Issue 25: Alex Murdaugh - Trial Status and Personal Update
Hello everyone,
In the past month a lot has changed for me. I have moved back to the city, started an Associate Degree of Professional Writing and Editing and been glued to Emily D. Baker’s coverage of the Alex Murdaugh Murder Trial.
As my assignments start to get closer, I have to dedicate some time to them. This has lead me to the decision that I must cut sending issues out every week to every 2 weeks. Even if it is just temporarily while I get into a new routine.
This means that after this, Issue 26 will be out 3rd March 2023.
As Tea and True Crime is part of my writing practice I want to keep a schedule up, but need to allow time for writing assignments.
I hope you continue to stay subscribed and I value your support.
Thank you and now onto this week's Tea and True Crime newsletter.
Regards,
Tansy Bradshaw
For those of you not familiar I will try and give you a idea about what the case is about; however, this case has multiple links that cause it at time to be hard to follow. If you want the full background on the case, then I will point you to the Murdaugh Murders podcast.
A brief outline by the Wall Street Journal.
I expected this to be a 3 weeks trial on the murder of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh, Alec’s Wife and Son. However, because of motive and character, this trial has extended. There had to be an in camera hearing on the financial crimes and also the roadside incident. An in camera hearing is a hearing outside of the presence of the jury and just before the judge. At the end, the judge let the financial crimes straight away. At first,t the judge didn’t let the roadside incident in; however, the defence continued to ask questions. It was these questions that opened the door for the judge to reverse the decision and let the roadside incident in.
There are some very strange things happening in this trial that you do not see at a normal trial
Witnesses have been able to sit in the courtroom and watch other people's testimony
Alec’s lawyer friends are representing him, notably Jim Griffin, be in a documentary series and also be a witness to conversations that he is cross-examining a witness about. So much so that the judge asked Jim if he was going to become a witness to the case that he is on the defence team for
When the defence does an objection, they go straight into what they believe is wrong without stating what type of objection they are stating first
The guns were originally reported to be loaded wrong, when in fact they were loaded the same. This means that an investigator lied to the Grand Jury - probably.
Some outstanding moments from the trial have been
Blanca’s testimony
Maggie’s sister's testimony
Judge Clifton Newman
Currently, I am unsure where I sit with whether Alex Murdaugh is guilty or not. I think I am going to wait till the case has rested. There have definitely been some moments when it has made me raise an eyebrow after they revealed Alex has lied. He is definitely guilty of stealing the money; however, this is not the trial of the financial crimes. I think what has made it hard is that the prosecution attorney, Creighton Waters, is also trialling the financial crimes. In saying that, it is also good to an extent for the same attorney to know this case inside out.
We will have to wait and see.
To check out Emily D. Baker’s Alex Murdaugh’s playlist click here.