WALTERBORO, S.C. — A total of five witnesses testified today on Wednesday during week five of the Alex Murdaugh double murder trial. First up was Mark Ball, the defendant's former colleague.
Ball is a partner at Murdaugh's former law firm, now called Parker Law Group, and a family friend of the Murdaughs.
"Knowing Alex for 30 years, do you develop an assessment of his relationship with his family: Maggie, Paul and Buster?" defense attorney Jim Griffin asked.
"Well, I will tell you this. The person I thought I knew loved his family or appeared to love his family very much. He would take their calls, he did all those things," Ball testified. "After September the third, I'm not sure I know that person. But he always seemed to be devoted to everything."
Next on the stand was Morris Dawes Cooke. He was defending Murdaugh in a civil case concerning a 2019 boat wreck.
Murdaugh was being sued after his son was charged with boating under the influence causing death.
Cooke provided insight on the potential pressure Murdaugh was facing.
Then, Kenneth Zercie took the stand as an expert witness for the defense. He used a report of the crime scene investigation and testified that more could have been done to protect the scene.
PHOTOS: Alex Murdaugh murder trial - Day 22 (Wed, Feb. 22)
Barbara Mixson took the stand next. She is a housekeeper for the defendant's parents and says she knows Murdaugh and his family well.
Finally, digital forensic examiner Micah Sturgis took the stand and talked about the data investigators collected from Maggie Murdaugh's phone, including when the screen lit up and when orientation changes were recorded.