Jurors began the day with a visit to the crime scene, where a pool reporter said at least one of them carefully inspected the door frame of a storage closet where Paul Murdaugh was standing when he was killed. Someone had planted a bomb under her sisters house that killed everyone inside, including Rita. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier via AP, Pool). He painted him as a serial liar whose own friends and colleagues even testified to various misdeeds they said he expertly concealed. Always have to literally beg, borrow and steal for over a decade to have the truth from being exposed, Waters said. The defense will get to sum up its case on Thursday. But Waters disputed that too, noting that Murdaugh was comforted by officers in his initial police interview. Always have to literally beg, borrow and steal for over a decade to have the truth from being exposed, Waters said. [13] The prosecution, on the other hand, believed she murdered her sons in order to start a new life with a former lover. A mother and her children were murdered while going on a trip to a water park. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier via AP, Pool), The dog kennels and hanger at the Murdaugh Moselle property on Wednesday, March 1, 2023 in Islandton, S.C. A processing shed is seen in the background. When the motorist asked if he had been in a car accident, Christopher replied, No, I think my wife shot me.But when the police arrived on the scene, not everything about Christophers story added up. After an exhaustive investigation, there is only one person who had the motive, who had the means, who had the opportunity to commit these crimes, and also whose guilty conduct after these crimes betrays him, prosecutor Creighton Waters said during his closing arguments. During the penalty phase, Tommy Pope, the lead prosecutor in the Smith case, argued passionately in favor of sentencing Smith to death. And his lies and his guilty actions afterward confirm that.". Utah wildlife officials suggest catching, Oregon lawmakers propose bill that would give $1K, Hunter charged for killing pet dogs he thought were, Venus, Jupiter shine during night sky kiss: How, Space just got bigger: Scientists add thousands of, Augusta, USC Aiken women fall in Peach Belt Conference, Vaughn Taylor Championship junior tournament moves, Authorities issue warrants for UGAs Jalen Carter, Does your child have food allergy? Here is a look at some of the evidence and motives law enforcement have explored during the course of their investigation. Nine days later, Will County authorities arrested Vaughn and charged him with the four murders. 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Jurors on Wednesday visited the South Carolina estate where prosecutors say disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh shot and killed his wife The song "When This is Over", on Hayden's 1995 album "Everything I Long For" is written from the point of view of one of Susan Smith's sons as the car sinks into the lake. " much to the concern of her son Buster (Tony Hale). But first, that jury will take a field trip to the scene of the crime. At the Osage Nation Museum, I discovered this picture of Mollie with her mother and her sister Anna: Mollie had a third sister named Rita Smith. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier via AP, Pool), Watch: Astros SP Luis Garcia debuts new windup after rule changes, Houston facing severe thunderstorms, possible tornadoes Thursday, Oops! Waters portrayed Murdaugh as a desperate man whose years-long scheme of swindling money from his clients and former law firm was finally coming to light. The footage belowrecorded by an Osage in the 1920s and shared with me by a descendant, Meg Standingbear Jenningsprovides a glimpse of what the region looked like during the oil boom. Chris Vaughn was convicted of murdering his wife, Kim, and their three children. When I visited the Osage Nation Museum, the director had retrieved, from the basement, an image of the missing panel. Jurors have visited the South Carolina estate where prosecutors say disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh shot and killed his wife and son. The tour of the crime scene happened before jurors were to head back to court in Walterboro to hear closing arguments in the closely watched murder trial. The Rare Archival Photos Behind 'Killers of the Flower Moon'. Fearing his years of stealing from his law firm and clients would be exposed and hoping to maintain his lofty standing in the community, Murdaugh killed his wife and younger son in the hopes it would make him a sympathetic figure and draw attention away from the missing money, prosecutor Creighton Waters told jurors. They were also cautioned to watch for snakes. [11] She said that there was no motive nor did she plan the murders, stating that she was not in a right state of mind. Winner will be selected at random on 04/01/2023. He has been doing it for 10 years.. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier via AP, Pool), The dog kennels and hanger at the Murdaugh Moselle property on Wednesday, March 1, 2023 in Islandton, S.C. The Oswego family was reportedly taking a day trip to a water park in Springfield when Christopher Vaughn left Interstate 55 and drove onto a frontage road Rate. [8], On October 25, 1994, Smith reported to police that her vehicle had been carjacked by a black man who drove away with her sons still inside. Courtesy the Western History Collections, University of Oklahoma Libraries, Finney No. WebRedirecting to https://www.therichest.com/shocking/15-old-crime-scene-photos-that-will-haunt-your-dreams/. Kimberly Vaughn was shot once under her chin, the records say. After the boys had been missing for two days, Susan and David were subjected to a polygraph test. Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). Follow us on Twitter to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. Nearly three decades earlier, jurors in the Simpson trial toured the scene where prosecutors alleged that he killed his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman. YouTube A recreation of the Katherine Knight crime scene and the meals she prepared for his children. Jurors have visited the South Carolina estate where prosecutors say disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh shot and killed his wife and son. [2] According to the South Carolina Department of Corrections, she will be eligible for parole on November 4, 2024. Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed. Another Osage, Henry Roan, was shot in the back of the head. Although the weapons used to kill the victims havent been found, an expert testified that the markings on the bullet casings found near Maggie Murdaughs body matched those found on casings at a shooting range on the familys property. Vaughn claims Kim killed the children before shooting him twice and then turning the gun on herself. The use of the family weapons collaborates it. The distance between the kennels where the bodies were found and the home where Murdaugh says he had been napping has been a key component of the trial. The 54-year-old attorney is standing trial on two counts of murder in the shootings of his wife and son at their Colleton County home and hunting lodge on June 7, 2021. A crop from the 1924 panorama showing members of the Osage tribe alongside prominent local white businessmen and leaders. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier via AP, Pool), The feed room where Paul Murdaugh's body was found at the Murdaugh Moselle property on Wednesday, March 1, 2023 in Islandton, S.C. Vaughn also said when he found out there was nothing he could do for his three now-deceased kids, he tried to strap his slumped-over wife into her seatbelt - thus, Associated Press reporter Terry Spencer contributed from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It was the stuff of nightmares. On Wednesday, Vaughn, 31, died while in custody at Florida State Hospital in Chattahoochee, where he had been housed off and on since his arrest on Dec. 14, 2015. His defense team argues that his wife shot their children before turning the gun on herself. His family has a history of prosecution. She grew up in a lodge, speaking Osage; within a few decades, she lived in a mansion and was a married to white settler. The defense has argued that police ignored the possibility that anyone else could have killed them and called experts who said investigators did not adequately examine the crime scene. [17] Consequently, she was moved to the Leath Correctional Institution in Greenwood. But the system depends on people who take that oath as jurors, and theyre willing to honor that oath and make the tough decision to vindicate these victims, to vindicate Maggie and Paul, who were cut down in the prime of their lives.. The defense vigorously objected, arguing that taking the jurors to the school would play to their emotions and that photos and videos were sufficient. The tour of the crime scene happened before jurors were to head back to court in Walterboro to hear closing arguments in the closely watched murder trial. The murder made people in a fairly safe town feel imperiled. In the early 1870s, the Osage were driven from their lands in Kansas onto a rocky, presumably worthless reservation in what was then Indian Territory, and would later become part of Oklahoma. [14] Smith's defense psychiatrist diagnosed her with dependent personality disorder and major depression. Jurors saw the spot where Nicole Brown Simpson and Goldmans bloodied bodies were found on the walkway leading up to her Brentwood condominium. Ive been taking continually longer and more remote trips figuring that when the time comes Ill be ready. March 1, 2023. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. Testimony concluded on Tuesday after more than 75 witnesses took the stand over about five weeks. Alex Murdaugh speaks during his trial, Feb. 23, 2023, in Walterboro, S.C. Eventually they were able to capture one of the masterminds of the murderous plot. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Richer reported from Boston. Waters noted that Murdaugh told jurors that he woke up just minutes later to go visit his ailing mother. The 54-year-old attorney is standing trial on two counts of murder in the shootings of his wife and son at their Colleton County home and hunting lodge on June 7, 2021. In many ways, Mollie, who was born in 1886, straddled not only two centuries but two civilizations. Heres a look at the practice of having juries view crime scenes and some other notable cases: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A JURY VISITS A CRIME SCENE? The reporter who went to the feed room after the jurors left noted that the back window had large bullet holes. Taken in 1924, the picture showed a seemingly innocent pageant of members of the tribe alongside white settlers, but a section had been cut out. August 24, 2012 (JOLIET, Ill.) Vaughn is accused of murdering his wife and their three children inside the family's SUV. The defense would get to sum up its case later Wednesday. She took me to a cemetery in Grayhorse, in Osage County, where many of her relatives who were killed are buried. Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI. March 1, 2023. The main house at the Murdaugh Moselle property on Wednesday, March 1, 2023 in Islandton, S.C. And who drives way off the highway to a frontage road when a passenger begins to feel ill? The end of the episode features Lucille walking away from her car, with Buster asleep in the back seat as it rolls into a nearby body of water. Prosecutors have focused on footage taken from Paul Murdaugh's cellphone the night of the murders, including a video taken at the kennels several minutes before the victims were believed to be killed that investigators said has Alex Murdaugh talking in the background. Court records show the couple had been fighting, and he would sometimes sleep at the office. 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In some cases, however, crime scene visits can be useful to give jurors a sense of distance or other physical features that dont come across in photos and other evidence presented in court, said Steven Benjamin, a Richmond, Virginia, defense attorney who is not involved in the Murdaugh case. They provide another essential means of documenting a crime largely forgotten by history. Follow us on social media to add even more wonder to your day. One night in May of 1921, Mollies older sister, Anna Brown, disappeared. What it is not is a scene reenactment, Benjamin said. Those experts testified that they believe Paul was standing about five inches into the feed room when he was first shot in the chest. degree in 1682. [13] It took the jury only two and a half hours to convict her of murdering them. Their hour-long field trip to the Moselle hunting estate in South Carolina came shortly before closing arguments began in what has been dubbed the trial of the century by local media. A portion of the article talked about making deaths appear like suicides. They released Blackie Thompson, a notorious outlaw, from prison, hoping to use him as an informant; instead, he robbed a bank and killed a police officer. This is a carousel. By the second day of the investigation, the police suspected that she knew their location and hoped that they were still alive. Only 16 minutes passed between when the victims stopped using their cellphones and Murdaugh left the house about 1,100 feet (335 meters) from the crime scene. Id rather follow a set of tracks through a river in the rain than have spend time on a paved road or under a roof. WebDavid Camm, a decorated Indiana Police Officer, was wrongfully charged with the murders of his family based on junk science. He avoided accountability his whole life. In the News Published on October 12, 2021. Jurors have visited the South Carolina estate where prosecutors say disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh shot and killed his wife and son. The 54-year-old attorney is standing trial on two counts of murder in the shootings of his wife and son at their Colleton County, S.C., home and hunting lodge on June 7, 2021. The cases referenced involved rape-murders made to look like hangings. In this Sept. 20, 2021, file photo, the gates near Alex Murdaugh's home are shown in Islandton, S.C. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. The most notable recent example was the sentencing trial for Cruz, who pleaded guilty to killing 14 students and three staff members at Parklands Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. WebSusan Leigh Smith (ne Vaughan; born September 26, 1971) is an American woman who was convicted of murdering her two sons, three-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alexander, in 1994 by drowning them in a South Carolina lake.. As all of these pressures were mounting, the defendant killed Maggie and Paul, Waters said, pulling out his cellphone and waving it. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier via AP, Pool), Several vehicles leave at the Murdaugh Moselle property on Wednesday, March 1, 2023 in Islandton, S.C. The building had been sealed off and left largely untouched except for the removal of victims bodies and some personal items before jurors visited last year and retraced the steps Cruz took on Feb. 14, 2018. [7] She married David Smith, and they had two sons. 7.2. Director: Jon Favreau | Stars: Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Joe Goossen, Famke Janssen Votes: 18,849 | Gross: $5.31M 7. Everyone immediately rallies around Alex Murdaugh, he said. Waters said Alex Murdaugh has been lying for years to cover up his opioid addiction and theft of money from his law firm and clients, so it would be easy to lie about being at the kennels and killing his family, and to lie while testifying in his own defense last week. Like Mollie Burkhart, White reflected the transformation of the country. And his lies and his guilty actions afterward confirm that.. In 2003, jurors went to the North Carolina home of novelist Michael Peterson where his wifes body was found at the bottom of a staircase. Christopher Vaughn, of Oswego, was was sentenced to four life terms on Nov. 27, 2012, for fatally shooting his wife and three children after pulling off Interstate 55 near The tour of the crime scene happened before jurors were to head back to court in Walterboro to hear closing arguments in the closely watched murder trial. South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED); This page was last edited on 13 February 2023, at 13:21. All rights reserved. From an Eric Zorn column at the time: The Oswego family was reportedly taking a day trip to a water park in Springfield when Christopher Vaughn left Interstate 55 and drove onto a frontage road when his wife became ill. 1. In a criminal trial, both the defense and the prosecution can request that juries view a crime scene and its generally up to the judge to decide whether to approve it. The case gained international attention because of Smith's false claim that a black man had kidnapped her sons during a carjacking. WebChristopher Vaughn is an American man convicted of the murder of his wife, Kimberly, and the couple's three children in June 14, 2007. The records show someone using his e-mail address set up a blog site for a user named dewoodsman, and at least one man knew Vaughn as Flint.. Demand for access to the vast oil deposits under the reservation was so great that there were regular auctions for leases held in Pawhuska, a city in Osage County. Judge Milton Wharton did not release all of the courtroom evidence. The article talked about making deaths appear like suicides University of Oklahoma Libraries, Finney.... ] she married David Smith, and his guilty actions afterward confirm that in Grayhorse, in Walterboro S.C. International attention because of Smith 's false claim that a black man kidnapped. 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