Alex Murdaugh indicted for murders of wife and son
Jul 14, 2022, 10:49 AM
Alex Murdaugh, fourth generation of a powerful South Carolina dynasty and owner of a boat involved in a fatal accident, leaves a hearing in a personal injury lawsuit at the Richland County Courthouse. (John Monk/The State/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
(John Monk/The State/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
(CNN) — A Colleton County, South Carolina, grand jury has indicted Alex Murdaugh for the 2021 murders of his wife and son.
The once prominent, now disbarred, attorney was indicted Thursday morning on two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, according to South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel.
Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh, 52, and their youngest son, Paul Murdaugh, 22, were found shot to death on the family’s property the night of June 7, 2021. Alex Murdaugh placed the 911 call reporting the shooting, saying he had just returned home in Islandton, a small community about an hour north of Hilton Head Island, and discovered their bodies.
Jim Griffin, one of Murdaugh’s attorneys, told CNN they would not have further comment on the matter until their client was actually charged. CNN is reaching out to SLED, Murdaugh’s other attorneys and the state attorney general’s office for comment.
Blood spatter found on Murdaugh’s clothing could place him at the scene of the killings, a source with knowledge of the investigation told CNN.
Murdaugh, a pillar of the South Carolina legal community, denied involvement in their deaths, saying he had been visiting his mother at the time.
The blood spatter found could place Murdaugh in close contact with at least one of the victims when they were killed, the source said. High velocity spatter is associated with the use of a particular weapon, such as a rifle, and it creates a specific blood pattern, especially when used at close range.
In addition, a phone belonging to Paul Murdaugh was recovered on his body containing video and audio of Alex Murdaugh talking with his wife close to the time she and Paul were killed, the source said.
Alex Murdaugh is not seen on the video but is heard speaking with her, and that recording has a time stamp, the source said, which may prove key to the investigation.
The details were first reported by FITSNews.
Murdaugh is being held behind bars in Columbia, South Carolina, on a $7 million bond, facing a slew of charges for alleged financial crimes.
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