6 Crime Scene Crime Scene Photos The Jury Saw Before Convicting 'Monster' Murdaugh Of Killing His Wife Maggie & Son Paul
Before the jury unanimously found once-prominent attorney Alex Murdaugh of killing his wife and son, they viewed six photos of the crime scene. RadarOnline.com has obtained the images that led to the disbarred attorney's sentence.
After six weeks at trial, Alex was convicted of killing his wife Maggie, 52, and youngest son Paul, 22, at the family's infamous private hunting ranch Moselle on June 7, 2021. He was given a life sentence on Friday.
A pivotal turning point that proved the prosecution's theory that Alex killed his wife and son to deflect accountability for financial crimes was Paul's last Snapchat video, taken in the last moments of his life.
The footage did not capture Alex on camera, but his voice was heard in the recording and was identified by several witnesses at trial.
The video, shot shortly before 8:50 PM on June 7, 2021, placed Alex at the dog kennels on the property, where Paul and Maggie's bodies were found.
Feed room where Paul was first shot
Paul's lifeless body was discovered on the ground near the kennels. The 22-year-old was first shot as he stood inside the feed room's storage closet.
Alex's son stumbled from the feed room and was shot again, with a fatal shotgun blast to his head.
Blood inside the feed room
State prosecutors described Maggie as running "to her baby" when she was hit with bullets.
Alex's wife was shot several times as she transitioned from an upright position to her knees before eventually collapsing a few meters from Paul's body.
Diagram of Paul's body (left) and Maggie (upper right)
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Alex shocked the courthouse when he took the stand and testified at trial. The disbarred attorney admitted that he lied to investigators about being at Moselle on the night of the murders after Paul's Snapchat video was made public.
Alex continued to deny killing his family; however, another video taken from Paul earlier that day showed Alex wearing different clothing. Prosecutors accused the father of two of showering and changing his clothes after he brutally shot his wife and son.
Alex's shoes
Alex's defense team pointed to their client's crisp white shirt, which he was seen wearing in police body camera footage, and the absence of blood splatter on his clothes or person to support his innocence.
Prosecutors contradicted the defense's argument and called the caretaker of Alex's elderly mother to testify. Michelle "Shelley" Smith claimed Alex showed up at his mother's house unexpectedly on the night of the murders — and returned days later with a "blue tarp" under his arm.
Alex's sandals were photographed and tested. A sandy area near the kennels was also photographed, which showed a frenzy of footsteps that appeared to match the father's shoe print.
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In addition to combing through the dog kennel area, crime scene investigators also inspected and photographed the inside of Alex's vehicle.
A 16-gauge shotgun shell casing was found in the rear floorboard of his vehicle, in addition to the various shell casings found around the bodies.
Two family guns were alleged to be the murder weapon, although one firearm was never located or turned over to police.