Week 3 wraps up with fiery moments in the Murdaugh murder trial

COLLETON COUNTY, S.C. (WCIV) — Week 3 of the Murdaugh murder trial wrapped up Friday with more focus on Alex's financials and state of mind at the time of the murders.

Yesterday, the State said they will probably finish calling witnesses next Wednesday, and the defense said they'll take about a week on their side.

Listen: PODCAST: Murdaugh Day 15 Recap I Unsolved South Carolina

Read More:Murdaugh Day 15: Judge denies motion for mistrial, housekeeper testifies on $31M lawsuit

Read More: Murdaugh's former housekeeper testifies about Maggie's secret concerns and $31M lawsuit

Live blog authored by Drew Tripp.

First witness: Mark Tinsley returns to the stand

Tinsley says a hearing was set for May 10, 2021 on the motion to compel Murdaugh and his attorney to turn over his financial accounts. Tinsley says because of Murdaugh's attorney (and Tinsley's friend) John Tiller undergoing cancer treatments, the motion hearing was rescheduled for June 10.

Tinsley says the hearing was canceled after the murders and Alex became a very sympathetic figure. He felt the boat crash case lawsuit was effectively over because of the sympathy Murdaugh would receive. No jury would punish Murdaugh now.

State had no more questions. Phil Barber for the defense asks Tinsley if it was true he testified pre-trial that Murdaugh's crimes would not have "blown up" and been discovered immediately on June 10 if Murdaugh's financial accounts were turned over that day.

Tinsley after some verbal jousting with Barber says it's a bit out of context, but he probably did say things wouldn't have blown up on June 10.

Barber had no further questions. Didn't bring up Tinsley's donation to the GoFundMe for Murdaugh's mother's caretaker despite trying to get Tinsley barred from testifying over it yesterday.

In redirect, Tinsley told Creighton Waters the downstream effect of Murdaugh being ordered to disclose his accounts would subpoenaed those accounts for Murdaugh's financial records. That would've inevitably revealed Murdaugh's thefts and forgeries to both himself and Murdaugh's law firm. Murdaugh's career would've been over an he'd have gone to jail.

Second witness: Blanca Turrubiate-Simpson

Now on the stand, Blanca Turrubiate-Simpson. Worked for Alex Murdaugh.

Blanca is a native of Brownsville, Texas. Went into the military right out of high school. Mother of 5. Incredibly diverse career. Heavy equipment operator, prison worker, real estate agent, grocery store stocker.

Blanca and her husband moved back to South Carolina and his native hometown of Gifford in Hampton County. One day, she met a Spanish speaking person at the grocery store in Hampton, became friends. Friend was having trouble getting results in a lawsuit because of language barrier, and Blanca helped the friend find a new attorney. This is how she met Alex Murdaugh.

Blanca began offering interpreter services for Murdaugh on a regular basis after that. Year was 2007. Eventually became a fulltime domestic worker for the Murdaugh's, helping run the household for Maggie. She knew Paul and Buster as young children.

Blanca suffered a stroke around 2015. It took her a long time to recover, but eventually came back to work for Maggie after the boat crash in 2019. Blanca says she and Maggie had become close friends through the course of their relationship.

Friday, June 4, 2021. Blanca was at the house. She was walking out of the laundry room as Paul was walking in the front door. She recalls him holding a laundry basket full of clothes.

Paul: What's up Mrs. B?

Blanca: Boy, if you've got all them dirty clothes and you want me to take care of that -- I'm getting ready to leave?

Paul: Aw, come on Mrs. B, you can help me out, I need them for the weekend.

Blanca: Just pull a couple of them out -- what you need -- and I'll take care of it.

Very emotional moment.

Blanca says she ended up staying late to wash Paul's clothes. She saw him leave that evening, and never saw him again.

Blanca's hours weren't set. Maggie was OK with that. "No worries."

She was scheduled to work at Moselle on June 7. Maggie texted her and asked if she could stop at the grocery story on the way to Moselle because Alex wanted some orange Capri Sun drinks. She remembers she wasn't able to find those specific ones.

The last texts they exchanged, Maggie said she had a doctor's appointment, and Alex wanted her to come home from Edisto Beach to Moselle afterward. Maggie asked Blanca to cook because Paul liked the way she cooked and Maggie wouldn't be home in time from the Doctor's appointment.

Blanca says she also talked to Maggie on the phone. Maggie didn't really want to come home. She liked being at Edisto, and had been down there staying busy getting the house ready for the 4th of July celebration coming up soon.

Blanca said Maggie sounded like she DIDN'T want to come home and disappointed. Maggie also told her Alex had asked Paul to come home to clean up some mess made by the caretaker CB Rowe to get ready for a hunt.

Blanca says Maggie like to stay in Edisto most of the spring and summer.

Morning of June 7, Maggie had just left. Paul wasn't there. Alex wasn't a morning person. Couple hours passed, Alex left for work. He was wearing a seafoam color polo shirt, khaki pants and a blue sport coat, brown leather work shoes. She saw the shirt up close because Alex's collar was sticking up and she fixed it right before he walked out the door.

She made cube steak & gravy, white rice and green beans for dinner. Texted Maggie she'd left it on the stove and she was leaving.

Meadors asked if Blanca is a good cook. She sheepishly acknowledges.

She heard early the next morning from Alex, saying Maggie and Paul were dead. "They're gone." At first she thought, Alex just meant Maggie had gone back to Edisto. She literally dropped the phone she was in such shock when Alex said they're dead.

Blanca went to Almeda to Alex's parents' house where Buster and Alex were staying. Checked on them. Alex asked her to go to Moselle to straighten up the way Maggie liked it. "You knew her best."

Blanca recalls walking into the Moselle. She becomes upset, starts cryin. "It was hard because I knew (Maggie) wasn't going to be coming back. I didn't want to move her stuff. It was just a weird feeling going through, when I unlocked the front door to get in. I felt cold."

John Meadors: "You really cared for her, didn't you?"

Blanca: "I did."

Once she got in the kitchen, noticed there were no pots on the stove. Unusual. Pots stayed on the stove until the next day almost always. Maggie didn't put stuff in the refrigerator. Pots also weren't in the sink.

Blanca walked through the kitchen to the laundry room, noticed Maggie's pajamas were lying on the floor neatly in the doorway to the laundry room. Blanca always handled the laundry for the fily. She says Maggie wouldn't lay her clothes out like that. Underwear being there with pajama bottoms was unusual. She didn't wear underwear with her pajamas. And the underwear appeared to have fresh fold creases still in them.

Found the pots in the refrigerator with lids on.

Walking further through the house, she found Maggie's clothes in pile on the floor in the master bathroom. On the floor of the bathroom was a slight puddle of water and a pair of khaki pants.

In the master bedroom, a damp towel was on the floor in the closet. A t-shirt had fallen onto the floor from the shelf in the closet.

Blanca says Murdaugh had a big collection of t-shirts. She washed, ironed and folded them, and stacked them on the shelf in their closet. His white t-shirts he wore under suits were kept in a dresser drawer.

Blanca says she didn't check to see if the food in the pots was eaten. Blanca says she took the damp towel and khaki pants to the laundry room and washed them.

Blanca says she'd seen the t-shirt and shorts before that Alex was wearing when police arrived. Both were clean the last time she saw them. Shirt would've been kept on the shelf in the closet where she found the damp towel and the shirt that appeared to have fallen.

State plays the Snapchat video off Paul's phone. Murdaugh was wearing the seafoam shirt, khaki pants, and his house loafers. Blanca says she never saw the shirt (there were several similar ones but different colors), the house loafers or a pair of Sperry boat shoes from the closet, ever again.

Blanca and her husband were paid to stay at the Moselle property and take care of it after the murders for a long time. They now take care of Bubba the dog, lives with them.

Backing up, Blanca clarifies the seafoam Columbia shirt Alex is seen wearing in the Snapchat video is not the same one he was wearing when he left for work.

Blanca says Bubba the dog was prone to chase and catch chickens and guinea fowl. he wouldn't let them go easily, very stubborn.

Murdaugh's belongings were moved to a house in Hampton. Murdaugh rarely stayed there. Just came to eat and get belongings.

One day in August 2021, Alex came to her in the house in Hampton and was distressed. Wanted to talk to her about something. Said he told her something was wrong, mentioned there was a video of him. And then he asked her if she remembered the "Vinny Vines" (Vineyard Vines) shirt he was wearing the day of the murders.

Blanca says she was confused, in her mind she knew Alex wasn't wearing a Vineyard Vines shirt that day. She helped fix the collar. It was a polo shirt. It was a different material. She wasn't sure what Alex was trying to accomplish by asking about a totally different shirt. Was he trying to suggest to her she should say he was wearing a DIFFERENT shirt if she was asked about the shirt? She didn't say anything but she was taken aback. "I know what he was wearing the day he left the house."

Sept. 4, 2021. Alex contacts Blanca asking for copies of insurance cards. Says he's got some routine checkups. She thought it was weird, where was he going to see a doctor on Saturday. They texted back and forth.

Meadors: "After Sept. 4, 2021, did you and your husband quit living at Moselle?"

Blanca: "We did."

Meadors asks Blanca about if she cleaned Maggie's Mercedes. She had picked the SUV up from impound at the sheriff's office. While cleaning the SUV, she found Maggie's wedding band under the driver seat.

Blanca says Maggie didn't like staying at Moselle by herself.

Blanca says Maggie one day a few months before the murders had a conversation with her. Maggie said she needed to talk to her. She made them coffee, and they went into the hunting room and Maggie shut the door. Dick Harpootlian objects, hearsay.

Meadors asks quickly if Maggie was worried about money issues. Dick Harpootlian loudly objects.

Harpootlian says there's a matter that needs to be put on the record, jury sent to the jury room.

With jury out of the room, Harpootlian moves for a mistrial citing Meadors' introducing the info during an objection. Dick says you can't "unring the bell," the jury has heard.

Meadors cites rule of evidence 803(3) which provides exceptions for hearsay when the hearsay relates to "existing state of mind, emotion, sensation, or physical condition"

Blanca is asked to proffer the testimony outside of the jury's presence so he can rule. Blanca testifies Maggie told her they were being sued for $30 million and they didn't have the money. She wishes she could make it all go away, was willing to start over if they needed to.

Meadors says that relates to money issues. Blanca interjects and says money issues related to the lawsuit.

Harpootlian objects, says Blanca's statements aren't relevant. It doesn't reflect Alex's state of mind, and Alex is on trial. Just because Maggie was worried about money doesn't mean Alex was.

Judge Newman rules against Harpootlian, citing all the testimony we've previously heard in response to both the State and the Defense saying how happy a family the Murdaughs were with no strife.

Blanca testifies now in front of the jury Maggie told her she was anxious in the months before the murders because of the lawsuit for $30 million. Blanca says Maggie told her she felt Alex wasn't telling her the whole truth about what was happening with that lawsuit. Blanca says Maggie told her "(Alex) doesn't tell me everything."

State now plays the video from Paul's phone from the dog kennels at 8:44 p.m. the night of the murders. She recognizes the voices of Paul, Maggie and Alex's voices. She originally testified in the past she thought she might've heard a 4th voice, but upon relistening is confident she only heard three voices.

She says Maggie wouldn't go to the kennels by herself at night. It's dark down there and Maggie was scared. She took the dogs with her everywhere, Grady and Bubba, and would usually take one or the other to the beach.

Blanca testifies Alex was always on his phone when she saw him at home.

Blanca says she didn't see any bloody clothes when she went to the Moselle house the day after the murders.

She testifies she's never seen again the shirt or shoes Alex was wearing in the video from Paul's Snapchat.

Harpootlian questioning Blanca for defense. Doesn't recall he met her before at Maggie and Paul's funerals.

Blanca recalls telling law enforcement Maggie was Alex's "all." He "adored her."

Blanca never witnessed serious arguments or fights between Maggie and Alex. Just general couple disagreements. In months before the murders, Maggie just wanted Alex to "sit still and listen to her for 10 minutes" about remodeling at the beach house, paint colors and stuff.

Harpootlian tells Blanca there had been dozens of people, including friends and law partners in the house the night before, which could explain how the food was put in the refrigerator and dishes in the sink.

Blanca says the next day after the murders while she was cleaning, some SLED agents came in and out. They were in the house walking around before she left, before she picked up the khaki pants and towel and washed them.

Blanca says she was still in shock and trying to process what had happened to her friend. Didn't start cleaning immediately. It took her time to process things. She's unsure where SLED was looking and what they might've collected.

Blanca concedes Alex had several pairs of khaki pants similar to the ones he was seen wearing in the Snapchat video.

Blanca is adamant she saw no blood on pants or towel. No blood in the shower.

Blanca says cell phone service is poor at Moselle.

Dick Harpootlian is asking Blanca about the conversation with Alex in August about the shirt. Meadors vehemently objects. Jury is excused.

With jury absent, Harpootlian says he simply wants to ask Blanca if Alex told her the day of the August shirt conversation that he'd just been interviewed by SLED.

Blanca acknowledges Alex did NOT tell her that, but Meadors says anything about Murdaugh's statements is self-serving hearsay. Murdaugh is not a party "opponent."

If the Defense wants it on the record for the jury they can put Alex on the stand and let him answer questions himself. Newman puts in the court in recess and tells the State and Defense to argue amongst themselves and figure this out.

Judge Newman is back. State's objection sustained re: Alex's statements to Blanca.

Harpootlian asks Blanca about Buster. She identifies him in the courtroom and says he's a good kid.

Asked about guns. Lots of guns in the house. Paul would leave guns around occasionally on golf carts and in vehicles.

Blanca asked about what size shirt Alex wore. XXL. She says Alex had too many rain jackets to count, but she doesn't recognize the blue one in evidence.

Blanca is confident the shirt Alex is seen wearing in the Snapchat video is not the shirt he was wearing when he left for work in the morning.

Blanca says Alex also kept changes of clothes at his office and at the Edisto Beach house.

Referring to Maggie's text about "Alex is gonna die, hope he doesn't go down there," Blanca says Alex wasn't getting much sleep and was feeling run down and sick. She says Maggie felt the other siblings weren't doing their fair share in taking care of Alex's elderly parents, and it was often falling on Alex's shoulders, all hours of the day and night.

Blanca explains Maggie's primary worry about coming back to Moselle was leaving the house open while work was going on there.

Blanca says SLED didn't ask her until recently about the clothes Alex was wearing on the 7th (day of the murders).

She says SLED also asked her about where she was that day, when she had last seen members of the family, etc.

Maggie told Blanca she was being treated poorly and shunned in the Hampton community as a result of the boat crash that killed Mallory Beach. Blanca also says Maggie told her about Paul receiving threats.

Blanca says she didn't clean up anything in the gun room the morning after the murders. She says she didn't notice empty glasses of bottles of water in the kitchen suggesting a bunch of other people had been there.

Meadors in redirect for the State. Brings up the fact she never saw the shirts Alex was wearing again. There were also a lot of new clothes. Polo type Vineyard Vines shirts, same brand she says Alex tried to tell her he was wearing in the August meeting.

Blanca reiterates how Maggie told her Alex wanted Maggie to come to Moselle the night of the murders.

Harpootlian in re-direct asks if Alex was losing a lot of weight after the murders. She agrees he was. Harpootlian asks if that could explain why he was buying new shirts. She says that's possible.

She testifies Alex had boots he kept by the door that were his go-to shoes when he was messing around outside at Moselle. The soft leather Sperry loafers were his house shoes.

Next witness: Belinda Rast

After lunch, the first witness called by the State was Belinda Rast, a certified nursing assistant who worked in home health. Now employed in private home health, working at 1-2 individuals.

She's a provider for Alex's mother, Libby Murdaugh, who has severe late stage Alzheimer's. She's been in that role for 4 years.

Belinda is nervous being here on the stand. She says Libby has become like her family. Libby is bedridden now.

She was not working Sunday, June 6. She had swapped with Mushelle Smith.

First, she recalls she saw Paul a lot. He visited more than all the grandchildren. She didn't see Alex much working overnights. 6-7 times over the years. Sunday night before the murders, Alex and Maggie came later in the night and delivered Krispy Kreme donuts. Mr. Randolph Murdaugh liked donuts, and you couldn't get KK donuts in Hampton at that time.

They didn't wake Randolph up. Alex checked on him but decided to let him sleep. She said Randolph woke up later and they both noted it was strange Alex and Maggie had stopped by that late. She explained they brought him donuts, and Randolph had a few bites.

Defense in cross exam just clarifies Belinda saying it was unusual for Alex to show up at that time.

By the time of the murders, Libby wasn't mentally present any more. Didn't often recognize her children. Paul seemed to cheer her up.

Next witness: Matthew Wilde

Now on the stand, Matthew Wilde, supervisory special agent for the FBI based out of Rock Hill. His division specializes phone records to determine location data. They cross analyze traditional phone records with cell tower records. Phone location can be plotted this way and shown on a map.

Wilde has been qualified as an expert witness in historical cell phone location analysis.

In 2021, Wilde was contacted for assistance on Murdaugh case by Dylan Hightower, an investigator and cell phone location data specialist for the 14th Circuit Solicitor's Office who previously testified.

In August 2021, the FBI and Hightower used specialized mobile phone tower mapping technology and drove around the area of Moselle to get a detailed map they could use to cross reference locations of calls placed by four phones around the time of the murders.

Correction, five phones. The five phones were Alex, Paul, Maggie, Marty Cook and CB Rowe.

Call detail records were obtained by the cell service provider. Through that, he's able to get general location. Then they used the list of towers that were in service around the area at the time to cross reference.

Wilde explains call detail records tell him tower number and sector. Then they can determine which direction the call came from. After that, they use signal strength / speed (frequency) to determine how far away from the tower the phone was.

Now reviewing Paul's phone activity from the afternoon of June 7. Signals are being recorded on towers around the area of Okatie where he was working at his uncle John Marvin's that day.

Towers will be closely clustered in urban and suburban areas, farther apart in rural areas.

Paul's phone begins traveling north around 6:17 p.m., going up through Yemassee toward Hampton and then finally ending in Moselle around 7:30 p.m.

Based on the data from Paul's phone, you can see it moving around the Murdaugh property in Moselle .. accurate down to about 20 yards. By a little after 8 p.m. the phone is at the house, then it's back at the kennels at around 8:38 p.m. 8:44 p.m., signal hit associated with media (video). Nothing to suggest it moved away from the kennels after 8:44 p.m.

Now reviewing Maggie Murdaugh's phone tower location hits.

Time period is 4:25-7:05 p.m. - Maggie's phone is in the West Ashley area of Charleston, the western part of the city. After 7:05 p.m., the phone starts traveling west. Around 7:50 p.m., the phone was right in the middle of Walterboro where trial is being held.

No records for Maggie's phone after 7:50 p.m., meaning no apparent calls or texts outgoing after that time.

Now reviewing Alex Murdaugh's phone, 4:10 p.m. - 6:25 p.m. Several hits in the area of the PMPED law offices at that time.

A number of calls are placed between 6:40 and 9:10 p.m. showing Alex in the Moselle area.

9:12-9:18 p.m., he's somewhere south of Moselle, then traveling closer to Varnville and Almeda. Getting some overlap from multiple towers.

9:20-9:46 - several calls in the area of Almeda southeast of Varnville. 9:52 p.m. Phone is closer to Varnville. 10:06 p.m., time of 911 call, the phone pings off the Varnville tower, but using a low frequency signal, meaning it was far away. Very likely due to overlap, the phone was at Moselle during this call, Wilde says.

• June 7, 10:19-11:18 p.m., Alex's phone mostly pings off tower near Moselle.
• June 8, 6:31-8:54 a.m., phone using tower near Almeda.
• June 9, 7:52-8:36 a.m., phone using tower near Almeda
• June 10, 3:32-8:49 a.m., phone using tower near Almeda
• June 11, 352-815, Almeda
• June 12, 121-814, Almeda
• June 13, 9:09, Almeda
• June 14, 12:04-9:55, Almeda
• June 14, 1027-1229 Varnville/Hampton
• June 14, 4:33-8:06 p.m., south of Almeda toward Charleston, eventually to Summerville
• June 15, 810a-1140a Summerville back to Hampton, Varnville. Using that tower near Almeda most of day after.

Marty Cook and CB Rowe's phones showed they weren't in the area at the time of the murders.

Back from recess. Phil Barber questioning FBI Agent Wilde for Defense.

------

Phil Barber asks about others whose phones location records were analyzed, Eddie Smith and Spencer Roberts. We know from pretrial much of Alex Murdaugh's stolen money was going to Eddie Smith and downstream to Spencer Roberts as part of an alleged drug trafficking and money laundering scheme. Both Smith and Roberts are under indictment for those allegation.

Wilde says he did analyze phone records for Eddie Smith, but didn't have those records here with him today. Barber has no further questions.

In brief redirect for the state, Wilde notes there were no phone calls answered on Maggie's phone after 7:50 p.m., thus no data to track. Unable to reliably determine when or if Maggie's phone moved later in the evening.

Next witness: Nathan Tuten

Now on the stand, Nathan Tuten, current Walterboro Police Dept. officer. Lifelong friend of Paul Murdaugh. Call's Paul salt of the earth, very reliable friend. Says Maggie was one of the sweetest ladies he ever met in his life. Considered her his second mother. Knew Alex as well.

Tuten says Paul was on his phone a lot.

Tuten lived with Paul in a cabin on the Moselle property for a few months after high school. Paul didn't come home much after they both entered college.

He and Paul hunted a lot together. Familiar with Paul's guns -- AR15 .300BLK rifle with thermal scope and camo Benelli Super Black Eagle III 12 gauge shotgun. Says he's used both guns. He's identifying the guns now for the jury.

Nolan Tuten recalls how Paul's tan AR15 was stolen out of Paul's truck at a party in 2018.

Nathan Tuten is shown Paul's video from the dog kennels at 8:44 p.m. on June 7. He identifies Maggie, Paul and Alex's voice. He shares as Blanca did earlier how Bubba was hardheaded, and would chase chickens and killed chickens before. If he doesn't want to be caught, you're not catching him.

Tuten was a courier and runner for Murdaugh's former law firm 2019-2022.

Weekend ahead of June 7, 2021, Paul called him and they had a normal conversation. Paul was going to Charleston. That was the last time they spoke. He got a phone call the night of the murders from his mother, and later one of the law partners. He was with another friend at the time. He didn't go to Moselle that night, but did go out there afterward around the time of the funerals. Hasn't been back since. It was hard. He says he lost a really good friend and good person.

Tuten notes how he worked for Murdaugh. Tuten would cash checks for Murdaugh very frequently ("many times") at Palmetto State Bank. Often people were often in his office when Alex was sending Nathan out to get cash. Greg Alexander (Yemassee Police Chief) was there at times, Cory Fleming and Chris Wilson were there too. He'd been doing this a lot, then suddenly a few weeks before the murders, Alex doesn't ask him to cash any more checks.

Tuten notes while still working for the law firm after the events of June 7, Jeanne Seckinger (his immediate supervisor) in the law office assigned him to start assisting her in a financial impropriety investigation within the firm, pulling records and copies of cleared checks from different cases in probate court. If he found discrepancies, bring it to her. He somewhat understood what he was looking for, and the reason he was looking after a short amount of time.

July 4 timeframe, Nathan Tuten drove Alex to the airport so he could go on vacation to the Florida Keys with Maggie's family. On the drive, Tuten notes how Alex talked to him about it being very important to Alex to beat the boat case and clear Paul's name -- even with Paul already gone.

Tuten agrees with Jim Griffin for defense (now in cross exam) that a lot of people turned their back on Paul and the Murdaughs after the boat wreck. He didn't though. He can't speak to what Alex was thinking, but it appeared to him it was indeed important to Alex to clear Paul's name.

Tuten notes Paul regularly kept guns in his truck. The original .300BLK rifle that was stolen was taken from Paul's unlocked truck during a party, Paul didn't realize it was missing for several days.

Tuten says Paul would often take guns out of his truck when he'd clean his truck, and would take guns inside the shed area, and leave them there. Tuten says he would agree Paul was careless with guns.

Paul received threats after the boating accident, but Tuten says Paul didn't go into much detail. Mostly stuff on social media and in texts. Their circle of friends got tighter afterward, and Paul didn't hang out around Hampton much anymore.

In redirect, Tuten says he wasn't aware that Maggie had received threats. Tuten notes that there were sufficient lights out at the kennels to be able to see at night if anyone was down there. Tuten finally notes Paul kept his phone in his back pocket generally while working out at the farm.

Court is adjourned until Monday.

Scheduling notes: No court likely on Presidents Day (Feb. 20), court adjourning at 4:30 p.m. Thursday next week. State still on track to conclude by Wednesday of next week.

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