Prosecutors say a Snapchat video sent by Paul Murdoch the night he was killed is considered a crucial part of the case

CNN
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Paul Murdock sent a Snapchat video to several friends moments before he was killed, according to a petition filed by South Carolina State’s Attorney Alex Murdock, the disgraced former attorney who began this week in the slayings of his wife and son.

Margaret “Maggie” Murdock, 52, and their youngest son, Paul Murdock, 22, were shot to death on the family’s property in June 2021.

Alex Murdoch has denied any involvement in their deaths Innocent For murder charges.

Jury selection started on Monday. Defense and prosecution lawyers said the trial could last up to three weeks.

Three generations of the Murdock family worked as prosecuting attorneys in coastal South Carolina, but a series of deaths and accusations of embezzlement and insurance fraud brought down the family legacy. In falling down and crashing downAttracts the nation’s attention.

The video’s reference to the filing, obtained by CNN affiliate WCSC, is the first mention of a Snapchat video that prosecutors want to use as evidence in their case against Murdoch.

Snapchat provided the record as part of a search warrant, the filing said.

“Among other things, a video sent to several friends around 7:56 p.m. on the night of the murders was crucial to the case,” the filing said.

“The contents of this video are critical to proving the state’s case,” the document, written by state prosecutors, says.

The document does not describe what the video’s contents are, and its significance in the case is unclear.

In October, CNN reported, prosecutors said in court documents that the mother and son were killed between 8:30 and 10:06 p.m. The South Carolina Division of Law Enforcement previously reported that the deaths occurred between 9 and 9:30 p.m.

Prosecutor Creighton Waters asked in the motion that a representative of Snapchat, the social media site that provided the video, “testify in person that this video is a true and accurate recording.”

Judge Clifton Newman ruled in favor of the motion and asked the Los Angeles District Court to compel a representative of Snapchat to attend the Murdoch hearing.