Alex Murdaugh’s son, Buster, called as witness Tuesday

Alex Murdaugh’s only living son, Buster Murdaugh, was called as the first witness Tuesday testifying in his dad’s defense at his double murder trial in Walterboro, South Carolina.

Buster, 26, climbed into the witness box wearing a white button-down shirt and a black blazer, as his father smiled affectionately at him. 

Murdaugh, 54, is accused of blowing off the head of his youngest son, Paul Murdaugh, 22, with shotgun and executing his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, with a rifle in June 2021.

Buster told jurors that his dad “coached every little league team I played on,” and it was unusual for either of his parents to miss his games.

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Buster Murdaugh listens to his father Alex Murdaugh’s recorded interview, where he describes a suicide attempt he planned, during Alex Murdaugh’s double murder trial at the Colleton County Courthouse on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023, in Walterboro, S.C.  (Joshua Boucher/The State via AP, Pool)

Defense lawyer Jim Griffin elicited in his questioning that the family had a very tight-knit relationship. “I spoke to my mom every day, multiple times a day, and the like for my dad and for my brother, too, and I know they’re all talking to each other too,” Buster testified.

He described the family’s 1,700-acre hunting estate, known as Moselle, where Maggie and Paul were murdered, and said guns were frequently left all over the property by his slain brother.

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“Sometimes he would use my gun, and he would leave it, and then I would have to track it down,” he said of his .300 Blackout rifle. 

The gun used to kill Paul was loaded with buckshot and birdshot rounds, which Buster said he’d never seen done at Moselle.

A photo of the Murdaugh family taken days before Paul and Maggie Murdaugh were shot to death. From left, Buster, Paul, Maggie and Alex Murdaugh. (Defense exhibit)

Buster, 26, has been a constant presence in the Colleton County Courthouse since his father’s trial kicked off Jan. 25 with opening statements.

He has supported his father since the disbarred attorney’s arrest for allegedly killing his only brother and his mother.

Buster and other relatives were forced to move to rows further back in the courtroom after altercations with court staff. After one witness testified, Buster allegedly flipped him off. 

Buster Murdaugh, Brooklynn White, and Lynn Murdaugh return to the Colleton County courthouse after lunch, Walterboro, S.C., Tuesday, February 7, 2023. Buster’s father, Alex Murdaugh is facing trial for double murder. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital)

In another incident, he handed a court staffer a book to give his father, which was considered contraband.  

Buster, his girlfriend Brooklynn White, his uncle, John Marvin Murdaugh, and his aunt, Lynn Murdaugh Goette, have been in court every day.

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Tuesday marked the fifth week of Murdaugh’s trial and the second day of the defense’s case. Before Buster was called to the stand, Judge Newman admonished Griffin for retweeting an article about the case. 

“You should not post or repost anything,” the judge told him.

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Rebecca Rosenberg is a veteran journalist and book author with a focus on crime and criminal justice. Email tips to rebecca.rosenberg@fox.com and @ReRosenberg.