Alex Murdaugh trial latest: Disgraced lawyer tells court he will testify over brutal murders of wife and son

There are multiple reports that Alex Murdaugh will take the stand today. The apparent source of the confirmation that he will testify in his own defence is his attorney Jim Griffin.

Murdaugh arrived in court shortly at 9am.

The moment everyone has been waiting for… or not?

Alex Murdaugh is rumoured to be taking the stand on Thursday as the defence continues to present its case.

On Thursday, the disgraced attorney’s legal team asked the judge to limit the scope of cross-examination if he does take the stand, barring the prosecution from asking about his slew of alleged financial crimes.

The judge denied the request and now it remains to be seen whether Mr Murdaugh will still take the stand.

There has been conflicting reports about his plans.

The trial will be back in session at 9.30am ET so we’ll find out for definite then.

Murdaugh’s plans to testify – Before the day’s proceedings began, Alex Murdaugh’s attorneys said Murdaugh is considering testifying and asked Judge Clifton Newman to ban the prosecution from cross-examining him about his alleged financial crimes if he does. The judge denied the request.

‘Sloppy’ crime scene – Alex Murdaugh’s former law firm partner at PMPED Mark Ball described a chaotic crime scene on both the night of the murders and the next day – with evidence left out in the elements or left behind altogether. In one graphic moment, he described finding “a piece of Paul’s skull the size of a baseball” left behind at the scene by investigators.

Defence witness places Murdaugh at scene – Mr Ball testified that he has “no doubt” that the disgraced attorney’s voice is in the video Paul took at the dog kennels minutes before he and Maggie were killed – in a blow to Mr Murdaugh’s alibi.

Expert says evidence wasn’t gathered correctly – Crime scene expert Kenneth Zercie testified that SLED did not do an adequate job of preserving and collecting evidence. “Much more could have been done,” he said.

Jurors at Alex Murdaugh’s high-profile double murder trial heard on Wednesday that a piece of his son’s skull “the size of a baseball” was left behind at the crime scene by South Carolina investigators.

In dramatic testimony in Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, Mr Murdaugh’s former law firm partner at PMPED Mark Ball described a chaotic crime scene on both the night of the murders and the next day – with evidence left out in the elements or left behind altogether.

Mr Ball, who knew Mr Murdaugh for three decades and was close to the family, said that SLED had released the crime scene back to the Murdaugh family by the morning of 8 June 2021 – just hours on from the murders.

He said he went down to the dog kennels of the family’s Moselle estate in Islandton and made a grim discovery.

“A piece of Paul’s skull the size of a baseball was there,” he said.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:

Alex Murdaugh’s high-profile murder trial took another dramatic turn on Wednesday when one of his own defence witnesses insisted he has “no doubt” that the disgraced attorney was at the scene of the killings.

Mark Ball, Mr Murdaugh’s former law firm partner at PMPED and friend of 34 years, delivered bombshell testimony in Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, where he identified Mr Murdaugh’s voice in the video taken at the dog kennels minutes before the murders.

Mr Ball told the court he has “no doubt” at all that the three voices in the footage belong to Mr Murdaugh, his wife and his son. “It’s Alex, Maggie and Paul,” he said.

Minutes after the video was taken, Maggie and Paul were dead, prosecutors say.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:

In dramatic testimony in Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, Alex Murdaugh’s former law firm partner at PMPED Mark Ball described a chaotic crime scene on both the night of the murders and the next day – with evidence left out in the elements or left behind altogether.

Mr Ball, who knew Mr Murdaugh for three decades and was close to the family, said that SLED had released the crime scene back to the Murdaugh family by the morning of 8 June 2021 – just hours on from the murders.

He said he went down to the dog kennels of the family’s Moselle estate in Islandton and made a grim discovery.

“A piece of Paul’s skull the size of a baseball was there,” he said.

Watch his testimony below:

As Alex Murdaugh’s bombshell trial for the killings of his wife Maggie and son Paul draws near a close, one crucial question looms: Will he testify?

Now, with the defence prepared to wrap its case on Friday, all eyes are on Mr Murdaugh more than ever.

On late Wednesday afternoon, local news outlet WCBD reported that the disgraced legal scion will make the risky move of taking the stand for his own defence.

Andrea Blanco has the latest.

As Alex Murdaugh’s trial continues, a new Netflix documentary brings viewers to the hearts of a traumatised community.

The Independent’s Clémence Michallon speaks to directors Jenner Furst and Julia Willoughby Nason:

The judge in Alex Murdaugh’s double murder trial has compared one of his defence attorneys to Kyrie Irving as he scolded him for a social media post branding the criminal investigation “sloppy”.

On Saturday, Mr Griffin shared a link to a The Washington Post op-ed titled: “Alex Murdaugh trial reveals a sloppy investigation.”

Rachel Sharp has the story of an awkward start to the week.