Alex Murdaugh broke down in tears as police bodycam footage was played at his trial, while the first officer on the scene testified that the disgraced legal scion had ‘no tears’ at the time of the killings. The footage was shown in Colleton County Courthouse on Thursday as the double murder trial began.
Sergeant Daniel Greene, the first law enforcement officer to respond to the murders of Maggie Murdaugh, 52, and Paul Murdaugh, 22, told the court that Mr Murdaugh seemed “upset” and repeatedly asked if his wife and son were dead but did not appear to have physical tears. In the bodycam video, Mr Murdaugh sounds emotional, volunteering his alibi that he was visiting his mother.
Mr Murdaugh, 54, is accused of murdering his wife and son on the family estate in Islandton on 7 June 2021. Maggie was shot five times with an automatic rifle, and Paul twice with a shotgun. He has pleaded not guilty, maintaining that the killer remains at large.
Sergeant Greene testified that he arrived to find Mr Murdaugh holding a shotgun, which he said he had collected after finding the bodies. The officer seized the firearm and found the victims, noting “brain matter”. Mr Murdaugh immediately mentioned a 2019 fatal boat crash involving his son Paul, suggesting the shootings were connected.
Corporal Chad McDowell also testified, with his bodycam footage showing Mr Murdaugh greeting him cordially. Under cross-examination, he confirmed Mr Murdaugh appeared distraught and had no blood on his clothes. Defence attorney Dick Harpootlian questioned the preservation of evidence, including tyre tracks and footprints, which Sergeant Greene admitted were not photographed.
