CNN
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Paul Murdo sent a Snapchat video to several friends minutes before he was killed, according to a motion filed by South Carolina prosecutors prosecuting Alex Murdo, the disgraced former lawyer charged with killing The trial of the wife and son began this week.
In June 2021, Margaret “Maggie” Murdorf, 52, and their youngest son, Paul Murdorf, 22, were found shot dead in their home.
Alex Murdaugh has denied any involvement in their deaths and has pleaded not guilty to the murder charge.
Jury selection begins on Monday. Lawyers for the defense and prosecution said the trial could last up to three weeks.
Three generations of the Murdaugh family have served as prosecutors in coastal South Carolina, but a string of deaths and allegations of embezzlement and insurance fraud have shattered the family legacy and drawn national attention.
The videos mentioned in documents obtained by CNN affiliate WCSC appear to be the first mentions of Snapchat videos by prosecutors, which they intend to use as evidence in the case against Murdo.
Snapchat provided the recording as part of a search warrant, the filing said.
“Crucial to the case, among other things, was a video that was sent to several friends at approximately 7:56 p.m. on the night of the murder,” the filing said.
“The content of this video is important to proving the nation’s primary case,” reads the document, written by the state’s attorney.
The document did not say what was in the video, and its significance to the case was unclear.
In October, CNN reported that the mother and son were killed between 8:30 p.m. and 10:06 p.m., prosecutors said in court filings.South Carolina law enforcement previously reported the death occurred between 9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
In the motion, Attorney Creighton Waters asked a representative of Snapchat, the social media platform that provided the video, to “testify personally that the video is a true and accurate record kept in the ordinary course of business.”
Judge Clifton Newman ruled in favor of the motion and sent a request to Los Angeles District Court to compel a representative of Snapchat to attend Murdo’s trial starting on the first day of jury selection.