A juror in the murder trial of disbarred South Carolina attorney Richard 'Alex' Murdaugh was removed for 'improper conversations' with individuals not involved in the case and replaced with an alternate, Judge Clifton Newman said
Murdaugh, the 54-year-old scion of an influential legal family in an area west of Charleston, has been charged with fatally shooting his wife Maggie, 52, and youngest son, Paul, 22, at dog kennels on their estate on the night of June 7, 2021.
Throughout the trial, Murdaugh's lawyers have sought to portray their client as a loving family man who, while facing financial troubles and suffering from a powerful addiction to opioids that led him to lie and steal, would never harm his wife and child. They have also tried to float alternative theories about the murders, with Murdaugh testifying that he believed someone angry over a deadly boating accident in 2019 involving Paul likely sought revenge on his son.
Prosecutors have argued that Murdaugh committed the murders to generate sympathy and distract from a litany of financial crimes, including the theft of millions of dollars from his law partners and clients - money used to feed a years-long addiction to opioids and support an expensive lifestyle. In his closing argument, Waters repeatedly highlighted Murdaugh's admission from the stand last week that he hadabout his whereabouts on the night of the killings, telling investigators he was not at the dog kennels prior to the murders. Murdaugh changed his account after the jury listened to audio evidence placing him at the scene of the crime minutes before it occurred.
Murdaugh said he initially lied to investigators because of paranoia tied to his drug habit and mistrust of the police.Our Standards:
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