Jury set to visit crime scene in double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh

The jury in the double murder trial of disgraced South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh — who is accused of killing his wife and young son at the family’s home in 2021 — will journey to the web site of the brutal killings on Wednesday ahead of closing arguments.

The bodies of Margaret Murdaugh, 52, and Paul Murdaugh, 22, were being identified useless from multiple gunshot wounds near the pet kennels at the family’s estate Moselle in June 2021, authorities reported.

Alex Murdaugh, 54, who known as 911 to report the discovery, was billed with their murders 13 months later.

The defense argued that it would be valuable for the jury to pay a visit to the 1,772-acre hunting estate in Islandton to get a sense of the area in which the killings took spot.

“You just can not really recognize the spatial difficulties without essentially seeing them,” protection lawyer Richard Harpootlian advised the courtroom on Monday.

Prosecutors had argued from the go to to Moselle, provided that the property has adjusted in the 20 months because the killings, but Choose Clifton Newman dominated in favor of the defense on Monday.

The jurors are slated to journey to the house, which is underneath deal for $3.9 million, Wednesday morning amid limited protection. No concerns can be requested and no talking will be allowed on the journey. The decide has warned them that some matters have improved on the assets because the crime transpired.

Subsequent the journey, court docket is predicted to resume close to 11 a.m., at which issue the attorneys will argue fees for how the jury will be instructed to deliberate.

At the time those people rules are founded, closing arguments will get position, then the decide will charge the jury just before deliberations into the significant-profile case commence.

Above the earlier almost six months, the jury has heard from above 60 witnesses known as by condition prosecutors, who have argued that Alex Murdaugh killed his wife and son to attain sympathy and distract from his financial issues.

Prosecutors have concentrated on footage taken from Paul Murdaugh’s cellphone the night time of the murders, which include a video taken at the kennels various minutes right before the victims had been considered to be killed that investigators mentioned has Alex Murdaugh talking in the background. Alex Murdaugh advised investigators early in the case that he was not down by the kennels that night and had final seen his spouse and son at supper just before getting bodies on returning household from checking out his mom.

The defense has identified as 14 witnesses, which includes Alex Murdaugh himself, who for the duration of hrs of at-occasions psychological testimony admitted to stealing from his clientele and lying to investigators about his whereabouts the night of the murders but repeatedly denied fatally capturing his spouse and son.

The protection has argued that law enforcement disregarded the possibility that everyone else could have killed them and known as authorities who reported investigators did not adequately analyze the criminal offense scene. On Monday, in one of their very last witnesses ahead of resting, the protection brought a crime scene pro to the stand who claimed he believed the killings have been possible committed by two people.

Before resting on Tuesday, prosecutors introduced ahead professionals to dispute some of the defense witnesses’ theories on how the shootings transpired and identified as previous Murdaugh legislation lover Ronnie Crosby to the stand to examine Alex Murdaugh’s practices as a trial attorney.

“You requested me what sort of law firm Alex was, and I advised you he was a excellent attorney,” Crosby mentioned. “1 of the issues that I imagine I defined to you was that he was of a theatrical style presence in the courtroom and he could get pretty psychological accomplishing closing arguments in front of a jury.”

Alex Murdaugh faces 30 several years to daily life in prison without the need of parole if convicted of the killings, for which he has pleaded not guilty.

ABC News’ Janice McDonald contributed to this report.