After two days on the stand, Alex Murdaugh completed testimony Friday in the murder trial over the killings of his wife and son.
Prosecutor Creighton Waters sought to cast doubt on Murdaugh's testimony a day earlier, when he admitted to previously lying about being with his wife and son before they were killed."Yes, this is the first time that this is being told openly," Murdaugh said.
At one point on Friday, Waters asked Murdaugh whether the dogs at the kennels on his property -- where the killings took place -- were barking when he was there with his wife and son. Pressed about various phone calls he made after the killings, Murdaugh insisted that he was not trying to establish an alibi.Murdaugh categorized the calls as "very normal." Several calls were to his wife, Maggie, who had been killed near the dog kennels.
Shortly before 4 p.m., Waters concluded his cross examination and Murdaugh's defense attorney, Jim Griffin, began questioning him again after a brief break. Griffin ended questioning shortly after and the court adjourned for the day. "Every single one, you looked them in the eye at least once? Is that fair?" Waters asked at one point.
"I did lie to them," he said of his comments to investigators that he had not been that day to the estate's dog kennels, where the bodies of Maggie and Paul were found, until he found them dead. He said he lied because of "paranoid thinking" stemming from his addiction to opiate painkillers. Murdaugh was facing severe financial pressure at the time of the killings, prosecutors have said, and Murdaugh has admitted to stealing funds from his law firm and clients. Prosecutors contend the purported misconduct was about to be revealed, and accuse Murdaugh of killing his wife and son to stave off those revelations.
Before Murdaugh testified Thursday, a motion from the defense to limit the scope of questioning he would face was denied by Judge Clifton Newman -- in particular, allegations of financial wrongdoing.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Opinion | Alex Murdaugh’s ‘tangled web’ is a tragedy without a heroThe biggest problem for Alex Murdaugh, the South Carolina lawyer accused of killing his wife and son, is time.
Read more »
Alex Murdaugh trial: Top 5 testimony highlights from South Carolina courtroomFrom Alex Murdaugh's emotional testimony on the witness stand to a bomb threat, these are the highlights of the South Carolina lawyer's double murder trial.
Read more »
Alex Murdaugh murders: Former lawyer duels with prosecutor on 2nd day of cross-examinationProsecutor Creighton Waters sought to cast doubt on Alex Murdaugh's testimony a day earlier, when he admitted to previously lying about being with his wife and son before they were killed.
Read more »
The Alex Murdaugh murder trial, explainedMurdaugh, who is on trial for allegedly killing his wife, Maggie, and son Paul, has been at the center of media coverage for months. Here’s what you should know:
Read more »
What Was Alex Murdaugh's Motive for Allegedly Killing His Wife and Son?The disgraced lawyer's happy facade was about to come crumbling down.
Read more »