State law enforcement officials also announced, none of the proceeds from a $4.3 million settlement. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Its complicated. Prosecutors said over the weekend they received new evidence from General Motors about data from Alex Murdaughs Chevy Suburban. Murdaugh officially resigned from the law firm Peters,Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth, & Detrick based in Hampton, South Carolina, on Sept. 3 but publicly announced his resignation days later. There was gunshot residue on a seat belt, bullets pulled from bodies that matched ammunition boxes from around the home and cellphones never used again just a few minutes after Murdaugh, his wife and son were all heard in a cellphone video, prosecutor Creighton Waters said in his opening statement. We had great opportunities.". In 2006, he rejoined the Hampton-based law firm that his father had started more than 100 years ago. Of course, none of this is disclosed to me as far as, it wasnt like I was sitting there peeking over their shoulder while theyre doing this.. John Marvin was the third member of the Murdaugh family to testify, after his nephew, Buster, and Murdaugh himself. Tanner told FITSnews earlier this month, then he should be prepared to debate this time, where he can explain to people why he was caught hanging out at the Murdaugh murder scene.. A male driver in a blue pickup asked him if he had car troubles, as soon as Alex replied, he was shot. And it was the worst phone call because of his voice, the fear. During that time, these individuals took advantage of his addiction and his ability to pay substantial funds for illegal drugs. He was charged with a list of crimes relating to his work, including nine counts of tax evasion, stealing lawsuit settlement money from badly injured clients, a drug Less than five minutes later, Paul Murdaughs phone was never used again. No mother, father, aunt, or uncle should ever have to see and do what I did that day, John Marvin Murdaugh, the defense teams final witness, told Colleton County jurors on Monday about his decision to clean his brothers hunting estate. He was being held in jail without bail on those counts before he was charged with murder. ", "I can tell you he was willing and still is willing to do anything that's asked of him," John added. Randy Murdaugh and John Marvin Murdaugh speak out for the first time since their brother, Alex, found his 22-year-old son, Paul, and wife, Maggie, shot to death outside their home last week. Asked about the scratched-out name in the will, John Marvin Murdaugh said Tuesday: "I cant tell you why she would have done that. Randy and John said they don't know who could have committed the gruesome crime. Whatever I was doing, it made it more interesting. John Marvin Murdaugh also described how he got one of the first phone calls his brother Alex had made after discovering the bodies. In September 2021 Murdaugh told police he had been shot in the head by an unknown assailant while attempting to change a flat tire. The gunshot wound was only superficial, though, and within two weeks Murdaugh had been charged with hiring an acquaintance to carry out the purportedly random head-shooting. Her sons claim that they received none of the proceeds from a $4.3 million settlement that was orchestrated secretly by Alex Murdaugh, according to a lawsuit filed against their mothers employer and others. He was transported to a hospital in Savannah, Georgia, for "treatment of a superficial gunshot wound to the head," SLED said. Alex is not without fault but he is just one of many whose life has been devastated by opioid addiction," the lawyers' statement continued. "So there's no possible way he could have anything to do with this, I can assure you. He told authorities he had been out at the time of the shooting and found his wife and son dead when he arrived home, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) said in a later news release. Theres a lot of aspects to this case, Waters said. "I see words like 'dynasty' used, and 'power,'" Randy said. Prosecutors are expected to rest their case this week. Asked about the photos this month, John Marvin Murdaugh said they show him and the investigators trying to find Maggie Murdaughs cell phone using an app on Maggies remaining son Buster Murdaughs phone. "And I can't imagine the horror that my brother's experiencing.". "But we're just regular people that are working hard and trying to do right. At the end of the day, Alex Murdaugh shook his attorneys hands and then looked back where his surviving son and brother were seated behind him, He smiled and pointed at them. I didnt think it was a credible threatif it was, I would have tried to do something or notify someone, he said in the 2021 interview. Part of HuffPost Crime. ABC News' Eva Pilgrim, Alexandra Faul, William Gretsky, Janice McDonald, Jen Leong and Mike Repplier contributed to this report. Buster, he said, told He married his wife, Elizabeth Arnett in 2008 and they have three children. John and his family reside in Okatie, South Carolina. John Marvin is the brother-in-law and uncle of 52-year-old Maggie Murdaugh, and 22-year-old Paul Murdaugh who were murdered on June 7, 2021 near the dog kennels on the familys hunting property, known locally as Moselle. Randy and John said they have contacts in the investigating agencies but that they have not reached out to them or tried to influence the investigation in any way, nor has anyone in their family. The affidavit said Murdaugh provided a statement to SLED on Sept. 13: "Admitting to the scheme for the purpose of his son collecting a life insurance policy valued at approximately $10 million." Alex Murdaugh cried when the autopsy photos, which have been sealed, were shown in court. I'm resigning from my law firm and entering rehab after a long battle that has been exacerbated by these murders. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division said it continues to pursue all leads in the ongoing investigation and that anyone with information should call 803-896-2605, a 24-hour dedicated tip line for the case. Mr. Murdaugh, who has since been disbarred, has been held in jail since October 2021, when he was charged with stealing money from the family of his former housekeeper, who died after a fall on the steps of the Murdaugh family home. Her death is being reinvestigated following the filing of the financial charges against Mr. Murdaugh. He has a long-term Oxycontin opiate addiction that put him in a position where he did those stupid and illegal things.. On Dec. 13. a judge set Murdaugh's bail at $7 million. Two alternates will take their place. Alex Murdaugh was taken into custody upon his release from a Florida rehab facility and charged with two felony counts of obtaining property by false pretenses, SLED announced. She analyzed the contents of Maggie and Pauls stomachs. There are three alternate jurors left. I was outside with the dogs," Randy recalled. "We've just been here as attorneys for a long time in our family.". The defense in the Alex Murdaugh double murder trial rested their case Monday. Attorneyssaid at the bond hearing that they were nearing a resolution with Alex Murdaugh and that he had agreed to a $4.3 million judgment, subject to the approval of court-appointed receivers who nowcontrol his assets, The Associated Press reported. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. I ask for prayers as I rehabilitate myself and my relationships," he said. Marian was like, No, John, I want you to handle it. So Im going to do whatever the court asked me to do, and Im also going to do what I think is best for Maggie," John Marvin Murdaugh said. "While we were happy he was no longer suffering, my brother's still suffering and we're suffering. The saga began when Murdaugh's wife, Margaret "Maggie" Murdaugh, 52, and their son Paul, 22, were found fatally shot in June. The wreck led to some questioning whether his family's ties to the legal system in the area affected the investigation, local newspaper The Island Packet reported at the time. Alex Murdaugh is in jail on a slew of charges, most of them financial counts. This trial is the bottom of a stunningly far and fast downfall for the man whose family dominated the legal system in tiny neighboring Hampton County for generations, both as prosecutors and private attorneys known for getting life-changing settlements for accidents and negligence cases. Dr. Ellen Riemer, a forensic pathologist with the Medical University of South Carolina, conducted the autopsies for Paul and Maggie Murdaugh. State law enforcement officials also announcedthat they were looking into those allegations. "We need help finding who did this," Randy told ABC News. Alex Murdaughthe attorney from a prominent South Carolina family who is suspected of committing a staggering number of crimes that were revealed after of a fatal 2019 boat crashwas indicted Thursday for murder. via Associated Press. He says SLED told them Murdaughs t-shirt was 3:34 p.m. John Marvin cleaned crime scene the day after murders. Alongside his other brother, Randy, he participated in a Good Morning America interview just days after the June 7, 2021 murders where John Marvin said Paul received death threats for his role in a 2019 drunken boating accident that killed a teenage girl. In response, one of his attorneys called it a "very sad development. They said he could not be visually excluded but it is 11 times more likely the sample was from someone else. He is accused of killing his wife Maggie and 22-year-old son Paul in June 2021, NCJA | 700 K St. NW, Washington, DC 20001 | 202-628-8550 |. Maggie Murdaughs cellphone, for which her husband provided the code investigators used to find it the next day, showed it was being dumped on the side of the road off the property at the same time Alex Murdaughs phone showed he started his truck just outside his home, the defense attorney said. Buster, he said, told him that he and his mother shared locations with each other and he could ping it. What Was Alex Murdaugh's Motive For Killing His Wife And Son? The Those medical records show he was positive for opiates and barbiturates on the night that he was taken to the Savannah hospital, Harpootlian said. On Dec. 9, Colleton County Probate Judge Ashley Amundson appointed John Marvin Murdaugh, Alexs brother, as the personal representative for Maggie Murdaughs estate, records show. Alex Murdaugh has been accused of obstructing the investigation into the crash by pressuring witnesses not to reveal Pauls culpability. She did not see any evidence of defensive wounds. "I mean, we see it in the world. Sept. 4: Murdaugh calls 911 saying he was shot. State investigators allege that about $3.4 million was stolen after legal fees were paid. The final witness for the defense was Alex Murdaughs brother John Marvin Murdaugh. I just dont know.". "Since early September the families are dealing with the betrayal of trust and that their loved one's death was used as a vehicle to enrich others over the clients. Randy and John described their late nephew as a "carefree spirit" who loved being outdoors. We're no different than anybody else," Randy told ABC News. Press J to jump to the feed. Satterfield reportedly died after a falling accident in the Murdaugh family home in February 2018, the lawsuit states. A defense lawyer said prosecutors incorrectly locked in on Murdaughs guilt from the start and have spent all that time trying to jam bits of evidence that can be explained away or leave an incomplete picture into a story that frames the wrong man. Noting that investigators had released the scene hours earlier and that he received permission from another law enforcement friend, John Marvin noted that the crime scene was not cleaned up when he arrived and that he could still see where Maggies body had been found. In an opening statement, they sketched out a timeline of what they think happened at the Murdaughs house and near the dog kennels on their 1,300-acre (526-hectare) hunting property June 7, 2021. Alex Murdaugh was the person who reported their deaths to police, saying he had discovered them dead on a 1,700-acre hunting property belonging to the family. Theres no direct evidence. But you don't think it's going to happen in your small community, to your family.". This is not the first time John Marvin has spoken out in defense of his older brother. At the center of it is Alex Murdaugh, a 53-year-old South Carolina lawyer who comes from a legacy of prominent attorneys in the state where three generations of the family had been state prosecutors in the Hampton County area for more than a century. Alex Murdaugh started crying when his lawyer discussed the detail. Both victims were located outside of the residence on the sprawling property and had "sustained multiple gunshot wounds," according to a press release from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, which is investigating the double murder along with the Colleton County Sheriff's Office. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Published: Feb. 13, 2023 at 2:47 PM PST WALTERBORO, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - The fourth week of the murder trial of Alex Murdaugh began on Monday. Marvin Murdaugh drove down to the crime scene to a group of investigators and told them that Maggie's phone was active and could be tracked, he said. Two days after a judge first denied Alex Murdaugh bond last fall, the disgraced Hampton County attorney called his younger brother and son from Richland County Detention Center and warned them to move quickly. Hey, John, Murdaugh said to John Marvin Murdaugh on Oct. 21, 2021. 4:30 p.m.. Court is back in session. The vehicle turned around and "someone in the car shot him," the spokesperson said to ABC News. Harpootlian said all this was grasping at whatever evidence might make Murdaugh look guilty and ignoring what didnt fit the theory that he did it. The boating accident led some to question whether Paul's family's legal ties affected the probe. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. "My brother loved Maggie and loved Paul like nothing else on this earth, just like he loves Buster," Randy said, naming Alex's other son. Data includes speeds and other information about the vehicles movements on the night of the double homicide. It made everything better. A string of bloody killings and mysteries involving a prominent South Carolina family has sent investigators on a wild chase full of twists and turns. ", June 22: Authorities reopen probe into 2015 death of Stephen Smith. Maggie Murdaughs phone locks forever about 30 seconds later, Waters said. Here's a timeline of the key events in the Murdaugh murders and scandals: June 7, 2021: Margaret and Paul Murdaugh are found dead. ", "His resignation came after the discovery by PMPED that Alex misappropriated funds in violation of PMPED standards and policies. In the will, Maggie Murdaugh listed her sister, Marian Proctor, as the person to handle the estate. Its a journey. Since the wreck, Paul had been receiving online threats from strangers that were "bothersome" but weren't believed to be "credible," according to Randy and John. He is the 14th defense witness called overall during the six-week trial. The photographs were taken when he and the investigators were looking at Busters phone and began walking toward where Maggies phone was located, he said. He said his family and the Proctors are all communicating on good terms. Most of the testimony was focused on detailed forensic evidence in the investigation into the deaths of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh. John and Randy stayed there for hours, comforting their brother, until they finally convinced him to leave. The next morning, John Marvin told jurors while several people were at the propertys main house, he felt the need to go down to the crime scene to see for himself what had gone on and just kind of take it in.. Riemer said yes, because some shots would have been fired from behind her and the shot to the back of her head, when she was on the ground, would have come from toward the top of her body. He called police to say that he had been shot in the head and that he had suffered a superficial gunshot wound to the head, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, or SLED, said at the time. Today, he knows that's not true. Satterfield's family members, who have alleged that Alex Murdaugh stole more than $4 million in insurance settlements for her death, called the development "bittersweet" and a "very good start to holding everyone accountable. Two alternates, 441 and 326, took their places. The truth is he did graduate from the University of South Carolina with a Bachelors in Criminal Justice in the early 1990s, but he ultimately chose to evolve into an entrepreneur decently self-employed. John Marvin is the brother-in-law and uncle of 52-year-old Maggie Murdaugh, and 22-year-old Paul Murdaugh who were murdered on June 7, 2021 near the Read FOX Carolinas full blog of Mondays testimony below: Copyright 2023 WHNS. Also on Sept. 15, the sons of a former Murdaugh housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, filed a lawsuit against Alex Murdaugh, Corey Fleming and others for allegedly swindling them out of receiving settlement money. He faces charges in connection with a Sept. 4 suicide-for-hire plot. The firm said that it contacted law enforcement and the South Carolina Bar. His mother Maggie, they said, was a "classy person" with a "very dynamic personality" and was the "rock of their family." 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