The jurors in the double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh will be allowed to walk through the crime scene where the former South Carolina lawyer’s wife and younger son were killed, a judge ruled Monday, siding with the defense team’s request to help them better visualize the testimony.
Defense attorney Richard “Dick” Harpootlian said he wants the jury to see the family’s rural hunting lodge property known as Moselle, where the bodies of Margaret and Paul Murdaugh were found near outdoor kennels June 7, 2021.
The distance between the home and the kennels, and the length of time required to travel across the more than 1,700-acre property, have been key discussions surrounding Murdaugh’s actions on that night, and whether he had the time and the opportunity to fatally shoot his wife and son.
“You can’t really appreciate the spatial issues without actually seeing them,” Harpootlian said.
Lead prosecutor Creighton Waters objected to the request and said he was hesitant for the jury to visit the property now because it looks different, including trees separating the home and the kennels that have since grown taller and thicker.
Circuit Court Judge Clifton Newman said he would advise the jury prior to going to the scene that “certain things may not be the same as they were two years ago.”
He also said law enforcement would escort the jury after Harpootlian alerted him to the presence of intruders at the property, which is about 20 miles from the Colleton County courthouse where Murdaugh’s trial is taking place.
“There were literally dozens of people at Moselle last weekend trespassing to get selfies in front of the feed room. One of the most distasteful things I’ve ever seen,” Harpootlian said, adding, “I don’t want the jury to be influenced by crazy paparazzi.”
Newman did not immediately determine when the jury would get to see the family’s property.
Legal experts in South Carolina say a judge can allow the jury to tour a pertinent property if one of the parties requests it and…
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