And thanks for being with us.
Now as we recap what happened today in
the double murder trial of Alec Murdoch,
the disgraced attorney accused of
shooting and killing his wife Maggie
and his son Paul in June of 2021.
Now as we go through the testimony,
we're also going to bring in a criminal
defense attorney to talk about what
happened in court today to get his take
on everything the focus this afternoon.
The cell phones from the crime scene
previous testimony indicated that
Maggie Murdoch's phone was found about
1/2 mile or so from the crime scene.
But today we learned late this afternoon
that somebody was holding Maggie's
phone around the time she was shot.
A witness testifying the phones camera
was activated around 854 that evening,
but it was only on for a second
or two witness,
adding that the phone recorded
several several orientation changes
over the next several moments.
And again as we mentioned
that phone was found about.
Half mile away from the crime scene,
News 19 Sam Perez was in the courtroom today.
She has more on today's testimony.
In Tuesday's court proceedings,
a handful of witnesses took the stand,
including more crime scene investigators
and experts who talked about their efforts
to gain access to the victims phones.
It picked up with more questioning
of SLED agent Jeff Croft,
who began the morning being
cross examined by the defense.
After his testimony on Monday,
he was asked about his search of
guns and ammunition at Mozelle,
the Murdoch family's hunting property,
where Maggie and Paul were
found shot to death.
That blue Paul Murdoch's head
off was Winchester Dry lock,
steel waterfowl. 12 gauge ammunition.
And you didn't find any similar
ammunition that Moselle on June
the 8th or anytime after that,
correct? I did not, Sir.
We did it shock you to see that
many guns and they were all
hunting guns, were they not?
Did not shock me to see
that many hunting guns
on redirect. Croft told prosecuting
attorney Clayton Waters that he did find
guns with mixed loads in their chambers,
similar to the suspected murder
weapons which have not been located.
Croft also testified about investigators
finding the phone of Murdoch's wife
on the side of a road near Moselle.
After her death, the defense asked whether
they placed the device in a Faraday bag,
which law enforcement can use
to block cell phone signals.
Croft said instead,
he placed the phone on airplane mode.
The defense implied this showed
the evidence wasn't protected,
but the prosecution maintains Faraday bags
aren't the only way to keep phones safe.
Custodian of records for
Verizon Michael Anthony Neck,
took the stand and explained
to the courtroom a spreadsheet
showing calls made and received on
Maggie and Alec Murdoch's phones.
John van houten.
With the Secret Service explained the
process of guessing a phone password
using special software which helped
him access Paul Murdoch's phone,
we are limited to 8 an attempt of 146,
maybe 145 attempts per day.
So a four digit code has a maximum
possible numeric value of 10,000 attempts.
So at 146 attempts a day,
it would roughly take a little over two
months to 68 days to unlock that phone,
adding two extra numbers to a 6 digit.
Going from a four digit to a 6 digit,
there are approximately
1,000,000 possibilities now,
and 146 attempts per day it
could take upwards 19 years.
But Van Houten said he was able to
unlock Paul's phone successfully
by guessing a significant date.
When it came to Maggie's phone,
the defense says Alec Murdoch
gave investigators the password.
Lieutenant Britt dove with sled
testified he extracted and verified
information on Maggie and Alex
phones reporting in Walter Borough,
Sam Perez News 19 WLTX
now also today, some testimony surrounded
an interview SLED agents have with
Alec Murdoch three days after the
shooting deaths agent Jeff Croft.
You just saw in that report
testifying that during the interview
of Murdoch he said I did him so
bad in reference to his son Paul.
But the defense attorney Jim Griffin argued
in the tape or in court on the tape,
that Murdoch actually said they
did him so bad they played the
tape multiple times for the jury.
Are you 100% confident that
Alex said I did him so bad?
Rather than they did him so bad.
I am 100% confident in what I heard
and I interpreted him as saying.
But you would agree that this
jury can hear the same thing
you heard on June the 10th by.
By playing what was captured on the
body Cam or the OR the recording
equipment in agents Owen's car,
right? Yes, Sir.
It was so bad. It is so bad.
All right, back it up and play it in
real time again. Done. Real time.
Or not. Not
easy. I know it's hard.
And sitting here talking today is is tough.
So bad it is so bad.
Again, Sam Perez from earlier today.
Now after this, Griffin asked
to play the tape at 1/3 speed.
Agent Croft saying again he heard
Murdoch say aye and not they.
Also on that witness stand today,
Department of Natural Resources
Agent John Bedenfield,
a second cousin of Murdoch.
He took the stand testifying that he
built 300 blackout rifles for Murdoch.
Prosecutors say this type of weapon
was used to kill Maggie Murdoch.
Edenville told the defense attorneys
that he has recommended this type
of weapon for hunting wild hogs.
How many blackouts?
AR Style rifles did you
make for Alec Murdoch 3?
And when was that last one made?
2018, April, April 2018.
You recommended that these 300
blackouts be used for POG hunting.
Yes, Sir. And is that mean and?
This part of the state or or wild hogs
kind of a nuisance to game management.
Property management a severe nuisance.
Yes Sir. Do you have any estimate how
many 300 blackouts you you've sold
over the last four or five years?
No, Sir, I would not have a little
over 600 firearm transfers.
I wouldn't know.
And as we continue to follow
the trial as it unfolds,
we are getting analysis from
experts right here in the Midlands.
Taylor Bell, he is a criminal defense
attorney here in the Columbia area.
We want to thank you for coming in
tonight to give us your take on this.
All right. Let's go with what happened
this morning and it was a matter of
what was said to the SLED agents.
I did him so bad or they did him so bad.
Of course the defense is saying it
is they prosecution saying, aye.
What did you hear?
Well, I've watched it and listened
to it several times myself,
and I would have to go with the defense
on this that it was, it was they.
I believe the response of Bycroft was,
was a bit disingenuous,
not giving any leeway,
but at the end he did say it was
up to the jury to decide that.
And how could this factor in
as we go along in this trial?
Well, I think it's going to take away from
the credibility of that agent himself.
By not giving any leeway on what he heard,
that he could have been making
mistake even after having listened
to it again in front of the jury,
and I think that's going to take
away some credibility of him.
When the jury goes back in
the jury room and deliberates,
they're going to remember that and they're
going to be able to watch it themselves,
listen to it numerous times.
They can play it as many
times as they like back there,
and they're going to make
the decision themselves.
And if they decide different from him,
I think it's going to take
away from his credibility.
Two different types of weapons
used in these slayings,
a rifle and a shotgun.
And as of tonight,
I don't believe either murder
weapon has been found, correct?
That's my understanding,
my understanding that all the
weapons that were tested that
were found at the hunting lodge,
none of them came back to match the
ammunition that was used in these murders.
Bedenfield taking the stand though,
a second cousin of Murdoch's,
the first relative of Murdoch's
that we've heard from.
On the witness stand during this trial,
testifying that he actually made a gun,
though similar to the one that
the prosecution believes was
used to kill Maggie Murdoch.
How significant is that testimony today?
So he testified that he actually,
I think, made three weapons and that
two of them had not been found.
One originally was lost,
two were purchased by Alec at Christmas time
several years back and had been lost by Paul.
And then he repurchased another one.
I think you know that the prosecution is
going to use that to their advantage.
Saying that one of the weapons was
was you know, thrown away somewhere.
However, you know,
I don't know what kind of search they
did for the weapon beyond where they're
at so far looking in the hunting lodge.
Speaking of throwing away Maggie Murdock,
cell phone found about 1/2 mile
or so from the crime scene,
some of this testimony today indicating
that someone was either using her.
Phone or trying to use her phone
or moving her phone this afternoon.
Can you tell us what they were
trying to prove in court today?
So I think they're trying to lay a
timeline of when she was alive and
and when she was murdered and and
try to lay that timeline out with
the cell phone data and the cell
phone records from whether it be
the Verizon subpoenas that they sent
out or whether it be the extractions
from the actual devices themselves.
And I think they're trying to lay a timeline.
To poke holes in the alibi that Alex
attorneys are are trying to lay out there.
As a criminal defense attorney,
how do you think both sides are
doing in this trial so far?
Well, I I think today I would chalk up
a win for the defense to start with,
most of the afternoon was a lot of chain
witnesses to lay the foundation for
what they are going to be lining up.
I assume at the end when they
lay it out and they lay out their
timeline about how things went down
and and tried to poke holes in the
alibi as I previously said there.
As a criminal defense attorney,
what would you be doing?
What would what would you think
that the defense team would
be doing right now to try and
sway the jury in their favor?
Well, I think they did a really
good job at trying to humanize
Alec with betting field today.
They talked about him having known him and
him enjoying his kids and being with them.
I I think that humanized him.
Whereas the prosecution,
they're trying to demonize them.
They they did that when they
introduced all the weapons,
trying to show that, you know,
he's got all these weapons,
these are, you know,
trying to make him look like a bad person,
that that's dangerous with weapons.
That was a good job, I think.
Of them today with that witness,
do you think the prosecution is laying
out a pretty solid case so far?
I think it's too early to say.
I think they're doing a good job.
I think they're laying the foundation.
I I think they've done a really good
job at making sure they're getting to
the point and not belaboring issues.
Why the fascination with this case,
not only here in South Carolina,
but this is just all across the nation.
People seem to be just glued in to this
trial in little tiny Walterboro, SC.
Well, I think it has to do with the,
you know, the, the upper class.
Family that it it's affecting and you
wouldn't hear about something like this
from from a small town as well as the
prominence of of the family in that area.
I think it has a lot to do with that
as well as the high profile of the
attorneys that are involved in this case.
You've seen this trial over
the last several days.
Do you think right now the prosecution
has presented any evidence at all
to that jury that Alec Murdoch
is guilty of these crimes? Well.
I haven't seen all the evidence.
You know, I I don't think the tape
really laid anything out there the
the I verse day I I think that was a
clearly they having listened to it.
The timeline I think they're
trying to poke as to his alibi
as to where he says he was,
and I think they're trying
to lay that out there.
And ultimately it's up to the jury
to decide that at the end after
having gathered all the evidence.
And I think it's too early to
start deliberating on that.
I know you're perhaps not a body language
expert, but we have seen Murdoch in
court many times with his head down,
rocking back and forth in front of that jury.
Any significance to that? Well.
It's hard to put yourself in the place
of somebody that's ever been accused
of that having represented folks that
you know are are facing life in prison.
That that's a dangerous area to to kind
of judge people because you've never
been in that situation as well as we're
talking about very heartfelt moments
involving his children and his wife.
And you know, it's hard to tell.
It's hard to tell,
but clearly he has some emotions that he's.
Knowing whether they're good or bad,
I don't have that answer.
Early on, the prosecution said
this would not be a death penalty
case that surprised you.
Well.
My take on that is. You've got to.
There are aggravating factors here, however,
to move forward on a case that quickly,
as they have in this case.
It would have not been moved on
as quick as it if it had been.
If it was a death penalty case,
there would be a lot more involved in
regarding sentencing phase as well.
You know.
From a criminal defense perspective,
looking at the death penalty and what?
The most heinous crimes?
Are the ones that qualify and
that's the determination for the
Attorney general in this case
and he made the decision not to.
Is it surprising given that
it's a a double homicide?
Yes and no. I think politically,
politically that played a
role here in that decision.
We were being told that this trial
would probably last at least two weeks.
With that said, do you think the the
prosecution will rest before the end of
the week or is this going to drag into
next week with with their witnesses?
I think the witnesses are
going relatively slow.
They're the prosecution's doing
it relatively methodical as well.
So I don't think that you're
probably going to get into the
defense until next week. OK.
All right. Taylor Bell,
Criminal defense attorney here in Columbia.
Thank you so very much for your
time and for your insight.
And a lot of people at home
are probably like waiting to
hear some of those answers,
trying to simplify and trying
to understand what's going on
there. Thank you for having me. All
right. And of course, as always,
you can continue to follow the trial as it.
Folds, we're getting that analysis from
Midlands experts throughout the week.
We have full coverage for you,
though, from the courtroom,
with testimony beginning
at 9:30 tomorrow morning.
You can watch on WLTX,
plus you can watch on our YouTube channel,
wltx.com, and of course,
full team coverage right here on News 19.
Again, thank you for your
time and have a good night.