Buster Murdaugh returns to South Carolina courthouse following evacuation
Buster Murdaugh and his girlfriend, Brooklynn White, return to Colleton County Courthouse after the judge ordered the building to be evacuated on Feb. 8, 2023, during his father, Alex Murdaugh's, murder trial. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital)
Alex Murdaugh's only living son, Buster Murdaugh, testified Tuesday that his father was "broken" after his wife and son were shot to death.
"He was destroyed, heartbroken," Buster told jurors at his father's double-murder trial in Walterboro, South Carolina. "I walked in the door, saw him, gave him a hug; [he was] just broken down."
Murdaugh, 54, is accused of killing his youngest son, Paul Murdaugh, 22, with a shotgun and executing his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, with a rifle in June 2021.
Buster, 26, said his father called him on June 7 after finding his wife and son's bodies near the dog kennels of the family's hunting estate.
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Alex Murdaugh, left, watches his son, Buster, testify on Feb. 21, 2023, at his murder trial. (Fox News)
"He asked me if I was sitting down, and I was like, ‘Yeah,’ then he sounded odd, then he told me that my mom and brother had been shot," Buster testified at Colleton County Courthouse. "I was in shock."
Buster and his girlfriend, Brooklynn White, rushed to the family's 1,700-acre estate, known as Moselle, in Islandton, South Carolina, arriving early the next morning.
Buster, wearing a white button-down shirt and a black blazer, showed little emotion as he testified while his father smiled at him affectionately from the defense table.
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The morning after the murders, Buster said he and his father showered at Moselle, possibly explaining the puddle of water and the damp towel found in the master bathroom.
Defense lawyer Jim Griffin elicited in his questioning that the family had a very tight-knit relationship.
Buster Murdaugh, left, is shown with his parents, Alex and Maggie, on Memorial Day weekend 2021 during his father's birthday celebration – about a week before his brother, Paul, and mother were murdered on June 7, 2021. (Defense exhibit)
"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, adding that the flurry of phone calls on the day of the murders was not unusual.
He said he knew his father struggled with a narcotics addiction and had checked into a detox facility in 2018 – but portrayed him as a loving father and a devoted husband.
Buster told jurors that his father "coached every Little League team I played on" and it was unusual for either of his parents to miss his games.
Buster Murdaugh listens to father Alex's recorded interview in which he describes a suicide attempt during Alex's double-murder trial at the Colleton County Courthouse, Feb. 16, 2023, in Walterboro, South Carolina. (Joshua Boucher / The State via AP / Pool)
About a week before the slayings, the family celebrated Murdaugh's birthday in Edisto Beach, and Griffin displayed a photo of Buster posing with his parents during the event.
Challenging testimony elicited during the prosecution's case, Buster 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 had never seen done at Moselle.
A photo of the Murdaugh family taken days before Paul and Maggie Murdaugh were shot to death. From left are Buster, Paul, Maggie and Alex Murdaugh. (Defense exhibit)
He also said that the family usually used the main entrance to the Moselle residence, not the side entrance that passes the kennels.
Last week, a prosecution witness testified that Murdaugh parked near the wood line of his mother's property, rather than the front door, when he visited Almeda shortly after his wife and son were killed.
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Prosecutors have implied that Murdaugh disposed of evidence on the property. But Buster testified Tuesday that they often parked in that spot when visiting Almeda because it was near the entrance to the home's sunroom.
Buster Murdaugh, left, is shown with his mother, Maggie, his brother, Paul, and his father, Alex. (Facebook)
On cross-examination by John Meadors, Buster conceded that he did not know the family was in financial straits until his father's botched suicide scheme on Sept. 4, 2021.
Murdaugh asked his alleged drug dealer, Curtis "Cousin Eddie" Smith, to shoot him in the head so that Buster could collect a $10 million life insurance payout – but the shot only grazed his scalp.
Buster Murdaugh and his girlfriend, Brooklynn White, watch a video clip from the phone of his brother, Paul, during the double-murder trial of Alex Murdaugh at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, Feb. 1, 2023. (Andrew J. Whitaker / The Post and Courier/Pool)
Buster has been a constant presence in the 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 farther back in the courtroom after altercations with court staff. After one witness testified, Buster allegedly flipped him off.
Buster Murdaugh, left, Brooklynn White and Lynn Murdaugh return to the Colleton County Courthouse after lunch in Walterboro, South Carolina, Feb. 7, 2023. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital)
Buster, White, his uncle, John Marvin Murdaugh, and his aunt, Lynn Murdaugh Goette, have been in court every day.
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 Clifton 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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