⚖️ MURDAUGH MURDERS & TRIAL THREAD ⚖️

[Larry_Williams]

He was good ....not sure I have ever heard a judge say that much but again think he was truly disappointed in who Alex became and somewhat pissed as well. Judge is firm but always soft spoken and never sought any attention . Just did his job and did it well

Definitely.

 

[santee]

I would genuinely like to know where Alex got his drugs. Need to really find out how he got them and try to follow the money.

Thought it was Cousin EDDie

 

[castlesl]

If something does happen to him, does his life insurance policy still pay out? I assume so unless (unless he instigated something in prison and dies as a result of that).

It should pay out regardless of any actions on his part.

 

[Larry_Williams]

I’ve always looked at this when someone is on trial for murder of their wife. If you’e accused and didn’t really do it I think I would be doing everything possible to find who was responsible. Obviously it’s difficult if you’re in jail but I would have my family turning over every possible stone to figure out who killed my wife and son.

It really sort of goes to show that even when a case can be utterly complicated, sometimes the most revealing and pivotal things can be the most basic and easy to understand/diagnose.

 

[DI Tiger]

Smithson15 said:
If something does happen to him, does his life insurance policy still pay out? I assume so unless (unless he instigated something in prison and dies as a result of that).

It should pay out regardless of any actions on his part.

my life insurance policy has a clause that there will be no payout if I instigate a riot in prison and die as a result

 

[dbjork6317]

I thought the judge was great this morning. Him talking about Paul and Maggie visiting Alex every night and remembering the last time they looked him in the eye was pretty powerful. Sounded like he would have favored the death penalty in this case, but even showed Alex more grace than he deserves with the “maybe it wasn’t you, maybe it was the monster you become” after taking pills.

Graceful, thoughtful, powerful - thought he represented South Carolina well today.

 

[castlesl]

How many are surprised by what seems to be the reaction of Maggie's family and even Alex's family. No one from Maggie's side spoke at the sentencing. Do they really think Alex didn't do it or just don't want to talk about it. Is Buster & John Marvin totally blinded to the evidence and believe Alex didn't do it or at least have strong suspicion about it

They are not going to say publicly what they are thinking about Alex. It is very complex with Buster being the son of the murder and loving his dad, knowing he killed his little brother and Mom.

I don’t fault them for remain silent, nothing to be gained other than giving a headline to a news outlet.

 

[santee]

Wow.

Yea well wonder how many times John Marvin had tried to approach him up tp this point.

That is John Marvin just trying to make himself feel better.

 

[Whatdotigersdreamof3]

Buster may need to side with Elec because Elec knows what happened to Stephen Smith

That and where the money is.

 

[Larry_Williams]

I thought the judge was great this morning. Him talking about Paul and Maggie visiting Alex every night and remembering the last time they looked him in the eye was pretty powerful. Sounded like he would have favored the death penalty in this case, but even showed Alex more grace than he deserves with the “maybe it wasn’t you, maybe it was the monster you become” after taking pills.

Graceful, thoughtful, powerful - thought he represented South Carolina well today.

Absolutely.

I know a lot of what's going on in the world invites a lot of cynicism, but that judge and Waters were rock stars for this state during this trial.

 

[dbjork6317]

They are not going to say publicly what they are thinking about Alex. It is very complex with Buster being the son of the murder and loving his dad, knowing he killed his little brother and Mom.

I don’t fault them for remain silent, nothing to be gained other than giving a headline to a news outlet.

Man I definitely feel for Buster. I can’t even imagine. Your dad killing your mom and sibling? Sheesh.

 

[appalachiatiger]

SLED should easily be able to bust up the opioid problem in that part of the state now.

 

[eubyscott]

No, the latter would be a quick way to go out. Not an expert, but I’d imagine one who knew what was coming would be in a state of shock after the first non-lethal shot. Spending however long the remainder of his life is in prison, realizing how much he’s pissed away, is probably the harder way to go for someone of his ilk.

Yeah I definitely think agonizing in prison for the rest of his life is a much worse punishment than death. He's got all the time in the world to really wrestle with what he's done. With no end in sight, except a death surrounded by no loved ones and a completely disgraced name.

 

[castlesl]

Smithson15 said:
If something does happen to him, does his life insurance policy still pay out? I assume so unless (unless he instigated something in prison and dies as a result of that).

my life insurance policy has a clause that there will be no payout if I instigate a riot in prison and die as a result

LOL, does it really? I don’t know that I have looked at any of mine that closely.

 

[91 Tiger]

Cousin Eddie was his dealer.

Where did Eddie get them from? Those are prescription pills correct?

 

[eubyscott]

Watched the verdict live at a bar / restaurant in Hampton County and there were cheers when they said GUILTY. Had to be a big kick to the nuts for Griffin and Harpootlian to have the jury decide that quickly. I don't think they are bad lawyers as much as they took on a bad case. Like others have said, I think even his lawyers thought he did it by the end of the trial.

Keep in mind the state had the shirt with the blood spatter, but did not admit it into evidence because his defense was not able to independently examine it. In the end, they did not even need that.

I really want to know what happened to Stephen Smith, and hope, for his family's sake, that whatever they learned about that crime in the early stages of this investigation will be brought to light.

Very curious as to what was found on Moselle that lead to the re-opening of that investigation.

 

[clemsontiger02]

I’ve always looked at this when someone is on trial for murder of their wife. If you’e accused and didn’t really do it I think I would be doing everything possible to find who was responsible. Obviously it’s difficult if you’re in jail but I would have my family turning over every possible stone to figure out who killed my wife and son.

That's how Richard Kimble handled things.

 

[castlesl]

Where did Eddie get them from? Those are prescription pills correct?

The cowboy gang or something along those lines. It was mentioned at some point over the last 18 months.

 

[Larry_Williams]

Yeah I definitely think agonizing in prison for the rest of his life is a much worse punishment than death. He's got all the time in the world to really wrestle with what he's done. With no end in sight, except a death surrounded by no loved ones and a completely disgraced name.

If he's truly a raging narcissist (and I'm not qualified to say he is), not sure how much true introspection there's gonna be.

 

[yungan]

Thought it was Cousin EDDie

Look deeper and cousin Eddie has quite a lot I would think to be in jail a long time.

 

[eubyscott]

There were many people during this trial who spoke very fondly of Paul, It was a side of Paul that you have to assume was genuine and existed. To me it even sounded like Jim Griffen, Crosby, Ball etc. had a better friendship with Paul than they did with Alex.

Marian Procter was adamant that Paul was not who was portrayed in the media. It is hard to square that with what happened in the boat case and the other innuendo about Gloria and the Smith kid.

The Netflix Documentary is not favorable to Paul in the least and paints a picture of a monster. It is definitely hard to square all of those things.

This trial really leads to a conflicting sense of who Paul was. I think it's safe to say he had a lot of demons and acted entitled but that he also had a genuine side that was caring to people; see John Marvin's kids. Both of the following things can be true: 1. he deserved to spend time in prison for the death of Mallory Beach. 2. He did not deserve to die by the hands of his father, someone he loved and trusted.

 

[FieldCaptain]

Thinking back through the trial...

Dr. Kenneth Kinsey was a ringer for the prosecution. On top of his vast, vast experience and credentials...he was likable, detailed, and always to the point. He communicated in a way that the "average Joe" could easily understand. I was impressed with him and his testimony. He was a home run.

And a Clemson man...might be a good podcast guest @Larry_Williams Probably has a few stories from when he was an athletic trainer in the late 80's too.

 

[GSMTiger]

Absolutely.

I know a lot of what's going on in the world invites a lot of cynicism, but that judge and Waters were rock stars for this state during this trial.

I cannot agree more! They represented South Carolina extremely well on a large stage with countless armchair QBs (myself included)

 

[Oakhurst Tiger]

I'm not questioning any of that.

But I don't think it's about whose "job" it is to find the real killers (once again, assuming John Marvin/Buster still believe Alex didn't do it).

If any human is in their shoes and authentically believes that, then you're spending every waking hour trying to find out who murdered your sister-in-law and nephew.

If John Marvin and Buster do not authentically believe that, then given their testimony the right thing to do is to publicly say they were duped.

If neither of these happen, it's hard for me to jump on board with the idea that these are great people. I'm sorry, it just doesn't compute.

I don't think he owes to anyone to speak out if he chooses not to. How he handles things going forward and what he truly believes after the trial are completely up to him. John has a lot of good friends and is very involved with his immediate family that I would be very surprised if he decided to put himself in the spotlight again.

I think it does say something that he nor Buster spoke on behalf of Alex. In John Marvin's testimony he spoke to the series of events as they happened to the best of his knowledge. I don't think he helped Alex when testified that Alex appeared to have showered, which is part of the prosecution's theory of how Alex had no blood on him when police arrived.

As I said before, John Marvin may be loyal to a fault in that he does not want to believe his brother would do this. But just because he does not organize a manhunt with no investigative resources to do so, should not imply that he still believes his brother is innocent or mean he has questionable character.

 

[GSMTiger]

And a Clemson man...might be a good podcast guest @Larry_Williams Probably has a few stories from when he was an athletic trainer in the late 80's too.

Oooh…would be awesome! Make it happen @Larry_Williams

 

[Chefkdh]

I still feel like there’s so much more going on. This is like Ozark and Justified had a baby

 

[eubyscott]

I would genuinely like to know where Alex got his drugs. Need to really find out how he got them and try to follow the money.

Went down another rabbit hole of all things Murdaugh today and found a video FitsNews did a while back discussing potential drug smuggling operations with AM. Will Folks noted that he had looked through county property records and noticed that AM and Barrett Boulware owned multiple little "islands" throughout the barrier islands. He said he showed documents to law enforcement sources, lawyers familiar with drug smuggling cases, etc. and they all noted that they only logical reasons you have these tiny, inhabited islands in various locations is to either have an area for lookouts to keep track of law enforcement presence or areas to easily stash loads of drugs with easy access to highways.

 

[PawJourney]

And that is precisely why this glorious thread will remain atop this board for the foreseeable future.

Excellent news.

 

[PawJourney]

I would tell Alec to find a different lawyer if I was Griffin or Harpootlian.

💰 🤑 💸 💲 🪙 💶 💰

 

[eubyscott]

John Marvin approached Phillip Beach (Mallory's father) in the courtroom today and attempted to shake his hand and speak to him. Mr. Beach was having none of it, and told him he had nothing to say to him.

Was that interaction caught on one of the cameras today?

 

[PawJourney]

How many are surprised by what seems to be the reaction of Maggie's family and even Alex's family. No one from Maggie's side spoke at the sentencing. Do they really think Alex didn't do it or just don't want to talk about it. Is Buster & John Marvin totally blinded to the evidence and believe Alex didn't do it or at least have strong suspicion about it

What impact would it have? None except to put them in the public spotlight on crimes that cannot be undone and a sentence that would be life without parole. Maggie's family still shares a grandchild (Buster) with the Murdaugh family. Sometimes turning the page for a new day is the best idea.

 

[touchdownbob]

How many are surprised by what seems to be the reaction of Maggie's family and even Alex's family. No one from Maggie's side spoke at the sentencing. Do they really think Alex didn't do it or just don't want to talk about it. Is Buster & John Marvin totally blinded to the evidence and believe Alex didn't do it or at least have strong suspicion about it

I’m not sure what I would do in their position. Silence and grieving seems like a rational approach. I imagine that the family is ready for the media attention to move on and to take their next steps in private.

 

[touchdownbob]

I thought the judge was great this morning. Him talking about Paul and Maggie visiting Alex every night and remembering the last time they looked him in the eye was pretty powerful. Sounded like he would have favored the death penalty in this case, but even showed Alex more grace than he deserves with the “maybe it wasn’t you, maybe it was the monster you become” after taking pills.

Graceful, thoughtful, powerful - thought he represented South Carolina well today.

Well said.

 

[PawJourney]

please refer to item #7070 if you will...haha

I think it's actually #7071.

 

[NCTiger1990]

This trial really leads to a conflicting sense of who Paul was. I think it's safe to say he had a lot of demons and acted entitled but that he also had a genuine side that was caring to people; see John Marvin's kids. Both of the following things can be true: 1. he deserved to spend time in prison for the death of Mallory Beach. 2. He did not deserve to die by the hands of his father, someone he loved and trusted.

Alec had no right to kill Paul, but Paul kind of got karma for killing that poor girl.

 

[TooterTownTiger]

If Clemson lands a 5 star recruit today, I'd have no clue. It's almost impossible to leave this thread. As soon as I get to the last page, I refresh, and there's more!

Bro, I’m glad I’m off today. Read this thread for the 3 hour ride from Greer to Lake Oconee, GA.

 

[eubyscott]

Alec had no right to kill Paul, but Paul kind of got karma for killing that poor girl.

I just don't consider getting your brain blown out by your father to be "karma".

 

[Walhalla Wildman]

This doesn't look like a Jack and Coke guy to me. Straight, high-quality bourbon on the rocks.

Bottled in Bond Jack Daniel’s, a jigger not a shot, neat.

 

[MojitoJoe]

This is one of the things that’s been suspicious in this murder case. There was a reward posted for information that had a very limited expiration date, like maybe 3 months.

Yes... however expired on September 31, 2021. September only has 30 days... every year.
This was nothing more than an info fishing expedition...

 

[Larry_Williams]

I don't think he owes to anyone to speak out if he chooses not to. How he handles things going forward and what he truly believes after the trial are completely up to him. John has a lot of good friends and is very involved with his immediate family that I would be very surprised if he decided to put himself in the spotlight again.

I think it does say something that he nor Buster spoke on behalf of Alex. In John Marvin's testimony he spoke to the series of events as they happened to the best of his knowledge. I don't think he helped Alex when testified that Alex appeared to have showered, which is part of the prosecution's theory of how Alex had no blood on him when police arrived.

As I said before, John Marvin may be loyal to a fault in that he does not want to believe his brother would do this. But just because he does not organize a manhunt with no investigative resources to do so, should not imply that he still believes his brother is innocent or mean he has questionable character.

Fair enough. Appreciate the perspective.