A South Carolina law enforcement officer testified that accused killer Alex Murdo sobbed and said, “I did him so bad,” when he was shown graphic photos of his slain son in what could be a possible confession.
Murdo’s defense attorneys denied Tuesday that the legal descendant actually said, “They did it so bad,” through tears as they slowed down an audio recording of an interview conducted with state agents three days after he allegedly shot and killed his wife and his son in June 2021.
State Law Enforcement Division Senior Special Agent Jeff Croft testified that he was “100 percent confident” Murdo said “I” during the interview — suggesting the 54-year-old admitted to fatally shooting his son Paul, 22, and his wife, Maggie, 52, at least four times with two separate shotguns near the doghouses at their hunting estate in Colton County.
The prosecutor’s office has not yet explained why they emphasized the comment.
“What kind of things went through your mind when you heard or misheard, ‘I did him so bad?'” defense attorney Jim Griffin asked Croft during cross-examination in Colleton County Circuit Court. “Was I not a good father? Did I spoil it? Or did I kill him?”
“It was definitely something we had to follow up on,” Croft replied.
Croft told the court he did not immediately ask for an explanation of what Murdo meant because he did not want to lose his cooperation in the investigation. Griffin asked Croft why they didn’t bring him up when they interviewed him again three months later, to which the agent said they didn’t get it, but asked him specifically if he killed his wife and son.
“[The jury gets] to listen to the tape and make up their own minds about what he said, yes sir,” Croft said
Murdo, the disgraced heir to a powerful multi-generational legal dynasty, is accused of shooting his troubled son Paul twice with a shotgun before then shooting Magee multiple times with an AR-style assault rifle before receiving a single execution-style shot in the back of her head as she lay face down on the ground not far from Paul.
During the four days of the trial, the prosecution again provided interesting tidbits of information surrounding the murder and the investigation without offering any further explanation — such as a $1,021.10 receipt from a Gucci store with a fenced item or Magee’s cell phone found on the side of the highway.
Murdo’s defense team cross-examined Croft – the prosecution’s 10th witness since the trial began – in an attempt to poke holes in the investigation.
Croft was asked if he knew why state agents did not search Murdo’s home in the hours after the murders for dirty clothes, possible blood in the drain or other evidence. Croft said he didn’t know what the other agents were doing.
Griffin also asked Croft why agents didn’t search the home of Murdo’s ailing mother until September — three months after the murders — even though it was the only place Murdo said he went before finding the bodies just over an hour after allegedly that he killed them.
“I know I didn’t go and I’m not sure what any of the other agents on the investigative circuit did,” Croft said.
Another witness on Tuesday testified about phone records that prosecutors say contain “crucial evidence” in the case.
Alex Murdo told police hours after the murders and reiterated in Croft’s interview three days later that he was not at the kennel that night.
However, cellphone evidence showed he was actually at the kennel with Maggie and Paul when the murders took place around 8:50 p.m. Prosecutors say he then tried to cover his tracks by visiting his mother, while calling his family and friends. He called the police at 10:06 p.m. after returning home at 10:01 p.m.
Murdo’s attorneys suggested it was “much more likely” that there were two shooters — neither of whom was Murdo — which would explain the use of two separate guns. The murder weapon has not been found either.
Murdo, who has pleaded not guilty to the murders, also faces 99 separate counts of financial fraud and trying to get a man to fatally shoot him so his surviving son Buster could get $10 million in life insurance. This matter will be addressed at a later trial.
While Murdo has maintained his innocence since being indicted last summer, prosecutors say he shot his family to cover up his extensive financial crimes.
If convicted of murder, he faces a minimum sentence of 30 years. Prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty.
With pole cables