Alex Murdaugh Goes on Trial for Alleged Murders of Wife and Son in South Carolina

A trial began Wednesday in Walterboro, South Carolina, for Alex Murdaugh, who has been charged with the 2021 murders of his wife and youngest son. Murdaugh has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.

In his opening statement, prosecutor Creighton Waters presented evidence that included gunshot residue on a seat belt, bullets pulled from bodies that matched ammunition boxes from around the home, and cellphones never used again, just a few minutes after Murdaugh, his wife and son were all heard in a cellphone video.

Waters said that Murdaugh called 911 the night of the killings to report he’d found his wife and son shot dead at the family’s home. He added that when all the evidence was pieced together, a picture emerged that Murdaugh had committed the murders to distract attention from his disbarment.

Defense lawyer, however, argued that the evidence presented by the prosecution was circumstantial and that the state had failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Murdaugh was the killer.

The trial is expected to last several days, with the jury deciding whether Murdaugh is guilty of the two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.