Defense Wraps Up in Murdaugh Double Murder Trial

The defense concluded their case in the Murdaugh double murder trial on Monday, with the prosecution presenting additional witnesses in response.

Judge Clifton Newman and defense attorney Dick Harpootlian were both shocked at the number of individuals which the state intended to call – initially just four, but ultimately seven.

Harpootlian lodged several objections, citing the necessity to end proceedings soon.

The first witness called by prosecutor Creighton Waters was Ronnie Crosby, Murdaugh’s former law partner.

He attested to their partnership, including working together on a jury case in the same courtroom, during which Alex was able to portray emotion during the closing argument.

When cross-examined, Crosby stated that Alex was ‘theatrical’ in the way his father and grandfather had been.

Harpootlian was keen to know whether Crosby was angry with Murdaugh for allegedly stealing money from clients, to which Crosby affirmed his love for Murdaugh, and the emotions of being confronted with a person he knew to be so different from his expectations.

Following on was Dr. Ellen Reimer, who conducted the autopsies, and was called upon due to a forensic pathology expert’s dissent from her findings.

Dr. Reimer gave insight as to why some things can only be identified through direct examination, and expressed a wish to have X-rayed Paul’s brain, as these cases were uncommon for her.

Hampton County Sheriff T.C.

Smalls was then called, due to Murdaugh’s claim that the sheriff was aware of him having blue lights in his car – the sheriff denied this, and also reported that Murdaugh had never consulted him regarding potential threats after the boat crash.

Next, Paul McManigal took the stand, and discussed tests he did on an Iphone 11 Pro and comparable operating system, in order to test whether throwing it would activate the ‘raise to wake’ feature.

The results of his tests showed this to be unlikely, except when it was raised up and shaken.

His evidence was questioned on why he hadn’t recorded his observations.

Mark Ball, Murdaugh’s ex-partner and friend, was then invited, as he had originally been called in as a defense witness, and his statements aligned with Murdaugh’s.

This includes testifying that Murdaugh had blue lights on a vehicle, but not at the night of the murders, and that he had heard Murdaugh mention he checked the bodies before calling 911.

The jury will now take a trip to the Moselle property to further their investigations, before presenting their closing arguments and commencing deliberation.

Credit: https://www.wtoc.com/2023/02/28/prosecution-calling-witnesses-rebuttal-murdaugh-trial/

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