WALTERBORO, S.C. — Jurors on Friday got a much clearer picture of Alex Murdaugh’s movements the night his wife and son were murdered.
South Carolina Law Enforcement Division agent Peter Rudofski led jurors through data from Murdaugh’s car that recorded his movements and speeds on June 7, 2021, including around the times his wife, Maggie, and youngest son, Paul, were shot and killed near the dog kennels at the family’s rural Colleton County home.
Prosecutors and investigators only received the data Feb. 11 from General Motors, the manufacturers of Murdaugh’s Chevrolet Suburban.
Rudofski laid out Murdaugh’s trip earlier June 7, 2021, to and from the house, called Moselle, and Murdaugh’s law firm in Hampton, showing his average speed was around 37 miles per hour. He arrived home around 6:42 p.m.
Murdaugh left for his mother’s house at 9:07 p.m., less than 20 minutes after prosecutors estimated the murders occurred. He passed the spot where Maggie’s phone was later found, the prosecutors noted, then accelerated to an average of 52 miles per hour on the 15-minute drive to Almeda, hitting highs of 74 miles per hour.
Murdaugh arrived at his mother’s house at 9:22 p.m., then started his car again at 9:43 p.m., but prosecutors noted he idled at the home for more than a minute. He arrived back at the house at Moselle at 10 p.m., reaching a maximum speed of 80 miles per hour on the way back.
Rudofski notes that as a law enforcement officer, he has driven with sirens through the area before, and would not recommend driving at such high speeds.
“You have deer that will run out in front of you,” he said.
Once back at Moselle, Murdaugh then can be tracked driving to the kennels at 10:05 p.m., driving at about 28 mph and arriving in under a minute, where he says he found his wife and son murdered.
He called 911 at 10:06:14, about 17 seconds after car data shows he arrived at the kennels. He left the kennels at 10:11 p.m. to return to the main house, then returns to the kennels at 10:13 p.m. Murdaugh told police he returned to get a shotgun that he was holding when deputies arrived that night.
—6:24:18 p.m. —Alex Murdaugh leaves his Hampton law firm
—6:42:54 p.m. — Murdaugh arrives at family’s property, Moselle
—9:07:06 p.m. — Murdaugh leaves Moselle for his mother’s home at Almeda
—9:22:39 p.m. — Murdaugh arrives at Almeda
—9:43:18 p.m. — Murdaugh leaves Almeda
—10:00:00 p.m. —Murdaugh arrives back to Moselle’s main house
—10:05:06 p.m. —Murdaugh leaves Moselle house to the estate’s kennels
—10:05:57 p.m. — Murdaugh arrives at kennels to discover Paul and Maggie Murdaugh’s bodies
—10:06:14 p.m. — Murdaugh calls 911 to report that he found Paul, Maggie’s bodies
—10:11:54 p.m. — Murdaugh leaves the kennels, returns to the main house
—10:13 p.m. — Murdaugh returns to the kennels
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(Island Packet reporter Blake Douglas contributed to this story.)
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