Judge Clifton Newman ruled that the evidence of Murdaugh’s financial crimes is germane to the murder case and therefore can be considered by the jury.
Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial continues to descend into chaos with this week’s testimony being disrupted by a bomb threat, a controversial GoFundMe account – and now the accused killer’s family members behaviour in the courtroom.
Several members of Mr Murdaugh’s family have reportedly been warned by Judge Clifton Newman that they will be thrown out of court after repeatedly defying the court’s policies.
Among the bad behaviour, Mr Murdaugh’s sister allegedly passed the disgraced attorney an item – prompting a drug test for the opioid addict – while his surviving son Buster appeared to “flip the bird” at key prosecution witness Mark Tinsley on the stand.
In another dramatic moment on Thursday, it emerged that Mr Tinsley donated $1,000 to a GoFundMe set up for another witness, caretaker Shelly Smith.
Mr Tinsley had testified in-camera that Murdaugh’s financial crimes were about to be exposed at the time of the murders of Maggie and Paul.
The defence team moved to strike his testimony – something the judge declined before suggested the matter was fertile ground for cross-examination paving the way for a contentious sparring match between Mr Tinsley and the defence attorneys Friday.
