South-Carolina
Closing arguments begin in trial of Alex Murdaugh, South Carolina attorney accused in double murder
Alex Murdaugh’s theft of thousands and thousands of {dollars} was about to be revealed so he killed his spouse and son to purchase time to determine a approach out, a prosecutor mentioned Wednesday throughout closing arguments within the disgraced former South Carolina lawyer’s homicide trial.
Murdaugh’s concern that his decade-long theft could be uncovered and his want to keep up his lofty standing in the neighborhood led him to ensure his spouse and youthful son have been on the household’s Colleton County dwelling on June 7, 2021, in order that he may kill them as a part of a intelligent plan aided by his data of how prison circumstances are constructed, prosecutor Creighton Waters informed jurors.
“The pressures on this man have been insufferable. And so they have been all reaching a crescendo the day his spouse and son have been murdered by him,” Waters mentioned.
Murdaugh, 54, faces 30 years to life in jail if he’s convicted of both homicide rely. Investigators mentioned his 22-year-old son, Paul, was shot twice with a shotgun and his 52-year-old spouse, Maggie, was shot 4 or 5 occasions with a rifle outdoors of the kennels on their property.
Jurors started the day with a go to to the crime scene, the agricultural Colleton County dwelling referred to as Moselle, the place a pool reporter mentioned at the very least certainly one of them rigorously inspected the door body of a storage closet the place Paul Murdaugh was standing when he was killed.
The important thing piece of proof connecting Alex Murdaugh to the killings is a video Paul Murdaugh shot from the kennels about 5 minutes earlier than he final used his cellphone. It took greater than a 12 months for federal brokers to hack into the younger man’s locked iPhone and discover it.
Earlier than the trial, Alex Murdaugh repeatedly informed investigators that he hadn’t been on the kennels on the evening of the killings, however whereas testifying in his personal protection, he admitted that he lied and that he had been there.
Though the weapons used to kill the victims have not been discovered, an knowledgeable testified that the markings on the bullet casings discovered close to Maggie Murdaugh’s physique matched these discovered on casings at a capturing vary on the household’s property.
However there was no blood spatter or DNA linking the killings to Alex Murdaugh or anybody else, and prosecutors by no means laid out how they suppose Murdaugh may have killed his household, cleaned himself up, disposed of the garments and weapons, and composed himself within the 15-minute window earlier than GPS information exhibits he left the property to go to his ailing mom.
The prosecution’s star crime scene knowledgeable mentioned there is not sufficient proof to undoubtedly say whether or not there have been one or two shooters on the kennels.
Nonetheless, Waters mentioned there may be sufficient proof to hyperlink the killings to the monetary crimes and to Alex Murdaugh being the one particular person with the means and alternative to kill his spouse and son.
“As all of those pressures have been mounting, the defendant killed Maggie and Paul,’ Waters mentioned, pulling out his cellphone and waving it. “The forensic timeline places him there. The usage of the household weapons collaborates it. And his lies and his responsible actions afterward verify that.”
Waters mentioned Alex Murdaugh has been mendacity for years to cowl up his opioid dependancy and theft of cash from his regulation agency and purchasers, so it could be straightforward to lie about being on the kennels and killing his household, and to lie whereas testifying in his personal protection final week.
“All the time having to remain one step forward of the sport. All the time need to actually beg, borrow and steal for over a decade to have the reality from being uncovered,” Waters mentioned.
The protection has mentioned state brokers carried out a poor investigation that centered too shortly on Alex Murdaugh and missed proof resembling fingerprints and shoe prints that might have led to the actual killers.
They requested for jurors to be allowed to go to the property with the intention to assist them perceive how small the storage room is the place Paul Murdaugh was killed and the space between the 2 our bodies.
Prosecutors opposed the go to, saying the scene seems to be totally different than it did in June 2021, as bushes and vegetation have grown and nobody has lived on the property because the killings.
Decide Clifton Newman allowed the go to however cautioned jurors concerning the variations in how the property seems to be now. They have been additionally cautioned to look at for snakes.
As soon as closing arguments are completed, the jurors will get their directions and start deliberating what they discovered throughout a trial that has included greater than 75 witnesses and lasted greater than six weeks. They may have the ability to assessment about 800 paperwork, images, movies of police interviews of Alex Murdaugh and different displays whereas deciding on a verdict.
Murdaugh can also be accused of stealing thousands and thousands and faces greater than 100 different prices for alleged monetary and different crimes. He was disbarred final 12 months for what the state Supreme Court docket referred to as “admitted reprehensible conduct.”
South Carolina will welcome the Wofford Terriers for the last home game of the season inside Williams-Brice Stadium. Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer spoke on the matchup and challeneged fans to show up for a special night.
Coach Beamer opened the press conference announcing this game as the Salute to Service game. This is a special moment for Beamer as it gives his program an opportunity to thank those who have served or are currently serving.
“Saturday is our Salute The Troops game,” Coach Beamer said. “It’s always one of the highlights of the season for me. So grateful for them. All of the miliatry branches, the men and women,the sacrifices they make for their service to our country. Really proud and honored to be able to recognize them this Saturday.”
Not only is it the Salute to Service game, but with it being the last home game of the 2024 season it’s also Senior Night. Coach Beamer wants to send a special group of seniors out the right way.
“We need to make sure we honor the seniors the right way on Saturday. Gamecock Walk needs to be electric because for so many of those seniors that will be getting honored on Saturday that is the last Gamecock Walk they’ll ever get to do. We will honor them right after pre-game warmups, right around 3:30ish,” Coach Beamer said about Senior Night.
Then a challeneged was issued to Gamecock fans. This is the last time these players will get to walk into Williams-Brice Stadium and suit up in front of a raucous crowd. Coach Beamer stressed the importance of getting there early and being loud.
“I would ask all of our fans to shut the tailgates down early. There’s plenty of opportunities in the future, God willing, to tailgate. This will be the last opportunity, and only opportunity, to recognize a really special group of seniors. I would love nothing more than for Williams-Brice Stadium to be absolutely packed thirty miniutes before kickoff, so we can give those seniors that’ll be playing their last game in Williams-Brice Stadium the recognition with their families on the field and the ovation that they deserve,” Coach Beamer on the fans importance for this game.
Saturday’s matchup against Wofford will be the first meeting between the two schools since 2017. Wofford comes into the game with over 30 players on their roster from the state of South Carolina. The staff knows how excited the Terriers will be for this matchup.
“Coach Watson has done a nice job there in his time,” Coach Beamer speaks on this week’s game. “The improvements they made from last to this season are evident. Proud program with a ton of tradition. Obviously 37 players on their team from the state of south carolina, so we know how juiced up they’ll be for this week.”
Finally, Coach Beamer gave an update on the team’s injury list heading into the weekend.
“Obviously Brady Hunt won’t play. Outside of that, I would say that we’re optimistic on everyone else that didn’t finish the game. Judge Collier should be fine. He practiced today,” Coach Beamer updates the team’s injury.
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South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer and his coaching staff have less than three weeks before National Signing Day. (Remember when recruits signed in February?) The Early Signing Period begins Wednesday, December 4th, and the majority of teams’ high school recruiting classes will be completed by the time the Early Signing Period ends on Friday, December 6th. In the weeks leading up to NSD, GamecockCentral will profile each player in the 2025 recruiting class. Today, we will look at wide receiver Malik Clark.
Malik Clark (4-star, Wide Receiver, 6’2.5″, 180 pounds)
What the rankings say: 4-star in On3 industry rankings, No. 177 nationally, No. 2 in South Carolina, No. 23 among all wide receivers; Malik Clark is a consensus 4-star prospect
[See the Gamecock discussion on The Insiders Forum!]
Malik Clark is a stud. The Rock Hill High School product is everything a coach could want in a wide receiver. He’s fast (clocked in the 10.5 range in the 100-meter and 4.35 in the 40-yard dash). He’s big (listed at 6’2.5″ and 180 pounds with a frame that could hold more weight). And he’s got ridiculous hands (check out the catch at this line).
Clark is a consensus 4-star prospect for a reason. He is extremely talented, and it’s not all just future potential; he’s already really good. Before the playoffs even began, Clark put together the first 1000-yard receiving season in Rock Hill High history this season.
The type of receiver who can develop into “the man” on the outside, Clark can beat defense deep but has enough wiggle in his bag to be a factor in the quick game or in the short-to-intermediate passing game, as well. He is fast, but he also plays with real physicality. He excels at winning contested catches and bouncing off of weak tackle attempts.
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Clark’s combination of size and speed will make him a special teams candidate as soon as he steps on campus. However, he’s good enough that he might play immediately on offense. Playing time will be available for the Gamecocks at wide receiver in 2025. With at least three players leaving via graduation, youngsters like Clark could force their way onto the field. In fact, it seems likely that at least one of the freshmen will earn significant early playing time. It could be the in-state standout.
Clark is one of five receiver commitments in the South Carolina football recruiting class of 2025, along with Jayden Sellers, Brian Rowe, Lex Cyrus, and Jordon Gidron. With a chance of adding another name, this year’s haul of pass-catchers is one of the best in the country.
[Win two tickets to the South Carolina-Wofford football game]
You can watch some of Clark’s film below.
Jupiter (Fla.) Spanish River quarterback Champ Smith is one of only a handful of quarterbacks in the 2027 class with an offer offer from South Carolina and the 6-foot-1, 175-pound signal caller was in Columbia over the weekend to get an in-depth look at the program as it took down Missouri in a thriller.
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