Disgraced former South Carolina lawyer takes stand in double murder trial By Reuters

(Reuters) – Richard “Alex” Murdaugh, the disbarred South Carolina attorney charged with murdering his wife and son, on Thursday admitted to lying to investigators about his whereabouts on the night of the killings but denied any involvements in their deaths.

In dramatic testimony, Murdaugh told the jury that he did not shoot his wife, Maggie, 52, and 22-year-old Paul, the younger of their two sons, who were both gunned down near dog kennels on the family’s estate on June 7, 2021.

“I didn’t shoot my wife or my son anytime, ever,” Murdaugh said from the stand.

Murdaugh, the scion of an influential South Carolina legal family, was indicted by a grand jury in July on two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon in connection with the shootings. He pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors have introduced cellphone evidence they said showed Murdaugh was at the kennels right before his wife and son were fatally shot at close range, contradicting what he had told investigators in the wake of the incident.

Referring to a drug addiction, Murdaugh said he was suffering from paranoia and did not trust the police, and admitted to lying about his whereabouts.

“On June 7, I wasn’t thinking clearly. 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 testified.

Prosecutors have said Murdaugh killed his wife and child to generate sympathy and distract from an array of financial crimes for which he is also facing criminal charges, an alleged motive that Murdaugh’s lawyers have argued does not make sense.