Bryan Li (10) | STAFF REPORTER
The trial of Richard Alexander Murdaugh was captivated by individuals across the world. Richard Alexander, better known as Alex, was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences for the brutal murders of his wife and son, Maggie and Paul Murdaugh.
This was a unique and unusual trial –there were many aspects of this trial that are not common, especially in a double-murder trial. For example, in this situation Alex Murdaugh went to the witness stand, something that most lawyers advise their clients against. Second, the jury took just three hours to deliberate two murder charges, begging the question of how significant was the evidence in this case.
There were many pieces of evidence in this trial. Two pieces of evidence that stood out would be a video that was saved onto Paul Murdaugh’s phone with the voice of Alex Murdaugh, and the weapon that was allegedly used to kill Maggie Murdaugh.
There was a video saved onto Paul’s phone. In this video, Alex is concealed, but we can hear a voice similar to his. This video was taken at 8:44pm. Maggie and Paul were murdered shortly after 9:00pm. This video proves that Alex was near the two victims, and it goes against the story of Alex. However, Alex claimed he was with his parents, hours away, at the time of the murders.
Even though during the trial it was unclear if it was Alex in the voice, he made the risky decision of going on the stand to give a witness testimony. It was discovered that it was Alex in the video, going against his testimony and simulatenously, proving he was at the scene of the crime.
Confirmed by some jurors, Alex’s confirmation of the unknown identity in the video was the final piece of evidence that led the jurors to come to a guilty verdict.
The other main piece of evidence would be the rifle used to kill Maggie Murdaugh. The Murdaugh family were big on hunting. The Murdaugh’s owned a sixty acre hunting lodge titled Moselle, the death place of Paul and Maggie. Close friends of the Murdaughs’ called Moselle, “a playground for the Murdaugh boys” in the Netflix true crime series, Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal.
This rifle used was not the usual rifle. This rifle was a special edition rifle, very few people had. It turns out that there is the exact same rifle on the grounds of Moselle. This rifle was entered as evidence, and was also considered a key piece of evidence in the trial.
There was other evidence that was used, however they were not as strong. While on the stand, it is against the law to lie. This means whatever Alex Murdaugh says on the stand is true, or else he would be facing additional charges. He said many key points that helped his side dramatically.
However, there were speculations that his memory was not as sharp. Alex has entered rehab and was arrested on the murders in rehab. This may have lead the jury to think that Alex’s memory was not the sharpest and that what he says might not be the actual truth.
However, were these two pieces of evidence enough to have the jury deliberate for only three hours?
In the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, another controversial murder trial, the jury deliberated for 4 days and 23 hours. This is a significant difference, especially considering the seriousness of the charges.
The difference may be because of numerous factors. Murdaugh is a powerful name in that area of South Carolina, unlike Kyle Rittenhouse. Alex Murdaugh served as a defender and a prosecutor in the same courtroom where he was later sentenced –so did four generations of his family before him. Prior to the trial, the Murdaugh family had been elevated above the law in South Carolina, infringing on the democratic system that the US strives to achieve.
Additionally, the Murdaugh family saga was twisted and difficult, potentially leading jurors to believe that Alex Murdaugh committed these crimes. The Murdaugh family has also been suspected of the murders of Stephen Smith and Gloria Satterfield, as well as the the fatal boat crash of Mallory Beach, who was killed in a boat crash, driven by Paul Murdaugh who was drunk at the time.
To add more confusion, Alex Murdagh had hired his drug dealer to commit a drive-by shooting on him, so his last remaining son, Buster Murdaugh, could get the rest of the money.
This is truly a twisted trial, and more information may come up in the appeal of Alex Murdaugh.
