Celebrity

On Stand, Alex Murdaugh Denies Killings But Admits Lying

Published

2 years ago

2023-02-23

As he took the stand in his defense Thursday in his double murder trial, disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh denied killing his wife and son but admitted lying about when he last saw them.

Murdaugh, who is 54 years old, is accused of killing his 52-year-old wife Maggie and their 22-year-old son Paul with a gun on their property on June 7, 2021, near where they kept their dogs. If convicted, he faces 30 years to life in prison. Murdaugh continued to deny any involvement in the killings during his testimony.

“I would never do anything to intentionally hurt either of them,” Murdaugh said, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Five weeks into his trial, Murdaugh admitted on the stand that he lied to police about being at the kennels with his wife and son shortly before the killings. However, he blamed his opioid addiction for clouding his judgment and instilling distrust in state law enforcement agents.

“As my addiction progressed, I would find myself in situations, circumstances where I would have paranoid thoughts,” Murdaugh explained.

In the hours before the killings, the once-prominent attorney told police that he was visiting his ailing mother in another town, not near his Colleton County home. Several witnesses, though, said that they heard Murdaugh’s voice and those of his son and wife on cellphone video taken at the kennels about five minutes before the shootings.

He felt compelled to continue lying about being at the kennels once he began: “Oh, what a tangled web we weave. I had to keep lying after telling my family a lie.”

Murdaugh testified that on the evening of the killings, his wife asked him to go to the kennels

Murdaugh testified that on the evening of the killings, his wife asked him to go to the kennels, so he rode down in a golf cart and wrestled a chicken away from a dog before returning to the house and deciding to visit his ailing mother.

He claimed that neither his wife nor son were present when he returned home from visiting his mother. Murdaugh said he drove his SUV to the kennels, where he last saw them after a few minutes.

Murdaugh described arriving at the gruesome scene of the killings and crying for several seconds. “It was terrible,” he said.

Murdaugh stated that he briefly attempted to roll over his son lying face down to check on him but decided he couldn’t help.

“I noticed his brain on the sidewalk. “I had no idea what to do,” Murdaugh admitted.

He testified that he also checked on his wife before dialing 911 and then returned home to get a gun for protection.

Despite the gruesome crime scene, witnesses who saw Murdaugh in the minutes and hours after the shooting said they didn’t see any blood on him.

Several witnesses, including Maggie Murdaugh’s sister, testified that despite the brutality of the shootings and no apparent leads from police, Alex Murdaugh did not appear concerned for the safety of himself or his surviving son in the weeks following the killings.

Prosecutors claim Murdaugh murdered his wife and son to buy time to cover up his financial crimes, which were about to be discovered. He is also accused of stealing from clients and arranging his shooting on the side of a highway.

Murdaugh is being held without bail on the financial and other charges, so he will not be released even if he is found not guilty.

Murdaugh would likely spend decades in prison if convicted of most or all of the financial crimes.

SOURCE – (AP)

Celebrity

Al Pacino Reveals He Nearly Died Of Covid-19 – And Gives His Thoughts On The Afterlife

Published

5 days ago

2024-10-07

Kiara Grace

Al Pacino revealed that he nearly died from COVID-19 in 2020 and expressed his thoughts on what happens after death.

In interviews with The New York Times and People magazine, the Academy Award-winning actor discussed getting the virus and temporarily losing his pulse.

Al, 84, told the Times in a wide-ranging interview that he started feeling “unusually not good” and soon got a fever and dehydration. “I was sitting there in my house, and I was gone,” he stated. “I didn’t have a pulse.”

Al Pacino Reveals He Nearly Died Of Covid-19 – And Gives His Thoughts On The Afterlife

“You’re here, and you’re not. I thought, “Wow, you don’t even have any memories.” You have nothing. “Strange porridge,” the “Scarface” actor claimed about his near-death encounter.

Within minutes, an ambulance arrived at Al’s house, and he regained consciousness with six paramedics and two physicians in his living room, he claimed.

“They had these outfits on that looked like they were from outer space or something,” he told the local newspaper. “It was very frightening to open your eyes and witness that. Everyone was surrounding me, and they said, ‘He’s back. “He’s here.”

Al told People that when he regained consciousness, he felt confused. “I looked around and I thought, ‘What happened to me?'”

Despite “everybody” believing he was dead, the movie veteran claimed he is not sure if he perished. “I thought I had died. I might not have. I honestly don’t think I have. “I know I made it,” he stated.

Al hailed his “great assistant” by swiftly alerting paramedics after his nurse confirmed that he no longer had a pulse.

“He got the people coming, because the nurse that was taking care of me said, ‘I don’t feel a pulse on this guy,'” remembered Al Pacino.

When asked if the health concern had impacted the way he lived his life, Pacino replied, “Not at all.”

However, this does not imply that the experience had no impact on the performer.

Al Pacino Reveals He Nearly Died Of Covid-19 – And Gives His Thoughts On The Afterlife

Pacino, who is presently prepping for a film rendition of Shakespeare’s “King Lear,” told The New York Times that the event had a philosophical significance.

“I did not see the white light or anything. “There is nothing there,” he explained. “As Hamlet says, ‘To be or not to be,’ and ‘The uncharted place from which no traveler returns.’ He then says two words: ‘no more.’ “It was no more,” Pacino concluded.

“You are gone. I’d never considered it in my life. But, you know, actors: It sounds good to say you died once. What happens when there is no more?

Pacino’s experiences are described in his book, “Sonny Boy,” which will be published on Tuesday.

SOURCE | AP

Celebrity

Supreme Court Declines To Hear Appeal From Singer R. Kelly, Convicted Of Child Sex Crimes

Published

5 days ago

2024-10-07

Kiara Grace

Washington — The Supreme Court declined to hear R. Kelly’s appeal on Monday, despite the fact that he is currently serving 20 years in jail for child rape charges in Chicago.

The Grammy Award-winning R&B artist, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, was convicted in 2022 of three counts of making child sexual abuse photos and three counts of enticing children for sex.

Supreme Court Declines To Hear Appeal From Singer R. Kelly, Convicted Of Child Sex Crimes

His lawyers contended that a lower statute of limitations on child sex crime prosecutions should have applied to actions committed in the 1990s. Current legislation allows charges to be filed when the accuser is still alive.

kelly

As is common, the justices did not explain why they declined to consider the case. There were no public dissents. Lower courts have previously rejected his arguments.

Supreme Court Declines To Hear Appeal From Singer R. Kelly, Convicted Of Child Sex Crimes

According to federal prosecutors, the video shows Robert sexually abusing a girl. The accuser, Jane, testified that she was 14 when the video was taken.

Robert has also appealed a 30-year sentence for federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges in New York.

SOURCE | AP

Celebrity

Keanu Reeves Spins Out At Indianapolis Motor Speedway In Pro Auto Racing Debut

Published

6 days ago

2024-10-06

Kiara Grace

Indianapolis — Hollywood actor Keanu Reeves made his professional car racing debut on Saturday, spinning out at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Keanu Reeves Spins Out At Indianapolis Motor Speedway In Pro Auto Racing Debut

Keanu swerved into the grass without colliding on the exit of Turn 9, slightly more than halfway through the 45-minute race. He re-entered and started driving, indicating that he was uninjured.

Keanu, who qualified 31st out of 35 cars, raced as high as 21st and escaped a first-lap accident in Turn 14. Reeves placed 25th.

Keanu, 60, is racing in Indianapolis in the Toyota GR Cup, a Toyota spec-racing series and a support series for this weekend’s Indy 8 Hour sports car race. He has a second race on Sunday.

Keanu is driving the No. 92 BRZRKR automobile to promote his graphic novel, “The Book of Elsewhere.” He is teammates with Cody Jones from “Dude Perfect.”