Juror in Alex Murdaugh’s trial says slain son Paul ‘helped solve his own murder’
A juror in Alex Murdaugh’s double-murder trial said he believed the legal scion’s slain son, Paul, helped solve his own murder after police found a cell phone video of Murdaugh minutes before the murders. crime scene was placed.
James, who is 22 years old, the same age Paul was when he was shot, along with his mother Maggie, told Fox News digital that the jury prayed together before handing down the guilty verdict Thursday in South Carolina’s rural courtroom.
“We prayed before we went in, we prayed before we came out to pronounce the verdict,” James said. “That was a big factor in us being comfortable with our decision.”
After six weeks of dramatic testimony, it took the jury just under three hours to reach a guilty verdict. James revealed that initially nine of the 12 jurors voted guilty and three not guilty.
They continued to deliberate and discuss the evidence, including the dog kennel video that James called a “critical piece of evidence,” before voting again.
This time the vote was unanimous. Murdaugh was found guilty and sentenced the next day to two life terms, which he will serve consecutively.
James, who is 22, the same age Paul Murdaugh was when he was killed, was on the jury that convicted Alex Murdaugh of the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul
The jury deliberated less than three hours on Thursday before finding Alex Murdaugh guilty
Buster Murdaugh, Paul Murdaugh, Maggie Murdaugh and Alex Murdaugh are photographed a month before Maggie and Paul were shot at their South Carolina Mosel estate in 2021
After a long six-week trial with hours of testimony, many were shocked by the swift verdict. Several reporters in the courtroom noted that the jurors did not take notes.
But James revealed it Law & Crime that the jurors were not allowed to take notes, but to write down their questions on paper in the jury room during fifteen-minute breaks. While some questions were later answered in testimony, other questions were discussed during the vote.
He said they were asked if they wanted to order dinner about 30 minutes before voting for the second time. But they were still sorting out their questions and on the second ballot they had a unanimous guilty verdict.
“We were all pretty sure we knew what had happened, and we knew who pulled the trigger,” James added.
James, who declined to give his name, is a graduate of Clemson University and works in construction.
The juror went on to say that Paul, in a sense, solved his own murder with the video he recorded putting Alex Murdaugh in the dog kennel minutes before the mother and son were slaughtered.
“It says a lot that someone who couldn’t speak, someone who couldn’t be a witness, could be a witness even after he passed away,” he said.
Maggie’s body was found a few feet to the right of the dog house while Paul’s was in the doorway of the feeding room near the kennels (far right)
A stuffed chicken is seen in a dog cage near the kennels where Maggie and Paul were murdered
Murdaugh had repeatedly denied being in the kennels on the night of the murders. But police recovered video recorded on Paul’s phone at 8:45 p.m., four minutes before prosecutors said he and his mother were killed.
The video was played in court, and several people close to the family testified that they clearly heard three voices on the video: Paul, Maggie, and Alex. They had been talking about their dog Bubba catching a chicken.
“I think it’s incredible timing on Paul’s part,” James said. “I don’t think anyone would ever have known he was down there if it wasn’t for that video. I think there’s a lot of evidence pointing in Alex’s direction, but I feel like it solidifies it.”
When Alex took the stand towards the end of his trial, he admitted to lying about not being in the kennels during that time.
However, throughout the trial and even after the conviction and sentencing, the disgraced legal scion continued to claim that he would never hurt his wife and son.
James noted that “sufficient evidence had been gathered by SLED (South Carolina Attorney General’s Office) and produced by Paul,” and that Murdaugh’s testimony was inconclusive as to his fate.
However, it did show the jury how easily Murdaugh could mislead people with his lies.
“I think he’s good at talking to people, and I think he’s so good at talking to people that he’s convincing,” James told Law&Crime in another interview.
And I think when he convinces, he convinces himself. And I think he’s capable of that because he often mixes the truth with a lie.’
Murdaugh spoke briefly, telling the judge, “I am innocent. I would never hurt my wife Maggie and I would never hurt my son Paul Paul.” He was sentenced to life in prison
He added that the prosecution’s argument that Murdaugh was on the brink of financial ruin was a good theme but not a convincing motive.
“I don’t think I could ever answer why someone would do such a thing,” he said.
“But I know there are people in the world who don’t make sense, and they do things that don’t make sense. So I don’t know if there’s any answer other than that it happened and it shouldn’t have happened.’
James said there was one thing he believed about Murdaugh. That he loved Maggie and Paul.
“It’s important to be seen for Paul and Maggie,” James said. “I also think this is an incredibly difficult time for the family either way. And I hate it for all of them.’
Many of the jurors returned to court on Friday to hear Judge Clifton Newman sentence Alex Murdaugh to two consecutive life terms for the murders of Maggie and Paul. His defense team plans to appeal.