Prosecutor presses Alex Murdaugh on 'fuzzy' memory in double murder trial

Disbarred South Carolina attorney Richard "Alex" Murdaugh returned to the stand Friday to continue testifying in his double murder trial about his financial misconduct, drug addiction and his actions the day his wife and son were killed.

Lead prosecutor Creighton Waters pressed Murdaugh on inconsistencies in his "fuzzy" memory and his "new story" of what happened, a day after he revealed for the first time he was at the scene where his wife and son were shot shortly before they died.

Murdaugh, 54, admitted Thursday to lying to investigators about the last time he saw 52-year-old Maggie Murdaugh and 22-year-old Paul Murdaugh on June 7, 2021. Murdaugh broke down several times Thursday while being questioned by his defense attorney Jim Griffin about finding their bodies at the family's property in Colleton County and vehemently denied killing them. 

Waters continued to question Murdaugh about alleged theft from clients as his drug addiction escalated and what he was doing the moments before the killings during a sometimes combative cross-examination. Prosecutors allege Murdaugh killed his wife and son to gain sympathy and buy time to cover up financial crimes that were about to be discovered.

Waters finished questioning Murdaugh Friday afternoon. Defense attorneys may call at least two more witnesses after Murdaugh's testimony is finished.

Murdaugh admits lying, but again denies killing his family

Waters questioned Murdaugh about what prosecutors allege is his motive for murder: gaining sympathy when he is about to be held accountable.

“When accountability is at your door Mr. Murdaugh, bad things happen, isn’t that true?” Waters asked, pointing to both the killing of his family and Sept. 4, 2021, when Murdaugh claimed he was attacked by an unknown assailant.

Curtis Edward Smith was charged with shooting Murdaugh in what state police described as a failed life insurance scheme. Murdaugh wanted Smith to kill him so his surviving son, Buster, would get his $10 million life insurance policy, but the bullet only grazed his head, according to authorities. Murdaugh was later charged with insurance fraud, conspiracy to commit insurance fraud and filing a false police report in the shooting.

"I do believe in September, that I tried to get a man to help me kill myself because issues were at my doorstep," Murdaugh said. "There were no accountability issues on my doorstep on June 7."

Waters wrapped up his cross examination by questioning Murdaugh about repeatedly lying to his loved ones, clients and law enforcement. Murdaugh said that he lied for "well over a decade."

“And you want this jury to believe a story manufactured to fit the evidence that you brought forth just yesterday after hearing this trial’s worth of testimony?” Waters asked.

“No sir that’s not correct,” Murdaugh replied.

Murdaugh blames killings on 2019 boat crash

Murdaugh said he believes a 2019 boat crash is the reason Paul and Maggie were killed, but insisted he did not believe anyone connected to the wreck was involved.

Paul Murdaugh allegedly crashed his family's boat into a bridge at more than 30 mph, killing 19-year-old Mallory Beach and injuring two other people onboard. He pleaded not guilty to three felony counts of boating under the influences and was awaiting trial when he and his mother were killed.

Court documents filed in July 2021 alleged a civil conspiracy possibly connecting law enforcement and members of the Murdaugh family following the wreck.

"The social media response that came from that was vile," Murdaugh said. "I believed then and I believe today that the wrong person saw and read that."

"You don't have any evidence of that," Waters said. "What you're telling this jury is that it's random vigilantes."

Murdaugh details his actions the day of the killings

Waters questioned Murdaugh about a timeline of the family's movements on the day of the killings constructed by the prosecution based on cell phone data.  

Murdaugh said he quickly left the kennels where his wife and son's bodies were later found and may have taken a nap before getting ready to drive to his mother's home. Waters frequently referred to that as Murdaugh's "new story." 

In the minutes after the prosecution estimates Maggie and Paul were killed, Murdaugh said he was "preparing to leave" for his mother's house but did not elaborate on what he was doing. When Waters asked why his cellphone recorded hundreds of steps in a four-minute period, Murdaugh denied that he was moving around and making phone calls to manufacture an alibi.

"I never manufactured any alibi in any way shape or form because I did not and would not hurt my wife and child," Murdaugh said.

Murdaugh began to cry again as he described finding the bodies of his wife and son. He denied checking Maggie and Paul’s bodies before calling 911, appearing to contradict what he initially told law enforcement, according to a video of an interview Waters played in court.

Prosecution questions Murdaugh about lying to investigators

Murdaugh said Thursday was the first time he admitted to lying to investigators about the last time he saw his wife and son. Murdaugh added he didn’t have the opportunity to do so before because the prosecution would not respond to his invitations to talk.

Murdaugh insisted that, other than lying about when he last saw his wife and son, he was "cooperative in every aspect of this investigation."

“The second that you’re confronted with facts you can’t deny you immediately come up with a new lie, isn’t that correct?” Waters asked.

“We’ve established that I have lied many times,” Murdaugh replied. “I would disagree with that proposition that you’re putting out.”

When asked at what point he decided to lie to investigators, Murdaugh responded he decided to lie because of his distrust in law enforcement and his paranoia fueled in part by his drug use.

"I can't tell you exactly when that decision occurred," Murdaugh said.

Prosecution resumes cross examination on financial crimes, drug addiction

Waters questioned Murdaugh on Friday about his financial misconduct and opioid addiction.

Murdaugh said as his income diminished in the years before his family was killed, he borrowed significant amounts of money from the bank, a law partner and his father, then used stolen money to pay it back. He did not dispute Waters assertion that he stole $3.7 million in 2019.

“I would agree in 2019 I stole more money than any other year," Murdaugh said.

When asked about his drug use, Murdaugh said as his addiction developed he sometimes took more than 60 pills each day and had attempted to detox "dozens" of times, sometimes with Maggie's help. He said his wife and son had seen him experiencing withdrawals and found his pills multiple times.

"They'd been watching you like a hawk for years, is that correct?" Waters asked.

"About my pill addiction, yes that is correct," Murdaugh replied.

Contributing: Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY; Michael Dewitt, Jr., Greenville News

Contact Breaking News Reporter N'dea Yancey-Bragg at nyanceybra@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @NdeaYanceyBragg