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Jury selection begins in double-homicide trial of former South Carolina legal scion and convicted embezzler, Alex Murdaugh, 54, over the execution-style killings of his wife and son in June 2021

&Tab;&Tab;<div class&equals;"wpcnt">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<div class&equals;"wpa">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<span class&equals;"wpa-about">Advertisements<&sol;span>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<div class&equals;"u top&lowbar;amp">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<amp-ad width&equals;"300" height&equals;"265"&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab; type&equals;"pubmine"&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab; data-siteid&equals;"109460728"&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab; data-section&equals;"1">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;amp-ad>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"has-text-color wp-block-heading" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;2b1f1f&semi;font-size&colon;14px"><strong>South Carolina legal scion Alex Murdaugh arrives at court for jury selection at his double-murder trial over the execution-style killings of his wife and son <&sol;strong><&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"has-text-color wp-block-heading" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;2b1f1f&semi;font-size&colon;14px"><strong>The disgraced South Carolina attorney is set to go on trial charged with murder <&sol;strong><&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"has-text-color wp-block-heading" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;2b1f1f&semi;font-size&colon;14px"><strong>He is accused of killing his wife Maggie&comma; 52&comma; and son Paul&comma; 22 in June 2021<&sol;strong><&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"has-text-color wp-block-heading" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;2b1f1f&semi;font-size&colon;14px"><strong>Jury selection for the three-week case is expected to last several days  <&sol;strong><&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<ul class&equals;"wp-block-list"><&sol;ul>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2023&sol;01&sol;Alex-Murdaugh-surrounded-by-SWAT-teams-and-sheriffs-officers-1&period;png" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-428480" width&equals;"841" height&equals;"595"&sol;><figcaption class&equals;"wp-element-caption"><strong>Surrounded by SWAT teams and sheriff&&num;8217&semi;s officers&comma; Murdaugh arrived at the courthouse handcuffed&comma; wearing a white shirt and grey trousers for the commencement of his double-homicide trial on Monday<&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Former south Carolina legal scion&comma; Alex Murdaugh&comma; arrived at the Colleton County courthouse&comma; this morning to begin trial for the &&num;8216&semi;execution-style&&num;8217&semi; murders of his estranged wife and son&period;<br>Jury selection began today in the three-week-long double-homicide trial for the disgraced South Carolina attorney&period;The defendant&&num;8217&semi;s wife Margaret &&num;8216&semi;Maggie&&num;8217&semi; Murdaugh&comma; 52&comma; and Paul Murdaugh&comma; 22&comma; were found dead at the family hunting lodge in June 2021&period;<br>Surrounded by SWAT teams and sheriff&&num;8217&semi;s officers&comma; 54-year-old Murdaugh arrived at the courthouse handcuffed&comma; wearing a white shirt and grey trousers&period;<br>Prosecutors say Murdaugh lured his wife and son to the 1&comma;700-acre lodge and shot them&period;<br>The court also claims that his life was spiraling out of control amid years of opioid addiction and ballooning debts&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<iframe width&equals;"560" height&equals;"315" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;youtube&period;com&sol;embed&sol;QctISYp8xFk" title&equals;"YouTube video player" frameborder&equals;"0" allow&equals;"accelerometer&semi; autoplay&semi; clipboard-write&semi; encrypted-media&semi; gyroscope&semi; picture-in-picture&semi; web-share" allowfullscreen><&sol;iframe>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-small-font-size"><strong>Alex Murdaugh arrives court as Jury selection begins in his double murder trial of in the killing of his wife and son<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Murdaugh pled not guilty in June&comma; and the blockbuster trial is expected to have wild allegations of dark family secrets&comma; financial ruin and hedonistic excess&period; <br>Lawyers expect the selection to take several days before testimony can be heard in the courtroom&period;<br>A bench of 12 jurors will hear the evidence&comma; with authorities taking 13 months of investigation to charge Murdaugh in connection with the crimes&period;<br>He has been charged with two counts of murder and insisted that the trial start as soon as possible&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2023&sol;01&sol;Alex-Murdaugh-surrounded-by-SWAT-teams-and-sheriffs-officers-2&period;png" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-428483" width&equals;"849" height&equals;"454"&sol;><figcaption class&equals;"wp-element-caption"><strong>Alex Murdaugh &lbrack;left&rsqb;&comma; pled not guilty in June&comma; but somewhat surreal trial is expected to serve up wild allegations of dark family secrets&comma; financial ruin and hedonistic excess in a what was once considered a blue chip family in South Carolina<&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<ul class&equals;"wp-block-list"><&sol;ul>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>A bench of 12 jurors will hear the evidence&comma; with authorities taking 13 months of investigation to charge Murdaugh in connection with the crimes&period;<br>He has been charged with two counts of murder and insisted that the trial start as soon as possible&period;<br>Murdaugh pled not guilty in June&comma; and the blockbuster trial is expected to have wild allegations of dark family secrets&comma; financial ruin and hedonistic excess&period;<br>Prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty but will ask for life without parole if he is convicted of murder – with the minimum sentence carrying a 30-year stint behind bars&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2023&sol;01&sol;View-of-the-crime-scene-where-Paul-Murdaugh-had-been-shot-1&period;png" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-428484" width&equals;"838" height&equals;"1083"&sol;><figcaption class&equals;"wp-element-caption"><strong>Several views of the crime scene where Paul Murdaugh had been shot were in the court filings <&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<iframe width&equals;"560" height&equals;"315" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;youtube&period;com&sol;embed&sol;kpNXsXGaEug" title&equals;"YouTube video player" frameborder&equals;"0" allow&equals;"accelerometer&semi; autoplay&semi; clipboard-write&semi; encrypted-media&semi; gyroscope&semi; picture-in-picture&semi; web-share" allowfullscreen><&sol;iframe>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-small-font-size"><strong>Alex Murdaugh double-homicide trial&period; Day one&colon; Jury selection<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>The South Carolina Bureau of Investigation&comma; conducted a 13-month long investigation before charging Murdaugh with two counts of murder in July&comma; and a judge has set aside three weeks for the trial&period; Murdaugh&comma; who has been in jail since October 2021&comma; for financial crimes insisted on the trial beginning as soon as possible&period; <br>Jury selection began Monday morning as prosecutors and defense attorneys sifted through some 700 summons to find 12 jurors and several alternates&period; More than 200 people were brought in for a first round of questioning that lasted nearly three hours&comma; but only about 30 were qualified for the pool of potential jurors&period;<br>When asked if they had heard of the case&comma; all potential jurors confirmed that they had&comma; with several being excused because they had &&num;8216&semi;form opinions which cannot be changed&&num;8217&semi;&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2023&sol;01&sol;Paul-Alex-and-Maggie-Murdaugh-5&period;png" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-428485" width&equals;"836" height&equals;"1345"&sol;><figcaption class&equals;"wp-element-caption"><strong>Alex Murdaugh seen &lbrack;center&rsqb; with his alleged victims in 2021&comma; shortly before he allegedly shot dead his wife Maggie&comma; &lbrack;right&rsqb;&comma; and son Paul Murdaugh&comma; 22&comma; &lbrack;left&rsqb;&comma; in June 2021&comma; after fearing his decades-long corruption schemes would be exposed&comma; prosecutors said<&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>22-year-old Paul Murdaugh was shot in the feed room connected to the Moselle properties dog kennels&comma; while his mother was shot five times&comma; including in the back of the head&comma; with a semiautomatic rifle&period; The pair lay dying just 30 yards from one another&period; <br>The only suspect in the case has adamantly insisted&comma; from the moment he found the bodies of his wife and youngest son shot multiple times at the family&&num;8217&semi;s estate in June 2021&comma; that he is not the killer&period;<br>Last week prosecutors claimed that a Snapchat video was &OpenCurlyQuote;critical to the case’&comma; with Paul sending the footage shortly before 8pm on the night he died&period;<br>Investigators believe he and his mother died between 9pm and 9&colon;30pm&comma; and are seeking permission to call a Snapchat executive to testify as to the veracity of the video&period;<br>Creighton Waters&comma; senior assistant deputy attorney general said&colon; &&num;8216&semi;Amongst other things&comma; critical to the case is a video sent out to several friends at approximately 7&colon;56 p&period;m&period; on the night of the murders&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2023&sol;01&sol;View-of-the-crime-scene-where-Paul-Murdaugh-had-been-shot-2&period;png" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-428487" width&equals;"842" height&equals;"540"&sol;><figcaption class&equals;"wp-element-caption"><strong>A crime scene photo showing what appears to be blood droplets on the floor&comma; a mannequin and an evidence marker in the feed room where Paul was fatally shot<&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2023&sol;01&sol;View-of-the-crime-scene-where-Paul-Murdaugh-had-been-shot-3&period;png" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-428488" width&equals;"842" height&equals;"845"&sol;><figcaption class&equals;"wp-element-caption"><strong>The court filing also had a close up of the blood spatter where Paul was shot twice &&num;8211&semi; once in the chest and a second time which entered his left shoulder into his neck and brain<&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<ul class&equals;"wp-block-list"><&sol;ul>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>As part of the evidence the prosecution is expected to introduce at trial are crime scene photos showing what appears to be blood droplets on the floor&comma; a mannequin and an evidence marker in the feed room where Paul was fatally shot&period;<br>The court filing also has a close up of the blood spatter where Paul was shot twice &&num;8211&semi; once in the chest and a second time which entered his left shoulder into his neck and brain&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2021&sol;09&sol;Paul-Murdaugh-left-with-his-dad-Alex-Murdaugh-and-his-mom-Margaret-Murdaugh-2&period;png" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-389083" width&equals;"840" height&equals;"532"&sol;><figcaption class&equals;"wp-element-caption"><strong>Murdaugh &lbrack;center&rsqb;&comma; the heir of a once-powerful legal dynasty&comma; is accused of shooting his youngest son Paul &lpar;left&rpar; and wife Maggie &lbrack;right&rsqb; at their home in June 2021<&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<ul class&equals;"wp-block-list"><&sol;ul>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>&&num;8216&semi;The contents of this video is important to proving the State&&num;8217&semi;s case in chief&period;&&num;8217&semi;<br>The order was approved&comma; with prosecutors not revealing what was in the Snapchat video during the hearing&period;<br>State forensic expert Dr Kenneth Kinsey last week described Paul&&num;8217&semi;s horrific wounds&comma; explaining he was was shot twice &&num;8211&semi; with the second bullet entering the left shoulder into his neck and brain&period;<br>Kinsey said his &&num;8216&semi;brain was completely detached from head’&comma; adding that the 22-year-old was first struck in the chest as he stood in the feed room&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2021&sol;10&sol;Alex-Murdaugh-10&period;jpg" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-392495" width&equals;"837" height&equals;"1030"&sol;><figcaption class&equals;"wp-element-caption"><strong>The disgraced former attorney Alex Murdaugh &lbrack;photo&rsqb;&comma; is facing a total of 98 criminal charges &&num;8211&semi; four related to the double murders and others for a botched suicide for hire plot<&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>The room was connected to the Moselle properties dog kennels&comma; while his mother was shot five times&comma; including in the back of the head&comma; with a semiautomatic rifle&period;<br>The pair died just 30 yards from one another&comma; with Murdaugh’s lawyers asking Judge Newman to exclude a blood spatter expert from testifying for the state in the upcoming trial&period;<br>The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division &lpar;SLED&rpar; enlisted Oklahoma-based forensics expert Tom Bevel to analyze a white T-shirt Murdaugh had been wearing the night of the murders&period;<br>Defense attorneys&comma; Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian&comma; argued in a previous motion that any blood on the shirt was transferred when Murdaugh found the bodies and &&num;8216&semi;frantically checked them for signs of life&period;&&num;8217&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2021&sol;09&sol;Margaret-Murdaugh-and-Paul-Murdaugh-3&period;png" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-389105"&sol;><figcaption class&equals;"wp-element-caption"><strong>Paul Murdaugh &lbrack;right&rsqb;&comma; and his mother Maggie &lbrack;left&rsqb;&comma; were both shot dead in June 2021&period; On Wednesday prosecutors revealed Paul sent a Snapchat video to friends around an hour before he died&period; Family patriarch Alex Murdaugh has been charged with murder his son and wife<&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<ul class&equals;"wp-block-list"><&sol;ul>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<ul class&equals;"wp-block-list"><&sol;ul>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>But Bevel concluded that the T-shirt is &&num;8216&semi;stained with high-velocity blood spatter resulting from shooting Maggie and Paul&&num;8217&semi; after his initial report found the stains were &&num;8216&semi;consistent with transfers and not back spatter from a bullet wound&period;&&num;8217&semi;<br>Murdaugh&&num;8217&semi;s attorneys accused SLED of &&num;8216&semi;badgering&&num;8217&semi; Bevel into changing his report&period;<br>The T-shirt was later destroyed &&num;8216&semi;for purposes of forensics testing by the unnecessary application of an oxidizing chemical stain&comma;&&num;8217&semi; the court filing states&period;<br>Bevel&&num;8217&semi;s initial report only came to light when prosecutors with the South Carolina Attorney General&&num;8217&semi;s Office accidentally turned over a copy to Murdaugh&&num;8217&semi;s defense team&comma; according to the motion&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2021&sol;06&sol;Buster-Murdaugh-left-Maggie-Murdaugh-Paul-Murdaugh-second-right-and-Alexander-Murdaugh-right-1&period;jpg" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-381943" width&equals;"848" height&equals;"592"&sol;><figcaption class&equals;"wp-element-caption"><strong>Alex Murdaugh&comma; seen&comma; &lbrack;right&rsqb;&comma; with his wife Maggie and son Paul &lbrack;center&rsqb;&comma; The couple&&num;8217&semi;s older son Richard &&num;8216&semi;Buster&&num;8217&semi; Murdaugh &lbrack;left&rsqb;&comma;as sole survivor&comma; will have to settle any claims against his parents estate<&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<ul class&equals;"wp-block-list"><&sol;ul>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>The white T-shirt is a critical piece of evidence for state prosecutors&comma; who have suggested in court papers that the family patriarch shot his wife and son after fearing his decades-long corruption schemes would be exposed&period;<br>In the affidavit&comma; Kinsey said he cannot make judgement on whether the stains on Murdaugh&&num;8217&semi;s T-shirt are consistent with back spatter&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;

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