One of the first investigators to interview Alex Murdaugh following the murders of his wife and son says she believes the convicted killer sought sympathy by shedding fake tears, Fox News reports.
Colleton County Sheriff’s Office Det. Laura Rutland spoke with Murdaugh on the night of June 7, 2021, when Maggie and Paul were gunned down at the family’s hunting lodge in Islandton. Rutland also testified at Murdaugh’s trial.
In an interview with the news outlet, Rutland said it appeared that Murdaugh was “trying to . . . make himself cry” when he first talked with police about what happened at the dog kennels.
She then recounted his demeanor at the trial and on the witness stand. “I’ve seen it in person and now, I’ve seen it in all of the interviews, how he can turn it on and off,” Rutland told Fox News, referring to Murdaugh’s apparent ability to cry.
Rutland also discussed several aspects of the case, telling Fox News that she was struck by how clean Murdaugh’s clothes were at the time of his first police interview on the night of the killings, even though he claimed to have turned Paul’s body over and checked for a pulse.
“Paul and Maggie were shot multiple times. Paul was shot by a shotgun, which caused catastrophic damage to the top of his head. In addition to the biological matter around his body, there was also a lot of water,” Rutland told Fox News. “And [the jury was] able to see that on Sergeant Green’s body cam. It was just so odd that even Alex’s shoes were as clean as they were, including the soles of the shoes.”
In addition, Rutland provided further details about something Murdaugh’s defense team asked her on the stand regarding strands of hair that were found in Maggie’s hand.
“When she had suffered her injuries, and the bullet exited the back of her head, it created a large hole, which displaced that part of her skull, including her scalp and her hair,” Rutland told Fox News.
“So, all around her body, there were small clumps of the back of her hair in the grass around her body. Some had fallen near her hands and her arms. And when we removed her body, some of the hair that was on her fingers. It was just a few strands went with her.”
A jury convicted Murdaugh of the murders on March 3 and he has been sentenced to life in prison.
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[Feature Photo: Alex Murdaugh becomes emotional during his double murder trial at the Colleton County Courthouse on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023, in Walterboro, S.C. 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. (Grace Beahm Alford/The Post And Courier via AP, Pool)]
