Watch as Alex Murdaugh appears in court on day 17 of murder trial

Watch as Alex Murdaugh appeared in court on Thursday 16 February, for the 17th day of his murder trial.

The powerful heir to a prominent South Carolina legal dynasty is accused of shooting dead his wife Maggie, 52, and son Paul, 22, at the family’s estate in Islandton on 7 June 2021.

He has pleaded not guilty.

Hotly-anticipated testimony from a key witness was expected to take place on Thursday, after the judge made a dramatic u-turn on a previous ruling.

On Wednesday, Judge Clifton Newman ruled that testimony about a September 2021 roadside shooting would not be heard, reversing the ruling hours later.

Three months after the murders of Maggie and son Paul, the disgraced attorney was ambushed in what he claimed was a drive-by shooting.

He later confessed to orchestrating the plot with Curtis “Cousin Eddie” Smith so his surviving son Buster would inherit a $10m life insurance windfall.

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