'We'll be in recess': Alex Murdaugh murder trial halted as bomb scare forces courthouse to evacuate
WALTERBORO, SOUTH CAROLINA: Alex Murdaugh's trial took an unexpected turn when a called-in bomb threat led to the evacuation of the courthouse. The high-profile case involving a former prosecutor was suspended on Wednesday, February 8, around 12.30 pm, and a packed courtroom of lawyers, the defendants, his family, spectators, and witnesses were asked to leave. “We have to evacuate the building at this time. We'll be in recess until we discover what's going on," told Circuit Court Judge Clifton Newman, in a calm voice.
The unexpected halt in a trial which was also being televised, added to the drama in what is already an intense court proceeding. The accused, once-powerful South Carolina lawyer, Murdaugh, with a strong family legacy stands in the courthouse as an alleged murderer of his wife and son. He was walked out of a back door, while members of his family, who were seated in rows behind the defense table, escorted out immediately. "Alex was taken by the police, but they grabbed the family and rushed them out ahead of us," said a spectator in the courtroom, Marty Yates. "And then we all evacuated the building and have scattered around", he concluded.
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What are the charges against Alex Murdaugh?
Colleton County Courthouse personnel received the threat, and it is being now investigated along with the Colleton County Sheriff's Office, as per South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. The court personnel has said, “it was a male-sounding voice.” Murdaugh, 54, is charged with fatally shooting his wife, Margaret, 52, and their youngest son, Paul, 22, on the evening of June 7, 2021, as per NBC News.
'He lied to me'
"He's been lying this whole time. He had these funds. He lied to me," said Annette Griswold, who earlier worked as Murdaugh's paralegal for years, testified on Wednesday. "That feeling in the back of my mind was correct."
The case that was a regular investigation into an unsolved double homicide turned into a multifaceted case, which now covers allegations of financial fraud, a hired hitman plot, and drug addiction. It has now left plenty of room for questions linking deaths to Murdaugh.
This is a developing story. MEAWW will keep you updated.