were shot dead about six minutes later.

The dog in the video belongs to a close family friend who had asked Paul Murdaugh to watch the dog. They last spoke about 8:40pm about something that may have been wrong with the dog's tail, and prosecutors say the video from four minutes later was Paul's attempt to capture the tail on camera. The friend says that during the 8:40pm conversation, he could hear Margaret in the background as well as another voice that he was certain belonged to Alex, CNN reports, and that neither Paul nor Margaret sounded stressed or like anything was amiss. He says that he never received the video from Paul as promised, and at 8:49pm he texted Paul asking for a picture of the tail but never heard back. He texted again about an hour later and still got no response. Another family friend later testified he, too, was certain the voice on the recording belonged to Alex. (More Alex Murdaugh stories.)

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