Explained: Alex Murdaugh, scion of a legal dynasty involved in 'trial of the century'

Alex Murdaugh's murder trial has taken another turn with the judge ruling that jurors will visit the family estate where prosecutors say he shot to death his wife and youngest son. Murdaugh's wife and son were gunned down at the dog kennels on the estate on June 7, 2021, and his lawyer Dick Harpootlian told the judge that the visit will help jurors "get some understanding of spatial relationships". Alex Murdaugh is accused of killing his wife Maggie, 52, and son Paul, 22. Notably, the South Carolina family has found itself muddled in several murders, which have been documented by the Netflix documentary series Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal.

Judge Clifton Newman allowed the visit even as the prosecutors objected to it. The Alex Murdaugh trial has now entered its sixth week and continues to remain a topic of interest among the people, especially ever since the Netflix documentary came out. The jury will start deliberations on the matter around the second half of the week. Alex Murdaugh was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon in July. He has pleaded not guilty to the murders and faces 30 years to life in prison if convicted.

Being called South Carolina's "trial of the century", the Murdaugh Murders have led to several television shows, documentaries and podcasts.

About the Murdaugh murders

Murdaugh informed the police about the bodies of his wife and son at 10:06 pm from his cellphone on June 7, 2021 that he says he found near the dog kennels at the family's hunting lodge in Islandton, South Carolina. Multiple gunshots were found on the bodies and reports suggest that different weapons were used to commit the murders. Murdaugh said that at the time the murders were committed, he was with his terminally-ill father, Randolph III, and mother, who has dementia. However, he later admitted that he lied about his whereabouts, although he insists that he has nothing to do with the murders.

Alex Murdaugh changed his account of his whereabouts on the night of the killings after a cellphone video was produced in front of the jury. The video contained the audio of his voice placing him at the scene of the crime. He blamed his lies on “paranoid thinking” due to opioid drug addiction.

Two forensic experts testified on Monday that law enforcement got certain aspects of the investigation wrong. Crime scene analyst Tim Palmbach said there was likely more than one shooter, since two separate firearms were used.

"My opinion is the totality of the evidence is more suggestive of a two-shooter scenario," Palmbach testified.

Earlier, on February 24, Alex found himself facing a new charge, that of passing contraband in the courtroom.

What does Alex Murdaugh believe happened?

Alex links the entire matter to a 2019 boating incident involving his son Paul Murdaugh, which led to the death of 19-year-old Mallory Beach. He says that someone angry with the accident killed his wife and son Paul to avenge the death.

What happened on the Murdaugh boat trip?

On February 23, 2019, Paul Murdaugh drove a boat with five others on board on the Beaufort River in South Carolina. Mallory Beach, Anthony Cook, Morgan Doughty, Miley Altman, and Connor Cook were with him on the boat. While returning at 2 am on Sunday, the boat crashed into Archer’s Creek Bridge near Parris Island, throwing Mallory Beach overboard. Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal tells about how one of the six friends, Anthony says that Paul was “outta-his-mind drunk” and did not let the others drive the boat despite repeatedly being told to do so. Others say Paul even left the boat wheel unattended several times and that how it was a "terrifying" trip. A CBS News report said that when Paul was brought to the hospital, his blood alcohol level (BAC) was at .24 — three times the legal limit.

What happened to Mallory Beach?

Mallory Beach was the only one to have died in the boating accident. Her body was discovered around eight days later, on March 3, 2019. Mallory’s body was found about five miles from the crash scene. Fox Carolina reported that Mallory died from blunt force trauma and drowning. Paul Murdaugh was charged with three felony counts, including one count of boating under the influence causing death and two counts of boating under the influence causing bodily injury on April 18, 2019. He pleaded not guilty and was released on bail. But in an unexpected turn of events, Paul was killed on June 7, 2021, alongwith his mother.

There were three couples on the boat and Mallory became acquainted with Paul since she was dating Anthony Cook.

When will the Alex Murdaugh trial end?

Alex Murdaugh’s defence rested its case Monday following the testimony of 14 witnesses over about two weeks. The prosecution's list featured 61 witnesses over three weeks of testimony. It is supposedly set to seek testimony from four or five rebuttal witnesses on Tuesday.

(With inputs from agencies)

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