The disputed testimony about the upper two-thirds of the shirt, the defense says, is premised on the states argument the defendant shot and killed his son at pointblank range in close quarters inside of a closet and the resulting shotgun blasts left Paul Murdaughs blood spattered on the closet door, walls, and ceiling.. Andrew J. Whitaker/Staff, Alex Murdaughs attorney Jim Griffin speaks during his motion hearing at the Colleton County Courthouse on Friday, Dec. 9, 2022 in Walterboro. The evidence, the sources said, could have only come from one thing: Murdaugh was standing very near one or both of the victims when they were shot. Double Homicide investigation. Owen can be heard in the interview asking when Murdaugh changed clothes that night. [images via Florida Department of corrections; Alex Murdaugh defense motions], Have a tip we should know? Defense attorneys for accused double murderer Alex Murdaugh have filed a motion to compel the state to turn over material that would shed light on why an expert witness changed his opinion on the. While on the trip back to Moselle, he called and spoke to Wilson again. WALTERBORO, S.C. (WCSC) - Attorneys representing former Lowcountry attorney Alex Murdaugh filed a motion Monday morning before the scheduled start of Murdaugh's murder trial seeking to exclude blood spatter evidence in the trial. Murdaugh Murders : Evidence Links Alex Murdaugh To Double Homicide For the latest true crime and justice news,subscribe to the Crime Stories with Nancy Grace podcast. Most know about the murders, Day 2: Murdaugh lawyer says no evidence he butchered wife and son, judge allows SLED witness. COLUMBIA, S.C. The test is highly sensitive, able to detect as little as four micrograms of blood in a sample. All of the shirt samples submitted tested negative for human blood. At Gray, our journalists report, write, edit and produce the news content that informs the communities we serve. The defense also brought in Owens testimony in front of the state grand jury, pointing out mistakes made in the testimony. Murdaugh lawyers push to exclude "fabricated" blood spatter evidence These stains are characterized as being -1mm in size, and based on my experience are only caused by a gunshot or high speed machiner. Here are the latest updates on Alex Murdaugh. What will it become now? Andrew J. Whitaker/Staff, Attorney Phillip Barber talks to at defense attorney Dick Harpootlian during Alex Murdaughs motion hearing at the Colleton County Courthouse on Friday, Dec. 9, 2022 in Walterboro. The attorney insisted those missteps amounted to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) framing his client. Bevel later changed his opinion that the blood is consistent with back spatter. That report, completed earlier this year by retired Oklahoma police officer Tom Bevel, stated that the white T-shirt Murdaugh was wearing on the night his wife and son were slain featured more than 100 tiny bloodstains. Hes sitting on the bedside of his mother at her house when the coroner says the murders happened and watching a gameshow on television, he told WHNS in an exclusive interview last October. It wasnt one inconsistency, Owen said. A shirt worn by Alex Murdaugh on the night his wife and son were murdered was found to have a significant amount of high-velocity impact spatter on it from at least one of their bodies, sources. However, the report noted that for there to be little to no back spatter on the shooter or theyre [SIC] clothing is certainly possible for this incident.. The smaller stains that are present after treatment with [Leuco Crystal Violet] appear to be high velocity impact stains. Attorneys for accused double murderer Alex Murdaugh have asked a South Carolina judge to bar a key prosecution trial witness from discussing blood spatter evidence they describe in . Prosecutors allege that Murdaugh murdered his wife, Maggie, and his son, Paul, in June 2021 in a deliberate attempt to turn the spotlight away from a years-long scheme to swindle millions from. SLED charges man with assisted suicide in Alex Murdaugh shooting for $10M insurance payout, SLED investigating accusations of missing millions from Alex Murdaughs former law firm, Alex Murdaugh suspended from legal practice by SC Supreme Court, Solicitors Office says Alex Murdaugh will no longer prosecute its cases as volunteer. On March 22, 2022, Bevel gives SLED a revised report, "opining that '100+ stains are consistent with spatter on the front of the T-shirt.'" . Those spatter stains are left on nearby surfaces when a gunshot wound ejects blood and other matter into the air. Owen had testified to the grand jury that the shirt tested positive for blood spatter. Owen, an agent for the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, was made the lead investigator on the shootings after the agency took control of the investigation from the Colleton County Sheriffs Office. A motion filed by Alex Murdaugh's defense attorneys to block blood spatter testimony in his murder trial outlines new details about the night Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were killed. That was among a handful of developments that emerged from a contentious hearing at the Colleton County Courthouse as prosecutors from the S.C. Attorney Generals Office and Murdaughs legal team continued to bicker over evidence that could be presented at his Jan. 23 trial in Walterboro. The disgraced attorney claimed he arrived home after 9:30 p.m. and found his wife and son dead. Andrew J. Whitaker/Staff, Alex Murdaugh listens as his defense attorney Dick Harpootlian speaks during his motion hearing at the Colleton County Courthouse on Friday, Dec. 9, 2022 in Walterboro. I dont see any other mechanism to get so many misting stains onto (Murdaughs) shirt other than the spatter created from the shotgun wounding (of Paul Murdaugh), the motion quoted Bevel as writing to investigators after the visit. Owen said he didnt see that report until November 2022 because he never received an email notification that it was available. During cross examination, Griffin worked to discredit SLEDs investigation. Low around 75F. Alex Murdaugh Trial Calls Attention to Blood Spatter Experts Murdaugh's wife and son were shot to death. Murdaugh Family Murder Trial Is Already a 'Bloody' Fight Murdaugh had admitted to touching the bodies when he found them. Winds light and variable.. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Meanwhile, prosecutors say the front of the shirt has over 100 high-velocity blood spatter stains that likely occurred from the shotgun blasts that killed Paul Murdaugh a conclusion based on the analysis of Tom Bevel, a former Oklahoma police officer who owns and operates a self-described forensic education and consulting company. Andrew J. Whitaker/Staff. Murdaugh attorneys asking for 'blood spatter' evidence to be banned WALTERBORO, S.C. (AP) As prosecutors and defense lawyers prepare to choose a jury for South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh's murder trial, a judge decided to wait until the issues come up at trial to decide whether jurors hear evidence about blood spatter or other crimes Murdaugh is charged with.. The admission of the roadside evidence could allow the state to call Smith to the witness stand before resting their case. Alex Murdaugh gives up stake in deceased wifes estate. During cross examination Owen was asked by attorney Jim Griffin if he was aware that Murdaugh was paying up to $50,000 per week for drugs from Curtis Eddie Smith. He visited with his mother and a nurses aid, Muschelle Shelly Smith until approximately 9:45 p.m.. Owen pointed out the inconsistency in Murdaughs recollection of time spent visiting his mother that night by saying Murdaugh started by saying he was at the home for a little while before changing the story to 25 or 30 minutes in the second interview and finally 45 minutes to an hour in the third interview. A forensic criminologist breaks it down. Alex Murdaugh's Lawyers Allege Critical Evidence Was 'Destroyed' Their original 96-page motion seeks to exclude testimony about blood pattern analysis on Murdaughs T-shirt from the upcoming trial. In response, Judge Newman granted a request by Murdaughs legal team to require the state to give Murdaugh more evidence related to the Bevel report, including the analysts communications with state investigators and any other drafts of his report. Judge to decide, Russell Laffitte heads to federal court on charges in the first Murdaugh-related trial, Judge says Murdaughs SC island can be sold, 401(k) cashed out to pay lawyers and receivers, New HBO series explores Murdaugh familys grip on Lowcountry, deaths and financial crimes, Ex-SC banker Russell Laffitte says bank docs may exonerate him on some fraud charges: motion, From DNA to Curtis Smith, SC lawyers in Murdaugh double murder trial fight over evidence in court, SC prosecutors deny holding Murdaugh evidence, say defense trying to color the public view, SC judge calls abuse of power allegation ridiculous after 2017 police report surfaces, SC judge sets Thursday hearing as lawyers in Murdaugh murder trial continue to spar, Alex Murdaughs lawyers say Eddie Smith failed polygraph about Maggie, Pauls murders, Alex Murdaughs ex-SC law firm fires back after Mexican citizen sues over missing money, Alex Murdaugh SC murder trial in double killings of wife, son to start in January 2023, Judge reinstates Alex Murdaugh as defendant in Mallory Beach boat crash death lawsuit, Citing errors, ex-SC banker Laffitte moves to dismiss federal indictments against him, SC judge to reconsider ruling separating Murdaugh from Mallory Beach fatal boat crash case, Ruling in Murdaugh-Mallory Beach trial challenged on fairness, money and legal grounds, Ex-SC banker Russell Laffitte given Nov. 8 trial date on federal fraud charges, Judge separates Murdaugh from Parkers convenience stores in fatal boat crash trial, Judge loosens bond conditions for Russell Laffitte, ex-banker accused of federal fraud, Feds, defense lawyers argue over Russell Laffittes money and role in Murdaughs schemes, Murdaugh attorneys, SC prosecutors battle over leaks, evidence in double murder case, Russell Laffitte plundered SC sisters settlement under his control, new lawsuit alleges, Murdaugh attorneys subpoena SLED agents for Monday murder pretrial hearing, Paul Murdaughs cellphone video depicts happy family before killings, source says, Judge delays ruling in ex-bank CEO Russell Laffittes bid to lower bond argued excessive, Ex-banker Laffitte claims injury from Alex Murdaughs unprecedented media firestorm, Document: Prosecutors in Murdaugh murder case leaked confidential information to media, Feds hit ex-SC banker and Murdaugh friend Russell Laffitte with new fraud charge, Alex Murdaugh stole from former SC law firm and his brother, new indictments charge, Murdaughs lawyers accuse SC attorney general of withholding murder evidence, leaks to media, Alex Murdaughs lawyers want states evidence turned over in murder case. Without an opinion on whether the stains are blood stains or whether the stains are consistent with back spatter from a gunshot, any expert opinion testimony he would offer regarding the stains would not assist the trier of fact; and therefore, such expert opinion should be excluded because it will unfairly confuse and mislead the jury, the motion states. All rights reserved. That means Murdaugh would have had to be nearby if not holding the gun himself when Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were killed, according to the analysis. Solar storm on Thursday expected to make Northern Lights visible in 17 states, SLED investigating Orangeburg Co. officer-involved shooting, Funeral arrangements announced for former University of South Carolina womens basketball assistant coach Nikki McCray-Penson, Deputies locate missing Beaufort Co. woman, the defense also motioned for the court to prevent Bevel from testifying in the trial, publicfile@live5news.com - (843) 402-5555. The former Hampton attorney stands accused of killing his wife and son at the family's hunting estate on June 7, 2021. He looks at something and gives it sort of a Rorschach test.. The defense described the crime scene Murdaugh discovered as gruesome.. 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. Inside the Alleged 'Mountain of Evidence' Against Alex Murdaugh He said neither Smith nor the Cowboys gang was mentioned in any of the three interviews he conducted with Murdaugh. Simpson, others react on social media after Alex Murdaugh is found guilty, Alex Murdaugh murder trial jury begins deliberations same day 1 juror is removed, OJ Simpson weighs in on Murdaugh guilt in SC murder trial. I have to go where the evidence and the facts take me and I dont have anything that points to anybody else at this time, Owen said. Murdaugh Murders: High Velocity Spatter Puts Alex Murdaugh at Scene But Newman did not rule on the ongoing debate over whether state prosecutors should be allowed to use Murdaughs alleged financial crimes as evidence in the upcoming murder trial. The state allegedly responded saying that would be impossible because the shirt had turned black.. Read moreCory Fleming says at plea hearing he knew Alex Murdaugh planned to steal, The notorious ex-attorney Alex Murdaugh already facing more than 100 state charges and convicted of murder has been charged for the first time by federal prosecutors in a sweeping indictment accusing him of more than 20 financial crimes. What to know, Alex Murdaughs former SC law firm sues him, alleges he stole funds for years. The blood pattern analysis is likely to be crucial to both sides in the upcoming murder trial, which is set to begin Jan. 23. What it shows, Day 20: State rests, defense puts up first witnesses in Murdaugh murder trial, Murdaugh trial jury to hear new evidence about roadside shooting, Curtis Smith, Day 19: Murdaugh details Labor Day weekend shooting scheme in SLED interview, Do you think I killed Paul? Jurors watch video of Alex Murdaughs final interview with investigators, Day 18: Judge reverses course, jury will hear evidence on Alex Murdaughs attempted suicide, Murdaughs sister-in-law says she encouraged Maggie to go to Moselle the night she was murdered, Video from Murdaugh dog kennels could answer lingering question about murders, Day 17: Alex Murdaughs sister-in-law says he told her Maggie didnt suffer, Pathologist details Maggie, Paul autopsies; 2 Murdaugh murder trial jurors out with COVID, Day 16: DNA from unrelated male found under Maggie Murdaughs fingernails, Day 15: Judge denies Murdaugh defense ask for mistrial over Maggie hearsay, Mallory Beach attorney tells jury Murdaugh murders could have derailed boat lawsuit, Day 14: Defense to question Beach lawyer over his donation to Murdaugh trial witness, Official: Phoned-in threat said bomb was in chambers of judge overseeing Murdaugh trial, Murdaughs paralegal says she saw suspicious activity in the firm before familys murders, Murdaugh defense questions significance of gunshot evidence, testing of blue tarp, Day 13: After bomb threat delay, Alex Murdaugh trial resumes with car data testimony, Alex Murdaugh jurors hear testimony of alleged financial crimes, possible motive for murder, Ex-law partner says Murdaugh said he knew he was going to get caught on alleged thefts, Day 12: Gunshot residue expert explains particles found on Alex Murdaugh, clothes, 12 big reveals from the Murdaugh murder trial to catch you up to speed on the case, States theory on why Murdaugh allegedly killed doesnt make sense, SC defense attorney says, Mallory Beach family attorney testified he considered dropping lawsuit after Murdaugh murders, Day 11: Caregiver for Alex Murdaughs mother testifies at murder trial, Murdaughs financial misdeeds hang over murder trial as Pauls cell video, guns become focus, Alex Murdaugh was $4.2M in debt, overdrawn at bank, CEO testifies at murder trial, Day 10: Examiner says traces on gun, phone not enough to ID in Murdaugh murders, Chris Wilson tells court former friend Murdaugh confessed he was stealing money. See more reporting from CrimeOnline about the Murdaugh saga. Alex Murdaugh heads to murder trial: What to watch for | Murdaugh News South Carolina: Murdaugh murder evidence report In response, the state said the shirt had inadvertently turned black and could not be subject to meaningful microscopic photography. CNN Disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh has been indicted for the 2021 murders of his wife and son by a Colleton County grand jury. The final report issued at the end of March stated that the T-shirt had over one-hundred stains consistent with spatter that could only have been created by shooting Paul with a shotgun, according to the motion. Bevel asked to review the actual shirt as opposed to photos, so agents brought the evidence to him in March for a second examination. Copyright 2023 WCSC. Murdaugh attorneys file motion to bar blood spatter testimony at - WTOC For months, blood spatter was thought to be a damning piece of evidence that proved Murdaugh's direct involvement in the slayings.