Alex Murdaugh smirks during double-murder trial as son Buster testifies in his defense, reveals details about family
COLLETON COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA: Buster Murdaugh, the only surviving son of Alex Murdaugh has testified on Tuesday, February 21, to help his father in the double murder trial of Murdaugh's wife and his other son. The 26-year-old son has revealed that their South Carolina estate had "a lot of guns" strewn around.
Following Murdaugh's trial resuming on Tuesday, Buster was the first witness in defense. The accused killer was seen smiling and appeared to be proud when his son talked about their upbringing and recounted their times at the Colleton County getaway estate speaking about how their family always "hunted" everything. On June 7, 2021, Murdaugh's wife Margaret aka Maggie, 52, and their troubled son, Paul, 22, were fatally shot at the getaway estate.
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'We had a lot of guns'
While testifying in defense of his father, Buster revealed to the court, "We had a lot of guns," and recounted having "12-gauge shotguns, 20-gauge shotguns, 16-gauge shotguns, 28-gauge shotguns." He recalled that there was a slew of ammo and rifles for each including .300 Blackout rifles the brothers got for Christmas. Buster then added that his brother's rifle was stolen, lost, or taken, and would often leave the rifles mostly loaded even in unlocked vehicles. He said, "Guns would not always find their way back to the gun room," reported the Daily Mail.
Admitting that Buster was angered when his brother borrowed his rifle, he said that Paul was "not good" and "left guns probably more on the property than anybody else," and revealed he was "not very good about putting it back where he found it."
Buster's presence in courtroom
Buster was previously admonished by a judge after he allegedly flashed an obscene hand gesture at a witness who testified against his father. He has been a constant presence in the courtroom even before he testified for his father's trial.
Murdaugh's surviving son was reportedly not at the Colleton County family home at the time of the brutal murder of his mother and brother. According to the timeline released by the investigators, Buster was on phone with his father and mother earlier in the day of the murder and he has also revealed that he contacted his family “pretty much every day.” He said, “I spoke to my mom every day, multiple times every day. After 911 was alerted to the bullet-ridden bodies of Maggie and Paul, Murdaugh first tried calling Buster, according to the news outlet.
If convicted, how many years will Murdaugh face in jail?
In the double murder trial, 61 witnesses were called by prosecutors with 550 pieces of evidence introduced for testimony over 17 days. Most of the testimonies were not in favor of the accused murderer's claim that he was not at the house during the fatal shooting. On Tuesday, the defense stated that the evidence and testimony are expected to be finished by Friday, February 24. If convicted, the former attorney and accused murderer will face 30 years to life in prison, according to New York Post.