Portrait of Alex Murdaugh’s late grandfather is removed from court as trial begins

A portrait of the grandfather of accused double murderer Alex Murdaugh was removed from the South Carolina courtroom where his trial began Wednesday, in a poignant symbol of the once-powerful family’s fall from grace.

Judge Clifton Newman ordered the removal of the portrait of late 14th Circuit attorney Randolph ‘Buster’ Murdaugh Jr. as opening arguments began in his grandson’s Walterboro trial.

Alex Murdaugh, 54, is accused of shooting his wife, Maggie, 52, and their son, Paul, 22, on their sprawling hunting property in Islandton, a rural corner of the Lowcountry in South Carolina, on the night of June 7, 2021.

For more than a century, the Murdaugh family wielded immense power in the Lowcountry, with three generations of the family serving as elected attorneys, as district attorneys are known, in the 14th Circuit from 1920 to 2006.

Alex Murdaugh himself worked as a part-time prosecutor in the same office, until he was charged with an impressive web of alleged crimes, including embezzlement from millions of clients and partners, murder of his wife and child, and attempted suicide by a hitman for an insurance payout.

Alex Murdaugh is emotional after seeing his family in the courtroom as opening statements begin in his double murder trial at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro.

Portraits of former attorneys Randolph Murdaugh Sr., Randolph Murdaugh aka Buster Murdaugh, and Randolph Murdaugh III hang on the wall inside a courtroom at the Hampton County Courthouse

The Murdaugh family dynasty began with Alex Murdaugh’s great-grandfather, Randolph Murdaugh Sr., who in 1920 was elected a lawyer for the 14th Judicial Circuit, a large swath of South Carolina spanning five counties.

Murdaugh Sr died on July 19, 1940, when his car mysteriously stopped at a railroad crossing as a train approached in the middle of the night.

The train’s engineer later testified that the car had stopped before reaching the tracks, but just as the train approached, it jerked to a stop directly on the tracks, according to the Greenville News.

There was speculation of suicide, or that a medical incident or alcohol may have played a role, but the death was officially ruled accidental.

Murdaugh Sr.’s son Randolph ‘Buster’ Murdaugh Jr. filed a wrongful death lawsuit blaming the railroad, which was settled out of court on undisclosed terms.

Murdaugh Jr. succeeded his father as attorney, serving from 1940 to 1986 and running unopposed in all but two elections during his 46 years in office.

In turn, his son Randolph Murdaugh III succeeded him in 1986 and ran unopposed in every election until his retirement in 2006.

Train tracks are seen in Hampton County. Murdaugh Sr died on July 19, 1940 when his car mysteriously stopped at a railroad crossing when a train stopped in the middle of the night.

Murdaugh III died of cancer just days after Alex Murdaugh’s wife and son were shot to death in June 2021.

Alex Murdaugh’s alibi after the murders was that he was visiting his father in the hospital, but prosecutors say cell phone data places him at the crime scene.

During opening arguments Wednesday, Alex Murdaugh wept as the prosecutor said a “family weapon” was used to kill his wife and gunshot residue was found on her seat belt.

Prosecutor Creighton Waters told jurors how Murdaugh first shot his son with buckshot before picking up an AR-15-style rifle to shoot his wife Maggie twice in the head. “It was a family weapon that killed Maggie Murdaugh,” Waters said.

He cited evidence of gunshot residue found on a raincoat that was discovered at Murdaugh’s mother’s home after the murders. She also said gunshot residue was discovered on the seat belt of her car.

Alex Murdaugh pictured with his wife Maggie and their two sons Paul (left) and Buster

Simple markers note the graves of Paul Murdaugh and his mother, Margaret, at Hampton Cemetery in a file photo.

But Murdaugh’s defense attorney, Dick Harpootlian, said it was “not credible” that he could have “slaughtered” his son and “executed” his wife so cruelly, describing him as a “loving” father and husband.

Murdaugh appeared heartbroken as his lawyer, Dick Harpootlian, described how he arrived home to “find his son lying in his own blood with his brains lying at his feet, shot to hell.” Harpootlian said that Paul’s head literally exploded.

Murdaugh, who was indicted by a grand jury in July, denies two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon in connection with the deaths of his wife and son.

Prosecutor Waters described how Murdaugh shot Paul in the feed room of his hunting property at about 8:50 p.m., first with buckshot to the chest and shoulder, then a second shot to the head, causing catastrophic damage.

Murdaugh, center, and his legal team stand as Judge Clifton Newsman enters the courtroom for the double murder trial

Murdaugh holds up a handkerchief as he talks to his attorney Jim Griffin

He said that moments later, Murdaugh took an AR-15-style rifle loaded with .300 Blackout ammunition, shot his wife Maggie twice in the lower body and then twice in the head, killing her.

Waters added that the victims never saw it coming. “They were shot point blank and had no defensive wounds,” Waters told the jury.

Murdaugh’s surviving son, Richard, aka Buster, is expected to testify against his father, and was sitting inside the courtroom during the gruesome opening statements.