🚨🚨🚨 Personal news Megathread 🚨🚨🚨

This is my last week at @postandcourier. It is also my last in the news business.

I've so enjoyed my 7.5 years as a news reporter, and I'm so proud of what we were able to accomplish during my time with the @postandcourier and @thestate. It was an eventful and challenging ride, from the runaway goat on my first day to Alex Murdaugh on the last.

I've loved (almost) every second of it.

I've saved @postandcourier front pages since the day we reported Alex Murdaugh was about to be indicted on murder charges in the slayings of his wife and son.

Here's how the first draft of history in this case appeared to our readers in Charleston and beyond.

#AlexMurdaugh 1. 7/13/22: State investigators meet with Murdaugh's family to inform them he will be charged with murder in the June 2021 slayings of Maggie and Paul.

2. 7/15/22: Our story on Murdaugh's indictment

I’m going on with @HallieJackson on @NBCNewsNow around 5:35 pm to talk Murdaugh and Megathreads.

You can follow along here if you are so inclined:
nbcnews.com/now @HallieJackson @NBCNewsNow On in a couple of minutes

🚨🚨🚨Alex Murdaugh Double Murder Trial Day 29 (March 3) Megathread begins now 🚨🚨🚨

Last night, Alex Murdaugh was found guilty of murder in the June 2021 slayings of his wife and son. He will be sentenced this morning.

#AlexMurdaugh #AlexMurdaughTrial #MurdaughTrial #Murdaugh Murdaugh, who hails from a long line of prosecutors, faces 30 years to life in prison at his sentencing hearing today, and Judge Clifton Newman is known as a tough sentencer.

Newman said yesterday he wanted to hear some victim impact statements today before making his decision.

🚨🚨🚨Alex Murdaugh Double Murder Trial Day 28 (March 2) Megathread begins now 🚨🚨🚨

We’re in the endgame. First up today is the defense’s closing argument. The jury will probably begin deliberating sometime today.

#AlexMurdaugh #AlexMurdaughTrial #MurdaughTrial #Murdaugh Here’s yesterday’s Megathread for those catching up

https://twitter.com/AveryGWilks/status/1630897514323795968

🚨🚨🚨Alex Murdaugh Double Murder Trial Day 27 (March 1) Megathread begins now 🚨🚨🚨

Witness testimony is over after 76 people came to the stand, several of them more than once. Closing arguments and Moselle trip today.

#AlexMurdaugh #AlexMurdaughTrial #MurdaughTrial #Murdaugh Yesterday’s Megathread, for those catching up

https://twitter.com/AveryGWilks/status/1630534529332002817

🚨🚨🚨Alex Murdaugh Double Murder Trial Day 26 (Feb. 28) Megathread begins now 🚨🚨🚨

Prosecutors expect to call 4-5 witnesses in their reply case today and tomorrow, trying to rebut points raised by the defense.

#AlexMurdaugh #AlexMurdaughTrial #MurdaughTrial #Murdaugh Yesterday’s Megathread

https://twitter.com/averygwilks/status/1630179691213758464

🚨🚨🚨Alex Murdaugh Double Murder Trial Day 25 (Feb. 27) Megathread begins now 🚨🚨🚨

The defense is expected to rest its case today, at the start of the trial's sixth week, after calling a few more witnesses.

#AlexMurdaugh #AlexMurdaughTrial #MurdaughTrial #Murdaugh For those catching up, here’s the Megathread from Friday

https://twitter.com/averygwilks/status/1629098458148732931

Idk about the veracity of this particular report, but the rate at which misinformation is spreading about this trial is fascinating and disturbing.

Every day, people tweet at me “Station XYZ is reporting this” or “XYZ dot com is reporting that” and it’s just fiction

https://twitter.com/ottawascot/status/1629869126742073344

All it takes is one bogus report and the misinformation ecosystem begins to flourish. Legal analysts and talking heads spouts opinions on facts that simply aren't true. People consume those opinions and form warped views of this case and the criminal justice system at large.

🚨🚨🚨Alex Murdaugh Double Murder Trial Day 24 (Feb. 24) Megathread begins now 🚨🚨🚨

Alex Murdaugh will remain on the witness stand today for lead prosecutor Creighton Waters’ cross-examination. I’ll tweet updates.

#AlexMurdaugh #AlexMurdaughTrial #MurdaughTrial #Murdaugh The Megathread from yesterday, which began with the news that Alex Murdaugh would take the stand (against the advice of his defense attorneys)

https://twitter.com/averygwilks/status/1628718983691083779

🚨🚨🚨Alex Murdaugh Double Murder Trial Day 23 (Feb. 23) Megathread begins now 🚨🚨🚨

I’ve confirmed this morning Alex Murdaugh WILL take the stand and testify today, barring some last-minute change. This will be big.

#AlexMurdaugh #AlexMurdaughTrial #MurdaughTrial #Murdaugh The decision comes after Murdaugh defense team was said to be at the local jail late last night meeting with AM.

This was not a done deal until late last night or this morning. Even now, I’m told AM could (and might) change his mind right up until the minute he takes the stand.

🚨🚨🚨Alex Murdaugh Double Murder Trial Day 22 (Feb. 22) Megathread begins now 🚨🚨🚨

The defense will continue presenting its case today, calling its own experts as well as friends/colleagues/relatives of Murdaugh.

#AlexMurdaugh #AlexMurdaughTrial #MurdaughTrial #Murdaugh The Megathread from yesterday, as the trial entered its fifth week

https://twitter.com/averygwilks/status/1628017300166025217

🚨🚨🚨Alex Murdaugh Double Murder Trial Day 21 (Feb. 21) Megathread begins now 🚨🚨🚨

The defense will begin presenting its case in earnest this morning, starting with Alex Murdaugh’s son, Buster.

#AlexMurdaugh #AlexMurdaughTrial #MurdaughTrial #Murdaugh Expect to hear from Murdaugh’s relatives, expert witnesses and possibly Alex Murdaugh himself in the coming days.

Think the defense could spend all week, and potentially into next week, calling witnesses.

Catch up with the most recent Megathread, from Friday

https://twitter.com/averygwilks/status/1626568585932947456

🚨🚨🚨Alex Murdaugh Double Murder Trial Day 20 (Feb. 17) Megathread begins now 🚨🚨🚨

The state is expected to rest its case today at the end of the trial’s fourth week. I’ll provide updates below.

#AlexMurdaugh #AlexMurdaughTrial #MurdaughTrial #Murdaugh We will begin today at 9:30 am with the defense’s cross-examination of SLED agent Ryan Kelly, who investigated the September 2021 roadside shooting/assisted suicide/insurance fraud scheme.

Defense attorney Dick Harpootlian said it’ll take a while.

🚨🚨🚨Alex Murdaugh Double Murder Trial Day 19 (Feb. 16) Megathread begins now 🚨🚨🚨

The state will call its final witnesses and rest its case today or tomorrow. Expect to get into the roadside shooting today.

#AlexMurdaugh #AlexMurdaughTrial #MurdaughTrial #Murdaugh As ever, I will provide play-by-play here once court resumes at 9:30 a.m.

For now, here’s what we wrote last night about the defense’s withering cross-examination of the state’s lead investigator postandcourier.com/murdaugh-updat…

🚨🚨🚨Alex Murdaugh Double Murder Trial Day 18 (Feb. 15) Megathread begins now 🚨🚨🚨

I expect the state will a few more witnesses, including SLED lead investigator David Owen, before resting its case today or tomorrow.

#AlexMurdaugh #AlexMurdaughTrial #MurdaughTrial #Murdaugh I’ll post updates below, as always.

For now, some material for anyone needing to catch up before court resumes at 9:30 a.m.

Yesterday’s Megathread

https://twitter.com/AveryGWilks/status/1625471581848850441

🚨🚨🚨Alex Murdaugh Double Murder Trial Day 17 (Feb. 14) Megathread begins now 🚨🚨🚨

The state is close to wrapping up its case. I’ll provide updates every step of the way today.

#AlexMurdaugh #AlexMurdaughTrial #MurdaughTrial #Murdaugh The Megathread from yesterday

https://twitter.com/AveryGWilks/status/1625092469271429120

🚨🚨🚨 Alex Murdaugh Double Murder Trial Day 16 (Feb. 13) Megathread begins now 🚨🚨🚨

The state will continue to present witnesses and testimony as we begin week 4 of this trial at 9:30 am. I’ll provide updates below.

#AlexMurdaughTrial #AlexMurdaugh #MurdaughTrial #Murdaugh Here’s the link to the previous Megathread - day 15 on Friday

https://twitter.com/averygwilks/status/1624027040310562816

🚨🚨🚨 Alex Murdaugh Double Murder Trial Day 15 (Feb. 10) Megathread begins now 🚨🚨🚨

The state will continue to question its 43rd witness, Beach family attorney Mark Tinsley, when court resumes at 9:30 a.m.

#AlexMurdaughTrial #AlexMurdaugh #MurdaughTrial #Murdaugh Tinsley is (I believe) among the last of the state’s financial witnesses. After him, I’m guessing the state could call state grand jury forensic accountant Carson Burney (who also testified before with the jury excused). Then we can return to witnesses on the double murders.

Source on Murdaugh's defense team tells me the Murdaugh family was moved away from the defendant because Buster brought a John Grisham novel to court yesterday morning, handed it to a paralegal, and the paralegal gave it to Murdaugh. Colleton County deputies called it contraband. I asked about rumors out there that Buster had been caught throwing a middle finger at Mark Tinsley, or that Murdaugh had been drug tested over suspicion someone gave him drugs.

"Fuck no," I was told.

🚨🚨🚨 Alex Murdaugh Double Murder Trial Day 14 (Feb. 9) Megathread begins now 🚨🚨🚨

Court resumes at 9:30 with the defense crossing an FBI electronics engineer about what he learned from the data on Murdaugh’s Suburban

#AlexMurdaughTrial #AlexMurdaugh #MurdaughTrial #murdaugh Our story from yesterday on a scattered day of evidence and testimony (even before a bomb threat disrupted the proceedings), and how that’s emblematic of the state’s case thus far postandcourier.com/murdaugh-updat…