Jury to hear about financial crimes in Murdaugh murder trial

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COLLETON COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – The jury in the Alex Murdaugh murder trial is expected to hear from witnesses connected to Murdaugh’s financial crimes Tuesday.

Murdaugh is accused of killing his wife Margaret and youngest son Paul at their family property in June of 2021.

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Judge Clifton Newman ruled Monday that the evidence could be heard only to further explain the state’s theory of motive, and that the jury should not use it as evidence of bad character or as an indication that Murdaugh is somehow more likely to commit murder based on having committed financial crimes.

Newman was also asked Monday to review the testimony of Murdaugh’s mother’s caregiver, Mushell Smith, who said she saw Murdaugh bringing a blue tarp into his mother’s house days after the murders.

State prosecutors claimed that the tarp could’ve been a blue raincoat, which SLED agents later seized from the property along with the tarp. The state plans to introduce evidence that gunshot residue was found on the raincoat, while Murdaugh’s defense team is arguing the raincoat should not be admitted into evidence at all since it has never been tied to Murdaugh.

Court is expected to resume at 9:30 a.m.

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