Stunning development in Alex Murdaugh murder case | 48 Hours | Forensic Files

Day eight in the Alec Murdoch. >> Day nine of the double. Week three of the ALEC. 100 hours of testimony.
>> This is the 14th day of the >> double trial drags into week four. Now the defense called more witnesses.
>> Day 22 of the Alec Murdoch. >> Week six, day 25, and the double murder trial of Alec Murdoch continues in Col.
Alec Murdo is on trial for the double homicide of his wife Maggie and his son Paul near the dog kennels of their
family's hunting estate. Local media has called it the trial of the century in South Carolina. It has attracted media
from across the world. >> Alec Murdo used to be a really predominant lawyer in South Carolina and
is a member of this very powerful legal dynasty. On the evening of June 7th, 2021, his
son, Paul Murdoch, was standing in a small feat room in some kennels they had on the property. The defendant over
there, Alec Murdoch, took a 12 shaded shotgun and shot him in the chest in the shoulder. But after that, another shot
went up under his head and did catastrophic damage. >> The lead prosecutor for the state is
Kraton Waters. Just moments later, he picked up a 300 Blackout AR style rifle and opened fire on his wife Maggie. Pow!
Pow! And killed her instantly. >> Alex Murdoch's claim is that he ate dinner with his family, took a nap on
the couch. He goes to visit his mother, comes home just after 10:00 p.m. and finds his wife and child shot and
killed. >> This is Alex, my wife and child. >> Copy. from going on scene. >> His immediate reaction was to start
telling me about an incident that had happened with his son with a boating accident.
>> My son was in a boat wreck months back. He's been getting threats. I know that's what it is.
>> I'm Seth Stoton. I'm a law professor at the University of South Carolina. Paul
Murdoch was on a boat with some other individuals. There was drinking. The boat crash and one of the individuals on
the boat, Mallerie Beach, was killed. They told you that it was just random vigilantes from the boat case, of which
there is no evidence whatsoever. >> They were alleging that Alec wanted to murder his wife and son because he
wanted to hide the fact that he'd been stealing millions of dollars from his law firm and his clients for years.
>> This is a spreadsheet referencing each client and the amount that was stolen from each client. $225,7346.
$112,500 $338,56.14. >> And why did y'all have to pay all that money back? >> Because Alec had stolen it.
>> The facts are what matter here. The facts. >> Murdoch's got some heavy hitters on his
side. Dick Harput is the Johnny Cochran of South Carolina. >> Did he murder his wife and son?
>> No. >> Does he have any idea who did? >> No. There's no eyewitness. There's no
fingerprints. There's no forensics tying him to the crime. None. >> The prosecution has had one major
smoking gun in its case, and it's Paul Murdo's video that he took at 8:44 p.m. >> Hey, he's got burn in his mouth.
>> Come here, mama. Come here, cat. >> Come here, B. >> Did you recognize any voices on that
video? >> Paul Murdoch, Maggie Murdoch, and Alec Murdoch. >> Do you recognize Alex's voice?
>> Yes, sir. How will they explain that Alec was actually at the dog kennels 5 minutes before the murder when he claims
to have been sleeping? >> Were you in fact at the kennels at 8:44 p.m. on the night Maggie and Paul were
murdered? >> I was. >> You continued lying after that night, did you not? >> But once I lied, I continued to lie.
Yes, sir. >> Would you ever do anything to harm Maggie? >> I would never hurt Maggie. I did not kill Maggie. I
did not kill Paul. The state versus Richard Alexander Murdoch. Verdict guilty. >> It doesn't matter how prominent you are.
If you do wrong, if you break the law, if you murder, then justice will be done in South Carolina.
Heat. Heat. It was a field trip to a ghost town. Off a country road, the procession
turned slowly up the long driveway of the imposing property. This convoy held the jury in the double murder trial of
Alec Myrtle. This is ML, the hunting lodge of the Murdoch family. Alec, his wife Maggie, and sons Paul and
Buster. The jury was taken to the dog kennels and the small feed room where Paul had
been shot at close range with a shotgun. A few yards away, Maggie was shot several times with a 300 blackout rifle.
Neither weapon has ever been found. There was a time when this estate reflected the vast power and prestige of
the Murd legal dynasty. Now the withered ground seemed to echo Alec Murdo's steep fall from grace. From
a rich powerful lawyer to an admitted drug addict. >> Oxycodone Oxycontton thief.
>> I stole money that was not my money. >> And convicted murderer. >> Verdict guilty.
your wife and son. >> What do you think of the verdict, Alec? Move against the side of my car.
>> This is where Alec Myrtle's life unraveled on June 7th, 2021. >> This is your wife and son.
>> Okay. >> I knew it was really bad. Come on. >> That night, when Myrtle was interviewed
by investigators, he was quick to offer up an explanation for the murders of his
wife and son. My son Paul was in a boat wreck. There's been a lot of negative publicity about that and there's been a
lot of people online just really vile stuff. >> The crash that would kill 19-year-old
Mallalerie Beach happened about 2:20 a.m. on February 24th, 2019. >> 911. Where's your emergency?
We're in a boat crash on Arthur's Creek >> when a boat carrying six young friends
smashed into a bridge. Connor Cook made the frantic call to 911. >> There's six of us and one is missing.
>> Who's missing? >> Female Mallerie Beats is missing. >> She's in the water. She was just this
wonderful, fun-loving, happy girl >> and everybody loved her. >> Lynn Revvice and her niece Mallerie were
extremely close. >> You always got a hug, hello and a hug, goodbye. And the last thing she told me
was she loved me. In piecing together events, investigators learned earlier that
night, 19-year-old Paul Murd used his older brother Buster's ID to buy beer at this convenience store.
>> And if you look at the video footage, when Paul comes out of the store, he's holding the beer up. He's celebrating.
After staying at a party for several hours, the group took the Murdo family's boat to this bar where Paul and Connor
had more to drink around 1:00 a.m. >> When they went in, pounded a couple of shots.
>> Michael Dit is an author and editor of the Hampton County Guardian, part of the
Guanette USA Today network. >> Somewhere around 1:30, you see the video footage of them leaving the boat dock.
It was kind of a sad, touching moment when you see Mallerie and her boyfriend. I think it's the last moment that
anybody captured an image of her alive. >> It was around 1:15 when they took off
again on the boat. >> Paul was just driving donuts and just >> passenger Miley Alman told investigators
tempers were running short. >> And so Connor starts driving for a little bit and then Paul like he like
stops Connor and he's like, "No, this is my boat. Like let me drive." I saw the bridge coming.
What bridge is Paul? What bridge is this? >> First responders dash cam video captured
the mayhem. >> All right. Where's everybody else at? >> At the bridge. At the bottom of the
bridge. >> Everybody was crying, scared, >> shocked, >> just worried about their friend.
>> Then Buford County Deputy Sheriff Steven Domino was one of the first on the scene.
After Domino's got Maller's distraught boyfriend, Anthony Cook, into his patrol car, Paul Murdoch, came into sight.
>> He was walking up from where the boat was. >> Get that right there away from me.
>> He actually tried to rush through me to get to Paul because I guess he saw him
smiling. >> Paul's smiling while Anony's girlfriend's missing in the water. >> Right.
>> Bro, you smiling like you're funny. >> Sit down. My girlfriend's gone, folks.
>> That's when Anthony Cook definitively identified the person he said was driving the boat.
>> Do you all know Alec Murdoch? >> Yeah, I know that name. >> That's his son. >> That show driving the boat.
>> Good luck. >> That's when he indicated that he couldn't be touched. >> Mallerie's body was found a week later.
>> And in the weeks after that, we're just waiting. Is someone going to make an arrest? Is there going to be a a
admission of of guilt or responsibility? >> We're in a boat crash. >> I think that from day one, ground zero,
the effort was what can we do to get Paul out of this? Who do you think is responsible for
Mallalerie's death? I think Paul Murdoch was. A month after the fatal boat crash,
frustrated that there was no arrest, Mallerie Beach's family filed a wrongful death suit against members of the Murdo
family, which allowed them to depose the survivors about what happened that night. Paul was allegedly acting rash
and reckless. >> In his deposition, Paul's friend, Connor Cook, said that the morning of the
crash, he didn't tell investigators that Paul was driving the boat because he was
afraid. And while at the hospital, he says he was told by Alec Murd that he didn't
need to tell anyone who was driving. Alex reportedly went from room to room to try to communicate with the other
boat crash passengers and get them all on the same page. >> At the hospital several hours after the
crash, Paul's blood alcohol level was three times over the legal limit. >> He was getting belligerent with the the
nurses staff according to court records, just being loud and troublesome. But that morning and for weeks to come, many
felt that Paul Murdo was not treated like a suspect in a crime. >> We didn't think he was going to be
charged. Why? Because it was taken so long. We just didn't think we'd see that day.
Nearly 2 months after the boat crash, Paul was charged with causing the death of Mallalerie Beach. He pleaded not
guilty and remained free after posting bond and the Murd began to tarnish. Two years passed and on June 7th, 2021,
as Paul Murdo was awaiting trial in the death of Mallalerie Beach, gunfire erupted on the Murdoch family
estate. This is Alex Murdoch at 414 Moselle Road. At 10:06 p.m., a panic sounding Alec
Murdoch called 911 saying he had just arrived home to find his wife of nearly 28 years, Maggie, and their son, Paul,
shot. >> Is he moving at all? Your son? I know you said that she was shot, but what
about your son? >> Nobody's They're not. Neither one of them's moving. Maggie's friend Caroline Price called
her godson Buster when she heard the terrible news. >> I said, "Please tell me this isn't
true." And he said, "Yes, ma'am, Miss Caroline, it is." And he immediately without prompt said it was premeditated
and revenge. They were trying to say that it was associated with the boat crash,
>> that someone was angry at Paul. Yeah. >> Right. Due to the Murdoch family's close
ties with local law enforcement, the South Carolina law enforcement division known as SLED, the state's top
investigative agency took over the case. >> It was amazing to me how quick this rumor mill started.
>> Maggie's friend, Shelley West, heard about the murders from a friend. >> I just said, "Do you think Ell did it?"
And he said, "No, there were two guns on the scene." >> But it actually crossed your mind that
he might have done it. Yeah. I mean, yeah. Yeah, I mean that was my first initial reaction. A lot of times the
husband's the first suspect. >> And Caroline says she had a strange conversation with him after Maggie and
Paul's funeral. >> He talked a lot about Paul, the fact that he wasn't going to get his day in
court. He wasn't going to get to clear his name. >> Murdo offered a $100,000 reward as
rumors and speculation swirled. Reports at the time raised questions about their
marriage and claimed that Maggie was consulting with a divorce attorney. >> Mary and her sister asked me, "Do do you
know anything about this?" And I said, "No." And she said, "She never said anything to me." And she tells me
everything. >> Maggie never mentioned there was any trouble in the marriage. >> At a hearing a few months later, I
questioned the Murd family attorney, Dick Harput, about the Murdo's relationship. Were there any problems in
Maggie and Alex's marriage? >> Absolutely none. None. And I I'm Trust me, I was with them for almost two
years. Always affectionate, always courteous. You just picture of a domestic voice.
>> And as for the theory that the murders were in retaliation for the boat crash,
Maggie's friends say she never mentioned any threats against their family. >> She talked about how unkind everybody
was and mean. um the looks and the snares >> and they didn't seem to feel unsafe. I
mean, they were still carrying on with their normal routine day-to-day activities and things.
>> As investigators tried to figure out who would want Paul and Maggie Murdo dead
and why, a call came into 911 that another member of the family was under attack.
>> Somebody stopped to help me and they tried to shoot me. And it's almost been a case of episodic
television where tune in this week and we'll see what's next from Hampton County, home of the Murdoch.
Three months after the shooting deaths of Maggie and Paul, Alec Myrtle again called 911. this time claiming he'd been
shot. >> Somebody stopped to help me and they tried to shoot me. >> Alex Murdoch told investigators he was
changing a flat tire right here on this rural road when a person in a pickup truck passed by, asked Alex if he was
having car trouble, and then shot him in the head. >> Murdo's conversation on the way to the
hospital was captured on police body cam. >> Do you know what kind of gun it was? I I
don't know what kind of gun it was, but it sounded like a shotgun. >> On September 6th, 2021, 2 days after
being shot, Alec Murd released this statement. I have made a lot of decisions that I truly regret, he said,
and announced he was leaving the law firm. >> Alex Murdoch put out a statement saying
he's going into rehab. >> Alec Murdoch said he had been addicted to opioids for two decades. It wasn't
only claims of drug abuse now staining Murdo's reputation. He was also accused of stealing millions from his own law
firm and was asked to resign the day before he was shot. >> Friday, the law firm has a come to Jesus
meeting with him. We know you're allegedly stealing money. You're out. Saturday, the reported shooting.
Monday, Alex releases a statement saying, "I'm going into rehab. Then came the even more bizarre news
that Myrtle had allegedly hired this man, his distant cousin Curtis Smith, to shoot him. He wanted you to kill him.
>> Yeah, he wanted me to kill him. >> Authorities say Murdall wanted his killing to look like murder so his
surviving son, Buster, could collect a $10 million life insurance payout. Smith says he refused.
>> Yeah, ain't happening. It's unclear exactly how Murdoch came to be shot. Why did you
leave the scene? >> I didn't know anything else do. >> Smith was charged in connection with the
shooting, but has not entered a plea. On September 16th, 2021, facing charges of
insurance fraud, conspiracy, and filing a false police report. Alec Murd turned himself in.
>> The fact that uh Murdoch sat in a chair in a jumpsuit with handcuffs is something I've never seen in my
lifetime. Alec Murdall was released on bond and allowed to go back to rehab. While
Murdall was there, investigators were looking into all of his business dealings and the suspicious death of this woman,
Gloria Satderfield. >> Gloria was the housekeeper for the Murd family for more than 20 years.
>> Ronnie Richter is an attorney for the Satderfield family. >> She literally helped raise Alec Murd's
sons, Paul and Buster. In 2018, the 57year-old died after a fall at the Murdall estate.
>> What's been reported is that she was at the house that day on the front steps.
The dogs got a little rambunctious and gave her a push and she fell down the stairs.
>> Satderfield's death was ruled natural and no autopsy was ever performed. >> There's nothing natural about a
57year-old woman falling down a flight of steps and dying from head trauma. At Gloria's funeral, Mydall did
something very odd, says RTOR. He recommended Gloria's sons file a wrongful death lawsuit against him. My
doll even steered them toward an attorney, his friend Corey Fleming. >> A lot of trust was placed in both Alec
and in Corey, to do the right things, and it really went south from the outset. Court documents show a $4.3
million payout by Mydall's insurance company, but none of the money ever went to Gloria's family. Where did that money
go? >> Well, allegedly it went into Alex Murdo's pocket. >> Alex Murdo was charged with two felonies
for his role in the Gloria Satderfield insurance fraud. This time, a judge ordered him to be held without bond.
As Murdoch sat in jail, he was indicted on dozens more charges for defrauding clients out of millions of dollars.
And then in July of 2022, more than a year after the grizzly murders, disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex
Murdo was indicted today in the high-profile murders of his wife and son last year. Alec Murdo was charged with
killing his wife Maggie and son Paul. Maggie's friends were relieved that the case was moving forward.
>> I was kind of like now finally and maybe we're going to get some answers. Alex Verna,
>> why did YOU KILL YOUR WIFE and your son? >> On January 25th, 2023, 19 months after Maggie and Paul were
gunned down near the dog kennels at their family hunting estate, >> that the defendant, Alec Murdoch, over
there, told anyone who would listen that he was never at those kennels. Prosecutor Kraton Waters began laying
out the state's case against Alec Murdo. >> But the evidence is also going to show
from these things that every one of us, most of us carry around in our pocket that he was there. He was at the murder
scene with the two victims. >> I could see Mr. Murdo down at the end of the driveway.
>> Central 717 scene is secured. Both gunshot wounds to the head. >> First responders described the harrowing
scene captured by their body cams. The male victim was close to a small shed in the dog kennel on the left. There was a
large deal of blood that had pulled around his body. >> Turn around for me. >> I don't have anything.
>> Okay. Yes, sir. I see that. Okay. This is your wife and son and son. >> That's official that they're dead.
>> Yes, sir. That's what it looks like. >> Investigators interviewed Myrtle in a
patrol car. >> My my boy over there. I could see it was My doll said he spent time with Paul
earlier in the evening riding around the property. After Maggie got home, he dozed off on the couch and when he got
up, there was nobody around. >> I called Maggie, didn't get an answer. Maggie's a dog
lover, and I knew she'd gone to the kennel. I left to go to my mom's. My mom's a late stage Alzheimer's patient.
>> His visit with his ill mother would become his alibi. Myd doll told investigators when he returned around 10
p.m. there was still no one home. So he drove down to the dog kennels. That's when he found Maggie and Paul.
>> I tried to turn Paul over first. Then I went to my wife and I I mean I could see
>> Mhm. Mhm. >> I touched them both. Okay. >> I tried to take their pulse on both of
them. >> Mhm. >> When you first saw Paul, you said you tried to >> Detective Rutland interviewed Alec
Myrtle that night and told the jurors. She noted despite his claim of touching the blood soaked bodies of his wife and
son. He appeared clean. >> How would you describe the defendant's hands when you saw them?
>> They were clean. >> How would you describe his t-shirt? >> Clean. Did those clothes appear to be
fresh? >> They did. >> Like they just come out of the laundry. >> They could be.
>> Maggie and Paul died from multiple gunshot wounds. Daily Beast senior national reporter Polar Melendez shared
the investigator's findings. >> So Paul was shot first and he was shot twice with a shotgun. Paul was found
here next to the feeding room. Very close by. Right here is where Maggie was found.
Maggie was killed with a 300 blackout rifle and suffered five gunshot wounds. A crime scene specialist described her
final moments. >> The shooter was right here. The second shot was not as close, but it still
wasn't at long distance. It was approximately here into the crown of the head. 3 days after the murders, building their
timeline, investigators talked to Alec Murdall again. >> We sat down, we ate supper, and we hung
around the house for a little while. Uh, I know that Maggie went to the kennels.
Um, I don't know exactly where Paul went, but he left the house, too. I stayed in the house and I actually fell
asleep on the couch. >> The last time that you saw Paul and Maggie is when y'all were eating supper.
Yes, sir. >> The Murdals were avid hunters and had more than 25 weapons on the property.
>> I saw one over here. >> During a search, >> there's one to your right. >> Sled agents found spent shell casings.
>> You have 300 under >> and ammunition that matched the bullets that killed Maggie and Paul, but the
murder weapons were never found. Maggie's cell phone was also missing the day after the murders. Investigators
found it here on the side of the road half a mile from the property. Sled analyzed the data from Alex, Maggie, and
Paul's cell phones. At 7:56 p.m., Paul sent this Snapchat video of his dad to a friend. Paul is
heard laughing in the background. It's better than it was. >> So around 8:30, Paul's phone starts
moving towards the dog kennels. He also is calling and texting two friends. Then
responding to Snapchats until about 8:40 when he gets on a 4-minute phone call with his friend Rogan Gibson.
>> Rogan Gibson told investigators their phone call was about his dog who was staying at the kennels. Rogan thought he
heard Alec in the background. That immediately sets a red flag for law enforcement because that totally messes
up Alec's timeline. And how could he be at the dog at 8:40 when he claims he was
sleeping? >> Responding units to Moselle Road. >> Two months after the murders, agents
interviewed Alec Murd again, this time at a sled office. They asked him if he went down to the kennels that night. If
>> I've got information that you were heard in the background, it wasn't you. >> No, sir. Not if my times are right.
Think anything to do with it? I have no idea. >> In November of 2022, there was a
breakthrough in the investigation. >> Get back. Get back. >> Agents showed Rogan a video of his dog
Cash that they had found on Paul's phone. Paul had shot it at 8:44 p.m. minutes before he was killed. It's a
guinea. This is a chicken. Come here. Come here, kid. And what voices did you hear?
>> Paul's, Miss Maggie, Miss Elliot. >> And how sure are you now? >> Positive. >> 100%.
>> That's correct. >> The prosecutor says Alec is heard saying, "Come here, Bubba." Calling the
family dog. >> Come here, [ __ ] This is a huge piece of testimony because it places Alec in
the kennel roughly 5 minutes before prosecutors say Maggie and Paul were murdered. Authorities believed Maggie
and Paul were shot around 8:49 p.m. when their phone screens were locked and never opened again. The prosecutor asked
several other witnesses if they recognized Murdall's voice >> on that video. >> And I recognize Alec.
>> Who do you recognize? >> Alec. >> Did you recognize >> on that video? >> Alex Murd. And every single witness has
said with 100% certainty that that's Alec in the background of that video. And it also completely shatters his
alibi. Alec Murdo's car and cell phone data showed he drove to his mom's house shortly after 900 p.m. Between then and
until he returned and dialed 911 at 10:06 p.m., he made 10 calls to family and friends, including five to Maggie.
Prosecutors basically alleged that after killing Paula Maggie, I took steps to cover up and show that he is talking to
all these people. So, how could he murder his his wife and son? >> As to the motive, the state had a theory
that a perfect storm was gathering for Alec Mydall. >> Alec was scared about information coming
out that he had been stealing money from his clients and his law firm for years.
On the day of the murders, Murdall was confronted by his firm about missing legal fees of almost $800,000.
Also that week, he was due in court for a hearing on the boat crash civil case. Murdall was being sued for $10 million
by Mallalerie Beach's family. But the prosecution is alleging that in order to dissuade further questions about his
financial crimes and garner sympathy from the community and his law firm, he killed his wife and son. It's the
actions of a desperate man. >> The state would call Jeannie Secure. >> After the judge ruled My Murdall's
alleged financial schemes could be brought in, the state called the firm CFO Jeanie Secure.
>> Was anybody at all concerned about those missing fees after those murders have?
>> We weren't because we were concerned about LA and we weren't going to go in there and harass him about money when
his family had been killed. Uh, Mr. Tinsley. >> The Beach family's attorney, Mark
Tinsley, also testified and told the jurors in the wake of the murders, the civil case against Alec Murdo, would
have gone away. >> If Alec is the victim of a vigilante, nobody's going to hold him accountable.
The case would be over. >> As the state rested its case, Alec Murd made the risky decision to take the
stand. >> You lied to Maggie, didn't you? I did lie to Maggie. >> Have you made a decision as to whether
you're going to testify? >> I am going to testify. I want to testify. Against his attorney's advice, Alec Murd
decided to take the stand in his own defense. >> You swear or affirm that the testimony
you give today will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. >> Yes, ma'am.
>> Under questioning by attorney Jim Griffin, Murdall is hoping the jury will look past his lies and believe that now
he's telling them the truth. >> Did you kill Maggie? >> No, I did not kill Maggie. I did not
kill Paul. I would never hurt Maggie and I would never hurt Paul ever under any circumstances.
>> After all the testimony identifying him on that kennel video, >> Murdall is forced to admit he was with
his wife and son minutes before prosecutors say they were gunned down. >> Were you in fact at the kennels at 8:44
p.m. on the night Maggie and Paul were murdered? >> I was. >> Come here, bottle.
>> Come here, Cash. >> Come here, bottle of cash. You continued lying after that night, did you not?
>> Well, once I lied, I continued to lie. Yes, sir. >> Why? >> Oh, what a tangled web we weave. But
once I told the lie, I mean, I told my family. I I had to keep lying. I went to >> Murdall claims he'd been compelled to
lie because of an opioid addiction he battled for 20 years, spending tens of thousands of dollars a week and taking
up to 60 or more pills per day. >> As my addiction evolved over time, I would get in these situations or
circumstances where I would get paranoid thinking. But he dismisses the prosecution's theory of mounting
pressure from his addiction and alleged financial crimes leading up to the murders.
>> Mr. Murdock, on June the 7th, did you believe that your financial house of cards was about to crumble?
>> Absolutely not. Mr. Murdo, let's start with a few things I think we can agree.
>> During a 6-hour cross-examination over two days, prosecutorraton Waters grills
Murd. >> And you stole all of the money, didn't you? about his long history of lying to
his financial victims. >> And Mr. Waters, just to try to get through this quicker,
>> I admit >> I know you want to get through it quicker, but we're not. So, answer the
question, please. >> What what what I what I admit is that I misled them, I did wrong, and that I
stole their money. >> Waters contends it was only because he'd been caught in his lie about being at
the kennels that Murdo finally came clean. The reality is you, like you've done so many times over the course of
your life, had to back up and make a new story that kind of fit with the facts that can't be denied. Isn't that true,
sir? >> No, sir, that's not true. >> Waters then tries to box him into his new timeline on the night of the
murders, zeroing in on 4 minutes between 9:02 and 9:06 when his phone logged 283
steps right before he left to visit his mom. That's far more steps in a shorter time period than than any time prior as
you've seen from the testimony in this case. So what what were you so busy doing? Going to the bathroom?
>> No, I don't I don't think that I >> get on a treadmill to the bathroom. No, I didn't get on a treadmill.
>> Jog in place? >> No, I didn't jog in place. >> No, sir. I did not do jumping jacks.
>> Murdall reasserts his theory of the murders. >> That I believe that boat wreck
is the reason why Paula and Maggie were killed. Because I can tell you for a fact that the person or people
who did what I saw on June the 7th, they hated Paul Murd and they had anger in their
heart. Throughout the trial, the defense makes the case that Alec Murd was a devoted
family man. His son, Buster, describes a dad who'd coached his little league teams and was now stricken with grief.
>> I mean, he was destroyed. He's heartbroken. I walked in the door and saw him and um gave him a hug and just
just broken down. >> Defense calls Tim Palbot to the stand, please. The defense calls a crime scene
analyst who based on blood spatter, position of shots fired, and the fact that two different guns were used, says
there was more than one shooter. >> My opinion is the totality of the evidence is more suggestive of a two
shooter scenario. >> The prosecution disagrees. >> Him, this is Alec, the prosecutor, the
lawyer, and he's thinking through this. He's thought through this. He's going to
use two guns because it's going to confuse people that perhaps there are two shooters. In his closing to the
jury, Waters argues that all the evidence points to Alec Murd from that first shot at close range shot
with no indication that he detected a threat from the person who fired that weapon. And why? Cuz it was him. Maggie
sees what happens and she comes running over there. She's running to her baby. She got mowed down
by the only person that we have conclusive proof was at that scene just minutes before
and who lied about that very fact. >> And he describes how Murdoch could have cleaned up at the kennels afterwards. It
wouldn't take long to strip down and wash yourself off, get in that cart, and head back
to the house. Here we are with a Mr. Clean theory. He takes a hose and washes himself off and gets in a golf cart,
butt naked, I guess, and drives to the house. >> Defense attorney Jim Griffin pushes back
on the prosecution's theory. He would have to be a magician to make all that evidence disappear. The shooter's
covered in blood. The shooter's gun is covered in blood. Common sense thing here is there were two shooters.
>> Instead, said Griffin, investigators zeroed in on Mydall to the exclusion of other suspects because he was an easy
target. >> Longtime drug problem, his financial issues, misconduct were exposed. Easy.
Easy, easy target for Sled. The evidence is crystal clear. He started fabricating
evidence against Alec. >> Griffin tells the jury sled also presented false evidence to the grand
jury when seeking an indictment against Myrtle. >> They came up with a report that says
Alex Pashir had high velocity blood spatter on there. The lead sled agent testified he
had not received an email update that further testing had shown there was no blood.
>> I did not see that report. I was not made aware of its existence. Sled failed
miserably in investigating this case. And had they done a competent job that Alec would have been excluded year ago.
>> Then he addresses the single most problematic piece of evidence for the defense. Really, we're back to the lie
cuz that's all they have in this case. He lied because he had a closet full of skeletons. But when he didn't lie, when
he didn't lie for is because he was covering up the fact that he killed Maggie and Paul. Alec would not have
killed the people he loved the most in the world. This defendant has fooled everyone.
Everyone. And he fooled Maggie and Paul, too. and they paid for it with their lives.
Don't let him fool you, too. >> After hearing from 75 witnesses in more than 5 weeks, the jury deliberates for
just under 3 hours before returning with a verdict. >> The state versus Richard Alexander
Murdoch. >> Murdall is found guilty of murdering his wife and son. >> Guilty. Verdict. We understand there is
a verdict in the double murder trial. >> At sentencing the next day, Judge Clifton Newman gives Murd one last
chance to appeal to the court. >> I respect this court, but I'm innocent. >> Unmoved, Judge Newman sentences him to
two consecutive life terms in prison. >> And I know you have to see Paul and Maggie during the night times when
you're attempting to go to sleep. I'm sure they come and visit you. I can't stop thinking about the fact
that it is a video on Paul's own phone that really >> was critical in this case.
>> Well, I think it is ironic. In a murder case, the victims can't testify. Um, but in many ways they do.
Often times they leave something behind that lets you know what happened to him.
And in this case, it was Paul's video. Come here. Come here, C. It's >> Paul testifying from the grave.
48 hours. To miss it would be a crime. >> Were you at all prepared for what happened in this case?
Heat. Heat.

Editor's Note: On May 13, 2026, the South Carolina Supreme Court overturned Alex Murdaugh’s double murder convictions and granted him a new trial. The court held that Murdaugh was denied the right to a fair trial, including an impartial jury, due to the actions of County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill.

Murdaugh was convicted in March 2023 for killing his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, at the family's estate in 2021. Murdaugh also pleaded guilty to a series of financial crimes in September 2023 and was sentenced to 40 years in prison.

"The Trial of Alex Murdaugh" originally aired in August 2023.

True crime. Real justice. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

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Brief Summary

Alec Murdoch is found guilty of murdering his wife and son after key evidence places him at the crime scene before their deaths.

Key points

The Trial of the Century. Alec Murdoch is on trial for the double homicide of his wife and son, drawing global media attention.
Alec's Alibi. Alec claims he was napping when his wife and son were murdered, but evidence suggests otherwise.
The Boat Crash Incident. Paul Murdoch was involved in a fatal boat crash that raised questions about the family's safety.
Alec's Downfall. Alec Murdoch's life spirals as he faces charges of theft and murder after a series of events.
The Murdaugh Family's Dark Secrets. Investigators uncover a web of deceit involving the Murdoch family and suspicious deaths.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I would never hurt Maggie. I did not kill Maggie. I did not kill Paul.

Alec Murdoch's defense during the trial.

3:49WatchMay 13, 2026

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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