Murder Suspect Alex Murdaugh Accuses Cousin For The Deaths Of His Wife And Son

Disbarred South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh who has been accused of the murder of his wife Maggie, 52, and son Paul, 22, in July 2021, claims that his cousin Curtis “Eddie” Smith is responsible for the murders, according to a new court filing, said reports.

Murdaugh's lawyers Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin wrote

“Smith decidedly failed a polygraph when questioned if he murdered Maggie and Paul,” in a motion on Friday, Oct 14.

“The reason Smith failed the polygraph when asked if he murdered Maggie and Paul is because he in fact did commit these heinous crimes,” they added.

Murdaugh entered his not-guilty plea in July 2022, ahead of the trial, which is set to begin in January 2023.

Deputy state attorney general Creighton Waters told the court at the time that “The evidence, in this case, is substantial, and it all points back to Alex Murdaugh.”

To which Harpootlian responded “Our response to that is he’s wrong. And that’s why a jury will sit in that jury box.”

Smith’s attorney Aimee Zmroczek said, “Eddie Smith continues to be a victim of Alex Murdaugh and his deeds.”

According to the complain filed on Friday “Capt. [Bryan] Jones asked Smith if he shot Maggie or Paul, and he said no, repeatedly. Capt. Jones then told Smith the questions that would be asked during the polygraph examination, and, after more small talk, began the examination. Smith failed.”

Defense lawyers said in the motion that “The State assumed Alex guilty of the murders before reviewing any evidence but failed to find evidence supporting that assumption, despite an investigation lasting more than one year.”

“Nevertheless, on July 14, 2022, the Attorney General caved to the intense public interest in this case and indicted Alex with the murders,” it claimed.

If convicted Murdaugh faces 30 years to life in prison without parole along with the possibility of getting a death sentence. He also faces charges of committing fraud along with financial crimes which involve stealing more than $8 million from clients.

Murdaugh’s lawyers have previously blamed his opioid addiction as the reason for his double life and illegal actions.