A SNAPCHAT video could be a key element in the trial of a lawyer accused of murdering his wife and son.
Alex Murdaugh’s son Paul sent the Snapchat to friends minutes before his father allegedly executed him, new court records reveal.
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Alex Murdaugh, a now-retired attorney, will stand trial after being accused of fatally shooting his wife, Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh, 52, and their youngest son, Paul Murdaugh, 22, at their family home in June 2021.
“Crucial to the case, among other things, is a video sent to several friends at approximately 7:56 p.m. on the night of the murders,” prosecutors wrote in a filing, which was obtained by WCSC.
“The content of this video is important to proving the state’s overall case.”
Maggie and Paul were killed between 8:30 p.m. and 10:06 p.m., according to court documents.
What the Snapchat video shows is unknown to the public at this time.
Snapchat provided the video as part of a search warrant, according to the filing.
Prosecutors asked a representative from the social media platform to “testify in person that the video is a true and accurate record kept in the ordinary course of business.”
Judge Clifton Newman ruled in favor of that motion and asked a Los Angeles district court to compel a Snapchat representative to be present at the trial, which begins on the first day of jury selection, which began Monday.
Murdaugh was arrested on a double murder charge on July 14, 2022 for the alleged murders of his wife and son at their home in South Carolina.
He pleaded not guilty and denied any involvement in the deaths.
The patriarch was the eighth in a long line of prosecutors dating back to the first elected official 100 years ago, but everything changed when he called 911 at 10:07 p.m. on June 7, 2021 to report that his wife and son had been shot to death. .
Authorities found shell casings at the scene and said Maggie and Paul had been shot multiple times.
According to a timeline of events, Murdaugh called police dispatch and told them he arrived home to find the lifeless bodies of his son and wife.
Direct evidence linking Murdaugh to the deaths has not been released by prosecutors.
DNA from the victims was found on his shirt, which the defense claims came from him rushing to help the victims when he found them.
While prosecutors say financial problems led to the killings, Murdaugh’s lawyers have called accusations that he killed his wife and son because of them absurd, The Associated Press mentionted.
ALLEGED HITMAN
Three months after the murders, Murdaugh was driving and had a flat tire.
He reportedly stopped to change a tire when a man passing by turned and shot Murdaugh.
He suffered a minor gunshot wound to the head, and it was later revealed that Murdaugh had hired a man to kill him so that his oldest son, Butler, would receive $10 million in insurance money.
The man, identified as 61-year-old Curtis Edward Smith, was arrested on charges of assisted suicide, assault and battery, pointing and presenting a firearm, insurance fraud and conspiracy to commit insurance fraud.
Investigators looked into Murdaugh’s background and found that he had allegedly engaged in fraudulent business dealings.
He has been in prison on financial crime charges since October 2021.
Jury selection in the murder trial began Monday and the trial is expected to last up to three weeks.
