Murdaugh juror who said ‘we saw right through him’ is BROTHER of cop who arrived at murder scene
A juror from the Alex Murdaugh trial, who said ‘we saw right through’ his tears on the witness stand, has been exposed as the brother of a cop who was at the crime scene.
James McDowell made no secret of his relationship with Colleton County Sheriff’s Corporal Chad McDowell during the jury selection process. He was pulled aside for questioning by the judge before both sides agreed that he could sit as an alternate. He finished in the last 12 after another judge fell ill after five weeks.
His brother Chad testified early in the trial as the second agent who arrived on the night of June 7 at Murdaugh’s sprawling hunting estate, Moselle, in South Carolina, to find the blood-soaked bodies of Maggie, 52, and Paul, 22. , 2021.
James McDowell renounced his anonymity when he appeared on NBC’s TODAY show Monday to claim he was unconvinced by Murdaugh’s crying as he sensationally took the stand in a desperate attempt to protest his innocence in the latest days of the trial.
“We already know he’s a lawyer. He can be emotional with business, with himself. We could read through that,” he said.
“If I were him, I wouldn’t have taken a position,” said juror James McDowell, who said the jury was aware of Murdaugh’s past as an attorney and his skill in the courtroom.
Colleton County Sheriff’s Corporal Chad McDowell testified that he was the second officer at the scene of the brutal murder on the night of June 7, 2021
Laughing Alex Murdaugh appears shaven-headed in a new prison mugshot days after pleading guilty to the murder of his wife and son. The new mugshot was supposed to replace a blurry photo taken on March 3 (right) when he was transferred to the Kirkland Reception and Evaluation Center
McDowell said his brother hadn’t told him much about what he saw when he arrived at the murder scene, but admitted he was surprised he was chosen for the jury given their relationship.
“There was no way he would want to talk to me about that and put me through that,” McDowell told Fox and Friends on Monday. They continued with, “Do you think you can be a fair and honest juror?” And I said I would and I could.’
In another interview with Law and Crime, he claimed he was unaware of the local gossip because he was away from Charleston University and was now working in the city.
“I think they made a good decision because I think I was a fair and honest juror,” McDowell said.
He said he only decided how to vote after the closing arguments.
During the trial, jurors watched footage of his brother Chad arriving in Moselle and Murdaugh saying to him, “How are you?”
That casual greeting was used by prosecutors to allege that Murdaugh was acting suspiciously the night of the murders.
McDowell testified that he was careful not to step on any evidence while helping other officers hide the bodies.
He said he turned on his lights to make sure he knew where he was walking and was “careful” to avoid shell casings or footprints.
If he had noticed any evidence where he was walking, McDowell said, he “would have stopped and notified detectives.”
During cross-examination, the defense grilled McDowell about his behavior at the gruesome crime scene, claiming he had interfered with evidence.
McDowell admitted that he did not wear plastic coverings for his feet, acknowledging that there may have been microscopic evidence that he could not identify with his naked eye and a flashlight.
Maggie’s body was found a few feet to the right of a dog house, while Paul’s was found near the doorway at the end of the kennels.
WHERE MAGGIE DIED: A pool of blood outside the kennels where Maggie Murdaugh was shot dead with two AR rounds to the head
Two of the family dogs – who appear to be Bubba and Maggie – based on descriptions in court – are seen in the kennels on Moselle Road on June 7, 2021, when Alex Murdaugh’s wife Maggie and son Paul Murdaugh were shot and killed
WHERE PAUL DIED: Blood splatter on the floor in the storage room at the kennels where Paul Murdaugh was shot. He was killed with a shot to the chest and a second to the head
Buster, Maggie, Paul and Alex Murdaugh in a photo the mom posted for Father’s Day in 2020
Dick Harpootlian yanked the officer out and said, “You don’t know what you’re doing.”
After six weeks of successful testimony, it took jurors less than three hours to find Murdaugh guilty.
The defense said after the sentencing the next day that they would file a motion for a mistrial and take their case to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary.
Murdaugh’s attorneys, Harpootlian and Jim Griffin, said the judge’s decision to allow evidence of his financial crimes sealed his fate.
Earlier, Judge Clifton Newman questioned the killer as he faced him for sentencing and offered the legal scion one last chance to admit to the murders.
“Remind me of the expression you uttered on the witness stand. “Oh, what a tangled web we weave.” What do you mean?’ Newman asked, staring into Murdaugh’s eyes.
“I meant that when I lied, I kept lying,” he replied as matter-of-factly as he had done on the witness stand a few days ago.
And the question is when will it end? When will it end?’ The judge admonished him, reminding him that “you continue to lie and lie throughout your testimony.”
The judge added, “But in your own soul you have to deal with that.”
The room went completely silent as Newman looked at the killer and spoke to him as if they were alone.
“And I know you have to see Paul and Maggie at night when you’re trying to sleep. I’m sure they’ll come to see you, I’m sure,” said the judge.
Murdaugh replied, “All day and every night.”