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At Monday’s Alex Murdau double-murder trial, a judge ruled that the state would allow evidence of financial crimes charges against a now-disqualified South Carolina attorney.
The decision was heard without a jury as Judge Clifton Newman considered the admissibility of the evidence in the alleged plot that Murdoh faces 99 charges separate from the murder. It was handed down after several days of testimony from witnesses.
“The jury has the right to consider whether Mr. Murdoh’s dire financial situation, apparent desperation due to threats of exposure for committing the crimes he was later charged with, led to the commission of the alleged crimes. I discovered that there is,” Newman said.
Prosecutors showed in pretrial filings that they believed Murdau murdered his wife, Margaret “Maggie” Murdow, and their 22-year-old son, Paul Murdoh. June 7, 2021.
Newman’s ruling hits defense defenses who contested the admissibility of evidence in the murder case, arguing that the fraud case was unrelated to the question of Murdoh’s guilt in the murder of his wife and son.
There is no need to prove motive, but “a state must prove bad faith and can use evidence of motive to prove it,” Newman said in explaining his decision. I got
“In this case, the identity of the perpetrator is an important factor that must be proven beyond reasonable doubt, so evidence of motive may be used to meet that liability,” he said. said the evidence was “very closely related” and explained the state’s theory of the case that “that evidence is essential to complete the story.”
Over the past few days, the state has been on camera or in front of jurors about the allegations against Murdoh and his financial situation when his wife and son were fatally shot on the family property in Islandton. I called a series of witnesses who testified. South Carolina called the Moselle.
This includes lawyers who were suing Murdau at the time of the murder on behalf of the family of 19-year-old Mallory Beach, who was killed when the boat that Murdoh owned and was allegedly driven by Paul Murdoh crashed. included Monday’s testimony from Mark Tinsley. February 2019.
At the time of his death, Paul Murdow was facing charges of causing great bodily harm and causing death while on a boat under the influence. , the charges were dropped after his death.
Tinsley had sought a settlement in a civil lawsuit, but Murdaugh’s lawyers told him he was bankrupt and could only “put together $1 million” for the settlement. Tinsley testified that he knew Murdow was handling many cases, which he did not believe.
“I know he makes money aggressively. It’s not the way he was making money, he can’t go bankrupt,” he said. Our clients have known Alex and his family forever, so their view is that there is also intergenerational wealth.”
Tinsley proposed a payment plan, but the defense objected, and Tinsley proposed a motion to compel Murdo to reveal his accounts had the judge ruled in Tinsley’s favor. filed, he testified.
A hearing on that matter and others was scheduled for June 10, 2021, three days after the murders, Tinsley said on Monday. But that was delayed when Maggie and Paul were killed. Framed as a fatal blow to his civil case against Murdough, the attorney told the court: end. ”
“When you ask for a money judgment, people have to be motivated to give you that money judgment,” Tinsley said. On behalf of , no one will give money to Attila the Hun, but they will give money to a good grandmother.”
“So if Alex had been victimized by vigilantes, no one would have sentenced Alex… so I would have ended the case against Alex,” he said.
Prosecutors have pointed to June 10, 2021 as a “liquidation day,” and a hearing could lead to exposure of Murdo’s alleged wrongdoing. However, during cross-examination on Tinsley Monday, Murdaugh’s attorneys tried to undermine that claim, suggesting June 10, 2021 did not foretell the calculation.
Attorney Philip Barber said the motion was just one of a “stack of motions” to be heard that day, ahead of a trial that could be weeks or months away.
“The whole point of this is that there was probably this Judgment Day. I think that’s the term the states used,” Barber said. “But it was going to be an ordeal? It was going to be the verdict. It was going to be Judgment Day.”
Mr. Tinsley disagreed with this.
Prosecutor Clayton Waters asked Tinsley, “If the hearing were to take place on June 10, 2021, what would be the net effect of all that could have happened at that time?” emphasized the claim of
“Find,” said Tinsley, “of all that he did.”
After the judge’s ruling, the jury testified from Alex Murdoh’s mother’s caregiver, Machell Smith, that he had seen Murdoh at Almeda’s parents’ home on the night of the murder.
That night, Murdoh called his home phone and told Smith that he was outside and to let him in, Smith said at times during his testimony. Smith testified that he entered the room with his mother, sat on the bed, looked at the phone, and left the room after about 20 minutes. I have.”
Murdoh’s father died a few days later, and after the funeral the family hosted a meal at Almeda’s house. It took about 40 minutes,” he said.
She testified that the conversation upset Smith, adding that she later called her brother and told him about it.
According to Smith, the next day, Murdau asked her about an upcoming wedding, commented that it would be costly, and offered to help. It is said that there was not.
Smith said Murdoh showed up at the house again three days after the funeral. However, unlike the previous unannounced visit, Murdau did not call the home phone to inform Smith that he had arrived. Instead, he knocked on the outside wall by her bedroom window, she said.
Murdoh had something in his arm when she let him in. He said nothing to her, Smith said, and went upstairs. He left immediately, she said. Smith later saw the blue item unfolded on a chair in the upstairs room, but when she returned the next day, it was gone.
Under cross-examination by defense attorney Jim Griffin, Smith said in court that Murdoh had no blood on his clothes, shoes, or hair when he saw him the night of the murder, and that his She also admitted that “fidgety” behavior is normal for Murdo.
Additionally, Smith admitted in a June 16, 2021 interview with state agents that he did not mention items like the blue tarp. It wasn’t until she was in a car accident in September that she mentioned the tarp to police. A police officer handling the wreckage. Officers revealed that Smith said she had brought a blue tarp that appeared to be Mardau wrapping a gun on the night of the murder, but Smith claimed she didn’t say that.
“I mean, you didn’t tell[the officer]he was coming, you didn’t know, but you said, ‘Looks like a rifle,'” Griffin asked.
“No, I said he looked like he was holding something, but I didn’t say it was a rifle,” said Smith.
“And if[the officer]said that and wrote a report, was he wrong?”
“Yes,” Smith said.
