Jurors hear about blue rain jacket in Alex Murdaugh trial

Jurors at Alex Murdaugh's double murder trial in South Carolina heard evidence Tuesday that gunshot residue was found inside a rain jacket found at his mother's home three months after his wife and son were killed.

A judge's decision to allow the testimony was the second win for prosecutors in as many days. Judge Clifton Newman on Monday allowed prosecutors to call witnesses to testify that Murdaugh was stealing money from his law firm and clients and committing other financial crimes long before the killings.

Later Tuesday, once of Murdaugh's law partners testified about how his firm found out Murdaugh was stealing money and also about trying to collect birdshot from the scene of the shootings at the Murdaugh property the day after the deaths but stopping because they were sickened by the gore still around after the crime scene agents left.

Murdaugh, 54, is standing trial in the shootings of his 52-year-old wife, Maggie, and 22-year-old son, Paul, on June 7, 2021, near kennels at their home. He faces 30 years to life in prison if convicted of murder.

Defense attorneys asked the judge to prevent further testimony about the raincoat after the caretaker for Murdaugh's ailing mother testified that she saw him bring a “blue something, looked like a tarp” into his mother's home nine days after the killings.

State agents got a search warrant four months after the killings and found a tarp but also a blue rain jacket.

State Law Enforcement Division agent Megan Fletcher testified she found a large amount of gunshot residue inside the jacket and said it was consistent with either firing a gun while wearing it inside out or being wrapped around a recently fired weapon. Court ended Tuesday before she could be cross examined.

Defense attorneys said prosecutors didn't connect the jacket to Murdaugh through the caretaker's confusing testimony and that it would be unfair and harmful to his case to let state agents testify about what the testing on the jacket found. Witnesses have testified the Murdaugh family often shot guns and hunted on their property and the defense said residue can't be linked to a specific weapon.

The defense did an “effective job in cross-examination in raising questions as to the credibility of the witness. And that is the exact job the jury has to do — weigh the credibility of the witness,” the judge said.

But Newman's decisions could also help the defense. If Murdaugh is found guilty, the decisions could be brought up on appeal.