The threats were so "over the top," he added, that the family disregarded it. Defense attorney Dick Harpootlian told the judge its important for the jury to travel to the Middaugh property to see how small the feed room is and where the feed room is compared to Maggies body.. "I don't think anybody knows him.". Speaking on "The Midday 180" out of Nashville, Blake said the . Prosecutors also rejected the idea that Murdaugh was too tall to have fired the shots that killed Paul, citing numerous variables such as the likely chaos at the scene and the potential of firing from a kneeling position. Prosecutors also rejected the idea that Murdaugh was too tall to have fired the shots that killed Paul, citing numerous variables such as the likely chaos at the scene and the potential of firing from a kneeling position. But, she added, Murdaugh later tried to convince her the visit was more like 30 to 40 minutes. Waters, the prosecutor, asked Murdaugh. WALTERBORO, S.C. A series of revelations have emerged in the more than monthlong murder trial of Alex Murdaugh, the disbarred South Carolina lawyer accused of killing his wife and son. Some of them tidied up the house, he said. In an extraordinary turn on the stand testifying on his own behalf in a double murder trial, Alex Murdaugh admitted that he lied to authorities about his alibi and said he stole money from his law firm. On the stand, Murdaugh acknowledged swindling people who were vulnerable, as Waters recited his former clients' names. Paralegal Annette Griswold described Murdaugh as a "Tasmanian devil" who showed up late for work and was all over the place. He is from FL. Daniel Greene from the start when he said he hadn't seen Paul and Maggie in the 45 minutes before he left to see his mother. "I would never do anything intentionally to hurt either one of them," Murdaugh said as he openly wept. Ball said his large group eventually left the area but instead of being sent away, they were told to go inside the main house, despite Ball's own concern that it could be part of the crime scene. Jeff Blake. Although he finished his career with the Chicago Bears, he was formerly a quarterback for the New York Jets, Cincinnati Bengals, New Orleans Saints, Baltimore Ravens, Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles. Even in his decline, Blake still had a strong enough arm to showboat at the1999 Quarterback Challenge, an NBA Skills Challenge-esque competition that the NFL should consider bringing back. "I know what he was wearing the day he left the house.". He's struggled to find a job coaching in pro football since retirement, though he continues to coach at the amateur level. South Carolina Public Radio's Victoria Hansen reported from Walterboro, S.C.; Bill Chappell reported from Washington, D.C. "There are no eyewitnesses. Scroll through our gallery to see courtroom photos from the trial. Related 'The Last of Us' Is the First Great Video-Game Adaptation and There's a Good Reason Why Mark Wahlberg's 'Father Stu' Resurrected as PG-13 Movie for December Re-Release Shake-N-Blake! Flake announced that he will not be seeking. Jeff Blake was born on December 4, 1970 in Daytona Beach, Florida, USA. But Murdaugh, the prominent South Carolina lawyer accused of carrying out an execution-style killing of his wife and son in June of 2021, said he did not kill his two family members: 52-year-old Maggie and 22-year-old Paul. His position was filled by Kyle Orton, who was demoted after the Bears signed Brian Griese to serve as Grossman's back-up. They died on June 7, 2021, at the family's sprawling Moselle hunting estate in South Carolina's Lowcountry. Telephone: 808-529-4747, Last-minute problem keeps SpaceX rocket, astronauts grounded, Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Steve Alm seeks pay raises, Biden to nominate Julie Su as next U.S. labor secretary, Man in serious condition after crashing into rock wall. At the conclusion of his fourteen-year career, Blake amassed 21,711 passing yards, with 134 touchdown passes, and 99 interceptions. His surviving son Buster has sat behind his father during the trial and testified as part of the defense. Asked by the 911 dispatcher when he last spoke to his wife, Murdaugh replied, an "hour and a half, probably two hours ago." The first officer arrived at the rural Colleton County estate 20 minutes after Murdaugh called 911. But they never produced the murder weapons a .300 Blackout assault-style rifle prosecutors say was used on Maggie and a 12-gauge shotgun used on Paul. Alex Murdaugh swears to tell the truth before taking the stand to testify in his trial for murder at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, S.C., on Thursday, Feb. 23. Member-supported news for Southern California. (Jeff Blake/The State via AP, Pool), Alex Murdaugh sits during a break in his double murder trial at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, S.C., Monday, Feb. 27, 2023. "I know what he was wearing the day he left the house.". He laid on the couch, he said, but then he opted to follow them, taking a golf cart down to the kennels. And on a night with misting rain and drizzle, Paul and Maggie's bodies were covered by sheets rather than tarps. His first visit was in December 2017. It hit her hard, she said: "I was beside myself. As the trial winds down, here are some takeaways: Alex Murdaugh called 911 on the evening of June 7, 2021, and said he'd found his son and wife dead when he returned home from a one-hour visit with his mother, who has dementia. Also learn how He earned most of networth at the age of 50 years old? He also drove past the spot on the roadside where Maggie's phone was later found. ", On the stand, Murdaugh said his wife "wasn't planning to go with me" to see his mother, adding, "Maggie didn't really like to visit my mom.". Watch Live at 7:00 PM: The U.S. and the Holocaust, a film by Ken Burns | Screening & Panel Discussion . But they never produced the murder weapons a .300 Blackout assault-style rifle prosecutors say was used on Maggie and a 12-gauge shotgun used on Paul. Murdaugh, 54, was the 72nd witness called during the trial. Defense attorney Dick Harpootlian, left, speaks with defense attorney Jim Griffin and Alex Murdaugh during Murdaugh's double murder trial at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, S.C . Getty Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and his wife Cheryl Flake leave the U.S. Capitol as they are trailed by reporters, October 24 in Washington, DC. Murdaugh said his wife "wasn't planning to go with me" to see his mother, adding, "Maggie didn't really like to visit my mom.". He holds the record for the longest Pro Bowl touchdown at 92 yards. Maggie and Paul were both murdered on June 7, 2021. However, his arm remains timeless. @JeffBlake_8 checks in to talk about the birth of Blakemania against Dallas ahead of the Cowboys trip to Cincinnati. (Jeff Blake/The State via AP, Pool) From left, Randy Murdaugh; John Marvin Murdaugh; his wife, Liz Murdaugh; Brooklynn White; and Buster Murdaugh, the son of Alex Murdaugh, leave the. Investigators came inside while she was there, she said, but they didn't question her. He could hear his mother drowning. Both victims appeared to be surprised, with their hands down and no evidence either of them tried to come to the others aid or was running away. Dr. Jonathan Eisenstat, a forensic pathology consultant, sketches the difference in shotgun wounds based on distance to the victim during Alex Murdaughs double murder trial at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, S.C.. Blake never played with a team for more than one season again. Smith felt so uncomfortable, she said, that she immediately called her brother, who works in law enforcement. Jeff Blake/AP Newman said the defense "opened the door" by asking witnesses about Murdaugh's character and possible motive. No mother or father or aunt or uncle should ever have to see or do what I had that day, he said. The young quarterback got top-tier college offers, but Florida and Florida State University wanted the African-American quarterback to change positions. The trio formed an explosive offensive trifecta that swept through the NFL, beginning with the Dallas Cowboys. He sounds like the ideal starting quarterback for today's NFL, but Blake was a Black quarterbackin the 1990s, way ahead of his time. Jeff Bertrand Coleman Blake (born December 4, 1970) is a retired American football quarterback who played in the National Football League. WATCH: Alex Murdaugh returns to the witness stand for cross-examination, Alex Murdaugh's murder trial begins in the shooting deaths of his wife and son. Copyright 2023 StarAdvertiser.com. Blake set 32 passing records at East Carolina University and finished ninth balloting for the 1991 Heisman Trophy. Blake and Bryce Bagwell are Jeff and Ericka's two children. Blake and his wife Krystle are suspicious of Alexis when they learn from Jeff's doctors that there was poison in his bloodstream. Alex Murdaugh also admitted over and over that he lied and stole millions of dollars from his clients and his law firm. Authorities said Paul Murdaugh, 22, was shot twice with a shotgun, each round loaded with different size shot, while Maggie Murdaugh, 52, was struck with four or five bullets from a rifle. His initial alibi purported that he stayed in the house, where he said he took a nap before leaving to see his ailing mother. Ever," Murdaugh said. Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 17 February 2023, at 07:53. A central contention by Murdaugh's defense team that sloppy police and forensics work undermines the evidence against him found real traction in court. Buster Murdaugh sat beside his girlfriend during his fathers trial. As of Thursday, Murdaugh said he has been opiate-free for 535 days. Much of Murdaugh's testimony also seemed geared to humanize him to the jury, portraying him as a loving father and husband who had recently been to a University of South Carolina baseball game with his family, and who was coping with two ailing parents: his mother with Alzheimer's and his elderly father in a hospital. He said he felt compelled to clean. The Murdaughs originally had two custom Blackout rifles, given to Paul and his brother, Buster, as Christmas presents. Blake is a quarterback's coach and personal trainer. You cant handle and shoot both of them, he said. Murdaugh admitted that he lied to investigators about his alibi he has repeatedly said he didn't see his wife and son after they ate dinner at Moselle, their hunting estate. He later added, "I had to keep lying.". "People just kept piling in, just more and more people kept showing up," said Mark Ball, Murdaugh's former law partner. 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