CNN
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[Breaking news update at 10:45 a.m. ET]
Alex Murdaugh took the stand to testify in his double murder trial Thursday morning, as he and his defense attorneys work to convince a jury he is innocent in the June 2021 killings of his wife Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh and 22-year-old son Paul Murdaugh.
[Previous story, published at 10:19 a.m. ET]
Alex Murdaugh will testify in his double murder trial, he told the judge Thursday, as he and his attorneys work to convince a jury he is innocent in the June 2021 killings of his wife Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh and 22-year-old son Paul Murdaugh.
“I am going to testify,” Murdaugh told Judge Clifton Newman when asked if he had made a decision on taking the stand. “I want to testify.”
Murdaugh announced his decision soon after his defense attorneys again asked the judge to limit the scope of questioning Murdaugh would face under cross-examination, specifically in regard to his alleged financial crimes, which the state has pointed to as a possible motive for the killings.
Newman denied the request, echoing his decision a day prior when he ruled not to issue a blanket order limiting the state’s questions, saying it was “unheard of to me.”
FOLLOW LIVE UPDATES: Alex Murdaugh will testify in murder trial
Murdaugh has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and two weapons charges in the killings of his wife son at the family’s estate in Islandton, South Carolina.
Prosecutors accuse Murdaugh of killing his wife and son to distract from an array of financial misconduct allegations against him, while his defense attorneys argue he is a caring father who has been wrongly accused after a mishandled investigation.
The now-disbarred lawyer is separately facing 99 charges stemming from those alleged…
