On February 22, Netflix released its newest crime documentary, ‘Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal,’ which tells the story of an influential southern family’s descent into infamy. But unlike most true-crime documentaries on the streaming site, the case against the Murdaugh patriarch isn’t over yet. The trial had only been ongoing for a few weeks before Netflix released the miniseries.
The Murdaugh family became famous in South Carolina’s Lowcountry as well known prosecutors. They run the most influential law firm in Hampton County, and their access to generational wealth has allowed them to own multiple properties and live affluently.
Alex Murdaugh is the fourth generation lawyer to act as patriarch for the family and join the firm established by his great-great-grandfather. According to the Netflix docuseries, the family maintained its social status up until 2019, when the youngest son of Alex and Maggie Murdaugh was involved in a boating accident that killed Mallory Beach.
Paul, Alex’s son, drove the boat intoxicated, which led to him and his friends crashing under a bridge. Mallory Beach was thrown off, hit her head, and drowned in the river.
Controversies about the family followed after the incident. Everything peaked in 2021 when Alex called 911 saying he found his wife Maggie and son Paul shot on their property. The investigation later identified Alex as the primary suspect in the murders.
The now-disbarred Murdaugh was indicted in July 2022, and his trial for double murder started only a few weeks ago. On Tuesday, February 28, the prosecutors gave their rebuttal to the defense’s arguments.
Arguments of the prosecutors largely stem from a video retrieved from Paul Murdaugh’s phone wherein Alex’s voice is audible, despite his alibi that he was visiting his parents on that fateful night.
In the most recent trial, the prosecution brought in six witnesses to rebut the defense’s arguments. The points rebutted were,
- The height and build of the shooter were contested. The prosecution’s witness said the estimate given by the defense was not scientific because of too many variables at the scene to come to a good analysis.
- A theory proposed by an expert saying that there is a possibility of two shooters was called “preposterous” by the prosecution.
- The coroner who autopsied the victims’ bodies went back on the stand to debunk the defense’s statement that a gunshot to the head killed Paul. Instead, she said again that Paul died from a bullet that entered his shoulder, and neck, and exited through the skull.
- Finally, the prosecution reiterated the unclear whereabouts of Alex Murdaugh on the night of the killing. Implications of possibly fabricating an alibi have been said too.
The next step in the case is for the jury to visit the crime scene, which is a property belonging to the Murdaugh family, called Moselle in South Carolina. The visit is set to happen today, March 1, 2023. After the visit, both the defense and prosecution will finally give their closing arguments.