Alex Murdaugh's son Paul sent a Snapchat video to friends moments before he was ... trends now
Prosecutors in South Carolina have revealed that 22-year-old Paul Murdaugh sent a Snapchat video to his friends shortly before he was shot and killed.
Murdaugh's father Alex, scion of one of the state's most storied legal families, will go on trial on Monday charged with the murder of Paul and his mother Maggie, 52.
Paul and Maggie Murdaugh were found dead at the family hunting lodge in June 2021.
Prosecutors allege that Alex, whose life was spiraling out of control amid years of opioid addiction and ballooning debts, lured his wife and son to the 1,700-acre lodge and shot them.
Alex Murdaugh pleaded not guilty in June, and the blockbuster trial, expected to last three weeks, with wild allegations of dark family secrets, financial ruin and hedonistic excess, will be eagerly followed nationwide.
On Wednesday, prosecutors revealed that a Snapchat video was 'critical to the case'.
Paul Murdaugh (right) was shot dead in June 2021. On Wednesday prosecutors revealed he sent a Snapchat video to friends around an hour before he died. His father Alex (left) will go on trial on Monday, charged with his murder
From left: Paul, Alex, Maggie and Buster Murdaugh in a photo posted in January 2019
Several views of the crime scene where Paul had been shot were in the court filings
The 22-year-old was shot in the feed room connected to the Moselle properties dog kennels, while his mother was shot five times, including in the back of the head, with a semiautomatic rifle – the pair dying just 30 yards from one another
The video was sent by Paul shortly before 8pm on the night he was killed.
Investigators believe he and his mother died between 9pm and 9:30pm.
Prosecutors are seeking permission to call a Snapchat executive to testify as to the veracity of the video.
'Amongst other things, critical to the case is a video sent out to several friends at approximately 7:56 p.m. on the night of the murders,' wrote Creighton Waters, senior assistant deputy attorney general.
'The contents of this video is important to proving the State's case in chief.'
Waters asked Judge Clifton Newman to order that the Snapchat representative appear in court.
Newman signed the order.
'Because this video was provided by Snapchat, a Snapchat custodian is required to testify in person that the video is a true and accurate record kept in the normal course of business activity,' Waters argued.
They did not reveal what was in the Snapchat video.