South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson and South Carolina Law Enforcement Chief Mark Keel announced charges of two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime against the once-prominent, now-retired attorney Thursday in the morning.
Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh, 52, and their youngest son, Paul Murdaugh, 22, were found shot to death on the family’s Moselle property on the evening of June 7, 2021. Alex Murdaugh called 911 to report the shooting, saying he had they just returned home and discovered their bodies.
Jim Griffin, one of Murdaugh’s attorneys, told CNN they would not comment further on the matter until their client is charged. CNN has reached out to SLED, Murdaugh’s other lawyers and the Attorney General’s office for comment.
[Original story, published at 7:40 a.m. ET]
Blood splatters found on disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh’s clothing could place him at the scene of the murders of his wife and son last year in their South Carolina home, a source with knowledge of the investigation tells CNN. Murdaugh, who is currently in jail and may face murder charges this week, said he returned on June 7, 2021, to their home in Islandton, a small community about an hour north of Hilton Head Island, and found the woman and his son — Margaret and Paul — had been shot. She called 911 to report the shooting.
Murdaugh, a pillar of the South Carolina legal community, denied involvement in their deaths, saying he was visiting his mother at the time.
Blood splatters found could put Murdaugh in close contact with at least one of the victims when they were killed, the source said. High velocity spatter is associated with the use of a specific weapon, such as a rifle, and creates a specific blood pattern, especially when used at close range.
Additionally, a phone belonging to Paul Murdaugh was found on his body that contained video and audio of Alex Murdaugh talking to his wife near the time she and Paul were killed, the source said.
Alex Murdaugh is not seen in the video but can be heard talking to her, and that recording is time-stamped, the source said, which could prove key to the investigation.
The details were first reported by FITSNews. Murdaugh is being held behind bars in Columbia, South Carolina, on $7 million bond, facing a number of financial crime charges. And a grand jury convenes Thursday to indict Murdaugh on murder charges.
Murdaugh’s attorneys, Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian, confirmed to CNN that Murdaugh has been informed of the possible murder charges against him, adding that they “do not know the existence or quality of any evidence since he has not been charged.”
South Carolina Department of Law Enforcement spokeswoman Renée Wunderlich issued a statement declining to provide further details about their investigation.
“The SLED investigation into the murders of Maggie and Paul Murdo is still active and ongoing,” Wunderlich said. “Agents are committed to the integrity of the investigation, so no additional information will be provided by SLED at this time.”
A spokesman for the South Carolina Attorney General’s office told CNN it had no comment on possible charges against Murdaugh.
CNN’s Eric Levenson, Dianne Gallagher and Travis Caldwell contributed to this report.
