What were the deciding factors in the Murdaugh guilty verdict? A veteran SC attorney weighs in
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Alex Murdaugh Coverage
The Murdaugh family saga has dominated the news after another shooting, a resignation and criminal accusations — with Alex Murdaugh at the center of it all. Here are the latest updates on Alex Murdaugh.
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A veteran South Carolina criminal defense attorney said the kennel video, which put Alex Murdaugh at the scene of the murders of his wife and son, sealed his fate.
Murdaugh was convicted of the murders after less than three hours of deliberation Thursday night. A juror told Law and Crime network it actually took 45 minutes even though two jurors initially said not guilty.
“The timeline was too tight,” said Jack Swerling, who was asked by The State to offer analysis through the trial.
It was hard to imagine a stranger coming onto the Murdaugh hunting estate, saw Alex Murdaugh leave and then kill Maggie and Paul Murdaugh with family guns.
He also said Alex Murdaugh’s lies contributed to the verdict, especially lying about being at the kennel that night when he is clearly heard on a video Paul Murdaugh took to show his friend something was wrong with the tail of the friend’s dog.
Swerling said he thought prosecutor John Meadors did a particularly good job with his rebuttal cross examination, especially when he talked about Paul leaving the video for someone to find after his death.
Paul Murdaugh, 22, was shot with a shotgun outside the feed room near the kennel. His mother, Maggie Murdaugh, 52, was found nearby, shot five times with an AR-style rifle.
Swerling said he was surprised by the verdict. To him, it is hard to imagine someone killing their son in that fashion.
“People kill their wives all the time,” he said. “Not their sons.”
He thought that was enough to create reasonable doubt for a juror or two to vote not guilty, causing a hung jury. The vote must be unanimous to convict.
He said the case was a tough one for the defense from the start. Murdaugh’s compounding lies were difficult to overcome. The admission on the witness stand that he was at the kennel, that that was his voice on the video, was damning.
The numerous financial crimes that Murdaugh admitted to on the stand showed him as a person who would steal from his family and friends — all people, Murdaugh testified, he loved.
The prosecution’s argument was that Murdaugh killed his family members to divert attention from the investigations into those allegations. Swerling said he still considers that motive far fetched.
Swerling said the financial crime evidence will likely serve as the basis for an appeal.
This story was originally published March 3, 2023 at 11:01 AM with the headline "What were the deciding factors in the Murdaugh guilty verdict? A veteran SC attorney weighs in."
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