Murdaugh stands accused of committing the fatal shootings of his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, and their youngest son, Paul Murdaugh, near the dog kennels located at the family's Moselle hunting estate in Islandton on June 7, 2021.
Evidence shown in Alex Murdaugh’s trial for murder at the Colleton County Courthouse on Thursday, February 2, 2023. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post and Courier/Pool)
ALEX MURDAUGH: TIMELINE OF ONCE-POWERFUL SOUTH CAROLINA LAWYER'S SPECTACULAR DOWNFALL
In the first week of the trial, Rogan Gibson testified that he could place Murdaugh at the crime scene at around 8:50 p.m., which is the time that prosecutors allege the crimes were committed. Gibson, a close friend and neighbor of Murdaugh, was questioned about a 50-second video from Paul's cellphone that was recorded at 8:44:49 p.m. The video was never sent. During cross-examination, Gibson was asked about the voices in the video and claimed that he recognized the voices of Maggie, Paul, and Alex Murdaugh.
According to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), Murdaugh stated in three separate videotaped interviews with agents that he was not present on the night in question.
On Thursday, however, Murdaugh acknowledged to being present at the dog kennels at 8:45 p.m. on June 7, just four minutes prior to prosecutors' allegation that Maggie and Paul were fatally shot.
"I wasn't thinking clearly. I don't think I was capable of reason," Murdaugh said. "And I lied about being out there, and I'm so sorry that I did. I'm sorry."
Diagram of the section of Alex Murdaugh's property where his wife, Maggie, and his son, Paul, were murdered. (Fox News )
When prosecutor Creighton Waters asked Murdaugh why he continued the lie, Murdaugh testified, "Oh, what a tangled web we weave. But once I told a lie, I mean, I told my family and I had to keep lying."
Mauro pointed out to Fox News' Trey Gowdy that admitting to being a liar could help the Murdaugh defense strategy.
"He owned, you know, in a strange way, owning that he's a liar helps his defense relative to that video, because now he's saying, 'Yeah, I lied about that because I didn't trust SLED. I was paranoid because of my oxy use,'" Mauro said. "And so maybe we can buy the fact that he lied initially about being at the scene. So there was some clever defense jujitsu there and a lot of this, I think, was very thought out."
Alex Murdaugh takes the stand at double murder trial. (POOL)
Mauro notes that this defense strategy is clever and well-thought-out, and while one may not personally believe it, it only takes one person from the jury to buy it.