Testimony: Maggie Murdaugh may have bought gun that killed her
Murder victim
SLED Firearms Examiner
"It is my conclusion that these items had been loaded into and ejected from the same firearm at some point in time," testified Greer. These matching marks included firing pin marks, ejector marks, extractor marks, and chamber marks, he added.
Prosecutors had said early on they believe Maggie had been killed with a "family weapon," and when the pieces of the evidentiary puzzle are put together, it becomes clear which weapon that might be, and when it was last seen and shot before the night of the murders.
Bedingfield testified earlier this week that Murdaugh had purchased three AR-style sporting rifles for his sons, Paul and Buster, as Christmas presents in December of 2016.
However, Murdaugh later told police, Paul misplaced that weapon, so he asked Bedingfield to built another.
Murdaugh also told state police during initial interviews following the killings that Paul was reckless, irresponsible, and always leaving guns lying around at random places - he repeated this several times in interviews- and that this replacement gun had been stolen from Paul's truck during a party. He did not know when, he told SLED.
However, other testimony puts a timeline on that gun and a location where it was fired. Paul's friend and college roommate,
The state entered into evidence a receipt from ACE dated
Loving also testified that the same weekend the sight was purchased, he and Paul sighted the weapon in right from the steps of the house - at the gun room side entrance - using the porch railing to steady the weapon.
Based on the facts that this gun is unaccounted for, and the ballistics of rifle casings found at the gun room steps match the casings near Maggie's body, it may be an easy leap for the jury to believe that Paul second gun - one she purchased and hand delivered to him - was in the family's possession as late as
Greer also testified that 12 gauge 3-inch magnum shells found in the house and workshop at the Moselle property match the same brand, model and size as the two fired shotshells found near Paul Murdaugh's body.
While the court qualified Greer as an "expert witness" in matters of firearm analysis, Murdaugh defense attorney
"Is it art or is it science?" he asked.
Griffin also pointed out that firearms are mass manufactured, much like cars on an assembly line or any other mass produced part, and that weapons manufactured at the same time in the same factory may have similar characteristics.
Griffin was also quick to point out that no ballistics or analysis proved that any weapon seized from the Moselle crime scene were ruled as being the murder weapons.
"You are not here to tell the jury that any of the weapons here were used to kill
"My results were inconclusive," responded Greer. "I'm not able to determine that. They (the cartridges at the crime scene) could have been fired by a gun with similar characteristics."
SLED Senior Special Agent
Greer's testimony and the firearms evidence may prove troublesome to Murdaugh's defense, so on
Earlier in the trial, during an in-camera hearing to determine if the evidence would even be admissible in front of a jury (which it was ruled admissible), Griffin also went after the credibility and reliability of Greer's evidence and testimony.
Griffin asked is Greer could say with "scientific certainty" that "no other gun in the universe could have made these marks?"
Court will resume at 9:30 Monday with an in-camera hearing, with no jury present, to hear testimony from Allendale attorney
Day 10 of the Alex Murdaugh murder trial began with few surprises but it is clear that the
SLED Firearms Examiner
Prosecutors early on stated they believed the Murdaughs were killed with at least one family weapon.
Found at the murder scene were fired S&B 300 Blackout rifle cartridges, along with Federal Premium and Winchester Drylok 12 gauge 3-inch shotgun shells.
During the morning, Judge
Jan Malinowshi, CEO of
Further testimony revealed that Murdaugh was considering selling Moselle and refinancing his Edisto beach house. Murdaugh also had a
Carson Burney, S.C. Attorney General's Office Forensic Accountant, testified about money allegedly stolen by Murdaugh using a fake "Forge" bank account, and about money stolen from the
The in-camera hearing is expected to continue on Monday morning.
Looking back at Thursday
in
The Alex Murdaugh crime saga became more intriguing Thursday.
With the jury in waiting until the matter is decided, counsel for both sides made compelling arguments over whether or not Murdaugh's more than 100 other criminal charges - mainly stealing from law clients and other attorneys - as well as at least two of the dozen civil cases against him, are legally admissible under S.C. Rules of Evidence Rule 404(b) in this double murder trial in
Witness testimony detailed how Murdaugh was confronted by his own law firm on the morning of the murders about missing legal fees, and was expected later that week to meet with opposing attorneys to discuss his financial matters as part of the 2019 Beach wrongful death suit. Lead prosecutor
"When the hounds are at the door, when Hannibal is at the gates for
Arguably, Murdaugh attorney
"How murdering
Newman, while not ruling on the matter, indicated that he would be in favor of allowing the evidence if the state could prove it was within the scope of the law.
"Evidence of other crimes can be used to show motive, intent, common schemes and plans," said Newman. "I find that it is admissible provided the proper scrutiny is done... "
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