Alex Murdaugh, the defendant in a double murder trial in South Carolina, was grilled during cross-examination over alleged lies he had told during the investigation. The murders took place in October of 2018. Murdaugh was accused of killing two people, his ex-girlfriend and her current boyfriend. He had maintained his innocence from the beginning, but prosecutors argued he had lied to investigators in order to hide his involvement in the crime.
During cross-examination, prosecutors asked Murdaugh about his whereabouts on the night of the murders. He had previously told investigators he had been at home, but prosecutors argued he had actually gone to the victims’ apartment. Murdaugh denied being there, but prosecutors pressed him for details about his movements that night. They asked him about his conversations with the victims, his whereabouts at specific times, and the phone records of the people he had called.
Murdaugh testified that he had been at home all night, but prosecutors pointed out that he had lied about his whereabouts before, and that his story was inconsistent with the phone records. They argued that the inconsistencies showed he was trying to cover up his involvement in the crime.
The judge allowed the jury to consider Murdaugh’s alleged lies when deciding the case. After a week-long trial, the jury found Murdaugh guilty of two counts of murder. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The trial of Alex Murdaugh highlighted the intense scrutiny defendants can face when on trial for a serious crime. Prosecutors had to painstakingly cross-examine him to try to prove he was lying, and the jury had to weigh his alleged lies when deciding the case. In the end, the jury found that Murdaugh’s lies were enough to convict him.