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March 1 (UPI) -- Prosecutors prepared to wrap up their case Wednesday in the double-murder trial of Alex Murdaugh by pushing back against the defense's theory that unknown assailants were responsible. A state crime scene analyst used the word "preposterous" to describe the defense's theory that Murdaugh's son Paul was killed by a shotgun blast in the June, 7, 2021, killing.
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Murdaugh, a former prominent lawyer in South Carolina, is on trial, accused of killing his wife, Margaret, and their 22-year-old son, Paul.
Prosecutors have no murder weapon but have built their case on Murdaugh's timeline of his whereabouts at the time, which they contend does not add up.
Defense experts painted a picture that both Paul and Margaret were killed by unknown assailants in an execution-style killing.
Orangeburg County Sheriff's Office chief deputy Kenneth Kinsey disputed the defense's contention that the person that killed Maggie could not have been taller than 5 feet 4 inches. That would make the perpetrator a foot shorter than Murdaugh.
Kinsey is the last of the state's witnesses.
The trial is expected to move into closing arguments and jury deliberation through the remainder of the week.
Murdaugh testified in his own defense over two days last week, against the advice of his own lawyers. His surviving son has also testified on his behalf.
He has already admitted lying to police about his decades-long opioid addiction and financial crimes. He was about to be indicted for a number of financial crimes, accused of stealing nearly $9 million from people close to him.
He changed his original story about seeing his wife and son ahead of the murder. He has continued to insist that he did not kill either of them.
On Tuesday, Circuit Judge Clifton Newman granted a motion to have jurors visit the crime scene over the objections of prosecutors.
The defense rested its case Monday.
