Former NYPD inspector and attorney Paul Mauro joined "Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy" to discuss the defense strategy by Alex Murdaugh's team. Mauro said he agreed with the decision to put Murdaugh on the stand.
"The defense seems to have called an audible. They seem to have decided, 'Okay, we have lost every major evidentiary hearing in this case. We've been taking on a lot of water, and maybe we better roll the dice.' So they decided to put him up there and, you know, I have to say at this point, I agree with that decision," Mauro said. "I think that he, whether you feel he's guilty or innocent, etc., one has to admit that in light of the circumstances, he acquitted himself pretty well. He obfuscated the timeline as he could."
Murdaugh stands accused of committing the fatal shootings of his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, and their youngest son, Paul Murdaugh, near the dog kennels located at the family's Moselle hunting estate in Islandton on June 7, 2021.
ALEX MURDAUGH: TIMELINE OF ONCE-POWERFUL SOUTH CAROLINA LAWYER'S SPECTACULAR DOWNFALL
In the first week of the trial, Rogan Gibson testified that he could place Murdaugh at the crime scene at around 8:50 p.m., which is the time that prosecutors allege the crimes were committed. Gibson, a close friend and neighbor of Murdaugh, was questioned about a 50-second video from Paul's cellphone that was recorded at 8:44:49 p.m. The video was never sent. During cross-examination, Gibson was asked about the voices in the video and claimed that he recognized the voices of Maggie, Paul, and Alex Murdaugh.
According to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), Murdaugh stated in three separate videotaped interviews with agents that he was not present on the night in question.
On Thursday, however, Murdaugh acknowledged to being present at the dog kennels at 8:45 p.m. on June 7, just four minutes prior to prosecutors' allegation that Maggie and Paul were fatally shot.
"I wasn't thinking clearly. I don't think I was capable of reason," Murdaugh said. "And I lied about being out there, and I'm so sorry that I did. I'm sorry."
When prosecutor Creighton Waters asked Murdaugh why he continued the lie, Murdaugh testified, "Oh, what a tangled web we weave. But once I told a lie, I mean, I told my family and I had to keep lying."
Mauro pointed out to Fox News' Trey Gowdy that admitting to being a liar could help the Murdaugh defense strategy.
"He owned, you know, in a strange way, owning that he's a liar helps his defense relative to that video, because now he's saying, 'Yeah, I lied about that because I didn't trust SLED. I was paranoid because of my oxy use,'" Mauro said. "And so maybe we can buy the fact that he lied initially about being at the scene. So there was some clever defense jujitsu there and a lot of this, I think, was very thought out."
Mauro notes that this defense strategy is clever and well-thought-out, and while one may not personally believe it, it only takes one person from the jury to buy it.
