Always having to stay one step ahead of the game. His defense team argues that his wife shot their children before turning the gun on herself. (Joshua Boucher/The State via AP, Pool), Jurors are getting their own look Wednesday at the South Carolina estate where prosecutors say Alex Murdaugh shot and killed his wife and son, Members of the media gather to photograph Alex Murdaugh as he is brought into the courtroom for his double murder trial at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, S.C., Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023. Rate. IN WHAT OTHER CASES HAVE JURORS VISITED THE CRIME SCENE? They were also cautioned to watch for snakes. A mother and her children were murdered while going on a trip to a water park. Heres some of whats on our to-do list. The 54-year-old attorney is standing trial on two counts of murder in the shootings of his wife and son at their Colleton County home and hunting lodge on June 7, 2021. They asked for jurors to be allowed to visit the property in order to help them understand how small the storage room is where Paul Murdaugh was killed and the distance between the two bodies. Got a tip? Prosecutors had argued against the visit to Moselle, given that the property has changed in the 20 months since the killings, but Judge Clifton Newman ruled in favor of the defense on Monday. In the interest of justice, it is probably a good thing for them to see it.. His law firm was also looking into his previous cases. Prosecutor Marcia Clark said at the time that taking jurors to see the narrow, confined walkway would show the reason why one person could accomplish this, and how the victims were cornered.. Jurors have visited the South Carolina estate where prosecutors say disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh shot and killed his wife and son. Send it to The Daily Beasthere. Jurors have visited the South Carolina estate where prosecutors say disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh shot and killed his wife and son. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Eventually, though, cracks began to appear in his story. During my research, I collected an extensive archive of photographs. A private investigator demonstrates what he believes happened inside the SUV the day Chris Vaughns family was shot to death. William, Julie and Sean Grissom were the first three lives taken by serial killer Danny Rolling who spread his terror between two states in the late 1980s into the early '90s. [19], The season three premiere of Arrested Development ("The Cabin Show") features a flashback scene in which Lucille Bluth (Jessica Walter), having recently gone off her postpartum medication, is watching a news story about Smith, to which she replies "Good for her! Web20 titles. A Private Investigator Shows How He Believes Bloodstains Prove Chris Vaughn Didnt Stage A Crime Scene. 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The judge has agreed with a defense request to let jurors visit the Murdaughs property in Colleton County, South Carolina. This conflicted with her statement that she did not see any other cars there when the carjacking took place. During the penalty phase, Tommy Pope, the lead prosecutor in the Smith case, argued passionately in favor of sentencing Smith to death. Jurors have visited the South Carolina estate where prosecutors say disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh shot and killed his wife and son. She took me to a cemetery in Grayhorse, in Osage County, where many of her relatives who were killed are buried. At one point in the AMANDA CONNER ORIGINAL COVER ART. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier via AP, Pool), Several vehicles leave at the Murdaugh Moselle property on Wednesday, March 1, 2023 in Islandton, S.C. In many cases, it doesnt happen because the trial is taking place years later, so the scene has changed and taking jurors there could provide a false impression of what happened. (Joshua Boucher/The State via AP, Pool), Alex Murdaugh enters the courtroom before closing arguments begin in his trial for murder at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, S.C. on Wednesday, March 1, 2023. He carried a badge and authority. The main house at the Murdaugh Moselle property on Wednesday, March 1, 2023 in Islandton, S.C. Waters said Alex Murdaugh has been lying for years to cover up his opioid addiction and theft of money from his law firm and clients, so it would be easy to lie about being at the kennels and killing his family, and to lie while testifying in his own defense last week. Like us on Facebook to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. Dont let him fool you, too.. The tour of the crime scene happened before jurors were to head back to court in Walterboro to hear closing arguments in the closely watched murder trial. Prosecutors opposed the visit because the scene has changed significantly in the 20 months since the killings. Vaughan was born On Oct. 3, 1954 in Dallas, Texas. Will county prosecutors and Vaughns public defenders declined to comment Monday on the dewoodsman entries found online. 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No one knew who he was. Closing arguments began Wednesday after jurors took a field trip to the scene of the crime. They were very curious about how far up they can go up that stairwell, said Raleigh News & Observer reporter Demorris Lee, who went with the jurors, according to a Court TV report. Vaughn Yanko, a 22-year-old white male from West Chester, PA, was charged with Criminal Attempted Homicide, Aggravated Assault, Simple Assault, and Recklessly Endangering Another Person. He has been doing it for 10 years.. What follows is a collection of some of the most revealing photographs, as well as a clip of related film footage. At age 35, Stevie Ray Vaughan was killed in a late-night helicopter crash in Wisconsin. [13] Clarke told the jury: "This is not a case about evil. [16], During Smith's incarceration at the Camille Griffin Graham Correctional Institution, two correctional officers, Lieutenant Houston Cagle and Captain Alfred R. Rowe Jr., were charged after having sex with her. Simpson was acquitted of the killings but was later found liable for the deaths in a civil suit. It was among the F.B.I.s first major homicide investigations. Their hour-long field trip to the Moselle hunting estate in South Carolina came shortly before closing arguments began in what has been dubbed the trial of the century by local media. The biggest breakthrough of the case was her description of the carjacking location. The records inside show his three children Abigayle, 12, Cassandra, 11, and Blake, 8 were each shot twice. No purchase necessary. March 1, 2023. This is a case about despair and sadness. Prosecutors opposed the visit, saying the scene looks different than it did in June 2021, as trees and vegetation have grown and no one has lived on the property since the killings. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? When I asked the museum director why, she said it contained the image of a figure so frightening that shed decided to remove it. In desperation, he turned to Tom White, a former Texas Ranger, to take over the case. Testimony concluded on Tuesday after more than 75 witnesses took the stand over about five weeks. Finally, it appears the Oswego man wrote an ominous blog entry just weeks before the shooting about wrapping up a few last things before disappearing into the remote wilderness. In 1923, these Osage received collectively what would be worth today more than $400 million. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier via AP, Pool). Director: Doug Liman | Stars: Vince Vaughn, Heather Graham, Jon Favreau, Ron Livingston. Alex Murdaughs theft of millions of dollars was about to be revealed so he killed his wife and son to buy time to figure a way out, a prosecutor said Wednesday during closing arguments in the disgraced South Carolina attorneys murder trial. And his lies and his guilty actions afterward confirm that.. WebSusan Leigh Smith (ne Vaughan; born September 26, 1971) is an American woman who was convicted of murdering her two sons, three-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alexander, in 1994 by drowning them in a South Carolina lake.. Murdaugh has testified that on the night of the murders, he was down at the kennels before heading back to the main house, where he claims he dozed off on the couch around the time Paul and Maggie were fatally shot with two guns. Richer reported from Boston. But Eventually they were able to capture one of the masterminds of the murderous plot. [3] Her defense attorneys, David Bruck and Judy Clarke, called expert witnesses to testify that she had mental health issues that impaired her judgment when she committed the crimes. In the early morning hours of June 14, 2007, a passerby called the police when they saw Christopher Vaughn on the side of the road, apparently injured. The tour of the crime scene happened before jurors were to head back to court in Walterboro to hear closing arguments in the closely watched murder trial. 2023 Atlas Obscura. Heres a later photograph of White with Hoover: To unravel the mystery, White assembled a team of undercover operatives, including an American Indian agent. Web"The Vaughn family's dogs, a golden retriever and schnauzer, were taken Thursday afternoon to an animal shelter, next-door neighbor Susan Stasinos said. Everyone immediately rallies around Alex Murdaugh, he said. They provide another essential means of documenting a crime largely forgotten by history. After searching, All rights reserved. But Waters disputed that too, noting that Murdaugh was comforted by officers in his initial police interview. Several of those who tried to catch the killers were also killed, including a lawyer, W.W. Vaughan, who was thrown off a speeding train. + McCandless & Company: Crime Scenes Amanda Conner Cover. 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