Disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh said in a shocking decision during his murder trial on Thursday that he wanted to testify in his own defense.
The 54-year-old has been charged with the 2021 murders of his 52-year-old Maggie Murdaugh and 22-year-old Paul Murdaugh. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. “I am going to testify,” Murdaugh told a South Carolina judge on Thursday before another witness for the defense was briefly called to the stand. “I want to testify.”
‘Once I lied, I continued to lie … ‘Oh, what a tangled web we weave.’’
Alex Murdaugh gets emotional on the stand while apologizing to his family, including his wife Maggie and son Paul, who he is accused of killing. pic.twitter.com/ZKKU5r9uUj
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) February 23, 2023
Murdaugh appeared to get emotional after he took the stand. He denied shooting his wife and son on June 7, 2021. The shooting toom place at the Murdaugh family’s property in Colleton County South Carolina. “I didn’t shoot my wife or my son any time, ever,” he said in response to his attorney. “I would never intentionally do anything to hurt either one of them. Ever. Ever.”
He also admitted that he repeatedly lied to South Carolina Law Enforcement Division investigators about the last time he saw his wife and son before they were killed. He referred to his wife and son by nicknames “Mags” and “Pau-Pau” respectively — nicknames that were heard for the first time during the trial. He said that his voice could be heard on a cellphone video taken at the kennels where his wife and son were killed about five minutes before the shootings.
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Murdaugh seemed to be at a loss for words as he said that he lied to SLED agents about his whereabouts the night of the murders. He blamed his lying on his distrust of law enforcement and paranoia induced by drug addiction. Murdaugh was treated for oxycodone dependence after the murders. “I did lie to them,” he said. “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.”
His testimony has gone viral on Twitter and this is how people are reacting to it:
Alex Murdaugh just admitted in court under oath that he lied about not being at the kennel where his wife and son were murdered. He blamed lying on his addiction paranoia. Fake crying the whole time. He thought this would exonerate him. This narcissistic POS JUST SEALED HIS FATE
— Joe Has Dementia (@RokerGlasses) February 23, 2023
Alex Murdaugh: Hey everyone I’m gonna testify
Everyone:
pic.twitter.com/X426xa9jzT— itsallrealitv (@itsallrealitv) February 23, 2023
I’ve been thinking Alex Murdaugh was on trial for murder, but it turns out Bubba is on trial for having a chicken in his mouth. What the hell is this testimony?
— Mel (@MelRTW) February 23, 2023
The way Alex Murdaugh’s son Buster is looking at his dad telling his side of the story……yeah , Buster ain’t no BUSTER. He know’s his dad’s lying pic.twitter.com/x0j5gOgRCX
— Shake Kabir (@shakenbaken8) February 23, 2023
Alex Murdaugh is talking about flowers, dogs, chickens, and everything but these murders or money problems.🤹♀️🤦🏾♀️
— Mecia (@jdovelyleo) February 23, 2023
Alex Murdaugh is using the nicknames PawPaw and Mags to refer to Paul and Maggie. These are names we’ve never heard him use for them in his interviews and this change feels sort of odd.
— Mandy Powers Norrell (@MPowersNorrell) February 23, 2023
