Why Did Alex Murdaugh Kill Family Reddit

May 2024 · 7 minute read

During the closing arguments of Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial on Wednesday, state prosecutors asserted that he was the sole individual with the motive, means, and opportunity to kill his wife and son in June 2021, and that his subsequent lies exposed his guilt.

According to the prosecution, Murdaugh’s motive was to distract and stall investigations into his mounting financial difficulties. Prosecutors claimed that Murdaugh possessed the means, two firearms belonging to his family.

Furthermore, his presence at the scene of the crime was revealed in a crucial video minutes before the murders, providing him with the opportunity to commit the crime.

Prosecutor Creighton Waters stated, “People lie because they know they did something wrong. That’s why he lied, ladies and gentlemen.” 

He went on to claim that Murdaugh had deceived everyone who believed they were close to him, including his wife and son, who paid the price for it with their lives.

The defense’s closing arguments will be presented on Thursday.

Alex Murdaugh, aged 54, stands accused of murdering his wife, Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh, and son, Paul Murdaugh, at their property in Islandton, South Carolina, known as Moselle, by the family’s dog kennels on the night of June 7, 2021. 

He has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and two charges related to weapons.

After over six weeks of testimony from more than 70 witnesses, the jurors visited Moselle on Wednesday morning. 

The prosecution’s case has focused on Murdaugh’s financial motive and lies, given the absence of direct evidence like a murder weapon, bloody clothing, or eyewitnesses, linking him to the murders. Instead, they have relied on circumstantial evidence, including a video that places Murdaugh at the crime scene that night.

Murdaugh’s defense case was notable for his own dramatic testimony over two days last week, during which he vehemently denied killing his wife and son while admitting to lying to investigators about his whereabouts that night. 

He also confessed to stealing millions of dollars from his former clients and law firm and lying to conceal his actions.

The case involves accusations of misappropriated funds, murder-for-hire and insurance scams, drug addiction, financial crimes, and ultimately, murder charges related to the killings of his wife and son.

Murdaugh had been working for a law firm that bore his name, but his outward success masked a range of underlying issues. In addition to the murder charges, he is also facing 99 charges related to alleged financial crimes, which will be tried separately at a later date.

The Murdaugh family has also been plagued by a series of tragic deaths, including those of Alex’s wife and son, their housekeeper, a young woman killed in a boat accident allegedly involving Alex’s son, and the unsolved death of a young man in 2015. 

The case has garnered attention from media outlets such as Netflix and HBO Max, as it shines a light on the complex and tragic events that have befallen this prominent family.

Murdaugh’s financial problems show motive, prosecution says

Waters, in his closing arguments, presented a timeline of Murdaugh’s financial misconduct that spanned over a decade, culminating in the night of the killings on June 7, 2021. He alleged that Murdaugh had been embezzling funds from both his clients and his law firm for years and had become addicted to the rush of money. 

Despite receiving millions in legal fees, it wasn’t enough for him, and he resorted to stealing.

As the spring of 2021 approached, the pressure on Murdaugh intensified. His law firm’s CFO testified that she had confronted him about missing funds on the day of the killings, while he was also facing a lawsuit from the family of a woman who died in a boat crash he was allegedly involved in. This lawsuit had the potential to expose his financial troubles.

Waters argued that the mounting pressure became too much for Murdaugh, leading him to commit the murders of his wife and son. The killings made him a sympathetic figure and temporarily relieved him of his financial problems. 

However, his law firm discovered further evidence of wrongdoing in September 2021, forcing him to resign. Shortly after, he faked his own murder in a failed attempt to collect a life insurance payout for his surviving son.

Waters accused Murdaugh of playing the victim whenever he faced accountability for his actions.

Waters, in his closing arguments, presented a timeline of Murdaugh’s financial misconduct that spanned over a decade, culminating in the night of the killings on June 7, 2021. 

He alleged that Murdaugh had been embezzling funds from both his clients and his law firm for years and had become addicted to the rush of money. Despite receiving millions in legal fees, it wasn’t enough for him, and he resorted to stealing.

As the spring of 2021 approached, the pressure on Murdaugh intensified. His law firm’s CFO testified that she had confronted him about missing funds on the day of the killings, while he was also facing a lawsuit from the family of a woman who died in a boat crash he was allegedly involved in. This lawsuit had the potential to expose his financial troubles.

Waters argued that the mounting pressure became too much for Murdaugh, leading him to commit the murders of his wife and son. 

The killings made him a sympathetic figure and temporarily relieved him of his financial problems. However, his law firm discovered further evidence of wrongdoing in September 2021, forcing him to resign. Shortly after, he faked his own murder in a failed attempt to collect a life insurance payout for his surviving son.

Waters accused Murdaugh of playing the victim whenever he faced accountability for his actions.

Kennel video shows opportunity, prosecution says

Waters reconstructed a timeline of events leading up to and following the murders at the Moselle kennels primarily using phone forensics. 

Despite denying his presence at the kennels that night, a video from Paul’s phone with audio of Murdaugh’s voice in the background proved otherwise. Murdaugh eventually admitted to being there but lied about it to law enforcement due to paranoid thinking caused by his addiction to painkillers. 

However, Waters argued that Murdaugh’s lies continued until he learned about the video’s existence, which changed everything, as it placed him at the scene of the crime.

According to phone forensics, both Maggie and Paul’s phones were last used at 8:49 p.m. Maggie’s phone showed signs of activity minutes after the last use, indicating that she may have heard the fatal shot that killed their son and was subsequently shot by her husband. Murdaugh then drove to his mother’s house and made calls and texts to create an alibi before returning to the scene and calling 911 after discovering the bodies.

The prosecution argued that the use of family weapons showed that Murdaugh had the means to commit the murders.

Waters further argued that Murdaugh had the means to commit the murders with family weapons. He noted that a Blackout rifle, which was found to be missing post-murder, had killed Maggie and that a shotgun was used to kill Paul. 

According to a weapons expert’s testimony, casings from a Blackout rifle were found near Maggie’s body and matched other casings on the Murdaughs’ property that investigators had located. “This evidence is damning,” said Waters. “A family Blackout killed Maggie. 

It was present just a couple months prior to the murders and it’s gone now. A family weapon the defendant cannot account for killed Maggie.” There could be no doubt of Murdaugh’s means in carrying out these atrocious crimes.

Paul Murdaugh was killed by shots from a shotgun, which was described as one of Paul’s “favorite guns”. 

Evidence that Alex Murdaugh had the murder weapon with him on the night in question and his sister Maggie’s DNA and blood were found on the gun receiver logically concluded that he was involved in his death. 

To make matters worse for the defendant, prosecutor Waters produced evidence of Murdaugh’s mind-boggling lies told to cover up his involvement in the case. 

It was shown time and time again how shockingly easily Murdaugh could falsify stories, even convincing ones, at a moment’s notice – an undeniable testament to his conniving mind. The chain of evidence served up a powerful case against him and acted as an unquestionable reminder of what had happened on that fateful night.

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