Buster Murdaugh has taken the stand in the murder trial against his father, Alex Murdaugh — and testified about the moment he learned his mother and brother had been killed.
Buster, 26, began his testimony on Tuesday morning. Wearing a white button-down shirt and a black blazer, he remained mostly emotionless while testifying — except when he was asked about the night that his mother, Maggie, and brother, Paul, were shot to death.
Fighting back tears, Buster told the jury that his father called him on June 7, 2021. “He said ‘are you sitting down?’” Buster testified. “He sounded odd, and then he told me that my mom and my brother had been shot.”
Buster testified that he and his girlfriend immediately got into the car and drove to the family estate from her home in Rock Hill, S.C. — approximately 200 miles away.
“He was heartbroken,” Buster testified about his father’s reaction when he arrived that night. “I walked in the door and saw him, gave him a hug.”
Buster added that his father was crying and could hardly speak. “He was destroyed.”
The defense called Buster to the stand to reinforce their assertion that Alex Murdaugh was a doting husband and father who loved his family and didn’t want them dead.
Alex Murdaugh, 54, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and two related weapons charges. He has pleaded not guilty and is in the midst of a protracted trial.
According to the prosecution, Paul was shot in the chest and head with a shotgun at close range. Maggie was shot multiple times, including one shot in the back and additional shots while she was lying on the ground. She had been shot with 300 Blackout ammo from an AR-style rifle. Both of them were pronounced dead at the scene.
