, Murdaugh continued to staunchly deny any role in the killings.
Taking the stand five weeks into his trial, Murdaugh admitted he lied to police about being at the kennels with his wife and son before the killings. But he blamed his addiction to opioids for clouding his thinking and creating a distrust of state law enforcement agents. The once-prominent attorney had told police that he was visiting his ailing mother in another town and not near his Colleton County home in the hours before the killings. But several witnesses testified that they believed they heard Murdaugh’s voice along with his son and wife on cellphone video taken at the kennels about five minutes before the shootings.
Alex Murdaugh’s decision to testify could be a gamble. Prosecutors can question him about not only his wife and son’s death but also the roughly 100 other charges he faces — from stealing from clients to arranging his own shooting on the side of a highway.