Alex Murdaugh’s lead defense attorney Jim Griffin delivered the closing argument on Thursday in his client’s murder trial. Alex’s murdered wife’s phone became crucial evidence that was stressed by Griffin during the argument.

Alex Murdaugh is accused of killing his wife and son, Maggie and Paul, who were fatally shot at the family’s dog kennels in June 2021. Along with two counts of first-degree murder, Murdaugh is also facing 99 charges linked to financial wrongdoing.

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Griffin began suggesting alternative theories to what might have happened using the extracted data from Maggie’s phone during his argument. One of the theories proposed by him was that someone else had her phone and was around the side of the shed near the crime scene where footprints were seen. Griffin’s arguments were aimed at establishing reasonable doubt in the minds of the jurors.

At one point he mimicked slow steps when discussing Murdaugh’s step count, which was recorded by his phone. The prosecution has pointed out that Alex was moving at his quickest at the time of the crime “This is Alex scurrying around, according to the state’s case,” Griffin said, showing the slow movements.

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Griffin also pointed out the fact that there was no evidence that Maggie’s phone never came in proximity to Alex’s phone in the time after her death. The attorney also discussed the idea that Alex had ditched his wife’s phone after killing her and sped away from the crime scene. Griffin said his client sped only from 42mph to 46mph and if the latter wanted to establish more of an alibi he would’ve driven slower.

Griffin also said that Alex had Maggie’s passcode. “If he is manufacturing a timeline that absolves him of the slayings, the easiest way to do it is use both phones. He would have been texting from Maggie’s phone to try to establish that she was still alive. We know from Maggie’s phone data that her phone was never unlocked, and he has the keys. Why didn’t Alex Murdaugh unlock her phone if he was the one ditching it? These circumstances raise more questions, ladies and gentlemen, that we wouldn’t have to be dealing with if they had simply secured Maggie’s phone … on June the 8th. We wouldn’t be here,” he said.