Alex Murdaugh denies killing his wife and son but admits to lying to investigators about murders
Alex Murdaugh took to the stand on Thursday in his trial for the double murder of his wife Maggie and son Paul, giving dramatic testimony at Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina.
He immediately denied killing Maggie and Paul but admitted to lying in police interviews about his whereabouts on the night of the brutal killings.
Mr Murdaugh described finding the bodies of his wife and son, after explaining his movements up until that point on 7 June 2021, including his last evening with Paul.
He also admitted to his extensive financial crimes and explained both those and his lies to police as the result of an addiction to opioids.
In the afternoon, Mr Murdaugh was subjected to the first stage of a brutal cross-examination from the state in which he was confronted with individual examples of his egregious theft of settlements for the victims of accidents.
He conceded that the thefts were not just to fund his pill addiction but also his lavish lifestyle, and repeatedly said he was wrong to have done so.
Lead prosecutor Creighton Waters asked: “How many times have you practiced that answer?”
Cross-examination continues at 9.30am ET on Friday.
