Alex Murdaugh, the ex-lawyer accused of killing his wife and son in June 2021, testified in his own defense on Thursday, denying the charges.
When Murdaugh took the stand, defense lawyers pressed him about the state’s most damning piece of evidence, a video recording from his deceased son that placed the lawyer at the scene of the crime minutes before the murders took place, NBC News reported.
“Mr. Murdaugh, is that you on the kennel video at 8:44 p.m. on June 7, the night Maggie and Paul were murdered?” defense attorney Jim Griffin asked, according to CNN.
Murdaugh acknowledged that it was his voice and apologized for lying previously about his whereabouts. “I wasn’t thinking clearly. I don’t think I was capable of reason, and I lied about being down there, and I’m so sorry that I did,” Murdaugh replied, according to the outlet.
#BREAKING: “I lied.” Alex Murdaugh denies killing his son Paul and wife Maggie. He blames his drug addiction for lying to the police about being at the kennels.
Is he telling the truth now or is his testimony another lie?
WATCH #CourtTV LIVE – https://t.co/kwyww1PSML pic.twitter.com/mS9VUGaHVw
— Court TV (@CourtTV) February 23, 2023
Murdaugh initially told investigators he had discovered the bodies of his 55-year-old wife, Maggie, and 22-year-old son, Paul, near dog kennels on their property in rural South Carolina after visiting his mother, The New York Times reported. Months after their deaths, Murdaugh reportedly attempted to stage his own murder by asking his friend Curtis Edward Smith to shoot him in the head, the outlet stated. This alleged attempt on his own life came as evidence of financial wrongdoing at his family-founded law firm came to light, the outlet reported.
Murdaugh was formally indicted for the murder of his wife and son in July 2022, according to NBC News.
Despite admitting he had lied, Murdaugh maintained his innocence, telling Griffin that “I didn’t shoot my wife or my son, anytime, ever.” Murdaugh also maintained that he did visit his mother prior to finding the bodies of his wife and son, though the prosecution has claimed that he only did so to create an alibi, NBC reported. (RELATED: ‘I Did Him So Bad’: Tape Allegedly Show Murder Suspect React To Graphic Photos Of His Dead Son)
The state has yet to find a murder weapon, which has been the largest hurdle in its efforts to prove Murdaugh’s guilt, the outlet stated.