CNN Legal Analyst Points Out a HUGE Flaw in Murdaugh’s Testimony That Blows Hole in His Defense
Alex Murdaugh took the stand on Thursday in his trial for the murder of his wife and son, and may have made an admission that blows a hole in a key part of his defense, according to a CNN legal commentator.
Murdaugh was disbarred shortly after his 22-year-old son Paul and 52-year-old wife Maggie were shot and killed on June 7, 2021 at the family hunting lodge property, after a series of alleged financial improprieties were revealed, including stealing client funds from his law firm’s accounts. The prosecution’s theory has accused Murdaugh of killing his wife and son to distract from his own personal financial troubles.
The defendant’s testimony had a dramatic start on Thursday, with his stunning admission that he had lied about being at the lodge’s kennels the night of the murders. Murdaugh also repeatedly and emphatically denied killing his wife and son, and broke down emotionally when he testified about finding their bodies.
Previously during the defense’s case, Murdaugh’s attorneys presented a forensic engineer named Mike Sutton as an expert witness to testify that their client was too tall to have fired the shots that killed Maggie and Paul.
Sutton said Alex Murdaugh is 76 inches tall. The expert said, however, that his calculations of the crime scene suggested the shooter was likely between 62 and 64 inches tall.
Sutton said that a taller shooter would have had to hold the AR-style weapon that killed Maggie Murdaugh quite low, such as at his hip.
As for the defendant himself, the forensic expert said it was even more unrealistic because he would have had to have fired the weapon below his kneecap.
Murdaugh testified that he had gone down to the kennels in a golf cart — a small tidbit that was highlighted by Palm Beach County (Florida) State Attorney Dave Aronberg in an appearance on CNN Newsroom Thursday afternoon.
Anchor Bianna Goldryga noted that Aronberg had been “skeptical” about the decision to have Murdaugh testify and asked for his analysis of the defense’s questioning of him. “They got him to admit he lied to police and authorities and he stole from clients and his law firm. Is that to sort of diffuse what they expect to be an aggressive cross from prosecutors?” she asked.
Aronberg, an elected official who supervises the prosecutors’ office for his county, agreed and explained that the defense strategy was “to get the bad stuff out upfront,” and “to get it out before the prosecutors get it out.”
He also pointed out how Murdaugh’s “whole defense now is that ‘the opioids made me do it, the opioids made me lie and lie about everything, about being at the kennels — and now I’m changing my story. I’m telling you the truth. I’ve lied every day up until now, but now I’m telling you the truth.'”
That “doesn’t make sense to me,” Aronberg continued, but does show that “he’s a narcissist, he’s a con man.”
Aronberg then pointed out a key flaw exposed by Murdaugh’s testimony: “He said he came down the kennels in a golf cart. Well, doesn’t that explain why someone between the height of 5’2″ and 5’4″ allegedly shot the victims? That was according to the defense’s own expert. And Murdaugh is over 6 feet — well, not if he’s sitting in a golf cart!”
“The defense brought up things the prosecution could have a field day with — and they will,” Aronberg concluded.
In a brief phone call with Mediaite Thursday, Aronberg was still incredulous at Murdaugh’s testimony, expressing shock that he had admitted so many details in the course of trying to defend himself and explain the events of the night of the murders.
“He just admitted it!” said Aronberg, meaning the many details, key facts the prosecution will need to prove, that Murdaugh disclosed during his own testimony, pointing how how the defendant had admitted he was driving the golf cart (and therefore seated and at a lower height), admitted he had firearms, “admitted he was loaded up on opioids” and put himself at the scene at the time of the murders — but then tried to claim that same opioid problem was an excuse for all his previous lies while at the same time it was not a reason for allegedly killing his family.
“I don’t believe anything that guy says,” said Aronberg.
Watch above via CNN.
