Alex Murdaugh to testify in his own defense in double murder trial

Alex Murdaugh will take the stand in his own defense Thursday, the fourth day the defense has called witnesses in the lengthy double murder trial over the shooting deaths of his wife and son.

“I am going to testify,” Murdaugh said after the judge spoke to him and his attorneys about his rights. One other witness was called to the stand first as the defense resumed presenting its case Thursday morning.

The former South Carolina attorney’s team had asked Wednesday if the judge would limit the scope of cross-examination if Murdaugh were to testify. 

Defense attorney Jim Griffin asked if Murdaugh could take his Fifth Amendment right against incriminating himself in the 100 or so other allegations he faces — including stealing from clients, money laundering, tax evasion and insurance fraud. Judge Clifton Newman said the defense would have to object to questions in real time if Murdaugh takes the stand. 

Murdaugh, 54, is accused of killing his wife, Maggie, 52, and their 22-year-old son, Paul, at their home in June 2021 as the once-prominent attorney’s career and finances were crumbling. Murdaugh, whose family dominated the legal system in tiny Hampton County for generations, has denied any role in the fatal shootings.

Prosecutors called 61 witnesses and introduced more than 550 pieces of evidence over 17 days of testimony — from descriptions of the brutality of the killings to numbing details about bank records.

The defense started calling witnesses Friday, and have already called Murdaugh’s surviving son, Buster, and his former law partner Mark Ball.

If Murdaugh takes the stand, he could explain some of the evidence prosecutors presented.

For example, Murdaugh told police he wasn’t at his Colleton County home in the hours before the killings, but several witnesses said they heard his voice on video taken from the dog kennels there just minutes before his wife and son were shot. Their bodies were found near the kennels.

Murdaugh also could respond to his sister-in-law’s testimony that he didn’t appear scared in the weeks after the slayings even as other family members were worried that they, too, were potential targets.

Testifying also could come with risks. Defendants who choose to do so sometimes give jurors evidence of their guilt. Murdaug could open himself up to questions about some of the roughly 100 other charges he is awaiting trial for, including allegations that he stole millions from clients and others.

He faces 30 years to life if convicted of murder.