Detective Laura Rutland says Alex Murdaugh was 'clean' at crime scene: full video 

This detective is wonderful. She stuck to her guns (no pun intended) and held her own while remaining professional the entire time on the stand. She said she was nervous but she looked like a pro. God if I was on the stand for a case like this my voice would be shaking, knees shaking, sweating non stop. I’d be a mess; no matter how brave I pretend to be lol. KUDOS DETECTIVE RUTLAND!!!! 💯👍🏽

The defendant NEVER said "please find out who did this terrible thing to my loved one" to the police...

I think his biggest tell is that he always volunteers way too many extra details when being questioned. What made you come out here? The appropriate answer would just be: I got home and they weren't at the house. Period. Then they ask where you were and you answer. You don't start explaining all this other random stuff when you just found your family shot to death. It all just reveals how orchestrated this was. So obvious.

There was evil surrounding this family for quite some time. You have the Nanny who supposedly died from a fall. The friend the boys went to school with found dead on the road. The girl killed in the boat crash. The son and wife who were brutally murdered. On and on it goes. Plus the stealing of insurance money from the injured cop and the stealing from the woman’s sons who worked for Alec. This story is incredible that this much death and crimes surrounded this family. Pure evil.

A man so ragingly self-obsessed that he would steal from innocents, and kill his own family for the sake of convenience. For those that said that the motive doesn't make sense, they are completely wrong. From Alex's point of view - it's perfect: He gets to solve the boat case, now potentially gone with the death of his son, he gets to solve an impending divorce, and side-step all the unsettling questions that his wife is asking. He gets to deflect the blame for his hidden life of crime at work, by suddenly, magically, becoming a victim. From where Alex is sitting, this crime is a potential masterstroke, if he can get away with it... Yes, there is the regrettable inconvenience of having to kill his wife and child, but here is a man that lived a fiction, he probably wasn't all that connected to them anyway, not in a real sense. This crime was going to be his great symphony in a lifetime of composing lies, and he threw himself into the effort with full force. There is a probably a part of him that enjoyed it.

Tiny tears here but I gotta say I’ve never seen eyes so cold as The Father and son here..The way they both sat there and seemed to have no emotions considering the circumstances..It’s Chilling I’m just so glad they caught him

He's speaking very calmly in the car giving his statement considering he just "discovered" his wife and son murdered.

I don’t think she should’ve had to air her WHOLE life story if she’s not on trial… 🤦‍♀️

Alex's brother already said he looked like he had taken a bath.He was not in the clothes Paul was videoing earlier.Where's the clothes and shoes Alex? Probably where the guns are. Maggie and Paul was not staying at Mozelle. Noone knew they were there except Alex. They were lored to the home by Alex. Maggie and Paul was shot by Alex.

The damning evidence is that he's in the Instagram video taken 10 min before the murder...wearing different clothes. I wonder if investigators asked him where those clothes are.

He’s guilty,some people just can never have enough,I watched the housekeepers apparent accident and his insurance claim,he knows exactly how everything works and exactly how to get away with it

this dude made damn sure the crime scene was contaminated by calling all his buddies and family members to come over and trample the scene. he's an attorney, he knows all about crime scenes.

Just coz there's no blood.... doesn't mean he didn't kill them ...he's just very smart with what to do ..to clean up a crime scene ...it's just so heartbreaking 💔💔💔💔 😡 he is cleaning up his own , evil crime scene ..please don't let this guy walk

That detective did not let the defense rattle her cage. I love it.

Laura was excellent. Very professional and did not get worked up or even slightly confused or annoyed at the defense cross examination no matter how hard they tried.

I don’t understand how he can be so clean if he at least checked on his wife . I don’t care what condition they were in I would have to hold my baby, even kiss them at least hold their hand one more time -even just to check Maggie’s pulse he would have blood transfer. It doesn’t seem natural, He’s was just (too) clean

Every time they show Buster in the audience as the detective is talking about his murdered mom and brother, he shows no emotion whatsoever. Unreal.

Alex just saw his wife and son brains blown out. He hasn't shed a tear and asked no questions or WHY or WHO would have DONE THIS.

There's no way you wouldn't have your child in your arms and you sure in hell wouldn't be thinking of about retrieving a gun. No way!! But the way he's talking on the recording when their getting his statement he's seriously missing the overwhelming grief. I totally think he did it. Don't know if he had help but he's guilty!!

Alex looks to me like a spoiled boy not getting his way.

I can't believe he thought the old "visiting my sick mother" excuse would actually work.

Most families aren’t connected to even one questionable death. This family has 3 (Smith, housekeeper, Beach) then the financial fraud, toss in the wife and son murders, sprinkle it with a self orchestrated hit job. Very hard not to see this guy as high, very high on the probable for this crime 😏

40:58 Alex is moved to tears when watching the videos of himself being interviewed by investigators. He faces the jury when he pretends to be crying 😢, every time. Every move is to be deceptive to the camera and jury.

What an excellent detective! Calm, composed demeanor, and very professional! Was very diligent and precise when being questioned!

Everytime he PRETENDS to get upset and cry he always makes sure to look at jury to see if they are looking smh

Guilty as sin! Who fiddles with a phone when there is a chance you could save your wife, having not yet approached her and knowing for sure she is dead?

That detective is a hero! For victims of child sexual assault everywhere thank you for your service. We need more people like you

1. He's telling them he was not at the scene, but the video says otherwise. 2, The earlier video shows him in pants and shirt, now he wears shorts and t-shirt. 3. He asked Maggie to come back from the beach house because of his dads condition, but he didn't spend time with her, nor did he even go to see his dad. 4. He found the horrific scene, called police and a bunch of people, then went to the house to get a gun... He doesn't run and hide scared that the shooter might still be around, nor does he seem scared to walk into the house - after all the killers could be lurking in there, right? 5. According to his attourney he's totally freaked out, doesn't know what he's saying in this daze of horror and devastation - but one of the first things he does is have his personal lawyer come over to protect him when talking to police.

Murdaugh is definitely way too calm and chatty when interviewed directly after. How can he even function? He already has a handful of suspects yet wasn’t scared about a shooter getting him.

Seems like the Defense attorney gets mad because he cannot ruffle her. She is doing an awesome job and I could never be so serene with someone up in my face. Thank god we have people like her in law enforcement. Just the facts Ma'am. Thank you.

I think this female detective is doing an excellent job - staying cool under questioning from both sides.

'Clean' bcos he went in the house, showered, changed clothes, got another gun for supposed protection, came back to scene & called 911. Who does that? Maggie had a bullet thru the wrist ... he would not hv been 'clean'.

He was sweating, they (clothing) were dry. She nailed him!!! 💪💪💪

I can't finish watching this . May justice be served. This is heartbreaking.

I bet Alex thinks he’s untouchable.

He has to be the worst attorney of all time…Alex, that is. What kind of an idiot claims he handled the bodies to check on them, and there’s not a spec of blood on him, nor footprints in the pools of blood? This guy lies about EVERYTHING! He can’t help it! He could have just said he didn’t go anywhere near the bodies.

If you watch Alex, it really bothers him about Paul more than Mrs Maggie almost like he wasn't suppose to be at the kennels at that time of night with his mother.

When you're innocent you have alot of questions. When you're guilty you have alot answers.

Buster looks like he couldn’t care less about what’s going on and always has this smug look on his face when I see him.

"Those clothes look like they're freshly washed?" "He's sweating And they're dry So I would say Yes". Nailed it Flash the camera to him looking very uncomfortable 🥵 Well done 👍

Watching this again…did anyone else notice this in the video interview? Alex is being asked by SLED about the family dynamics, Agent David Owen asked; DO: “how was Paul & Maggie’s relationship?” AM: “wonderful” DO: “how was yours & Maggies relationship?” AM: “wonderful. We had our things here & there but we HAD a wonderful marriage” How was Alex so quick to put his marriage in the past tense? An innocent man would have said “we HAVE a wonderful marriage”. Anyone questioning his innocence needs to do is watch his face as the court camera zooms in on him when they pressed play on the video. He looks like he’s in a petrified trance. Alex said he touched both of them, but w zero blood on his hands or clothes. If I found my family murdered in that way, not only would I be inconsolable, but you would have to physically tear me off of them. No matter the condition they were in. What a douche nozzle. He always thought he was the smartest man in the room. Well he thought wrong. 💔

Also something else, why no anger at the perpetrator that killed them? So guilty

He seems to snap out of grief mode pretty quickly and right to the narrative he wants to suggest,with the employee hired to"kill black panthers"

There’s no shock or horror! My wife! Maggie! She’s gone! Paul! OMG! NOTHING. He is very concerned, however, with telling his story and providing suspects and a timeline.

Like he couldnt have showered and changed clothes !!!!

What strikes me in his interview, immediately after, is his LACK OF SHOCK. That to me speaks volumes.

You gotta be so messed up to kill your son then call his best friend to come over and comfort you. That's a special kinda evil.

It’s very satisfying to know that Alex will be in prison for the rest of his life for fraud regardless of if he’s found guilty of murdering his wife and son. He’s an evil man.

I SURE HOPE THEY GET HIS LAWYER FRIEND AS WELL THAT HELPED HIM TAKE ALL THOSE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FROM ALL THOSE PEOPLE IT'S LAWYERS LIKE THEM THAT GIVE ATTORNEYS A BAD NAME GOD KNOW WHAT YOU DID AND SO DOES YOUR WIFE AND SON

What a schamozzle, these lawyers don't know what they're doing, and that police woman on the stand was amazing and steadfast

This fellow is guilty purely because of the lie he told that he tried to turn sons body over yet NO blood on him ....

This man has gotten away with alot already, don't let him get away with murdering his wife and child! Put him away for good!

This young lady handled herself with great dignity and calm, even under rude and intimidating examination! She was impressive……

Men who lie give tons of details. Like sunflowers and mom gets anxious alone

I think the bloody clothing, shoes, etc are somewhere between the Murdaugh residence and Alex’s parents home. Wonder if they searched that house.

I sometimes wear glasses, & if, or when I cry, the glasses come off, because tears make the lenses wet/ streak... Didn't see AM take his glasses off when he was CRYING... BECAUSE HE'S NOT CRYING 😢 😭 😪

I sure hope the jury has some common sense!

My two theories are this: He was signing his assets over to Maggie to hide them because of the Mallory Beach lawsuit. During this process Maggie left him and had enlisted an individual to do a forensic analysis of their finances. She was possibly going to use his misdeeds in their divorce. Maggie also would not sign his assets back over to him which he needed for a loan he had taken out. He went to kill her but Paul was there, unexpectedly, and he had to shoot Paul. That was where all the emotion had come from. He was prepared to kill Maggie and Paul ended up being collateral damage. My second theory is that Maggie and Paul were disgracing his name and he needed to get rid of his dead weight. Maggie was divorcing him and Paul was just a royal mess up. Each of their “misdeeds” were leading to his being exposed. Paul’s boating accident and Maggie wanting a divorce. I am not sure I believe he pulled the triggers to both guns. I do however believe genuinely in my heart that this man played a direct role in the deaths of his son and estranged wife. As my momma used to say “when you lay with dogs…”

Yet the reason Maggie and Paul were there was for them (Alex, Maggie and Paul) all to go to Alex Parents, but only Alex went? Strange isn’t it.

So they said that there's a Snap Chat video that Paul took of him & his dad as they were driving around checking the trees earlier in the night. I'd like to see if the clothes that his dad is wearing in the Snap Chat video are the same clothes that he was wearing after the murders? Also, I want to know more about the large rain coat that they found over at his mom's house in a room that Alex had reportedly went into when he was there that night. Investigators had first thought that it was a tarp so it must have been pretty large. Large enough to cover him up completely from blood splatter? Also, the rain coat had gun shot residue all over the inside of it. Not sure if it was this witness that talking about the Snap Chat video & rain coat, or if it was the woman from SLED. Watching these testimonies, one after another is kind of starting to make them all blend together on me. Either way, I don't see him beating the wrap on this one. Even if he does somehow manage to beat it tho, he's still looking at 99 other charges for all of his fraudulent money dealings. His major downfall was thinking that he was much smarter than what all the investigating detectives were going to be. Edited: I just checked & he's for sure, wearing a different shirt after the murders than he was earlier in the night on the Snapchat video. So circumstantial evidence or not, he's done for it.

Nothing is coincidence, the day Alex is confronted with steeling his family is murdered???????? SERIOUSLY! Common Sense is a superpower.

I think she was an excellent witness. Straightforward. Was not at all intimidated by the defense attorney. Consistent and clear about what she had and had not said and what she was involved in and not involved in. He was so frustrated, he did not know where to turn. I don't think they expected her to be so unrattled. I sort of wish DICK had taken a go at her and she would have stood up to him. That would have been quite satisfying.

I think she should not of told her life history . None of their business

This case looks like one of those old down south movies. The plot looks like it came out of a book written by Agatha Christi. Murdough can tell some stories. From the so-called accidental death of his maid to someone trying to murder him has been something, I think, he plotted one event after another to get himself out of the mess he got himself in. I can't believe that one person could have so many things happen to them in such a short period of time. It started with the boat accident, then the maid accident, then the murder of his son and wife then his attempted murder. It all can't be accidental. I bet they make a movie out of this. Oh I forgot Steven. He was the first to die. Someone ran over him. Some people think it is linked to a Murdaugh. They should reopen all those cases. I bet they will just keep it under the rug.

He is most definitely a snake hiding in the grass.He was trying to put the suspicious on Paul's friend& some Black Men.Paul's friend is that one that really got him busted,because little did he know,Paul's friend had that Snapchat video & he was at that kennel & Paul unknowingly recorded his killers Voice.

This witness is really good.

Guilty as sin.....

Like many predators, Alex M had a plan. He was going to stage Paul as a suicide. I think Alex expected Maggie to be at the house by his timeline of shooting Paul, staging it, and then getting Maggie and taking off for his mom's. Then, the two of them would return and find Paul. I think Maggie stayed at the kennels too long, Wouldn't she have asked Alex what time he was leaving to go see his mom? It was getting late. Murdaugh's window of opportunity was closing, so his plan had to change up to include Maggie. I think Murdaugh was in the golf cart/atv vehicle when he shot them both. Hence, the lower trajectory of Paul's fatal head wound and Maggie's initial wounds to the abdomen. He may have ran over her leg when firing the fatal shot to the back of her head. He used the cart to avoid leaving footprints in the body fluids. He used the garden hose to shower off, changed his clothes, and then spent atleast another 15 minutes at the scene. He came back and spent another 15-20 minutes before he called 9-11. He made sure to use guns that day to have GSR on his hands, inside his vehicle, etc. I think he dismantled the guns and got rid of the parts in multiple locations. Testimony indicates he made efforts to get witnesses to state something different than what they recalled. He tried to bribe nurses to use their phones while in the hospital with the drive-by shooting head would. Who believes that your drug dealer will say, "Okay" to shooting you in the head and not expect a payment - or something? Alex was Eddie's financial source and Alex was a distributor. Why would another drug dealer agree to eliminate his cash cow? From the get-go, with the 1st interview the night of the murders Alex has been yakking and yakking anb yakking and not saying anything. Mr. Helpful has no clue who could have killed his wife and son but he has no problems dragging the names of others into his "circle" of suspects. He's deliberately vague except when he's running off at the mouth for the benefit of appearing helpful and cooperative. He's a narcissist who thinks he's in charge and he's the smartest guy in the room. Always. He hasn't done a hard day's work his entire adult life unless stealing from clients is considered hard work. He's another entitled p.o.s. Even in the courtroom. He's not the defendent. He's the victim! He lied about when he was at his office the day of the murders. He knew when Maggie got to Mosele. He knew when Paul got there. He knew when he got there. His co-workers stated they had to let him in the office that day because he said his key card wasn't working. That day is when Alex realized the jig was up, his criminal behavior was found out, and that was just the beginning of the house of cards falling down. Lyng and buying time is what Alex did best in life. Paul dying might even take care of that civil lawsuit if he wasn't able to be convicted of the death of Mallory Beach. A suicide would work better than a random murder. But " ...the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray." I think the state has met the bar for determining beyond "reasonable doubt." Murdaugh was there. He had motive. He had opportunity. His alibi is full of holes. In Alex's mind, Paul was the source of all the undoing of Alex's life, his lifestyle, and his career. The evidence is compelling that the man is a liar, a cheat, and the jury should figure out they can't trust anything out of his mouth after listening to his interviews, phone calls, etc.

Y’all!!! I live in Colleton County, and was tempted to seat myself in a first row seat, and get a birds eye view of the trial, but the coverage on case has saved me the aggravation! 🧐 I gotta tell ya, this case is more tangled than a birds nest on a fishing reel!! At the 1:18:00 time marker they started asking the detective if she observed Alex Murdaugh being “clean”. The attorney then asked her if Alex Murdaugh looked, to her, like someone who had just blown his son’s brains out, everywhere. She answered that she couldn’t accurately say due to many factors and circumstances attributing to that answer. I wanted to point out that the Colleton Co. Deputy that was first on the scene had questioned Alex Murdaugh about the camouflage gun, and Alex stated that he had left the scene, and went up to the house to get the gun. They have no idea if he changed and cleaned up before calling 911. Remember, Alex is an attorney, and it’s very likely this isn’t his first rodeo, so he could have been wearing a hazmat suite, and then peeled it off and cleverly discarded or hid the evidence after killing his son and wife. The reason I point that out is, bc those facts should have been brought up when he asked such an ambiguous question with no perimeters. After all, they say, “Looks can be deceiving”! It’s a very slippery slope, and if they don’t remain vigilant on keeping Alex’s dream team on the straight and narrow, then they will have everyone in the courtroom believing that Alex had nothing to do with it! I personally believe he had an accomplice that helped him with the crime, and left the scene with all of the bloody evidence, so that it could be destroyed, and never discovered. And that would explain how Alex was so tidy, and squeaky clean. It is very suspicious that he claimed to have checked the bodies for a pulse. Yet, there are no shoe prints around the body, or any blood on Alex’s hands. That seen was messy with the biological material belonging to his son and wife, so it would be almost impossible, or unlikely that he had contact with the bodies without getting any of that biological material on him or his clothes. The trial is young, so they may have all of the issues that I mentioned covered. Time will tell! Hugs and love to you all, and I pray that God will keep you safe! 🙏🙏🏾🦜💞🤗

If his mother was in late stage Alzheimer’s wouldn’t even know the husband was in the hospital. Late stage, they are lucky to recognize their own children! He is lying!!!

"I sssstarted to try to do something with it thinking maybe but then I....put it back down really quickly" What lol? He had a hard time getting that lie out.

No blood? If that was my family I would’ve gone crazy. Holding them.

I find it interesting that the older son doesn’t seem to have much emotion to him sitting through this nightmare… where was he when this nightmare took place?

"Those clothes look to you like they are freshly washed?" "He's sweating and they're dry, so I would say yes" = a mortal blow

Tried to create an alibi by calling them after they were already dead.

So he had to have changed his clothes because he got blood on himself from touching the deceased as he said in an interview he took their pulse and tried to turn one over whom was covered in blood. Maybe he changed clothes at his mother's. The guy is a narcissist psychopath in my opinion. On that day; didn't his wife allegedly file for a divorce? If the jury buys his ACTING and lies...another murderer goes free.

South Carolinans should be mortified from the level of corruption in that state.

Is it just me or are Murdaughs attorneys lackluster and ineffective unprepared disorganized he needs a dream team. They probably know they not getting paid.

Look at son in court, the photos and crime scene detailed are detailed.....dad is breaking down in front of jury.... and son and family members have no....reaction to his brother and mom being killed on their family farm???? Look at court room attendance? Also if your kids brains are gone and wife shot, wouldn't you run like hell until police came? Who cares about a cell phone in a pocket?

if it were my wife and son laying there i would be hugging and praying for them and no one would be able to pull me off of them!!

What the hell does her number of children have to do with anything?

I knew she would COME to the kennel....Not GO the the kennel. He stated he didn't go the kennel at first and left the house. Strange wording.

It just doesn’t get any more deranged than this. Humanity at its worse. Dude had everything and still wasn’t happy.

I want to know about the "huge" blue raincoat. Where did it come in? They searched for a blue tarp but found the blue raincoat, with blood inside the front, in Murdaugh's home. Is it a stretch to think he could have worn the raincoat inside out to do the dirty deeds? That's the only way I can think of for so much blood to get on the inside of it.

I love her straight forward answers. Keeps the attorney stumped, they want to make an argumentative reply but can’t. She smart does not add to her answers.

It’s struck me since this trial has begun that every time they even mention the deceased bodies, Alex starts shaking his head and supposedly crying. To me it just looks fake. I understand if pictures are being shone of the bodies but hell he drops his head and does that when anyone just talks about their deceased bodies. May just be me but I’m not a dummy and it sure seems fake.

This man cares about one person--himself.

I feel bad for this lady--they are almost hostile towards her ! She does a great job of keeping her composure. I hope she doesn't have to go up again.

She is amazing thank god for people like her out there

IMO: he did it . Also doesn’t help that he’s a terrible actor. Who as a renowned lawyer should know better how to control his smirking & other off-putting behaviors in the courtroom. But I guess when you’re a psychopath all that fancy “book learning” just flies right out the window!

If I came upon my husband and child shot to death, lying on the ground, I’d be covered with blood because I would’ve been holding them in inconsolable grief. I would not have been clean at all. I wouldn’t be thinking of the crime scene or anything else but them.

No need to feel sorry for folks who are professionals in their chosen field. They are all around us. There are teachers, coaches, doctors, nurses, social workers, daycare workers, who are all witness to horrible crimes.

Guilty but investigators could have done a way better job asking him more questions. They did not do a good job. How did you check pulse? How did you try to move Paul? When did you change your clothes from that Kennel Photo to Crime Scene? Just better questions. Still glad jury found him guilty but could have went the other way since I believe Sled Investigators didn’t do a good job with their questions for Murdaugh!

Buster's continued smirking thought out this trial makes me very uncomfortable

I think he took off his clothes and shoes when he committed the murders. He put them in his truck. Before putting his clothes back on he rinsed himself wherever there could be gsr or blood. Then put his clothes back on and called 911. He might of even slipped after shooting Paul first because the shot gun kick might of through him off balance.

That boat wreck perfect cover for him to take his family out wow money is root of all selfish evil

Did anyone notice how he looked at the female det. before she started to testify. He was glaring at her so ugly he didnt even blink. His true colors showed. Trying to intimidate her..., but i saw it.

I love how Alex Murdaugh's lawyer is trying to trip her up on the witness stand...& he is unable to. She is calm & cool as a cucumber. The lawyer is ridiculous. Trying to put words in her mouth. She's too smart for him. 👍🤣😂👏😊 Not her first rodeo. Murdaugh is such a creep. Looking at him ..sometimes he is shaking his head forward & back...is sickening when he is watching people testify. It is unnerving. 😳🤢🤔🙄 Murdaugh....Busted. Clean shirt, clean pants, clean hands...although, he said he tried to turn his son & tried to check pulses...but, not 1 drop of blood on him. I call BS!

Let’s not forget that they still think Busta’ beat the brains out of Steve Smith and his Dad helped cover it up. Sick family.

Watching himself He was FULLY hypnotized didn’t make a BLINK for 27 seconds until he heard himself say “I UNDERSTAND “ he snapped out of it for a second.. He is a highly trained professional lawyer - hard for him to have a pulse- even when it comes to UN-Aliving his own child and wife.. WHWEEEEWEW!! 👀🥶😰😶