Pa Murdaugh: Part III Shark Eyed Southern Gothic Oxy King

Somehow they're ALL in on it. And I mean a heavy dope smuggling operation out in the islands. I used to watch them drop it near Vero on the Gold Coast, and the cruiser with lights out picking it up. The big plastic packages with little blinking strobe lights on each...waddya gonna do? The DEA is in it too!

I never noticed how annoying Vinnie Politan and the CourtTv Commentary Team were until this case. Unwatchable.

r1 has watched Bloodline on Netflix a few too many times

Those others in his law firm acting like they are appalled at Alex's mishandling of funds, what a bunch of bullshitters. They may not have known he was embezzling that much, but they damn well knew he was doing some shit and turned a blind eye to it as long as they were making a profit.

Pa Murdaugh the family annihilator. Closing arguments just beginning.

I think he’s getting away with it.

I haven't been watching but for a week. everyone seems to think he's guilty. He evidently is a very good liar because I heard him on the stand last week and he did sound so innocent but if he really did do it why? Killing his wife and brother doesn't hide his financial schemes as they put it. Was he due to collect life insurance on them?

I think he's as guilty as he'll, but there's good odds of a hung jury, mistrial, or miscarriage of justice. Corruption runs deep there, it wasn't just the Murdaughs poisoning the legal system, it was everyone they worked with. Corruption and cronyism are probably considered to be "just the way it is", they're so embedded.

However, it looks seems like the Old Boy Network has united against Murdaugh and are throwing him under the bus to save themselves, so maybe the pressure on jurors is to convict?

Vinnie Politan has reached clown status. In the Lori/Chad Daybell case (doomsday book writer & wife who are charged with killing Lori's children), Court TV hired, as an expert, some jackass attorney who was representing both Lori & Chad. Obvious conflict and the prosecutor had to file a motion for the attorney (Court TV expert) to get out of both cases, IIRC.

R7 That's why I think it was a 'crime of passion'. He was under a lot of pressure and getting scrutiny which he was angry at Paul for. I think he just flipped that night. He told us himself that he wasn't 'capable of reason' that night.

[quote]Killing his wife and brother

Really been following the case closely, huh?

R11 Hey, pedant, we all know what they meant. People make typos and mistakes all the time on a casual forum. This isn't a professional setting.

All of which is true. But I guess in your perusal of everything this board is and isn't, you neglected to see the sign on the doorway about pointless bitchery. But that's OK, do go on and tell us what we're not. We love that.

R13 You're boring and stupid; you add nothing interesting. Probably on the autistic spectrum too. You're allowed to be pointlessly bitchy but I'm not and you don't even see the irony in that because you're so self-absorbed? Hahahahaha.

Why are people making any excuses for this guy? This was premeditated: he specifically asked for the presence of both Maggie and Paul that night. They were both problems for him; he wanted to kill both of them. Any pressure he was under was due solely to his other crimes (including, as I understand it, tapping out his own insurance due to the suspicious death of his housekeeper, which meant he faced personal liability for the boat accident). He shouldn’t be able to argue that this was the result of a crazy impulse. He made all of the choices that put himself in this position.

[quote]You're boring and stupid;

Ah, resorting to childhood insults when all else fails. Yup, that tracks.

[quote]you add nothing interesting.

My amount of W&Ws in these threads alone would disagree with you.

But you keep doing you, hun.

And let's not forget about his whole "I wasn't there. I wasn't even there. I wasn't at the property" bullshit, until they had proof of him being there, when it became "well, I was there, but I was so stoned on opioids that I was paranoid and scare of the cops. But I sure wasn't stoned and paranoid enough to kill 'em."

R17 He is scrambling so much there! I really hope the jurors see through it. He is a very good liar but his professional career shows him to probably be a psychopath so that would make sense.

I bet he regretted maxing out his umbrella insurance coverage in the Gloria S. fraud when ole Paul had his boat accident.

And it’s pretty obvious Gloria’s death was caused or helped along by Ellick in one of his multiple insurance fraud schemes. He took out a multi-million dollar policy on Moselle only one month before Gloria’s death, according to Netflix.

I wouldn’t it be fun to hear from Ellick’s insurance agent?

You know it’s just another good ole boy.

[QUOTE]if he really did do it why?

According to a poster on part 2, neither Maggie nor Paul had life insurance, but the Moselle property was in her name. It recently sold for $3.5 M. The beach house was half hers. He had just been confronted about his embezzlement by the firm's CFO, Maggie had hired an accountant and was going to file for divorce taking half the assets, Paul had confronted him about his Oxy addiction two weeks prior,, and the lawsuit stemming from his boating accident was an ongoing nuisance.

The law firm would probably have set up some repayment plan, not filed any complaints, and let him go with some cover reason allowing him to continue practicing law.

Awful lot of motives...

Juries in 2023 expect DNA evidence, most have seen way too many episodes of CSI, and the local law enforcement investigation of the murders was completely amateur. If this murderous fuck is somehow acquitted, hopefully some kind of air-tight case is being prepared to try him for his gross financial crimes.

R11 Thanks. I got a phone call as I typed that, yes it's wife and son. Was thinking of the brother when typing and got the phone call.

Anyway this prosecutor closing argument is sure a lot better than the defense attorney.

They died, he lied, now he gonna spend the rest of his days inside!

Ellick goes from a weird smirk to bawling his eyes out. Psychopath

Why is it every time they interview him he's in a vehicle?

Don't they have interrogation rooms in South Carolina?

[quote] Did y'all know Alex's lawyer is the husband of the US Ambassador to Slovenia LOL

And that he's a longtime, nationally known, power in Democratic politics.

Oh Ro Ro, puhleeze don't tell the Po Po.

The Murdaugh klan should NEVER have sold Moselle! Man, think the money they could earn at Halloween with a haunted hay ride through the estate, into the kennels, past a shooting range!

Prosecutor did an ok job. Basically, Alex is a baldfaced liar and everything he has said including pleading his innocence is a lie.

Waters the prosecutor was the lead guitarist in a metal band until about two years ago. He's an interesting guy.

Has court recessed for the day?

I keep thinking of Kevin Spacey in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

Could he make a comeback playing this new South Carolina psychopath? Is he ugly enough?

The way Alex has snot running down his face into his mouth - the only possible person to play him is Vile-Ola Davis.

I fuckin' hate Alex. I think I hate him more than I hate OJ. Smug murdering piece of shit. No soul. To murder your own son, you have no soul.

R35 I am going to vomit if this pig gets a hung jury. I am also tired of Bubba. Mommy is dead and he seems bored.

R15, I agree with you. I think it was planned

Bored and nasty, r36. To put on the display in the courtroom that trash did is despicable.

MY THEORY? ......The fancy wife was going to become very poor very quickly and Pa knew it. Mags doing her OWN laundry? Dusting her OWN mantle? No maid to order around? Unacceptable!! Kiss the beach house goodbye!!.That was a wrath Pa was too wimpy to withstand. As for Paul-Paul? Clearly the family fuck up. Paul being dead (before a civil deposition), helped weaken that case.

"I won't just get you a huge settlement, but I will STEAL your huge settlement"------The 3 a.m. infomercial..

We don't know if he did it or not, but it doesn't really matter anyway, Paul was not hot, so who cares!

Did Ma know Dad was embezzling for decades?

R42 It was nice of Ma to spend some of her last hours at the beach house. The dead maids kids didn't get a beach house but Fancy Lady Murdaugh sure did.. Just sayin'.

"I want the nicest coffin that ebezzled money can buy"

I didn't follow this story from the very beginning other than casually hearing and reading about it a bit about it. I'm not into it at all. I don't like it when MSNBC goes into the court room to broadcast Pa's testimony or such as today with the closing arguments. Stop it right now. You're making me angry.

Although this 'aww shucks' ginger Pa with his references to (I'm guessing) sons Paw Paw and Bus (short for Buster) and wife Megs is weird and eye-rolling.

This is where colonialism can be turned on its head,.

Mummify the family and send them to an Egyptian or Greek museum.

I volunteer to take Buster under my wing. He needs a surrogate daddy.

[quote] I didn't follow this story from the very beginning other than casually hearing and reading about it a bit about it. I'm not into it at all.

Which is why you're reading and posting on a three part thread about it.

R48. As stated, I have mildly heard about the case, but I have not followed it. I can comment on the case if I wish.

"Mags doing her OWN laundry? Dusting her OWN mantle? "

WHERE did the money go? Alex earned millions in legal fees and stole millions as well, and he was still scrambling for cash after poor Mallory died. Someone was bleeding him, and had bled him nearly dry, when Maggie decided grab whatever was left.

Maggie must have been an awful person as well. Less awful than Alex, of course, as she never killed or stole that we know of, but she stayed with a crook of a husband until it was no longer profitable enough to be worth the trouble. And at least one of her kids turned out to be a drunken sociopathic killer. She didn't deserve to die and she sure as hell didn't deserve what she suffered in her final moments, but damn, she must have been a cunt.

R45 and any other newbies, watch the Netflix doc. It's a good intro.

R50 = Yeah. The missing money is perplexing. I've always been surprised an expensive girlfriend (or boyfriend) hasn't popped up.

Wouldn't the drug habit explain the missing money? What advantage in killing his wife and son would there be? I have not heard they were insured, seems that should be brought up for motive.

The deaths of the mother & son leave me with the same reaction of the deaths of the Menendez parents. It was good that it was kept within a sorry ass family. Except in this instance, there was collateral damage.

He claimed to spend 50,000 a week on oxys. That's about 400 and something pills a day. No way. I agree he was probably being blackmailed. Cousin Eddie receive large checks from him regularly. Also premeditated. Defense closing today and then the prosecution gets the last word. The jury should have the case this afternoon.

I liked Waters’ closing but he confused me with his take on AM’s drug use. But, as he made clear, being under the influence is no excuse for murder.

I hope the jury gets the case around 4:45 and sends the Judge a message, "Hold on, your Honor, this won't take but a sec."

The verdict watch will be a nail biter. Will they be able to deliberate on Saturday? Some courts allow that.

^These people have been sitting through this for a month, all day long. I doubt they are as gung-ho about working on Saturday as you seem to believe...Considering how rural the area is, I wonder whether Harpootlian might not have had a few of them followed home, discreetly, to enable the defense to inquire about just how much $$$ it would take to end up with a hung jury? It ought to be pretty easy to work out, if ole Elleck's still got a lot left in his secret stash. Buster can go and get the dough. It's a certainty that the defense is just as corrupt as they can be. Elleck wouldn't have hired them otherwise. I am certain he picked Harpootlian to help keep him away from the risk of the death penalty.

Hartpootlian has been the Murdough's family lawyer for decades. He doesn't want a hung jury. He wants a win. Alex probably is broke with all the money he owes now and in the future. And the prosecution will try again if it's hung. Last thing Harpootlian wants with broke-broke.

Any defense attorneys want to weigh in? Is a hung jury considered a win since the client still has another chance?

I would want to start deliberating ASAP

If Elleck is broke, where did he come up with the ~$200,000 (I'm guessing) this is costing to pay Harpootlian and his boys? And WHY did the government allow him to use that money instead of sequestering it for his victims? Murdaugh HAS money hidden away someplace, it seems a certainty.

Juror kicked off.

[quote]I don't like it when MSNBC goes into the court room to broadcast Pa's testimony or such as today with the closing arguments. Stop it right now. You're making me angry.

Is your TV clicker broke?

$400,000 and they are on retainer.

That juror didn’t even leave the eggs she made for the others! Hope they don’t lose anymore.

The beach house from the Part Ii thread (OP, Whi is there no link to Part Ii? Get it together man!). Anyway, the beach house is already under contract so maybe that will pay the defense attorney fees. It’s nothing special, not even beachfront and erroneously marketed as a Cape Cod style house. It is not. It looks like something you would see on Beachfront Bargains on HGTV.

Defense closing arguments just came on MSNBC for anyone who cares.

^It means "Cape Cod, South Carolina"

A Cape Cod house is a 1 1/2 or 1 3/4 story house in realtor lingo. Has nothing to do with the actual style

When asked if she needed to retrieve anything before leaving the court, the woman juror who was kicked off for talking to outside people about it told the judge she needed to retrieve her purse...and a dozen eggs!!! What in hell reason would she have had to bring a dozen eggs with her while showing up to the last day of the trial before deliberations? I guess it's also possible another juror brought them to her. Either way, it's weird.

All this circus is missing is DL Fave Miss Prosecutor Freda Black.

^There is something to be said for fresh country eggs from free range hens. They are far superior to the ones in grocery stores

If these crackers come back with a "not guilty" verdict, my head is going to explode worse than Paw Paw's!

The gossipy juror with the dozen eggs is so freaking Andy Griffith show, but Hampton County is Mayberry's evil opposite in Bizzaro Universe. Covering great grandpa's portrait with a black cloth is also quaint small town, but his back story -- jeez.

r75 How power and influence works in these backwaters: covering it with a black cloth just gives it attention. Normal thinking: just remove the painting for the duration.

This whole story shines light on a foreign place caught in a foreign time.

Whatsamatter r3? did they run out of pecan pie at Costco?

[quote] Is a hung jury considered a win since the client still has another chance?

Yes, I think a hung jury would make Pa happy, in this case.

[quote]What in hell reason would she have had to bring a dozen eggs with her

She didn’t. A male juror gave each of the other jurors a dozen eggs from his farm.

In thanking the dismissed juror for her service, the judge said she had been attentive and had performed well, so I guess that means blanket-tissues-naptime lady is still there.

I thought the closing by the prosecution was pretty good. The defense closing— meh.

Proof that gingers have no souls.

[quote] In thanking the dismissed juror for her service, the judge said she had been attentive and had performed well

Except for not STFU and being a damn blabbermouth, which is Rule # 1. That's why they sequester juries.

[quote]What in hell reason would she have had to bring a dozen eggs with her while showing up to the last day of the trial before deliberations?

Maybe she planned to throw them at the defense attorney during his closing?

I bet AM was disappointed when he saw a black judge. The judge was very nice about the juror being taken out.

I wish the prosecutor had been able to say, "As you make your decision, just act like you would if AM was black." Conviction within 15 minutes.

The jury is, finally, deliberating.

Waiting for the verdict now.

I am sure they'll be finished by 5:00...Actually, if they all understand he's guilty, they'll probably stretch it out to a couple of hours on Friday, doing a "rundown" of the evidence. I think Elleck will be salted away before lunchtime tomorrow.

The "alibi" elements are all, demonstrably, concocted LIES and the defense did not come up with the slightest plausible alternative explanation of what could have happened to those 2. He told numerous people, over and over, that he had not been anywhere near those kennels that night, until they produced the video from Paul's phone showing he was lying...How could anyone not see that he's guilty? It's plain as day.

That juror and egg story would not surprise anyone who has spent any time in SC.

There’s an old quote about SC: “Too small for a republic, too big for an insane asylum.”

some weird/funny drama in the courtroom today, one jury was dismissed, and she brought a dozen eggs with her in the jury room and she needs them back!

Yes, the eggs have been discussed.

R90, do you even bother to read threads or do you have about 20 posters in this thread blocked?

Well according to some reporters, the dismissed jury made comments that she believes Alex is innocent 🙄 this doesn't look good, Alex might really walk out free next week!

I am not feeling optimistic. Does anyone have any information on the jury like age range and race?

Place your bets (and yes, it should be a poll, but I don't know how to do that).

Is Alex guilty or innocent? GUILTY

Will Alex be convicted of murdering Maggie and Paw Paw? NO

Vivian Vance is NOT an option! I've stated the boundaries now so I don't have to do it later!

Post your answers to the above two questions...

He's NOT going to be acquitted. The best to be hoped for by Ellick is a hung jury, which would mean starting all over again. Will they let AM funnel another half million dollars to the Harpootlian crew, from sources unknown, so we can do it all over again? There is no way that 12 people could find that he did not kill them.

Unless money changed hands, there is NO WAY the jury will find him not guilty.

But I can see at least one person finding reasonable doubt--just because it is difficult to believe that anyone could be as evil as Alex.

If he is retried, I can see "broke" narcissist Alex demanding to represent himself.

You just know the Murdaughs and their crew know somebody on the jury.

They didn't sequester the jury, this after they already had one juror blab. A high profile case, everyone talking about it on the net and I'm sure especially in that little town they are in. How stupid can you get?

[quote]Well according to some reporters, the dismissed jury made comments that she believes Alex is innocent

Source? I haven't seen that anywhere.

And it would be all over Twitter.

R99 if they had done that, the egg jury would not be dismissed, and because of her Alex will not be found guilty.

I have seen it on twitter

It's juror, not jury.

[quote]I have seen it on twitter

LIAR!

This fucker is guilty and it will kill me if he walks. I only hope that he'll spend the rest of his criminal life in jail for the finances.

R100 I was watching the trial live on youtube, law and crime network, a courthouse reporter discussed it with the host, they also mentioned 2~3 people sitting in the jury are more likely "pro-defense"

O.J. Simpson is betting that prominent South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh won't be found guilty in the double murder trial of Murdaugh's wife and son.

In a video posted to Twitter on Thursday, Simpson, who was acquitted in the 1994 deaths of ex-wife Nicole Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman, said that while it's "likely" Murdaugh committed the crimes, "it wouldn't surprise me in the least [if] this guy beats this case."

In an interview a South Carolina attorney discussed how Alex is funding his defense, apparently it is public record. His 401k is funding over nine hundred thousand dollars for defense and the remainder goes to the family of Malory Beach. I think he said the dollars going to Mallory's family are approximately three or four hundred thousand.

I totally believe this is a criminal enterprise that received assistance from people just looking the only way.

Grifters get help.

The jury has a verdict!

Guilty mother fucker!

Guilty.

How dare he shed tears.

FUCT

😭 [bold] THE GINGERBREAD MAN IS GOING TO JAIL

😏 That took no time at all for a unanimous decision.

But, then again, after six weeks serving on a jury panel, I'd want to get home, too.

Very satisfying.

The surviving son's Ronald McDonald red hair is also disturbing and difficult to understand.

I was convinced the jury was gonna pull an “OJ” and find him not guilty

I was pleasantly surprised

If this dumb fucker had just pleaded guilty in the first place he would have saved all the money spent on legal fees, would have been able to pay the settlement to Mallory Beach’s family, and maybe would have had some money left for his one family member he didn’t murder.

There is an untold story about this family. It's like the Chandler Halderson trial. We don't have all the pieces of the puzzle.

What do you think is missing r121?

The whole family seemed to be shitheads

Screwing the family of settlement money is another cruelty. Multigenerational scumbag grifters.

Ellick didn't kill himself!

I'm finishing up work on my mini-series on this case. Sarah Paulson is working with makeup artists and prosthetics experts to get her fat suit and makeup ready so she can play Maggie.

He was railroaded.

Ryan, will you give Darren Criss a Ronald McDonald wig to play Buster?

🕵🏿‍♂"If I Did It 2" by Alex Murdaugh, Collaborating With Legal Expert O.J. Simpson.

Yay, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY.

R127 I'm torn between casting Darren or Finn Wittrock as Buster.

Damn, the jury was out for less than three hours. Savage.

The missing pieces of the puzzle are Murdaugh's secret posse, who sadly are no longer with us. They're buried in the kennel.

Why is Buster still hanging around the courthouse?

Is he waiting for the offers to roll in?

GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY!!! I'm glad they had a jury that was not completely gullible.

I want Carrot Top for the role of Alex or Buster.

🤔 Does Carrot Top have a son?

We haven’t heard the last of this family and its crimes, far from it. There’s a lot of digging still to do. We’ve had podcasts and documentaries—now on to books and movies.

The housekeepers death for one, is being investigated.

And the Stephen Smith murder case has been reopened.

Damn, these people have a lot of bodies to account for

[quote]Does Carrot Top have a son?

No, but Chucky does.

Official Sentencing Friday @ 9:30 am

🤓 [italic] Be There !

Carrot Tops violent hair color is subdued in comparison to this

Meredith Baxter-Birney as Maggie Murdaugh

G U I L T Y !

Either 30 years or life. Sentencing tomorrow. Imagine waiting for THAT news overnight.

A-WHOLE Lawyer gets his due. Wonderful.

Sometimes after the guilty verdict the jails make the killers wear stripes for the sentencing phase. That would be wonderful to see.

So ironic that what did him in was that kennel video that Paw Paw shot, unbeknownst to him, that put him at the scene of the crime! The same Paw Paw whose reckless drunk boat crash set all these events in motion! Truth is stranger than fiction.

Love that the judge, a black man, stated from the bench that the evidence was "overwhelming" and that the jury reached the correct verdict.

Tomorrow is victim impact statements. They'll be lining up to speak against him, but I wonder if anyone will speak for him - unless the family leans on poor John Marvin to try to say something positive.

Crowd outside courthouse is applauding the prosecution attorneys now.

Vertical or horizontal stripes ?

Is it true a portrait of the Murderers ancestor located in the courtroom was covered by a cloth during the proceedings?

Has it been established that Buster is of the homo persuasion? Sorry haven't read parts I and II.

You can see in the CNN clip that Elleck knew what was coming for the Clerk read it out. The fact the verdict came back in ~3 hours certainly tipped him off that he is done for.

Now he can devote all his energies to finding the actual killers and clearing his name.

Very satisfying.

R150 Not established but strongly suspected. Rumor was he was seeing Stephen Smith, the murdered boy found dead in the middle of the road some time back

There must be a part for Cosmo Kramer in the Lifetime Movie.

He could dye his hair red.

Cosmo as John Marvin perhaps?

Yes R149, a Pa Murdaugh ancestor portrait was covered during the trial, as it was deemed inappropriate (or something like that).

Are you saying that Buster goes up into the man?

R149 The 'egg lady' might've constituted a hung jury. Supposedly she was overheard to say she believed he was innocent outside the courtroom to a friend.

Link, R159?

Portrait of the grandfather removed.

Now John Waters can make a movie about the egg lady!

I will not be surprised at all if there is a Ken Lay or Jeffrey Epstein type twist with Alex.

Can't find a link for the juror who got kicked off for talking but it was said on the radio news that she was giving her opinion he was innocent. That's where I heard it.

At sentencing I hope Paw Paw goes off the rails and admits what he did and then throws the Law Partners under the bus with him. He can name every dirty deed he ever witnessed at work.

[quote] At sentencing I hope Paw Paw goes off the rails

I'm hoping he pulls a Jimmy Swaggert.

Someone further up thread suggested and posted a pic of Anthony Michael Hall as Alex Murdaugh. He should get the part.

And YAY the ginger swamp goblin is gonna rot in prison for the rest of his life!

Paw Paw was Pa Murdaugh’s diminutive for Paul. Let’s try keep the facts, however petty, in order.

^He needs the work, and would be good in it.

Defense mistake to take jurors to the crime scene. Made it real.

The jury taking a field trip to the crime scene foreshadowed the guilty verdict.

It was interesting to watch the face of a man who so thoroughly fucked up his life hear the words "Guilty." To stand before the world and declared the murderer of his own family after a life bestowing every privilege a person could receive. That is a shameful moment few could endure. It was painful to watch him stand there and listen while the shreds of his life float away. Now he has his remining years behind bars to regret his mistakes. He will dream of parties, steak dinners, tuxedos, fine wine, and wealth, now never to be enjoyed again.

An epic tragedy.

Wtf. Dude has four bodies including the mother of his children and his son to account for.

The jury must’ve almost immediately noticed the distances involved per the highly incriminating cellular and Onstar data.

It would be nearly impossible to walk to one victim, turn them over and look for signs of life and then walk 30 feet or so to the next victim and do the same thing, and doing this after parking the SUV approximately 30-40 feet from where the bodies were discovered. The data claimed that the time that elapsed between AM’s arrival and the 911 call was only 17 seconds. There’s no way he could have done all that in that short of a time span.

Ryan Murphy's Moselle

We are so starved for justice in this country. It’s extremely gratifying to finally get some.

If he'd been acquitted, my opinion of the South would've found a new low.

I don't know if he is really guilty, but I do kinda feel sorry for him. If I was on the jury, I don't think I could vote to send an old man to prison for the rest of his life.

[quote] If I was on the jury, I don't think I could vote to send an old man to prison for the rest of his life.

How old are you, R178? AM's "only' 54.

Yes R178 that poor poor old man who admitted to stealing millions from people who trusted him. God forbid he go to prison.

R178 He actually blew his son’s brains out from nearly point-blank range and then shot his wife execution style for good measure while she was lying on the ground.

And you couldn’t put this “old man” away for the rest of his life? And, you feel sorry for him? WTF is wrong with you?

For the good of humanity, Buster should be forcibly sterilized

R178 = Buster's beard

Someone mentioned the married in real life acting couple of Jesse Plemons and Kirsten Dunst to play the couple. They’re perfect!

CourtTV says Paw Paw will NOT be wearing a suit at his sentencing hearing...YaY!!!

Freakishly tall

If there actually was a second shooter, it was Buster.

Because Paw Paw is dead, idiot!

If Alex Murdaugh was a porn star he would be named Buck Shott.

I am. frankly, shocked that the jury reached the correct decision and so quickly.

After all these Americans buying Donald's bullshit, I'd given up hope on Americans being able to see evidence clearly.

But I am so glad they said "FUCK YOU" to Alex. What a disgusting piece of garbage.

The defense had nothing to lose, as it turned out, but it did t look so clear before the trial started. This is one of those rare trials where it all goes down in the courtroom.

I guess social media and all this tech turned out to be good for something in the the end.

🤔 If Murdaugh were married to Betty Broderick, this story would have a completely different ending.

Quick, someone get Meredith Baxter, we need an Alex Murdaugh meets Betty Broderick movie!!!

Why does everyone call him 'Paw Paw'? Was that what they called him in the family?

well this is over, do we have other interesting court cases to kill the time? Bryan Kohberger is still months away

The Kohberger trial is not the same for me. Those kids were completely innocent and were just slaughter in their sleep.

Paw Paw was Paul's nickname.

Weird I know

Thanks, R197 :)

Court TV is now touting "The Doomsday Couple" - Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow Daybell. Both nutjobs and guilty as sin. He's accused of murdering his first wife to marry her; she's accused of murdering her teenage daughter and young autistic son - their remains were found buried in his backyard. She also got her crazy brother to shoot and kill her first husband. See the link below - a lot to unpack.

They were going to be tried together, but it was just decided they will be tried separately. Trial starts in April.

For the sake of humanity let’s hope r178 never serves on a jury

Alex Murdaugh is an OxyMoron.

IMO, Woody Harrelson could play Pa. Or Matt McConaghey.

Lifetime can save a ton of money by having one actor play all of them.

Thank your lucky stars Trump no longer rules the nation. Murdaugh would be getting a Presidential Pardon instead of a jail term.

Eric Stoltz can use his "Mask" makeup to play Alex

"Pau Pau and his brother Bussy."

Now that this is behind us we can focus on the gay kid and didn’t they dig up the housekeeper lady? Where are they with that.

Lady justice is not finished with these rotten people.

There is, R163.

He was buying sexual services performed by young women who were broke, on the edge of financial collapse, and desperate.

He allegedly roughed up one particular woman so badly from previous encounters, that she deliberately ran off before going into the hotel room.

R163, I misinterpreted your statement.

And no, I don’t think this POS has it in him to commit suicide.

[quote] Thank your lucky stars Trump no longer rules the nation. Murdaugh would be getting a Presidential Pardon instead of a jail term.

R204 Plenty of reasons to be thankful Trump is out of office, but this isn't one of them. Murdaugh was charged and convicted of murder by the state of South Carolina. Presidents can only pardon federal crimes, not state crimes.

Paw Alex is going to be wigless and in Jail garb at sentencing.

Of course the New York Times has this op ed up: "Why Alex Murdaugh’s Quick Conviction Worries Me".

This judge was on point. No drama. Wasn't swayed by the antics of Harpootian and his team. The jury instructions would have taken hours to read had it been another. And everyone saying it only takes one juror to disagree. The first vote was 11-1. Probably easy to convince this one juror to change their mind in 3 hours. The juror who was dismissed was said to tell people she thought he was innocent. Harpootian put up a fuss in Judge's chambers the night before as he didn't want her replaced. She could have made the difference between guilty and hung.

[quote]That juror and egg story would not surprise anyone who has spent any time in SC.

The eggs were a gift (according to a previous poster), it would be impolite to leave them behind.

Can't blame her, eggs are expensive these day!

Hangdog Elleck is going to come into court this morning wearing the new drab prison outfit that he will sport for the rest of his fucking life. He's going to look like he's aged 10 years just since last night, like a miserable, wretched, shriveled up old monkey. He is about to be condemned to being BURIED ALIVE for the rest of his existence.

I wonder is his sweet sister, 'Ginny Thomas' Murdaugh, will be on hand to lend moral support and say some words to the Court in favor of her Bro's upstanding moral character? I wonder if we could pick up any hissing in the courtroom? This family has had it. I hope the remainders of the PIMPED law firm hound Buster to the ends of the earth in search of every dime this creep had socked away.

Tyler Perry IS Pa!

R216, are you implying that Ginny Thomas is a close, blood relative of Alex Murdaugh?

Please explain.

TIA!

Ellick's Sis looks just like Ginny, and has the very same sweet personality. I can't be bothered to try to remember or find her real name.

If they had themselves organized, "Ginny" could pass Ellick a fatal does of fentanyl this morning and he could put himself out of their misery. It would be dramatic to watch him expire on live TV.

Oh, I could never do such a thing.

I'm a little weary of the prosecution painting Paul/Timmy as a sweet loveable scamp.

Pau Pau would have given daddy a run for his money in the corruption if he had lived.

Wow, Judge Newman ever so gently DRAGGED Alex's ass and I'm here for it!! Love him.

That judge is a model of what the judiciary should be. Would that he were on the SCOTUS and not that indolent asshole Clarence Thomas

The judge's son died of a heart attack from blood clots shortly before the trial began. He has no patience with a father who would murder his son.

The judge telling Alex he wishes he could give him the death penalty ("people have gotten it in this court for doing far less than you") but the State didn't ask for it. Wow.

The judge really dragged Alex and read him for filth. When Alex said he was innocent, the judge responded, "Maybe you are. Maybe the monster you became is responsible."

But stupid Alex didn't learn his lesson from his testimony that backfired. He should have let his lawyers talk for him.

JUDGE: "What say the Defendant?"

ALEX: "We got nothing to be guilty of. Our love will climb any mountain, near or far we are. And we never let it end... We are devotion. And we got nothing to be sorry for. Our love is one in a million. Eyes can see that we... got a highway to the sky... I don't wanna hear your goodbye."

JUDGE: "Bailiff, please duct tape Defendant's mouth."

Too bad they let him keep his wig and dentures this morning......

^Is that really a wig?

Nope.

I don't think that is a wig.

It would have to be a fairly sophisticated system attached directly to the head with glue. There is nobody in prison who would be able to do that.

He appeared in court earlier mostly bald, so unless he shaved his head and it all grew back, he's wearing a hairpiece.

I need to hear Judge Newman's sentencing statement read aloud by Morgan Freeman.

That's exactly what he did, R233. It's just grown back in (thankfully...he looked even more like a psychopath without hair).

[quote]He appeared in court earlier mostly bald

It looked like he had shaved his head. Probably to avoid a drug test.

He's been in the slammer long enough for it to grow back.

But it has to be dyed......

I can't imagine someone INTENTIONALLY making their hair orange like that.

I've known gingers who have done that as they aged, R238. Oddly they were all from the South.

A juror speaks

I think his hair is natural, including the color. That is how gingers age. Look at the 2 sons. Tons of hair. They don't have the balding gene, it seems. And don't tell me you only get the balding gene from your mother's side of the family. That's not how genetics work.

You typically look to your mother’s father to see how your hair will turn out if you’re a man.

Orange is the new black.

That New York Times editorial bemoaning the supposed rush to judgment just seals for me what a bizarre bubble the New York Times editorial staff lives in. It's a fucking parody of those people. They will be irrelevant within the next decade. Not just the Times but that whole "intellectual" class.

R242, that's not scientifically true.

AM had better make sure his tighty whiteys don’t have no skid marks. Jailhouse bubba won’t like a smelly, dirty hole. Then again, Bubba jus’ might plonk out Pa’s teef and make do with a warm pie hole.

Nobody in prison wants to fuck Alex. Get real. He'll be fine, as far as sexual harassment.

Alex is a psycho with shark eyes - he'll probably be one of the bullies in prison.

I didn’t claim it was, R245.

Alex will probably get along fine with the other inmates. He has an innate charm that he's used to espousing, to gain the trust of people. Plus he'll literally be the jailhouse lawyer and can barter his knowledge for Funyuns and other valuable goods. He's not like Madoff or Whitey Bulger. No one needs stock advice or murder tips. They need law advice.

From R240:

Nine, including Moyer, believed the defendant was guilty, two thought he was innocent, and one was unsure, according to Moyer.

[quote] Nobody in prison wants to fuck Alex. Get real. He'll be fine, as far as sexual harassment.

I think prison standards are pretty low. I’m sure someone would love to blow his o-ring wide open just for bragging rights. And just to make him their bitch; You’re mine, mofo, and don’t you forget it. Now spread ‘em.

He’ll be offering lots of services pro bono

Well, there is going to be a lot of black in orange, that's for sure.

I actually picture him finding a skinny young guy to bang. He is a big guy and a natural bully…doubt he would end up in the bottom-bunk.

Alex was a verbal bully, not a physical one. He’ll be squealin’ like a stuck pig.

There's probably folks behind bars who have been screwed by the Murdaughs or care about someone who was.

He gonna be in trouble.

✂ Maybe there is a Hair Styling Murderer in prison who can help Alex with his hair issues.

His family would have put all the prisoners there in the first place, as legacy prosecutors.

Hee-hee....hee....hee..... Pro boner......heee....

Old guys usually aren't the ones who get raped in prison

They’ll fuck anyone with a hole, especially if they smell weakness.

They prefer young twinks

R262 Genuinely how do you and all these other DL-ers commenting on this know that? Have you been in prison?

R264, I know guys (one gay and one straight) who've done time

Obviously young and skinny is most anyone's preference, but I can easily see Alex being revenge fucked for his family's century as prosecutor.

I did read this article once where this twink said that he had a great time in prison. Straight men with NO other options sexually are probably going to prefer a femmy man.

[quote]Funyuns and other valuable goods.

This tickled me so!

[quote]I know guys (one gay and one straight) who've done time

Did the straight one tell you about his sexual exploits while there?

[quote] ✂ Maybe there is a Hair Styling Murderer in prison who can help Alex with his hair issues.

I don't think they're allowed to have scissors. However, I do know a few people who served time and worked in the kitchen. The knife is chained down to the work station.

I did know a young, attractive, feminine-looking guy who spent half or more of his adult life locked up. He was very vain, moody as hell, and too much drama. It almost seemed like he was having fun, doing his time, frankly.

R270, I think it varies from state to state. I once read a haunting article about prisoners on death row in California. All of them were either family annihilators or serial killers. One of the serial killers ran the death row barber shop.

[quote]One of the serial killers ran the death row barber shop.

I think that shop is in Brooklyn.

^^^What crimes did he commit? I can’t imagine enjoying prison.

In some states they do teach the barber trade as part of education programs in prisons. It's usually geared towards people who are going to get out.

I meant informal haircutting. You can’t keep scissors in your cell. But yeah, I can see having a prison barber shop w/inmates learning how to cut hair.

Nobody is going to rape this old dusty creep. They might shank him though. But I’d bet he will be running the place eventually once he pays off the right people. Time will tell.

Who's gonna support Bussy?

Bus Bus needs some manpussy bad!

Bussy got kicked out of school for cheating and laying and may have murdered Stephen Smith. He most likely is another pyscho.

lying but he may have been laying too

New Alex Murdaugh mugshot from South Carolina Department of Corrections.

He could bust than manpussy wide open that's for sure for sure.

Gangbangers have fewer kills than these freaks.

R271 Wait. It wasn't THIS guy was it?

R281 That is one petrifying mugshot….

He could have been convicted on the basis of that photo alone!

Bussy looks better crying than his creepy ass smile

Bussy looks better with his head in his hands covering his face

In all the photos of the 4 members of the Murdaugh family, it’s striking to note that body language and positioning show Buster to be sidelined.

In pic after pic, Buster is a little further away from the others or when they are all lined up, Maggie or Alex’s body is turned away from him to the centre which usually involves Paul and/or Maggie.

It’s fascinating as Buster usually has a smile planted on his face…..but he comes off as dull, deadened or dissociated.

Would be interesting to know why he is sidelined: personality, preferences (a la Stephen Smith), or just a more dense persona (did not attend USC, but a podunk Uni and was booted from law school for cheating)?

Haven’t watched the trial or seen Buster speak. Perhaps someone with more exposure could proffer thoughts?

Paul was a charming asshole, Buster seems a bit dull

No way dad acted alone. This is a multi generational enterprise. That son? Is suspicious.

Am I the only one here who thinks Buster has been going along with his father's blighted scheme in hopes of holding on to whatever family money might still be available whether his father was found guilty (preferable) or not? It's the ultimate betrayal to his deceased mother and brother, but pretty functional given his career prospects. And it wouldn't, by far, be the shittiest thing anyone in this family has done. He played by their rules written generations ago.

Buster will be fine! He can make a fortune writing a book spilling all the inside secrets of the Murdaugh clan. And if he can’t write it himself a good ghostwriter is in order. The book will make him enough to live comfortably for the rest of his life….

The one I feel most sorry got in all of this is Paul…. Yes he was a severe alcoholic and absolutely should have been prosecuted for killing Mallory Beach. But he was an alcoholic because of his rotten parents pushing booze on him from a young age…. He apparently Did have a heart based on his grief when the housekeeper died, the one loving parent he had. He was a mess who did bad things but I still feel there was s shred of hope for him

Paul's girlfriend (of course it's her word because he can't argue) claims he was mad at her and said she sucks because her dad can't support their family. Also he spit on her and called her a whore. So I think he was already a lost cause. He may have been part of the set up in the death of his nanny.

Didn't know this: "He faces about 100 other charges for allegations ranging from money laundering to staging his own death so his surviving son could cash in on his $10 million life insurance policy. He was also charged for allegedly misappropriating settlement funds in the death of his housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, who reportedly died after a falling accident in the Murdaugh family home in February 2018".

Wasn't Paul the one who called 911 upon finding the housekeeper on the stairs? Or did Maggie call after Paul found her? I remember a couple of posts describing M's indifference to Gloria's injuries, trying to get off the phone quickly to attend to something else.

R289, I’ve always seen Buster described as the favorite child. In the HBO series (or maybe it was Netflix), one of the people they interviewed said Paul was the outcast and that Maggie had always made it very clear that Buster was #1.

They went as far as saying that Paul had a mother-son relationship with the housekeeper, and that she had raised him.

Wait a minute, why is Alex completely BALD in his latest mugshot?

They wouldn't have shaved his head for the photo.

But they may have confiscated his wighat.

It said shaving is part of the procedure for that mug shot

[quote]Would be interesting to know why he is sidelined: personality, preferences (a la Stephen Smith), or just a more dense persona (did not attend USC, but a podunk Uni and was booted from law school for cheating)?

Buster was kicked out of USC Law School. Undergrad he went to Wofford College, a small liberal arts school in Spartanburg.

Fresh fish special, R300.

Butch Bowers (of Mark Sanford, Nikki Haley, and Trump impeachment fame) almost got Buster back into law school. The latest is that there's "no plan" for him to return.

[quote]In South Carolina, one doesn’t seek advantage by changing ones ways. One does this by hiring a “high-powered lawyer,” as reported, “to quietly convince law school officials to give Buster another chance.”

[quote]The Murdaugh family paid the high-powered lawyer $60,000 to elbow Buster back into our state’s Who’s Your Daddy School of Law.

[quote]It was $30,000 up front and another $30,000 if the failed scholar got back in — and it worked.

[quote]The law school dean bought into it. This is terribly wrong, even with the law school subsequently delaying the readmission.

[quote]The law school attached some caveats to the Buster’s readmission — things he called “stupid sh--“ in the jailhouse calls.

[quote]But the Murdaughs feel deserving of yet more. They are adamant that Buster’s deal not only gets him back in the door, but that he return with a brand new, fake grade point average, without being unduly burdened by those pesky grades he actually earned so far.

Muriel isn't allowing the link for some reason, but it's from The State — "Murdaugh jailhouse calls show SC legal system has no smell test, or is that also for sale?"

If they let him back in that law school for a bribe, I'm going to file a complaint with the SC State Bar against the Dean of the school and its Provost.

Drinking / shirtless photos of Pa and Paul, provided by Paul's ex-GF.

R289, that's an interesting observation re: the body language. I can believe that Paul was favored, esp. if Buster was considered gay.

[quote]holding on to whatever family money might still be available

There ain't no money. In fact, he admitted stealing $11 million from his law firm. All the properties are either sold or up for sale.

[quote]Or did Maggie call after Paul found her? I remember a couple of posts describing M's indifference to Gloria's injuries, trying to get off the phone quickly to attend to something else.

Yes, Maggie called. She also got pissed when the 911 operator was asking her questions. Very cuntish.

R305, should have put a warning on that post! My eyes are burning from seeing Alex's moobs

Buster, maybe my dad can adopt you, too

Based on Paul's appearance and "vibe" in all the family photos, I assumed Paul was older than Bussy, up until just about a week ago. I was surprised to learn that Bus was the older of the two. It is still just plain INCREDIBLE to me that he is 25 or 26 years old. He acts like he's about 20.

The children of Mr. Sociopath and Mrs. Enabler seldom turn out right.

Re those "drinking" photos: my God those are some TRASHY rednecks.

What type of whomped-up trailer trash lets their tween child get drunk like that all the time?

Trash that will not burn.

Well said R313

Either that is an old photo or he is wearing a ratty korean wig. I can’t believe dl hasn’t figured out which.

R228?

I ❤️ you.

"Alex Murdaugh’s surviving son, Buster, broke down outside court after his father was convicted of killing his mother and brother, a source told The Post on Friday.

“Buster held up pretty well until the cameras were off him — but then he collapsed,” said a source who was at the Colleton County Courthouse when Murdaugh, 54, was found guilty of the grisly double murder.

“He was crying uncontrollably. The uncles [Alex’s brothers, John Marvin Murdaugh and Randy Murdaugh] finally got him into a car.”

Anyone seen this?

"The judge in Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial blasted the courtroom gallery Friday, claiming a spectator leaked a gruesome autopsy picture not meant for public viewing — the photo was erroneously published in a livestream by WGN News.

The gory photo shows Maggie Murdaugh deceased and with an entry wound just below her left ear."

🐾🐾 Paw Paw

At first, two of the jurors were not ready to vote to convict. Sounds like they were intimidated by the other jurors into doing so. Jurors are not infallible, they are human beings and just because they say someone is guilty, doesnt mean they actually did the crime.

Buster was the favorite child per the Netflix special. Also the fact that Pa didn't blow his brains out.

CrimeS. Plural.

I haven't read every Murdaugh post, so I don't know whether this has been mentioned yet:

[bold]A Murdaugh family death in 1940 was also suspicious — and eerily similar[/bold]

. . .

Incredibly, the suspicious 1940 death of Murdaugh’s great-grandfather, Randolph Murdaugh Sr. — who started the family’s legendary law firm — also led to a payout benefiting his son, who was likewise nicknamed Buster.

Details of the 1940 case were recently unearthed by South Carolina journalist and historian Michael M. DeWitt Jr., who has been covering the family for years and was featured in the Netflix documentary “Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal.” DeWitt made the discovery by combing through the archives of the Hampton County Guardian newspaper, of which he is editor.

more at link

😵 [italic] American Horror Story

Paul was a fugly piece of shit just like the whole family. Didn't he also slap the ex girlfriend after making fun of her father and spitting on her? He was entitled garbage who killed someone because he was an arrogant asshole.

^And calling her a whore. She wasn’t an ex at the time, either. Her middle-class family apparently wasn’t up to the standards of the exalted Murdaughs.

The ugly as sin motherfucker should've been counting his lucky stars he had a very pretty girlfriend who seemed to be a decent person.

remember that juror who talked to GMA this morning. guess what, he has his own sordid tales to tell.

The article above is behind a paywall, r323. Can you post it?

R323, allegedly, he committed suicide by stepping in front of an oncoming train.

He was allegedly profoundly depressed, and may have had a host of other psychological issues, which lead to real life situations in which he made poor choices, leading him down a path where he experienced real world obstacles and problems.

While I do not advocate for solutions via suicide or homicide, at least this man did not kill his family, & instead, chose instead to kill himself, when his back was up against a wall.

r305 that is some messed up family dynamics. Paul’s girlfriend in a bikini feeding Alex alcohol. WTF? The girlfriend got a good edit on Netflix but looks like she was willing to be right in the center of the shenanigans.

[quote]That New York Times editorial bemoaning the supposed rush to judgment just seals for me what a bizarre bubble the New York Times editorial staff lives in. It's a fucking parody of those people.

Agreed, R244. Painting a deliberation of less than 3 hours as if the jurors were anxious to scurry off to lunch is a disservice to them. There is careful consideration and then there is overwhelming evidence. Deliberating for hours and days and weeks makes no sense when it is not a difficult decision, however serious the weight of the verdict. Not every decision of grave weight is 'difficult' and requires endless hand wringing to arrive at the right decision.

Good lord, r281, he looks horrible without makeup!

^^That picture was disturbing. Pa sitting there in his swimming trunks, fish belly white gut hanging out, big man tittles flopping, while an underage girl in a bikini gave him shots.

“ According to PMPED, all clients that they know to have been impacted have already been reimbursed. However, “it is anticipated that additional information may become known that could lead to more losses to PMPED as it protects its clients’ interests,” according to the suit.”

According to this article, the law firm has reimbursed known impacted clients. Did the house keeper’s family receive their multimillion dollar settlement?

There’s a difference between a NYT editorial & one from a columnist. The former has the imprimatur of the paper itself, while the latter represents the views of but one writer. The “editorial” in question fits squarely into the latter category.

Yeah, that was an op-ed, not an editorial. An op-ed expresses the opinion of an author or entity not affiliated with the publication's editorial board.

It's still interesting what op-eds papers choose to publish though. You can usually tell a paper's political leaning by them.

I know the differences between an op-ed piece and a news story, thanks. In either case, it's a jaundiced for the writing of either to hint that the thoughtfulness and therefore validity of a verdict is in question due to the short period of deliberation.

Question the verdict it there's reason, but questioning the amount of time to arrive at it is akin to questioning the jurors based on the apparent gravity in their their demeanor.

Let’s talk about the real star of this saga: Daddy Beach.

Daddy Beach and his new wife belong in that thread about handsome men/less attractive women.

[quote] In either case, it's a jaundiced for the writing of either to hint that the thoughtfulness and therefore validity of a verdict is in question due to the short period of deliberation.

Oh, dear. And you were so snobby too.

Re: “favorite” child nonsense. It seems that each parent had a favorite. Or, Paul told people that Buster was the favorite. If you ask my sister, I was the favorite. If you ask me, SHE was.

It’s not that simple.

Sometimes parents are especially indulgent and permissive with the charming but fuck-up kid. And the rigid one who does everything right is just expected to accept that as his reward.

^^ Buster was a fuck-up, too. We just don’t know he killed anyone (yet).

Buster either got lucky that he wasn't there when Alex snapped or Alex sees Buster as his mini-me/heir who is preferable to Paul (and I can see why he'd prefer to bet on Buster too).

Dad needs someone sensible and with an even temper in his personal life after his dealings with Murder Inc. Murder, Inc is trying to screw his family for the settlement money they're due for the wrongful death of their daughter Mallory.

[quote] I know the differences between an op-ed piece and a news story, thanks.

You do, but that distinction seemed to be lost on the poster who called the op-ed piece an "editorial" - & the follow-up poster who signed on to that sentiment. My post was directed at them, not you.

Daddy Beach now looks to be the definition of fit-fat to me.

What’s Buster’s next move? Will he try to get back into law school? Both of those boys are repugnant but AM has chosen his heir apparent.

Randy Murdaugh sure seems to be keeping a low profile. Has he ever given an interview?

I volunteer to be Daddy Beach’s advisor…confidante…cocksucker…

Buster seems to have kept his distance. He says he rarely went to Moselle.

It seems like Paw Paw and Alex bonded over hunting.

Buster wouldn't even let dogs in the house at Moselle because of his eczema.

Buster seems like a mama's boy.

Paul was like Alex: A mean drunk.

Alex may have loved Paul but he had to take him out so he could blame the murders on someone else as a revenge killing for Mallory Beach’s death. Maggie was onto Alex’s financial shenanigans so he decided to kill her and lured Paul there too to make it “believable.”

According to DL non-fave Mandy Matney, the defense hired a bot farm for the trial a La Johnny Depp.

Glad to hear they are wasting Ellick’s money.

Ellick’s brothers are likely shady as fuck too, but at least they’re not gingers.

I didn't know that Mallory Beach's parents were divorced, in the Netlfix special they show them both and I assumed they were married. I think those kids were raised free range, surprising for Gen Z but seems like the parents let them run around a lot without supervision. Paul's girlfriend her parents both worked and I think they didn't pay attention to what was going on, they claimed they didn't know the Murdaugh family's reputation because they weren't SC natives.

r329, it's available via MSN:

[quote]. I think those kids were raised free range,

Nice eggs!

Alex is smooth this morning.......no hair from head to toe.

I wish I had met Daddy Beach post divorce, pre new wife…

If you watch Dateline, Forensic Files, etc. you will see tons of cases where the husband killed the wife (or hired someone to do it). But how many fathers killed their own grown son in cold blood? I know there are some terrible cases where young children were killed so the father could move on with a new life, but is there any other case remotely comparable to Alex’s rage?

Marvin Gaye's dad killed him

These southern psychopathic men (I’m related to some) truly think of all the people in their orbit as their property to do with as they please. They don’t see them as human beings. It enrages them if these people defy them. That mindset makes it easy to do all kinds of terrible things.

[quote]which lead to real life situations in which he made poor choices,

Oh, dear!

Can we talk about the hottest guy in this whole saga?

Anthony.

I agree, R364. Cute as a bug.

eeeew Anthony is piggy faced and rides the slow bus.

Why were 2 guns used? What’s the logic there? Were the recorded time of deaths within minutes of each other?

I'm watching the new Dateline episode about the trial OnDemand right now. They had footage from when the police first showed up at the crime scene. The first thing out of his mouth was a rant about how they were supposedly being threatened because of Paul's boating accident. I do think he wanted Maggie gone and wanted to kill Paul too so cops would think they were targeted by someone who had a beef with Paul

With Paul gone, there would be no trial for the death of Mallory, saving AM millions in attorney fees and lawsuits.

I saw that documentary, too, R368. Riveting. It was amazing that the night of the murders while police were at the kennels, friends, family, and lawyers were gathering in the gun room in the big house.

Someone recorded the scene, people milling about in a large party room, walls lined with guns, a pool table in the middle. They showed up to comfort Alex, probably heard the news on their police scanners.

R367 That's one of the many lingering questions to which we'll never get answers. (Along with: where the hell are the guns??) IMO, there's a couple of possible explanations for using two guns. Either the first gun jammed and he grabbed the next gun that was at hand, or he used two guns to make it look more like a revenge/hit on the Murdaugh family, and create the assumption that there were multiple shooters. That would also explain why Maggie had the extra "execution style" shot. All to throw the cops off of ol' Alex.

Is there speculation that there were actually 2 shooters? Possibly Buster or AM’s brother?

What happened to the clothes he was wearing at the time of the shootings?

Could cousin Eddie have been a second shooter? I think like someone else already said— the gun probably jammed on Alex.

Are people obsessed with this because of the Netflix doc? How did you people sit through that? I tried. Ii really did. But it has that feeling like a TLC tacky basic cable reality show about flyoverstan. Made my skin crawl.

IIRC, Cousin Eddie was in jail at the time

And Buster was 3 hours away

Aww, thanks r376. Hope he gets to testify in upcoming trials.

Is it common for guns to jam. [R347]?

R379, these people were hunters; I’m sure their guns were well-maintained. No, at the trial Alex and his lawyer were pushing the idea of two shooters and the murders being revenge for Mallory’s death. That was always going to be Alex’s cover story.

[quote]With Paul gone, there would be no trial for the death of Mallory, saving AM millions in attorney fees and lawsuits.

That is not necessarily true. Mallory's lawyer worried that if Paul had been killed for revenge over the boating accident, it would make it impossible for him to get a jury to side with him.

But Paul was just one defendant. Buster was still a defendant. I can't remember if Alex/Maggie were. But the case would have gone forward.

What Alex did accomplish is putting the skids on the discovery of his shady financial documents.

[quote]eeeew Anthony is piggy faced and rides the slow bus.

Good lord, not only is the bus short, but now it's slow, too! It will never get to its destination.

[quote]Why were 2 guns used? What’s the logic there?

I agree with SylviaFowler (Amy Farrah's sister) at r371 and with the young fella at r380. That was so the doubt could be brought in and make it look like there were two shooters.

[quote](Along with: where the hell are the guns??)

I don't think we'll ever know, but we do know two or possibly three of Alex's guns went missing and have never been seen again subsequent to the shooting.

[quote]I can't remember if Alex/Maggie were.

Alex was definitely a defendant in the boat case as the owner of the boat.

One has to wonder how many murders this family is responsible for, not just Gloria Satterfield and Steven Smith but going back generations. I read an article while the case was still under investigation in which local was interviewed. He said that the investigations wouldn't have happened during Alex's father or grandfather's time. If the issue was pushed someone would have would up as "food for the crabs" meaning the body would have been dumped offshore by the crab traps. Chilling. I wonder if fear is the reason why the Satterfield children didn't pursue getting their settlement.

Pa , can you hear me?

I think you mean Paw Paw can you hear me?

AM seems too rednecky and oafish to commit a crime. I wonder if he cultivated this image to seem less threatening.

I have a pretty good bullshit detector and I would have been tempted to dismiss him as a hapless dumbass. You just can’t imagine him competently stealing a pack of gum, much less millions.

I would also assume the South Carolina Bar would have been more on top of things.

Chilling.

For some reason, I don't think Buster killed Stephen Smith. I think it was Paul or one of their friends, with Buster as an accessory, going along to prove he wasn't a "fag." Just a hunch.

I'm baffled that so many are SHOCKED! SHOCKED! that a father would kill his son.

It's something in the news almost every week, at least every month.

[quote]I have a pretty good bullshit detector and I would have been tempted to dismiss him as a hapless dumbass. You just can’t imagine him competently stealing a pack of gum, much less millions.

I used to think that Alex was a stupid nepo baby who only advanced in this world because of his family.

That was until he testified on cross-examination. No, he wasn't a genius. He said some things without realizing the implications. But he was very quick and cagey. And he is also someone who, obviously, thinks he can outsmart other people and then pull the wool over their eyes.

I could see him being very confident that he could plan two murders and get away with them.

And the thing is: HE ALMOST DID. If that video by Paul hadn't been unlocked, there is a good chance that he hid the murder evidence well enough to create reasonable doubt.

Couldn't agree with you more, r391.

Wouldn't the data from his vehicle's Onstar and his cell phone have placed him at the kennels at the time of the murders?

No such shock when Chris Watts killed his two little girls - with his own bare hands!

[quote]Wouldn't the data from his vehicle's Onstar and his cell phone have placed him at the kennels at the time of the murders?

No. Alex took that into account when he was planning the murders.

He left the Chevy at the house and drove the golf cart (with no GPS) down to the kennels.

And he left his phone at the house (or in the car).

So his phone and OnStar didn't show any activities until AFTER the murders and didn't place him at the kennels.

Of course, he had no idea that Paw Paw had taken that video.

You are missing the big picture.

This family maintained a reputation as pillars of their community for several generations.

A portrait of the defendants ancestor was removed from the courtroom during the trial.

Parents killing their children may be an everyday occurrence that just is not worthy of discussion for you but these people have killed more than once, committed massive fraud and abused alcohol and drugs.

Everything fell apart at once for them but I am concluding, these grifters were permitted to grift because other people looked the other way to accommodate them.

Any guesses as to how he disposed of the guns? How much time passed between the TikTok/SnapChat video, the murders, calling 911, and police arriving?

Do the missing murder weapons make it more plausible that someone one else was there that night?

You mean OWN Star?

And remember R370 - Alex was at the hospital the night of the boat wreck going into each of the kids' rooms while they were being treated and saying things like:

"Now you know Paul wasn't driving that boat when it crashed." "Remember now when it happened Paul was in the back of the boat...." "Paul wasn't drinking, was he? Remember that now....."

[quote]Do the missing murder weapons make it more plausible that someone one else was there that night?

Only if you believe these killers who were out to get Paul, and for some reason Maggie, decided they'd forgo bringing guns and hope the Murdaughs had guns they'd let the killers borrow and the killers had access to them instead. Which they then, presumably, subsequently stole.

Now, I admit I haven't gone out on a hit, nor am I a hired professional when it comes to killing, but I would think the first tool I'd bring with me would be a way to kill whoever I went there to kill.

[quote]Alex was at the hospital the night of the boat wreck

In addition to what you said:

AND had a badge hanging out of his pocket, was telling anyone who would listen that he was a lawyer and represented them, etc.

Re the guns: to get to Varnville/Almeda, where AM's mother lived, and where AM went that evening after the killings, you have to cross the Salkehatchie River. There are 2 ways to get there and you have to cross that river going either way - it runs along the length of the Murdaugh Moselle property. It's hard to tell on Google Maps how big it is, there is no ground-level view on the roads there, but most such "rivers" in that area are highly swampy, and it seems apparent that the Salkehatchie is at least a double stream, based on the map (that would further imply swampiness). It would be at least plausible that AM might have disposed of those rifles into that water from the highway bridges ( very likely he could have depended on those roads to have no other traffic on them on a summer Monday evening). Just a hunch, but somebody ought to go look in the water around those bridges if they didn't do it yet.

Paw Paw

[quote]Just a hunch, but somebody ought to go look in the water around those bridges if they didn't do it yet.

*snap*

Dammit. Now why didn't we think of that?

/s

Hey, fucking Columbo up at r402, you might have broken the case wide open!

Oh, wait. 2021 is calling.

Apologies for what may be a stupid question, but what became of reports of a fired caretaker for the Moselle property?

It seemed a promising detail but then not - or at least any resolution.missed my attention. Might this have been an attempt by AM to focus suspicion on a fired employee and/or to remove a caretaker as witness to the murders?

Did the boating accident get national attention before the double homicide, or did that get wide attention only as a result of the murders? I’m thinking it was the former, but there have been so many permutations in this case that i’m now questioning myself.

[quote] How much time passed between the TikTok/SnapChat video, the murders, calling 911, and police arriving?

Here's some light reading for you...

R407, no one knew who these people were before Maggie and Paul were murdered. The NY Post got ahold of the story and had that supremely creepy of photo of the family with Maggie in her fur coat and Alex with those black, black eyes. The rest was history . . .

R331 and she went on trips with them. But that doesn't mean she could've know they were psychopathic killers. It's easy t enjoy thing people throw at you. It seemed like after the accident she thought less of all of them. Not defending her and could've been a good edit. But she came off as mostly genuine in her feelings.

Is there any suspicion surrounding where the body of Mallory was found? I always wondered if she had bee found earlier and the Murdoaughs had it moved hoping it wouldn’t be found. Maggie (to the victim’s mother) and AM (at the hospital) both made statements that the body would never be found.

A link, please, R390, of a father killing his grown, adult son in cold blood. I’m being honest, not sarcastic. Gaye’s father doesn’t count-supposedly drugs were involved and there was a physical altercation.

Has buster been sodomized?

Yes.

I know this is kind of way out there thinking, but... Alex's father, Randolph, died only three days after the murders. Might Alex have hidden the guns at a temporary location and stashed them in Pop's coffin? Somehow sneaks them into the funeral home. Tells funeral home staff he'd like some final time alone with his father, shuts the door and shifts pops around and stuffs.

R412, I’m not R390, but do you actually believe that every conceivable type of murder hadn’t happened repeatedly throughout human history? This is just from last year.

Obtuse. I don't understand why you don't understand that this case involves exalted members of a closed and elite society flaunting the rules of law in every possible way.

It's flouting, not flaunting.

Anyway, a parent killing a child is called filicide. I don't know if there's a more specific term for a father killing his son. Here's a list of historical filicides, including Marvin Gaye and John List, who killed his mother, his wife, two sons, and a daughter. List was from New Jersey; murders took place in 1971.

Pedantic. Obtuse. Contrarian.

Harpootlian sounds like a Dr. Seuss character.

[quote]A link, please, [R390], of a father killing his grown, adult son in cold blood.

Here you go:

[quote]Just a hunch, but somebody ought to go look in the water around those bridges if they didn't do it yet.

And now ya tell me Bussy Joe done dumped 'em off the Salkehatchie Bridge.

📚 I wish Ann Rule was still alive to tell the sordid tale of the Murdaugh Family. Imagine what a great miniseries her book would make.

I don’t think the boating accident was motive. It may have just been one more reason that sent him over but this is not a logical thing here. I think he got worked into a rage and killed them. Maybe he thought they were going to snitch on something. Who knows.

^ This was clearly premeditated, not a crime of passion.

Oh my God, did people not watch the trial t all?

Alex is a hunter, he knows not every shot is a kill. He loaded the 12 gauge with a cartridge of steel pellets and a cartridge of bird shot. He intended to use the steel pellet on Paul and the bird shot on Maggie, he brought the Blackout AR-15 in case anyone made a run for it.

His first shot at Paul caught him in the chest muscle and the pellets exited across his chest and through his arm, per the forensic pathologist it was totally survivable. Paul slowly walked at him, Alec probably tripped moving backward and then fired again and that shot went up under Paul's neck/jaw area and the expanding gas in the skull caused the brain to explode up and out of the top of his head.

Alex planned the murder to deflect from the upcoming Mallory Beach hearings so the public sympathy would buy him time. Mark Tinsley the Beach attorney testified in court that he suspended any action in civil court due to the trauma Alex was suffering over the murder.

Alec used the same style of scenario with the road side shooting with cousin Eddie the day after Alec was fired from the law firm due to his financial misdeeds coming to light.

Killing two people just to get 'sympathy' doesn't make much sense as a motive to me.

If the Snapchat video did not exist I would have a hard time voting guilty if I was on the jury. Without the video the DA would not have enough evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt.

And two jurors had to be talked into a guilty verdict. This was a close one.

Thanks Bubba and technology.

---Miss Maggie and Paw Paw

I wonder about Alex's emotional state when he killed his wife and son. Did he do it out of anger or revenge? Or, did he feel it was the only way out of his problems and feel sad about it? And was he already planning his own suicide as the second act of his spree? Why didn't he kill himself as planned? Did he chicken out?

R409 and R407 Indeed. And here is the very first DL thread on the Murdaughs.

[R431], AM stated he wanted to be killed rather than committing suicide so Buster could cash in a multimillion dollar life insurance policy upon AM’s death.

[quote]I don't understand why you don't understand that this case involves exalted members of a closed and elite society flaunting the rules of law in every possible way.

Did you look through the file of "drinking pictures" posted up above? These people were not the exalted members of *anything.* They were the acme of pure, Southern TRASH, that's all.

The reasons Alex killed Maggie were: 1) she had hired a forensic accountant 2) she was going to divorce him and take 1/2 of everything he had 3) he was going to have to pay alimony to her for the rest of her natural life. Daddy killed Paul because: 1) he had the boating accident that killed Mallory Beech, bringing unwanted scrutiny on the family 2) The settlement for the boat wreck was going to cost millions of dollars 3) because people were mad at Paul for the wreck, Alex could set the stage for the killing of Maggie (as collateral damage) AND Paul, and set someone else for the crime 4) Paul had found Alex's drug stash, and told Maggie (and he was afraid they'd force him into rehab and/or drop the dime on him to the DEA)

You need a really excellent writer to cover all three generations of Murdaugh evil doings. Someone like Joe McGinness, Truman Capote, or even Norman Mailer. Not some twerp who has a podcast or YouTube channel on crime.

That all sounds great, R435, and I figured something similar must be behind what happened. But I am pretty sure that reasons 1 through 3 have been found to have nothing but gossip behind them. Right? There's no credible evidence, not that they might not be likely, just no evidence. If Paw wanted to deflect attention re the boat accident, killing Paul was the only real way to go, to make it look like thugs from the Beach family were out to get him, in revenge. I imagine Paw's drug-addled mind could have come up with such a scheme. He was going to be in a desperate fix once Beach's attorney Tinsley really started digging into his finances. The whole plot of Paw's is so deranged that its nonsensicality is the only thing, for me, that argues he MIGHT not be the killer, it is just so crazy (and stupid, really).

Looking at his newest mug shot, I'm picking up some Caitlin Jenner energy. Maybe he'll transition and get into the women's prison, so he can experience being with a woman again before he dies.

Alex and Maggie were living apart...She knew something was up, and she WAS planning to divorce him. Something that did not come up in the trial, because it was believed to be immaterial to the case, is that they had almost divorced several years ago. Maggie had found out Alex was having an affair, and their marriage had barely survived that. The infidelity remained a source of contention ever since. TheNetflix documentary was where the information about the hiring of a forensic accountant.

[quote] Alex and Maggie were living apart...She knew something was up, and she WAS planning to divorce him.

Whether they can be believed or not, both Maggie's close friend & sister denied this.

One of the docs reported that the only person to stand up to speak about Paul at the funeral/memorial was a law colleague of AM who hadn’t spoken to Paul in over 10am years.

Why didn’t Buster speak on behalf of his brother? Grief?

Will we learn more about Buster and Maggie in the coming days, months, years?

[quote]no one knew who these people were before Maggie and Paul were murdered.

That is not true. I was following the case after the boat death. There was even a podcast and documentaries.

Yes, the murders blew the whole thing up far more, but many people were already aware of the family, the boat crash, the death of the housekeeper, and the death of Stephen Smith before the murders. That is why the murders--and then the "roadside shooting"--were so shocking because they significed MORE deaths.

[quote] That is not true. I was following the case after the boat death. There was even a podcast and documentaries.

I still can't be sure when I became aware of this family - after the boat death or the murders - but your post offers the posibility that it WAS after the boat death. Since Paul was the scion of this longtime prominent family, it makes sense that his involvement - & his powerful family's attempted cover-up - would be so newsworthy.

DL fave Mandy Matney started digging into the family after the boat crash. So they were on the radar.

In Southern, Protestant circles, family members often don’t speak at funerals / memorials. It’s deemed “tacky” and overly emotional.

I still cringe a bit when I go to Catholic services and they have all the family members speaking.

I’ve known families like this. Not criminals, but wealthy trash. I met a few in college. Never hang out with rich rednecks.

They are white trash with money

Like the Trumps

"These southern psychopathic men (I’m related to some) truly think of all the people in their orbit as their property to do with as they please. They don’t see them as human beings. It enrages them if these people defy them"

Exactly, so that makes me wonder about the murders. Maggie was the one who was both defying the malignant narcissist and threatening to ruin him financially, she is the obvious target for the worst kind of narcissistic rage. Yet... Paul was shot *first*!

Which makes me think that there ws some other issue between Alex and Paul, not just the issues associated with the fatal accident, but that the horrid little Paul had also done something to trigger Alex's narcissistic rage. Something that made him even angrier than the threat of a forensic accountant.

R447, it’s also possible that a reasonably intelligent killer would want to get the young man out of the way first to prevent him from fighting back.

Was it ever confirmed that Maggie had seen a forensic accountant and/or wanted a divorce?

Poor Pa, in a cell all by himself, in a fecal position.

Why would Alex want to leave Buster money? If he is so cold blooded he could kill one son I have a hard time believing he truly cares about the other one.

He didn't. If Alex really wanted to be dead he's be dead.

Murdaugh was extremely proud of his heritage. He chose Buster to carry on his name.

[quote]Alex and Paul, not just the issues associated with the fatal accident, but that the horrid little Paul had also done something to trigger Alex's narcissistic rage. Something that made him even angrier than the threat of a forensic accountant.

I suspect that the "Little Detective" found Alex's stash of pills and flushed them. That would enrage Alex.

It also seemed like a very personal thing to do to Maggie--have her know that he had savagely killed Paw Paw before she died.

He may have wanted Buster to inherit the millions knowing he himself would access that money in some way. He probably thinks his case will be overturned and he will be free again one day. Buster and the millions could help make that happen.

[quote]He may have wanted Buster to inherit the millions knowing he himself would access that money in some way.

I don't think it was ever proved that there was an insurance policy.

It was probably just another Alex lie. He never wanted to be killed or he would be dead.

I think he wanted to lure Eddie there and kill him, claiming that Eddie threatened to "finish off what he'd started at Moselle when he killed Mags and Paw Paw, but I got the gun away from him and shot him instead. The Lord was protecting me as I avenged Mags and Paw Paw! [sobbing with no tears]"

R455, there are many other criminal charges pending against Alex, including for theft and money-laundering. All of the money that Alex stole, if any of it still existed and could be accessed by Alex or Buster, would have to be forfeited.

Alex took out a 12 million dollar life insurance policy on himself but none on Mags and Paul Paul. I agree with your theory of events R456. He was setting cousin Eddie up.

^ I think he wanted to kill Eddie on the roadside and claim it was self-defense, that Eddie had tried to assassinate him, and therefore MUST also have been the true killer of Maggie and Paul. Eddie is low-down scum but he seemed, when interviewed, to have been actually surprised by Alex's mysterious shenanigans on the highway when he showed up, ostensibly to help AM with his vehicle.

It’s such a small detail, but what about this page from the redacted police report?

The names highlighted all have the same thing in common. They were at the scene of the crime when police arrived: there’s a date, their name and a code number. The number following the name is either “27” or “29”. “Gibson” appears with a “27” after his name.

We know that there’s a family friend named “Gibson” whose dog was being kenneled there, and we later discover that Paul had sent the Snapchat to him, showing Gibson his dog’s injured tail. So he may have been considered a “witness” even if he wasn’t present. But how did his make appear so early on in the police report if investigators didn’t find the video until much later?

It’s immaterial now, but I’ve always wondered why his name appeared in the police report, lumped in with the other principals on the same date, in the same format.

I agree that it was a very personal thing for Alex to make Maggie watch him kill Paul. She literally saw her son’s brains blown out before her husband started firing at her.

From the link at R418 about parents killing their spawn, this interesting painting of Postumius after killing his son for betraying his orders. Painted by Domenico Beccafumi in the early 1500s.

I'm greatly intrigued by the fabulous nude figure to the left of the painting. Obviously male, the person sports a feminine hairdo. In addition a woman below the nude figure is showing the dead body to her toddler who is grasping her exposed breast. Apparently people took their children to murder scenes in those days.

It's not just the Murgaugh's who had some crazy stuff going on in their crowd.

In the 911 call after the murders, the old man says his wife & son have been shot “badly.” Seems to me the shooter(s) did a good job.

Wait, why would Eddie want to kill Maggie and Paul? Or Alex for that matter? That theory doesn't make sense to me.

[quote]Why would Alex want to leave Buster money?

It's a family dynasty. Paul is the clown, the fuck-up so Buster is his better bet to continue the family line.

Buster who might be GAY?

R466 Buster who has a gf... so even if he is gay, he's committed to the straight life.

How come Buster doesn’t have his dad’s accent?

AM did all of this because of money/power. Shutting down a divorce and a very expensive trial were the priority. Paul was facing 55 years, that easily could have cost AM a million bucks to defend him. Maybe more.

If you really think about it, his plan was good and would have worked, if not for that video. I think his attitude was “no risk, no reward” so he was willing to go big.

Buster is strongly implicated in the murder of Stephen Smith - he might have even been Smith's actual murderer who lured him to his death. That's why Buster has stood up for his father despite the overwhelming evidence against him: Buster's entire fate rests upon his family retaining power in their local fiefdom.

Randy Murdaugh has come out saying he hasn't spoken to Alex in ages, that he respects the jury's verdict, and that Alex has some 'splaining to do.

That said, I still want to know Randy's involvement in Stephen Smith's death. Stephen's mother saw Randy at the crime scene, which Randy denied, and then Randy called Stephen's dad to offer free legal services in connection with his death.

Something ain't right there.

I think Randy is dirty too but trying to protect his practice by distancing himself from Alex.

[quote]Wait, why would Eddie want to kill Maggie and Paul? Or Alex for that matter? That theory doesn't make sense to me.

Alex needed to find the killer of Maggie and Paul, in order to divert suspicion from himself. By luring Eddie to the scene of the "suicide" set up, I firmly believe that Alex intended to kill Eddie right there, and then contend that Eddie had tried to assassinate HIM at the roadside, thereby making everyone realize that (for reasons completely unknown) Eddie MUST have been the one who also murdered Maggie and Paul, because he was ALSO attempting to kill Alex. It fit in with Alex's scheme to place the blame on the Beach family for the murders, w Eddie as the hired assassin engaged to get revenge for the Beachs. Eddie did not back up Alex's subsequent claim that Eddie was supposed to go to the scene and kill (or even shoot) Alex, instead Eddie said Alex summoned him to the roadside, claiming to have a broken down car, and needing Eddie's help. As soon as Alex brandished the gun, Eddie said, he fled the scene. I think it was a pretty smart move on Alex's part, if that's what he was attempting; if he had pulled it off, he very likely would have been able to get away with all 3 murders. It was certainly a harebrained scheme, but more plausible than the given explanation that it was a roadside "assisted suicide" for insurance proceeds, gone askew, teehee.

There isn't that much distance available on this continent.

Randy and John Marvin have their fingerprints all over these crimes. I have come to the conclusion that Alex is too fucking dumb to have been the only brain behind this mess. I wonder if Alex was ordered to get rid of his belligerent alcoholic progeny before his antics took them all down.

A jury may have convicted Alex, but that doesn't mean he actually did it. It's all circumstantial.

^^ A Murdaugh relative has entered the chat.

The young male juror is such a cutie. And I love his Southern accent. He's definitely boyfriend material.

"Randy and John Marvin have their fingerprints all over these crimes."

The financial ones, absolutely! But I don't see why they'd want Alex to commit a family annihilation, although they would probably have been *very* happy to see Maggie die before she could bring in the forensic accountant.

They were probably all in the financial crimes, and I'd very much like to know what they've done to keep Alec from bringing them all down with him.

They are likely (secretly) funding his defense - - - and the upcoming appeals.

I don't think he ever intended to give Buster a single penny of the money,

R4356 Tennessee Williams (were he around)?

"I had to sweep up Paw Paws brains and skull" ----(cue tears)............I'm surprised they didn't make the maid do it.

no joke----CourtTv got the EXCLUSIVE interview last night with a woman who sometimes did Maggie Murdaughs nails...And she said Maggie wanted a divorce!!...CourtTv is good for watching a trial. But Vinny and the rest of their commentary sucks.

R436 (Tennessee Williams) that is. Typing with a cat on me.

How are you so certain that Maggie saw the son’s shooting? Nobody was there to know if that was true. Get a grip.

Also whoever proposed that he shot his wife and son to buy a few months in the civil trial is just crazy. There was no guarantee of a delay and what does a few months do?

Maybe they were into drug running with the planes. Maybe they were going to divorce and or testify against him for something. We have no idea why he shot them. And I haven’t heard anything believable in here.

R435 is probably the closest. They were most likely silenced.

If he wanted to punish Maggie he would have killed buster.

R475, most murder cases are circumstantial, as few such cases are witnessed.

R475- too stupid to live.

No way did Randy or John Marvin have any thing to do with ANY of the crimes, financial or murder. Alex is your sociopathic brother, liar thief schemer murderer. Sometimes you have an outliner in the family. Alex was it. Now Buster is another story. He knows what happened to Stephen Smith if he didn't do it himself.

R477 I think it's funny that ALL of the jurors said that Alex shot himself in the ass by testifying. He just made it worse for himself.

Fuck Alex and his "Paw Paw" crying act.

The jurors saw straight through that and knew what a manipulative phony you are.

One of the jurors saying Alex took the stand because he was confident in his ability to pull the wool over the jury's eyes was right on the money.

John Marvin seems naive to me. I bet he was not involved in any of the crimes.

Randy, on the other hand, seems shady. He kept showing up like a bad penny, like when he got involved with Stephen Smith's family IMMEDIATELY after the murder.

I think Alex's daddy was involved in the financial crimes. I think Alex learned how to skim off clients from him. Alex gave $300,000 of the Satterfield money to his father.

R489, I'd question whether there are "outliers" in this family. They are the product of generations of entitlement and overreaching.

Thank you. Outliers. Alex would regularly borrow money from his father. 650,000 at a time. He paid him back with the Satterfield money. His father was one person he always paid back. When his father died he knew that money stream was dried up. Another pressure to pile on.

[quote] When his father died he knew that money stream was dried up.

I would think it would be the opposite, as he would anticipate inheriting money.

But I bet his family handled such things as mine does: The assets are rolled into a trust and only released to the children when the mother dies too.

One of the jurors is asked in that Today clip how all the financial crimes influenced them.

She answers, "We were only allowed to use that to prove motive." That is the correct answer. But she goes on to say, "But it showed how much he lied and manipulated."

That would go to character, not motive.

The defense will probably quote her in its appeal to show how letting in the financial crimes tainted/prejudiced the jury regardless of any limiting intructions.

That's why I generally think it's a mistake for jurors to talk after the verdict. They aren't lawyers so they often mess up. Like that silly gay who hadn't divulged being sexually abused before he was chosen to be a juror for the Ghislaine Maxwell trial but then said he'd swayed the jurors by talking about it. However, the judge decided the verdict would stand and I'd expect the same to happen here.

The whole family is rotten, brothers/sister included.

Alex's sister is a cunt.

She was rolling her eyes at Judge Newman during sentencing.

[quote] Like that silly gay who hadn't divulged being sexually abused before he was chosen to be a juror for the Ghislaine Maxwell trial

That dumb ass should have divulged that he'd been sexually abused.

The Murdaugh jurors seemed like they knew they were only supposed to consider the lying evidence for motive, so that should be OK.

If the jurors weren't supposed to consider the financial crimes for anything other than motive, I doubt the judge would've allowed the line of questioning by the prosecutor regarding his "looking people in the eye and lying to them."

Further, Alex got on the stand and told the jury he lied directly to them with respect to being at the kennels on the night of the murder.

I just watched the 48 Hours trial re-cap.

Another compelling piece of evidence came from Pa's phone, which had a FitBit-type monitor on it. The prosecutor said that the murders happened within a ~ 6-minute time period. During that period, Pa's stepping activity spiked. He took something like 287 steps, which doesn't sound like a lot, but it apparently was, in context. Prosecutor cross-examined Pa about being on a treadmill, doing jumping jacks, etc.

I think Pa would've been convicted even if he hadn't testified. Further, I think he would have complained about that in his appeal (my attorneys wouldn't allow me to testify).

Harpootlian reminded me of Lindsey Graham.

^ He is a longtime Democratic state senator, a power broker in national Democratic politics, & a big Biden supporter.

The county is well over half African American. You need to be a Democrat in Hampton County to be elected.

His mannerisms still remind me of Graham or that character from King of the Hill.

AM was not an outlier. One of the docs had several people talking about how one of the senior Murdaughs would “get rid of people” by “feeding them to the crabs”, if memory serves. Also, Randy is shown at the hospital with AM setting up Paul’s friends for a criminal case.

Will AM’s cases be retried since he’s confessed to be a lying, manipulating, unethical attorney? Seems like generations of cases didn’t get fair trials in his jurisdictions (the Murdaughs worked in several towns/counties).

^ Hope some journalists go digging into the stories of the older Murdaugh generations

R506, someone I know was convicted by a DA who was later found to be faking evidence, and who was fired and disbarred. His conviction was not automatically overturned, he's trying to make that happen through legal channels, but that takes time and money.

No details, I do not have the person's permission to discuss this.

You mean, from that jurisdiction r508? Don’t worry, I’m sure there will be MANY cases coming out from these crooks.

Different jurisdiction, R509.

I only brought it up as a possible answer to the question about overturning convictions above. It's not automatic, at least not where I live.

I think somehow AM will be out of prison in 7-10 years.

R511 And I think he's dead in prison within 5 years. Wanna bet?

Absolutely, I do not think AM will kill himself.

Who said suicide? There are people with grievances against him in prison and there are people who want him quiet.

Well, Alec has gone through a detox. He's now clean and sober, unless he's found a source in jail. IMO, he looks healthier now than he did a couple of years ago. He can help his fellow prisoners write habeas corpus filings, etc. He also probably has commissary money and can buy and barter snacks and toiletries in jail. I think he'll be OK in there.

Nobody is going to touch a hair on his half bald head.

If his deception resulted in some of those prisoners spending years of their lives behind bars, then yes, he has enemies who may want to take him out.

Paw got sentence to life without parole. Unless his convictions were to be overturned somehow on appeal, he is NEVER getting out of prison. The likelihood of the convictions being overturned on appeal is just about ZERO: the Court system has a strong incentive to let this mess die away. The grounds that have been stated, that introducing evidence of AM's other crimes tainted the jury, will not be considered to have overwhelmed other credible evidence that could have caused a reasonable jury to find him guilty (these are legal standards), and so the appellate court will find that there is no basis to overturn the convictions. He's gonna stay put and get convicted of a whole slew of financial crimes, as well. I do believe there is some good chance that an irate inmate may just beat him to death.

Really evil people are often hard to kill.

Yeah, like Whitey Bulger. It took all of about 3 minutes to beat him to death.

R506 Not Randy at the hospital- it was their dad with Alex.

R515 Ironically, Alex had ZERO idea of what a writ of habeas corpus was! Seriously- go listen to his phone calls on YouTube. I suspect he was a terrible lawyer.

The ancestor Randolph. Murdaugh, born in 1887, was actually handsome (and dark haired)! At least from the old photo at the wiki article about the family.

WTF happened? Some poor breeding choices along the way.

People who wonder how the jury could reach a verdict so quickly must be taking some of AM’s drugs.

As the 48 Hours story makes clear, once Alex admitted to being at the scene, it became an open and shut case.

The tell tale video on Paul’s phone captured Alex’s voice outside the kennels at 8:44 pm.

Paul and Maggie (and their phones) died at 8:49.

Alex expects someone to believe he left right after the recording and in the remaining two minute window, a pair of killers arrived unseen, and, unheard, by him (or anyone else), pumped rounds of ammunition into Paul as Il and Maggie’s bodies, and then slipped out.

[quote] The likelihood of the convictions being overturned on appeal is just about ZERO

Respectfully, serious convictions get reversed quite a bit of the time. Does it mean that someone in prison will be released? No, but it does mean that they might get a re-trial. That is why a plea of guilty or no contest is more stable, as far as a conviction. There are multiple ways to take things apart after a trial.

[quote]He also probably has commissary money

Only as long as his family doesn't turn on him.

[quote] No, but it does mean that they might get a re-trial.

I'd love for him to come up with yet another story.

Who has access to a criminal’s estate, in this case AM, once they are behind bars? How is that handled? Small things like turning off cell phones, paying bills, selling cars, cancelling insurance plans, . . .

The executor. If Alex didn’t have one, I imagine the court will appoint one.

He's not dead, he's incarcerated. Isn't an executor for a dead person?

dam shame his sons is so damn ugly huh......god dam red haired inbreds.

R530 I don’t know - maybe it would be a trustee?

Maggie told the woman who gave her a pedicure the day she was killed that she was going to divorce Alex.

R532, trustee or someone with power of attorney. I'm not sure how much in assets are left after a 20-year Oxy party w/possible sports or whatever gambling thrown into the mix.

Prosecutor looks like George Costanza’s boss.

When I read he drove down there in a golf cart so no gps and without his phone to ping his whereabouts I knew then.

And the investigators found a blue raincoat at the home covered in gunshot residue – with prosecutors claiming Mr Murdaugh used the item to transport and dispose of the guns used in the murders.

Pretty telling.

During the trial, because Pa testified, the jurors were able to know exactly what his voice was like. The kennel video contained his voice, but not his image. Jurors said that when Pa admitted that was his voice, it was huge.

^Weren’t they already able to hear his voice through his many interactions with the police?

If Maggie really did tell the manicurist that day that she intended to divorce AM, perhaps having said that in the earlier part of the day got her up the nerve to say it to Alex that evening at the house (presumably at some point when Paul was out of earshot). Considering the fact that Alex had been asked earlier that same day about the whereabouts of the $792,000 that was missing from his law firm's account, he was under the kind of intense pressure that could have easily caused him to snap and commit a spur of the moment murder, to keep Maggie from making off with all the family money or further exposing him for the decades-long fraud he had been perpetrating.

That still doesn't jibe with the fact that Maggie told the housekeeper that day that AM had asked that both she and Paul join Alex for supper at Moselle that evening, indicating that AM had something in store for the both of them *before* the family had gotten together there. AM's klutzy precautions about keeping his cell phone away from the kennels and not driving his car back down there indicate that he had sort of thought through the killings ahead of time, to me. He had come up with a way to show that he hadn't been down there at the time of the killings, and further concocted the trip to his mother's house and making all the cell phone calls from his car, to show that he was away from the property...(as Bugs Bunny says, "What a maroon!!")

[quote]and can buy and barter snacks and toiletries in jail.

Skanks and Toblerone! Yum!

R528 I'll do it.

At first, I was stuck by how little DNA/gunshot evidence there was and wondered if that meant Alex wasn't guilty.

But then I realized that the lack of DNA/gunshot evidence was BY DESIGN.

As Alex weirdly told his sister-in-law: "Whoever did it had planned it for a long time."

Alex ditched anything with GPS (his car and phone) to go to the kennels. Had the weapons ready. And also had a tarp to put his clothes and guns in. He washed blood etc, off himself with a hose and then drove the golfcart back to the house naked. He then immediately set about establishing an alibi and getting all evidence away from Moselle.

If it hadn't been for the video Paul took proving Alex was at the murder site moments before the murders, I think Alex may have gotten away with it.

He was so focused on the well-planned crime that he failed to notice that Paw Paw was recording the dog with the chicken in its mouth.

R543 I think Alex was so focused on the dog with the chicken, he didn't look at Paw Paw. The video was very short and taken inside the kennel.

Also, Alex must have been very preoccupied with knowing what he was just about to do.

Someone told me something about South Carolina one time and it stuck with me all this time, so much so that it is what first drew me to this sordid tale.

They told me that in SC, that all the drug dealers work for state politicians. It always stuck with me because of the detail involved but let’s just leave it at that. It sent chills down my spine.

I think this is just the tip of the iceberg.

People are wondering why Alex doesn't just plead out on the financial crimes, as he is going to spend the rest of his life in prison anyway.

But Alex likes attention. And the financial crimes will allow him to put on civilian clothes, get away from prison, and eat good food.

Yeah, going to trial has got to be a nice break from the prison grind for Alex.

He received TWO life without parole sentences to run CONSECUTIVELY.

He's in jail until he dies - and then he stays until he dies AGAIN. He will never be out of prison.

Never say never.

[quote]If his deception resulted in some of those prisoners spending years of their lives behind bars, then yes, he has enemies who may want to take him out.

Even without deception. If he's responsible for those prisoners being behind bars...fuhgeddaboutit.

Not to wish harm on anyone, but I would like him out so he could kill again. This story’s too good to end just now.

But it's not ending. He's got several upcoming trials. 99 of them, I believe.

Hey r551, you can always pin your hopes on Buster.

For some reason, R551’s post reminds me of the Star-arranged press conference in 1992 when Gennifer Flowers was asked by Stuttering John if she had plans to have sex with any other presidential candidates.

[quote] He will never be out of prison.

It amuses me to think about those prison calls to Buster. Dah Dah was clearly under the misapprehension that he would live outside a prison again.

I laugh at him saying "When I get out of here." Loser.

[QUOTE]Alex ditched anything with GPS (his car and phone) to go to the kennels.

Yet, neglected to take such a precautions on the back end of the crime. Maggie's cell phone was found at a spot by the road that Alex drove by shortly after the murders, implying that he tossed it. He placed the 911 call after only 17 seconds after arriving back at the murder scene per his car's ONstar or whatever it's called. He said he had checked both bodies, something he couldn't have done in 17 seconds.

Maybe he was caught up reviewing the events of the evening -- wondering whether he'd gotten rid of evidence effectively, thinking about possible loose ends, or recalling his conversations with his mother's caretaker and the housekeeper that he lost concentration and focus on the task at hand and didn't pause for a couple of minutes to make the timing look right. I've read interviews with LE experts who say it's extremely difficult to pull off complicated crimes like this. Human factors like stress affect cognitive functions and inevitable mistakes are made.

But even if there was plenty of evidence re motive, means, and opportunity it really sounds like a conviction wouldn't have been obtained without Paul's recording.

Yes, R556, but with the initial two murders under his belt, maybe he can up his game next time.

[quote]I've read interviews with LE experts who say it's extremely difficult to pull off complicated crimes like this. Human factors like stress affect cognitive functions and inevitable mistakes are made.

True. If criminals were smart, we'd be out of business.

I wonder if Paul had enough time to process what the fuck was going on. I recall in the Northridge earthquake of 1994, for about 5 seconds I had NO IDEA what was going on. And suddenly "Oh shit earthquake. I'm in southern California, and earthquakes happen here."

I wonder if he thought "The bastard actually did it." I doubt Maggie had time to process anything. So horrible to consider.

I read that Maggie backed up, that's why she had tread marks she backed up against a vehicle. So she must have known what was going on?

I wonder if he SAW him aiming at him? I have not gotten into the story enough to know.

He also lied about being there the first time, you know, when he killed them. Seems like a thing he would not forget about that he did or that was there. Why would he lie? Hmmm. Then he even went back and saw them and was surprised they were dead.

I find it ironic that Paul who was murdered provided the proof he was there.

If he ever gets out, I fear more for the life of Bubba, not Buster.

"If he's responsible for those prisoners being behind bars...fuhgeddaboutit."

Was he a criminal attorney at all? Lawyers specialize, and some lawyers have nothing to do with crimes.

Someone said above that his firm specialized in suing the government for accidents on a local highway, so maybe the Murdaughs specialized in personal lawsuits and had nothing to do with prosecuting criminals. So he might not have that many pre-existing enemies on the inside, but then, a personal injury lawyer isn't going to give good legal advice re criminal cases. Which won't stop him from using bad advice to make allies, and what could go wrong with that!

Bubbas such a good boy.

Something about the way Alex talked about that was so sickening. "Now Bubba got hold of de chikin"

Also his tone when he admitted to lying.

"So you LIED about your whereabouts on the night in question?'

"I did lie" something about this tone was like "but I'm a comin' clean now! Ya hear that jury? Anyone who wants to vote not guilty and holdout- I'm giving y'all plausible deniability here!"

[quote] If he ever gets out, I fear more for the life of Bubba, not Buster.

Alex kills in pairs, only in pairs, so don't think you're so safe, Mr. Chicken.

R563, Alex was also a “volunteer” criminal prosecutor, as were several previous generations of Murdaughs. That was one of their sources of power.

Wooooooooow on volunteer prosecutor. I’m telling you, the public of SC needs to keep the pressure turned up. No one in SC is safe from this family, anyone could become their victim through the legal system, literally anyone. And it’s poor people who are most at risk.

R545 and this is Miss Lindsey's stomping ground. Might explain him?

I think this whole damn state is a cesspit of corruption and injustice. Big stretches of SC have literally nothing but these huge billboards for ambulance chasers. In the middle of nowhere it’s very eerie. I think it’s best to just stay the hell out of there.

r155 lol, but now I am intrigued, where can i find the threads started by said OP, especially the ones with legal action against Muriel?

My overly sympathetic mother said “poor thing” (not ironically) when she saw the pic of him with a shaved head.

r570 that sounds like the start of a good book or movie. Somebody has car trouble and ends up in podunk SC and trouble begins for them.

SC is a creepy place, in the parts I have cruised through. I used to cut off the corner, heading to Charleston or the beach at Folly, by going across the state from I-20 to pick up I-26 closer down to the coast. It's sort of picturesque, but desolate, and during the hot weather, it's really unbelievable if you have to stop and get out of the car for some reason.

.....

R570 The smell of Mendacity!

But the movie SHAG made SC look fun

SC has hot Southern boys.

^ None named Murdaugh.

Spend lots of time in Hilton Head since I little and love it there. But it closes down rather quickly at night and dark as black paint as they don't allow street lights. Several speak-easy clubs where lots of nefarious activities go on. And unsolved murders of high-profile people. No doubt Alex knows all about them.

^^ Are you posting from 1925?

I hate Hilton Head. It is so suburban. Zoned within an inch of its life. Just BLAND.

[QUOTE]they don't allow street lights.

What?! Isn't this slightly dangerous? Does the PMPED law firm run Hilton Head,too?

I remember being on Hilton Head and because of the zoning, the Exxon sign at a gas station was tiny and all beige and brown.

No street lights, at least in the spring and summer, to keep bright light away from the beaches. It scares off the endangered sea turtles from coming ashore to lay eggs at night. The program along the coast has worked spectacularly in the past 30 years. The quantity of turtle nests being found nowadays is up by huge percentages.

I was not impressed with Hilton Head. Awful traffic to get there, a lot of newer buildings and very manicured. It seemed like the stomping grounds of smug white people. At least the parts I saw anyway.

This store fizzled out almost immediately after the verdict. Wow. He will be forgotten in a year. That could be good or bad.

I'm wondering what will become of the podcast industry built around the case now that it's done.

A lot of people made a lot of money off this case. Mandy M. in particular.

I think it's going to be difficult to get people to download an episode every week now that Alex has been convicted.

And these podcasters are probably NEVER going to find another case like this one.

This gravy train has derailed.

If someone is inducted for Gloria or Steven’s murders, interest will pick up again.

Plus, various people alluded to many suspicious deaths surrounding the Murdaughs for generations.

The Hakeem Pinckney death is also VERY suspicious.

Actual developments - indictments and more - of Gloria and Steven's deaths would revive interest.

I think we're all in for the long and boring prosecution of financial misdeeds - unless the Murdaugh law firm can keep those low-key by paying Alec's defrauded clients.

[quote]And these podcasters are probably NEVER going to find another case like this one

Definitely, R588. Being South Carolina, there's a very rich historical archive of stories extending over more than four centuries, but it requires a very different type of storytelling, a different set of source materials, and finding the stories that can intrigue modern audiences -- a tall order for small town reporters and podcasters.

Well, since this thread and interest case is winding down…one more pic of Daddy Beach before we go:

Stephen Smith's mother has raised $40k for an exhumation and independent autopsy. She's proceeding with it now.

Yeah, I slipped her a nickel.

Guys, guys, don't thank me. I mean, really, I can afford it.

[quote]Stephen Smith's mother has raised $40k for an exhumation and independent autopsy.

She sends her thanks. From a Four Seasons resort.

$40k? Couldn't she just exhume the body herself?

I am really hoping for justice for Stephen Smith.

Part IV Link: