This 50-Second Video of a Dog Seemingly Caught Alex Murdaugh in a Lie
Mar. 3 2023, Updated 10:34 a.m. ET
Alex Murdaugh's voice is allegedly heard in a Snapchat video his son Paul recorded just a few minutes before his death.
On June 7, 2021, the wife and younger son of disgraced South Carolina legal scion Alex Murdaugh were found dead near the dog kennels on the family’s Moselle property. Initially, Alex Murdaugh claimed he was not home at the time of Maggie and Paul’s homicides, but evidence introduced to the jury suggested that he was.
Leading up to his death, Paul reportedly made a phone call to a close family friend Rogan Gibson. Paul also recorded a video on his phone but never sent it. Below, we explain how these critical pieces of evidence poked holes in Alex Murdaugh's alibi.
Paul Murdaugh was taking care of Rogan Gibson's dog, Cash, on the night of his murder.
Paul Murdaugh reportedly spoke with family friend Rogan Gibson minutes before his death.
During the ongoing homicide trial, Gibson was called to the stand to testify. As the jury learned, Paul was watching Gibson's chocolate labrador Cash on the night of his death.
Gibson testified that he spoke with Paul at 8:40 p.m. on the phone that night. They discussed whether or not something was wrong with Cash's tail. On this call, Gibson said he heard Maggie's voice in the background. He also said he heard a male's voice that sounded like Alex Murdaugh.
Per WJCL, Paul filmed a 50-second video on his phone at 8:44 p.m., just four minutes after he and Gibson hung up. In this video, Cash is seen wandering around the kennel. Paul's voice, along with two others, is heard in the background.
The voices are heard to be discussing another dog named Bubba, who belonged to the Murdaugh family. Bubba was believed to be in the kennels that night with Cash, but he wasn't shown in the video Paul filmed.
The voices talk about how Bubba had something in his mouth. As this video was shown in court, Gibson testified that he never received it, but in listening to it, he was certain that he heard Paul, Maggie, and Alex Murdaugh all talking. Paul may have been intending to send the video to Rogan via Snapchat.
Gibson also testified that during his earlier phone call with the youngest Murdaugh, neither the 22-year-old nor Maggie sounded stressed or endangered. If they had, it could have indicated that an intruder had arrived on the property.
Alex Murdaugh later testified that he lied to investigators when he said he was not at the scene of his wife and son’s killings before they were fatally shot in June 2021.
What happened to the dogs at the Murdaugh's kennel?
It is unknown what happened to Gibson's dog Cash following the murders. But according to BBC, Bubba is now living with Blanca Turrubiate-Simpson, a former employee of the Murdaugh family.
Bubba was one of the Murdaugh family's dogs.
The Murdaugh family had other dogs besides Bubba, per the Daily Mail. In photos taken on the night of the double murders, Bubba is seen locked in a kennel alongside another one of the family's dogs, who is believed to be named Maggie.
The outlet notes that in addition to Chase, Bubba, and Maggie, a black lab named Grady, a bulldog named Armadillo, a red bird dog named Tappy Toes, and a bird dog named Dahlia were also at the kennels.
On March 2, Alex Murdaugh was found guilty of the murders of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh.
The jury deliberated for three hours before handing down a guilty verdict. On March 3, Judge Clifton Newman sentenced Alex Murdaugh to two consecutive life sentences in prison without the possibility of parole.
