Chris Wilson tells court former friend Murdaugh confessed he was ‘stealing money’

Charlotte Observer (NC)

Chris Wilson was one of Alex Murdaugh’s closest friends, until he says his former law school roommate stole $192,000 from him.

That was one of several statements the Bamberg attorney made in testimony at Murdaugh’s murder trial on Tuesday, including that Murdaugh allegedly confessed the disbarred Lowcountry attorney had stolen money from several people because of a 20-year addiction to opioids.

Wilson testified in an “in camera” hearing, meaning the jury was not present to hear Wilson speak as Judge Clifton Newman weighs what testimony the prosecution can present to Murdaugh’s motive in the alleged murder of his wife and son.

The state alleges Murdaugh killed his wife, Maggie, 52, and youngest son, Paul, 22, in an attempt to prevent his financial dealings from coming to light. Murdaugh’s defense have fought to keep that argument out of court, as the former attorney has not yet been convicted of any financial crimes. Newman said Thursday he was willing to allow a motive argument in the case after defense attorneys questioned why a man they paint as a loving husband and father would commit murder, but is still considering allowing testimony from individual witnesses.

Wilson indicted where things stood early in his testimony when he said he “was” one of Murdaugh’s best friends.

“I thought he felt the same way,” Wilson said while staring at Murdaugh at the defense table, who looked back at the witness. “I don’t know how I feel now.”

In early 2021, the two friends worked together on a personal injury case that resulted in $2 million in fees, which Wilson was responsible for distributing to the other attorneys on the case. Rather than send the money to Murdaugh’s law firm, however, he convinced Wilson in March 2021 to write $792,000 in three separate checks to Murdaugh personally. Wilson testified he was told it was a structuring procedure he was unfamiliar with, but that he “trusted his friend” of some 30 years.

But Murdaugh later wired the money back to Wilson saying he had “messed up” the fee structure and requested Wilson send the full amount to the law firm, even though Murdaugh told him he could not recover $192,000. Wilson said he sent the missing money to Murdaugh’s firm from his own personal account.

Prosecutors believe the whole procedure was meant to throw suspicion off of Murdaugh for stealing funds from his law partners.

Even then, Wilson remained unsuspicious of Murdaugh. He rushed to his friend’s side when his wife and son were killed. It was only when the law firm contacted him about the money that he was told Murdaugh had been stealing from clients and the firm.

On Sept. 4, 2021, Wilson saw his old friend one final time at Murdaugh’s mother’s home, when he asked him for an explanation.

“He broke down crying,” Wilson remembers. “He told me he had a drug problem, that he was addicted to opioids, that he’d been addicted for 20-plus years or so. And he told me that he had been stealing money.”

“I was so mad, I don’t remember how it ended,” Wilson said. “He sh— me up. He sh— a lot of people up.”

Later that day, Wilson said he learned Murdaugh had been shot on the side of the road, in what turned out to be a botched attempt by Murdaugh to have himself shot in an insurance scheme.

“I thought for sure he had tried to kill himself,” Wilson testified.

Wilson said he spoke to Murdaugh’s brother Randy afterward, but he had not attempted to speak to Murdaugh himself.

“I wasn’t sure I could talk to Alex,” he said. “And I wasn’t sure I wanted to.”