Watch Live: Alex Murdaugh takes the stand to testify in double murder trial

Alex Murdaugh took the stand in his own defense Thursday, the fourth day the defense has called witnesses in the lengthy double murder trial.

“I am going to testify,” the disgraced former South Carolina attorney, who is accused of murdering his wife and younger son, told Judge Clifton Newman at the beginning of the trial’s 23rd day, after the judge spoke to him and his attorneys about his rights.

Murdaugh, 54, is accused of killing his wife, Maggie, 52, and their 22-year-old son, Paul, at their home in June 2021 as the once-prominent attorney’s career and finances were crumbling. Murdaugh, whose family dominated the legal system in tiny Hampton County for generations, has denied any role in the fatal shootings.

The prosecution rested Friday after calling 61 witnesses and introducing more than 550 pieces of evidence over 17 days of testimony — from descriptions of the brutality of the killings to numbing details about bank records. 

Defense witnesses so far have included Murdaugh’s surviving son, Buster, and his former law partner Mark Ball. Before Murdaugh took the stand Thursday, Murdaugh’s attorneys had called Nolen Tuten, a friend of Paul’s who described him as like a brother.

Murdaugh is expected to try to explain some of the evidence prosecutors presented. For example, Murdaugh told police he wasn’t at his Colleton County home in the hours before the killings, but several witnesses said they heard his voice on video taken from the dog kennels there just minutes before his wife and son were shot. Their bodies were found near the kennels.

Murdaugh also could respond to his sister-in-law’s testimony that he didn’t appear scared in the weeks after the slayings, even as other family members were worried that they, too, were potential targets.

Testifying also could come with risks. Defendants who choose to do so sometimes give jurors evidence of their guilt. Murdaugh could open himself up to questions about some of the roughly 100 other charges he is awaiting trial for, including allegations that he stole millions from clients and others, as well as allegations of money laundering, tax evasion and insurance fraud. 

Judge Newman told the defense Wednesday they would have to object to questions in real time if Murdaugh takes the stand, rather than limiting the scope of cross-examination. 

Murdaugh faces 30 years to life if convicted of murder.