Dog kennel video convinced jurors Alex Murdaugh was guilty: ‘Sealed the deal’

Jurors were convinced of Alex Murdaugh’s role in the murders of his wife and son after hearing his voice in a video recorded just minutes before the slayings, according to a new interview.

Juror Amie Williams told “The Today Show” that “the kennel video definitely played a major part” in the panel’s decision to find Murdaugh, 54, guilty in the shooting deaths of Maggie, 52, and Paul, 22.

The Snapchat video taken by Paul on June 8, 2021, captured Murdaugh yelling at the dogs just moments before the double murder near the family’s kennels on their Moselle property. Murdaugh initially denied it was his voice, but couldn’t hide it any longer after he took the stand.

“When he got on the stand, I was like, ‘OK, so it was him,’” juror Gwen Generette told NBC News. “I don’t know him so I never knew his voice, but I realized it was him in the kennel video, and that just kind of sealed the deal.”

Murdaugh copped to previously lying and came clean on the stand that it was his voice, but said he drove back to the main house in a golf cart just after the video was recorded. He maintained his innocence even after he was found guilty, telling the judge during his Friday sentencing that he did not commit the gruesome crime.

The jury surprised many experts after it only deliberated on a mountain of evidence for 45 minutes, but the jurors said they had largely made up their after Murdaugh himself testified.

“If I was him, I don’t think I would have, but I think that he believes that he’s so convincing that he felt like that was his last resort,” juror James McDowell told “The Today Show.” 

Murdaugh broke down in court and on the stand, but the three jurors said the disbarred lawyer seemed to be performing.

“No, I didn’t think he was crying,” Generette said. “He turned it on and off. It wasn’t genuine.”

“We already know that he’s a lawyer,” McDowell noted. “He’s able to be emotional with cases, he’s able to be emotional with himself … I think we were able to read right through that.”

Murdaugh was ordered to serve to two consecutive life sentences by Judge Clifton Newman. He also faces charges of at least 99 separate financial crimes.

Prosecutors argued he killed Maggie and Paul to distract from his mounting financial crimes, but jurors said they still don’t know exactly why he did it.

“He wanted to have control of everything — his wife owned the majority of the things that they owned — so I’m thinking it was more like greed and being in control,” Generette speculated.

McDowell said that “it may not have been that one singular thing, but there’s so many things there that contribute to that overall storm.”