First responding detectives to Murdaugh family murders talk about the case, trial in wake of verdict
In an exclusive interview, we are now hearing from Colleton County Sheriff's Office.
Their agency was the first on the scene when Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were murdered in June 2021.
The three deputies were all on the scene the night of the double murders, they all took the stand in the six-week trial and they all helped secure the courthouse and the people around it.
WCIV talked with them for about two hours, hearing firsthand what this was all like.
Captain Jason Chapman said within the first hour of him arriving on scene the night of the murders, he felt like something wasn't right.
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He said Alex Murdaugh's body language showed there was more going on than what Alex was saying.
He said Alex was showing clues, like not making eye contact, not blinking, turning on and off emotions and other things that Chapman found odd.
"Its years and years of reading people -- a detective will tell you a lot of times it doesn't matter what come out of your mouth in the interview room, it's what body says. If we can have someone come in and sit and say the typical, 'I swear I didn't do it, swear I didn't do it,' but their body says everything opposite," Capt. Chapman said.
Within 72 hours, Chapman and Detective Laura Rutland reviewed what they had on the case.
That was the 911 call Alex Murdaugh made, Detective Daniel Greene body camera when he arrived on the scene, and Alex Murdaugh first interview with law enforcement.
After that review, they felt Alex was not telling the truth.
We now, of course, know Alex was found guilty of killing his wife Maggie and son Paul.
Detective Rutland, and Detective Greene both knew nothing about the Murdaugh family before this all started in June 2021.
Detective Greene was the first on the scene the night of the murders, and Detective Rutland was a part of the whole investigation, as well as helped interview Alex with SLED.
"Because I didn't know who the family was -- because none of this kinda triggered anything in my head that this is gonna end up being a huge thing -- the intimal thought wasn't he killed his wife and son... it wasn't really one of the scenarios going through my head on the way there because he called and said I found them. Generally, when you get a call like that, you go into it thinking that's truth," Detective Greene said.
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"When he first described Paul, breaking down at first, I thought it was genuine emotion and genuine trauma. Of course, now I know, yeah he was traumatized not by what he found but what he had done," Detective Rutland added.
Capt. Champan said after the verdict came out, the jurors thanked him, Detective Rutland, Detective Greene and the entire sheriff's office for their work.
He said they also wanted to thank SLED and the AG's office, but of course, they say the most rewarding part overall was getting justice for Maggie and Paul.
