Who is Kenneth Kinsey? Crime scene reconstruction expert recounts what made him believe Alex Murdaugh was guilty
Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.
COLLETON COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA: Dr Kenneth Kinsey, a crime scene reconstruction expert who testified during the Murdaugh trial and owner of Kenny Kinsey & Associates, LLC, recently recalled the moment when he determined Alex Murdaugh was responsible for the shooting deaths of his wife and youngest son.
Notably, the 65-year-old disgraced attorney is currently serving two consecutive life sentences for murdering his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, 52, and son, Paul Murdaugh, 22.
Alex was found guilty of the killings in March, nearly two years after Maggie and Paul were fatally shot near the dog kennels of their family’s South Carolina estate.
During the sensational six-week trial that began in January of this year, Jurors were presented with various evidence, including a cellphone video featuring the voice of Alex that Paul had taken near the kennels.
The trail also witnessed a testimony from Kinsey, who joined the investigation only a couple of months before Murdaugh was tried for the murders.
What did Kenneth Kinsey say about Alex Murdaugh’s trial?
Reflecting on the Murdaugh trial, Kenneth Kinsey, who joined the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office in 2011, debunked the defense’s two-shooter theory, stating that the crime scene was "too messy" for two shooters to have been involved.
"[The defense] did everything to try and get away from Alex being the shooter," said Kinsey to PEOPLE Magazine, adding, "I teach pistols, I teach shotguns, I hunt. Knowing firearms the way I do, and working as many death scenes involved in firearms as I have, it is just too messy. I've worked a lot of hits. A lot. They just don't do it that way."
The expert added that the crime scene showed signs of "overkill" saying, "It's the finality of it, win at all costs. I mean, that's overkill, but win at all costs."
Authorities found that Maggie Murdaugh was struck many times by a .300 Blackout rifle outside the kennels, while Paul Murdaugh was shot twice, once to the head, with a shotgun inside a closet.
"If there would've been two people and someone would've started, it had to be a reason to start with the shotgun. And the reason is because it is so catastrophic. It's a scattergun. It makes a big mess. For someone to start with the shotgun and leave the rifle. The rifle could have taken Ms Maggie and Paul out. Tap, tap. It's over. Clean," said Kinsey.
"But all the movement with Miss Maggie and just the massive amount of damage that you can do with a shotgun up close — that wasn't orchestrated. That wasn't planned, that wasn't a team. You could have taken Ms Maggie and Paul out and never get a drop of blood on you and been way more efficient than that," stated the expert.
How did Kenneth Kinsey realize Alex Murdaugh was guilty?
Kenneth Kinsey claimed that he determined Alex Murdaugh was guilty the moment he learned that he waited nearly 40 minutes to call his son Buster after discovering the bodies.
He stated, "You think if I come home and found my spouse and one of my children dead, maybe I'll dial 911. But immediately, especially if I believe there's a group out here, assassinating my family, I'm going to call my surviving child and say, "Get somewhere safe'."
"Get to law enforcement. Get to a police department, or sheriff's office somewhere. Don't pack anything. Get there now.’ But he was texting and looking at the menu at Edisto Beach. ... I knew then. That's in my heart. I knew it then," continued Kinsey.