Bodycam footage released in Murdaugh trial shows grisly crime scene

A sniffling Alex Murdaugh can be seen standing in between the bodies of his wife and son, which are blurred out, in newly released body camera footage shown at his double murder trial.

Corporal Buford “Chad” McDowell, with the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office, was the second first responder to arrive at the sprawling hunting estate in Islandton, South Carolina, June 7, 2021. 

He was responding to a hysterical 911 call placed minutes earlier by Murdaugh, who had reported finding his wife and son “badly shot.” 

Once on the property, McDowell walked by the dog kennels and the body of 22-year-old Paul Murdaugh, who had been fatally shot twice with a shotgun. 

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Alex Murdaugh talking to deputies after his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, and son, Paul Murdaugh, were shot to death June 7, 2021. (South Carolina Attorney General’s Office)

His mother, Maggie Murdaugh, 52, can be seen to McDowell’s right about 30 feet away, as the incessant sound of barking dogs can be heard in the background.

“Her name is Maggie Murdaugh,” Alex Murdaugh, choking back tears, can be heard saying to Sgt. Daniel Greene, as McDowell approached.

Alex Murdaugh smiles to his family in the audience as he returns for the afternoon session of his trial for murder at the Colleton County Courthouse on Tuesday, February 7, 2023. (Joshua Boucher/The State/Pool)

“How are you doing?” the once revered attorney, who worked as a volunteer prosecutor at the time, asked McDowell. 

The 40-minute video was shown to jurors when McDowell testified Jan. 26 but was only released to the public Monday. 

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Murdaugh is accused of gunning down his wife and son to create a diversion, so his alleged theft of nearly $9 million from his law firm and clients wouldn’t be exposed, according to prosecutors. 

Alex Murdaugh crime scene photo showing a dummy near where Paul Murdaugh was shot. Droplets of blood and a yellow evidence marker can be seen on the floor of the feedroom. (South Carolina Attorney General’s Office)

In the footage, deputies can be seen placing a pink sheet over both bodies. McDowell told them that the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) was on the way and not to disturb the scene.

McDowell can also be seen identifying shell casings on the ground. At one point, McDowell asked the other deputies, “You all familiar with this family?”

“I wasn’t until you told me the names,” Greene responded.

Diagram of the section of Alex Murdaugh’s property where his wife, Maggie, and his son, Paul, were murdered. (Fox News )

“I’ll fill you in later,” the deputy replied. He later theorized that the crime has got to be “retaliation” against the powerful family. 

Later in the video, McDowell and other deputies can be seen lifting the sheet from Paul’s body, which was face-down, to check for a weapon. The door to the feedroom can be seen splattered with blood.

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“I don’t think he put that phone back on his behind,” McDowell said of Paul’s iPhone, which was resting on top of his back pocket. Murdaugh told investigators he had put the device there after picking it up.

From left to right, Buster, Maggie, Paul and Alex Murdaugh in an undated photo. (Facebook)

Toward the end of the video, McDowell can be heard theorizing with other deputies about what happened.

“His brain matter is on the ceiling in there, so he was shot at an upward angle with a shotgun wad laying on the floor that would point to suicide,” McDowell suggested. “That doesn’t explain her (Maggie).”

Bodycam footage shows the location of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh’s bodies, which have been blurred out. 

Monday marked the fourth week of Murdaugh’s trial. The day was dominated by testimony from forensic scientist Sara Zapata, of SLED’s DNA department.

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She told jurors that Murdaugh’s shirt had his slain wife and son’s DNA on it but no blood.

Haley Chi-Sing and Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.