Mahaz News
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Prosecutors on Tuesday deliberate to name as much as seven additional witnesses to rebut elements of Alex Murdaugh’s protection in his homicide trial, in response to attorneys in courtroom.
The first rebuttal witness was Ronnie Crosby, an legal professional who labored with Murdaugh and testified for the prosecution three weeks in the past.
“He was a theatrical-type presence in the courtroom and he could get very emotional during closing arguments in front of a jury,” Crosby testified Tuesday.
Once the rebuttal witnesses are full, the jury shall be allowed to view Murdaugh’s property in Islandton, notably its canine kennels close to the place the our bodies of Murdaugh’s spouse, Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh, and son Paul Murdaugh had been discovered. Closing arguments will comply with after that.
The rebuttal comes greater than a month into the homicide trial and a day after the protection rested its case following testimony from 14 witnesses.
The most necessary protection witness was Murdaugh himself, as he admitted he had lied about his whereabouts on the evening of the murders and that he had in reality been on the kennels shortly earlier than the murders passed off. He blamed his lies on “paranoid thinking” stemming from his dependancy to painkillers.
“I don’t think I was capable of reason, and I lied about being down there, and I’m so sorry that I did,” Murdaugh mentioned.
Prosecutors, who referred to as 61 witnesses within the case, have argued he killed his spouse and son to achieve sympathy and distract from the monetary misconduct allegations, a few of which the state says had been about to return to gentle earlier than the deadly shootings. Murdaugh certainly confessed to a lot of that monetary misconduct – but denied killing his household.
“If I was under the pressure that they’re talking about here, I can promise you I would hurt myself before I would hurt one of them, without a doubt,” Murdaugh mentioned on the stand Friday.
He has pleaded not responsible to 2 counts of homicide and two weapons costs within the June 7, 2021, killings. He is individually going through 99 costs associated to alleged monetary crimes that shall be adjudicated later.
In their case, prosecutors sought to poke holes in Murdaugh’s account of the evening of the killings, utilizing mobile phone knowledge, video and different proof to counsel he tried to fabricate an alibi.
In the absence of direct proof connecting Murdaugh to the killings – no homicide weapon, bloody clothes or eyewitnesses – key arguments in his trial have revolved across the timeline of occasions and Murdaugh’s whereabouts the evening of June 7, 2021.
In explicit, prosecutors used video filmed on the canine kennels shortly earlier than authorities say the killings passed off to point out Murdaugh was on the scene simply minutes earlier than the deadly shootings. Multiple witnesses testified that Murdaugh’s voice may be heard within the background of the video, which was filmed on Paul’s cellphone beginning at 8:44 p.m. In his testimony, Murdaugh admitted he was certainly there and had lied about it.
Murdaugh testified final week that he went all the way down to the kennels at Maggie’s request, however then returned to the home and laid down on a sofa. When he received up, he mentioned, he drove to go to his ailing mom at her residence in close by Almeda, earlier than returning to his property later that evening. Police say he referred to as 911 at 10:07 p.m. to report discovering the our bodies.
The protection has painted Murdaugh as a loving father and husband being wrongfully accused of the killings after what it says has been a mishandled investigation and crime scene.
Among the witnesses referred to as by Murdaugh’s attorneys had been his former authorized associate who testified the scene was not correctly secured, and a forensics skilled who mentioned his evaluation suggests two shooters carried out the killings.
Murdaugh’s solely surviving son, Buster Murdaugh, additionally testified final week, saying his father was “destroyed” and “heartbroken” following the killings.
To present the killings might have taken place after Murdaugh left the kennels, the protection has tried to ascertain that Maggie and Paul’s time of loss of life might have fallen in a for much longer time window than prosecutors have offered.
More than every week in the past, Colleton County Coroner Richard Harvey testified that he estimated the time of loss of life to be round 9 p.m. – simply minutes after Murdaugh’s voice was captured on the video – primarily based partially on armpit checks he carried out to really feel how heat the our bodies had been.
Harvey, who mentioned he arrived on scene at 11:04 p.m., additionally testified that rigor mortis – the stiffening of a physique’s joints and muscle groups following loss of life – had not but set in, and that it usually begins creating one to a few hours following loss of life.
However, when requested by the protection if the pair might have been shot anytime between 8 or 10 p.m., Harvey mentioned sure.
A forensic pathologist, Jonathan Eisenstat, testified Monday that armpit temperature checks are “just not a valid method to try to make a determination of time of death,” calling the approach “just a guess.”
Instead, he mentioned, somebody arriving on scene ought to first test the ambient temperature of the realm the place the physique is discovered after which take a rectal temperature to get as near a core physique temperature as doable.
Harvey testified earlier that he didn’t take rectal temperatures that evening. During cross examination, prosecutors requested if the coroner had an thought of when the killings occurred since he didn’t take precise temperatures.
“You really do not have a general idea as to when that incident actually occurred?” Deputy Attorney General Attorney Don Zelenka requested Harvey.
“Yes sir, that’s true,” Harvey mentioned.
The protection has additionally tried to painting the investigation into the case as shoddy, arguing that the crime scene was not safe or dealt with fastidiously. One witness, Mark Ball, considered one of Murdaugh’s former regulation agency colleagues, testified no barricades or police tape had been set as much as block a number of guests from coming into the property the evening of the killings.
Source web site: www.cnn.com
